North Beach Pizza — Restaurant in San Francisco

From Brazil to North Beach!

I have lived in North Beach, San Francisco, for over twenty-five years. During my early years here, I discovered North Beach Pizza and became a loyal customer at its original location. Their pizza was one of the closest ones to New York pizza, and I loved and enjoyed it during my years there. So it came as a surprise to me when I realized I had never reviewed them on Yelp! Before starting to write this review, I researched their history online. What I learned surprised me because I assumed the owners were Italian or Italian Americans all these years, and I was wrong!

Al Souza, a Brazilian immigrant, launched his restaurant career in 1976 with a San Francisco pizza shop called California Pizza. Though he held a computer science degree from the University of San Francisco, his entrepreneurial spirit led him to the restaurant industry. After honing his management skills at Church's Fried Chicken and Wendy's, he set his sights on a new venture.

In 1982, Souza opened the first North Beach Pizza on Grant Avenue, San Francisco. This innovative concept offered a value-oriented menu with fast and reliable computerized delivery, a system he developed. The success was immediate, attracting hundreds of businesses throughout the city. Capitalizing on this momentum, Souza opened a second location nearby in 1986. Today, North Beach Pizza boasts a growing empire with multiple San Francisco locations, including one under construction on Pier 39 and further expansion into Berkeley and San Mateo.

Beyond building a restaurant empire, Souza is a recognized leader within the Bay Area's Brazilian community. He's known for mentoring former employees and fellow Brazilians, helping them launch successful businesses.

We ordered a medium pie, half Aloha and half Meat Lovers, to take out during our last visit. We called and placed the order, and when we got there, it was ready and waiting for us. The Aloha comes with Canadian Bacon, Ham, and Pineapple. Meat Lovers is topped with sausage, salami, pepperoni, Canadian Bacon, and meatballs. We asked for the crust to be extra crusty, and it was. I wouldn't say I like sweet pizzas, but the Aloha tasted good. On the other hand, Meat Lovers is filling and delivers lots of flavors.

One of the things I like about this North Beach Pizza location is the smiling and friendly staff. The dining area is charming, too. It is roomy and well-set up. We last ate there a while ago, but...

After a captivating tour of Alcatraz and a visit to the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, we were craving some hearty comfort food, and North Beach Pizza in San Francisco, CA, was the perfect choice! The pizza and spaghetti were absolutely fantastic and hit the spot perfectly.

Sharing a meal at North Beach Pizza with my teenage son, son-in-law, and grandson was a wonderful experience after a bit of sightseeing around the San Francisco Bay Area. The ambiance of this casual spot added to our enjoyment, and the famous San Francisco hills provided a picturesque backdrop to our meal.

The pizzas were truly delightful, especially with the generous use of garlic, a topping North Beach Pizza is renowned for. As garlic lovers, we were thrilled with how well they incorporated this flavorful ingredient into their dishes.

While the service might be described as "indifferent" on their website, we found it to be perfectly adequate for a pizza joint. The staff was friendly enough, and the casual atmosphere was exactly what we were looking for after a day of exploring the city.

Overall, North Beach Pizza provided us with a memorable dining experience that perfectly capped off our day in San Francisco. If you're looking for delicious pizza and pasta in a laid-back setting, with a touch of local flavor, look no further than North Beach Pizza. Highly...

came here for a quick bite with a friend, we split a personal pizza and broccoli as an appetizer. The pizza was pretty good, we got the dolores park pizza. It was my first time trying hot honey and I wasn’t a big fan of the sweetness, but the friend enjoyed it so I think it was just a personal taste thing. Pizza was decent but not necessarily great. The broccoli was steamed and was a good portion amount, but we both agreed that grilled or some kind of char on the broccoli would have been much better. The service was interesting, everyone was very nice but our server moved us to a different table after we sat down and then moved another family to a different table as well. We had a decent wait after placing our order, and two different servers came up to us and asked us if we had been helped. It was kind of them, but highlighted how long we had been waiting if we had been checked in on by three people. Overall a decent spot and good for the price, but wouldn’t come again as there are better options...