Arinell Pizza
509 Valencia St
(between 16th St & 17th St)
San Francisco, CA 94110 (415) 255-1303
- Hours:
Mon-Wed 11:30 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Thu 11:30 a.m.-12:00 a.m.
Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m.-12:00 a.m.
Sun 1:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner, Late Night
- Alcohol: None
72 reviews
Neighborhood: Marina/Cow Hollow
"Cute little Italian bistro located conveniently on Chestnut street. It reminded me of some of the Italian restaurants I dined at in Venice…" read more »
420 Reviews for Arinell Pizza
When people say SF pizza sucks, they must not have tried Arinell's. It's the best thin crust, NY style by the slice place that I've tried in SF, and I can say that because I grew up on NY pizza. The underlayer of crust is thin and crisp on the outside; the flavor of the bread isn't the best I've had but it's definitely not just an afterthought. The cheese is melted well; it's a soft tasty layer of moltenness. There's definite tang from the sauce and the oregano is upfront; but there isn't too much or too little sauce, just enough to meld the cheese and crust together. Slices get a little less crisp mid-pizza but that's all right...no one's perfect. Definitely my favorite pizza in all of San Francisco.
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Yes, finally, pizza that I can really rave about....oh arinell, I blame you for my current "fat" feeling
The Scene:
Yes, it's in the Mission, yes it is a hole in the wall....but wow! Call ahead and order so you can double park, make the death defying scramble across the street, and quickly swoop up the best pizza in san francisco...BEST!....cash only kids, so dont carry around only plastic like I used to
The Food
Thin crust, crispy, bubbling cheese......need I say more? Add whatever toppings you like, this pizza is AMAZING! Personally, I opt for mushrooms, artichoke hearts and pepperoni. The sauce is just tangy enough, that it is perfectly balanced with the combination of cheeses....my mouth is watering as I type.....I now need pizza, arinell, I'm eating you tomorrow
Alright, so I'm obsessed with pizza. My belief is that San Francisco's pizza scene is generally sub-par, however I'm not very easily disappointed. When it comes down to it, I'm eating melted cheese and I'm happy about that.
My cousin's husband LOVES Arinell and has been asking me weekly for months now whether I've had one of their slices yet. No, no, not yet. That is mainly because Arinell closes early. Bad business strategy in my opinion, as the post-bar-closing drunken pizza slice is a crucial way to end the night. I keep having to go to the (lesser - now I know) Cable Car pizza next door. Who even knows when that place closes...
Well, I finally decided to eat pizza before 2am for once in my life, and I gave Arinell a shot. Upon walking in, I could not help but notice the clientele of tweakers that were hanging out there. I also could not help but notice the strung out employees (jamming to the Smiths or some equivalent grimy London band). Years of drug abuse have rendered them 80-pound skeletons and left them with dirty fingernails that they use to handle slices without gloves. Some may think, yuck, walk away. I prefer to ignore these telltale signs of health code violations.
And thank god I do. Their pizza was hands down the best pizza I've had in San Francisco. I value crust above all other aspects of a pizza and their crust was perfect. Flawless. Crunchy, crispy, wonderful. And cheap. I only wish they would stay open a smidge later so I could really grub when the time is right (late-night).
And seriously, despite the mild dirty yuck factor, everyone that worked there was really nice. Fast service, good pizza, good stuff.
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Last week, I got a chance to stroll along the seedy streets in the Mission district. Aside from having strong Hispanic representation, various cultures are high lighted especially by a wide range of cuisines. After a grub tip from Thanh, I had to try Arinell, a hole in the wall pizza joint famous for their New York style pizza. I ordered the Sicilian slice ($2.50) and one bite transported me to comfort food heaven. The slice is all about texture.
The thin slice is chewy married with the nutty taste of slightly burned cheese. Simply delicious. An overuse of powered parmesan cheese, oregano, and chilli flakes would simply be a sin overpowering the goodness of the main ingredients.
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I am Brooklyn, NY-born and raised and Arinell's is where I go when I am homesick and craving a NYC-style slice. Let's get one thing clear though: West Coast pizza cannot hold a flame to a real NYC pie. However, Arinell's efforts are the best I've seen in the city. Super-thin crust, delicious sauce, and the occasional crusty bubble - what's not to like? I also like that they always have some crazy music blaring like death metal or punk and The Ramones-rejects-staff serves the pies up delicious and without any fake "see ya next time" smiles. Loves it.
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I lived in NYC for 6 years, and Arinell doesn't taste like any of the pizza I had while living there. However, I think their pizza is wonderful anyway. The sauce has a nice, clean flavor; the slices have a good cheese to sauce ratio, and the crust has a good texture (crispy and thin but not so thin that it's soggy). Yes, the place is a dive and the cashier is surly, but whatever.
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I don't care what anyone says--This is some slammin late-night pizza! It's thin crusted and all about the topping. Hole-in-the-wall style for sure, but when you're just getting out of the bar on the late tip, what more do you need?
I loved this pizza! Granted it was late night, and I'd had a few beers...but DAMN it was so good. The crust is thin, the cheese is perfectly melted, and not too much sauce. I got mine with mushrooms on it...and they are sliced thinly and then baked onto the pizza. (Victor's could learn a thing or too from Arinell's).
And an extra bonus...the guys serving up the pizza are yummy in a.."I totally want to do you but don't want to know your last name" sort of way.
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Arinell - It's like being back in Queens in the early 80's without having to ever go back to Queens or the 80's. Flat, greasy plain cheese slices with the occasional crust bubble.
If only Harrington's Furniture down the street didn't sell off that free Ms. Pac Man they had going on in the back - my Valencia St. dream would still be alive.
The pizza is damn good and the staff they fetched straight out of Joey Ramones basement really knows how to make a pie.
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Once I got over the feeling that I wasn't wearing enough black and didn't have long enough hair to buy pizza there, I really started to enjoy Arinell's. I've never had pizza in New York, but if it's any better than this I better get myself out there ASAP.
The subtlety of flavor in the crust--you can somehow taste that they use really good water--is what really does it for me. Plain cheese, folded in half, good to go.
Also I love the drawing of the guy on a Bluetooth by the counter that says Bluetooth = No Pizza. One time after closing the bars down I stumbled into Arinell's and made the mistake of answering my cell while I was ordering. I'm never that guy, I hate that guy, and I was dumb (drunk) enough to be that guy in Arinell's of all places. But they still let me have my slice anyway, cause I was all drunk and apologetic and self flagellating. Never underestimate the power of a good self-flagellation.
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Pretty. fucking. overrated.
Would you like some attitude with your pizza?
Seriously, tasteless pizza with mediocre toppings. A huge hipster following.
To be fair: I thought this place was GREAT the first time I had it...after about three fill pitchers....
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Best NY style slice in the city.
Arinells.......Two reasons I have ever eaten here...
1. Wasted and it smelled aight
2. My boyfriend lives at the place. Seriously. Loves the pizza and swears by it.
I personally suffer through Arinells for the sake of not starting an arguement, but really anyone who thinks this is great pizza I question your intelligence.
Two stars for the staff however, punk rock lives.
Thanks Arinells for the drunken stomach aches and the smile on my BF face.
it's not clean inside. let's make sure that's clear. apparently they pass all health department inspections, so what ever. the pizza is close to NY (or at least that's what my NY friends say).
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You'll go for the long haired, disgruntled metal heads serving greasy pizza that has just the perfect combination of mozzarella and a sweet tomato sauce, but you'll stay for the endless collection of mix tapes blaring Iron Maiden out of a boom-box that looks and sounds like it's been in continuous use since the early Reagan administration.
Arinell Pizza is a magical, wonderful place. It's the kind of place they write about in fairytale books and those awful "Remember When?" programs on cable...and don't even THINK about getting a napkin and dabbing off those little pools of grease forming at the top of your pizza. That's not just grease, that's credibility!
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I took the advice of SF Weekly's 2008 "Best Pizza" award to this pizzeria and stopped by today. I got a cheese slice to go and carried it all the way home on the bus and the cable car ride home, but it was so worth it! Best slice of pizza I had in a long, long time!
The saltiness and taste of the tomato sauce was just right, and the cheese and crust were baked to perfection! I'll be back!
Okay, I've been to NYC recently and I went to Grimaldi's Pizza in Brooklyn. I was like DAYUM! California pizza has nothing on this. So now, I've been searching for pizza similar to that in my hometown of SF. This place... not even close. I've had delivery better than this. Yes the crust was thin, straight forward, and simple.
BUT!... The cheese slices are pretty much premade, then reheated again with the topping you want. I don't care if it's hole in the wall, just make me some good NY pizza if you can. This was a decent attempt, but not good enough. Greasy as hell too. I would only come back hear if I was drunk and extremely hungry.
A slice from Arinell's produces a harmony in your mouth. Each ingredient unique and delicious. Each ingredient combining for a seamless slice. Unlike most pizza slices, there is no one ingredient that overshadows the other in a slice from Arniell's. The crust is the perfect amount of thinness, crispness and flavor. The sauce is flavorful without being too acidic. Cheese is gooey. The perfect NY slice without being in NYC.
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Arinell's is the best (only?) place for a great NY slice in the middle of SF. No frills, barely any seating, but huge slices with crispy, chewy crust, gooey cheese, and sweetly balanced sauce. *droooool* Just get the cheese - no need to get fancy here, trust me.
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Overrated. As an East Coast transplant, I can say with reasonable certainty that the only thing the West does not do better is pizza. And this place, which advertises itself as authentic New York style, does not really get it right. Also minus to the unfriendly staff, annoying clientle, and death metal that was blaring in the background. It's like their trying to keep the customers away.
It is the only pizza in San Francisco that actually tastes like I am back on the east coast. It's just right.
And I feel very comfortable and taken care of when they play Ramones and AC/DC.
xoxoxx!
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Mmmmm good. nice crispy crust.
No nonsense staff.
top off with mushrooms and live jalapenos and you have a quick meal or a nice topping to the drunkenness from Dalva, Casanova or any of numerous local dives...
Cheese does linger for a while.
BEST PIZZA IN CALIFORNIA!
well maybe that is a bit over the top.. But if you have ever eaten pizza in places like chicago, new york, or boston. you will agree that CALIFORNIANS SUCK AT MAKING PIZZA. I don't care what you say; Roundtable, Californa Pizza Kitchen, or any other place in the bay (minus maybe napoli in the T.L.) all suck-diddly-uck! I will even overlook the lack of a bathroom and apathetic philosophy of the staff because THE PIZZA IS JUST THAT GOOD!
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ANATOMY OF A POPULAR YELP REVIEW
Humorous one-liner opening the review.
So, I came here last night with a drunk friend/mom/cheap hooker and it was great. Eating here resembles fucking, not because it actually does but rather because I just really like saying "fucking." And now, I present some crazy, poopy-filled dialog between me and some people you will never know...
(standing in line)
Keane: What toppings do you want?
Mom: Why am I in this scene? I was never here before.
Keane: Bluetooth headset - no service. Isn't that funny?
Monkey: Sheep plural is still sheep.
ScarlettJohansson: Keane, I want to fuck your brains out know.
Keane: Great idea, but you spelled "now" wrong.
Arinell serves the most NYey take-out slice in town, and would take place as my favorite if not for Victor's superior crust flavor/texture and much-reduced grease levels. But too much of any pizza will still make you a fatty and life's not fair and OMG CAPS MEANS I'M FUCKING SHOUTING!!
Outro bathed in finality.
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This place is bitchin... at first I was worried that I'd have to stand and eat on account of the sparse seating arrangement, but thankfully a crackhead wandered in and started dancing.. the hipster crowd cleared out very quickly. Bitches.
Anyhoo the pizza is great but I'm subtracting a star because it isn't really sensible to add toppings, since they don't really get cooked. But if you're in the Mission, got three bucks burnin in your pocket, and hankering for a cheesy slice shoved at you on a paper towel, look no further. Also if your gut response to surly metalheads and Cannibal Corpse on a ghetto blaster is "fuck yeah."
The best slice in town.
Apologies to Arinell
My BF swears by this place. Every single morning he's in San Francisco he'll say, "Ohhh I want some Arinell Pizza".
"Is it THAT good?"
"It's the BEST"
SO............I finally tried it....and was definitely not impressed. Now I love pizza myself; however, the crust was way too crunchy/crispy for my taste. I like it thin AND CHEWY.......so close
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i would give this place 15 stars if i could. OH MY GOSH. the best pizza place, EVER!
Try it.
The dark side of growing up in San Francisco has got to be the pizza. That and coming of age in an adults-only wonderland that has no interest in children, but that's another story. (DO NOT get me started on how we make the kids in this town walk through a smack den to get to the playground. And please don't ask me how many times a leather dude sneered at me in my pigtails and knee socks and loudly sighed, "YUCK. I hate kids!")
But I digress.
The pizza in this beautiful, culturally-exhiliarating, temperate city is a straight-up embarassment. Native kids worship Goat Hill and Giorgio's! That is not OK! (These places are not bad in their own way, but no New Yorker would even take a second bite.) Thin, greasy, tangy pizza without a bunch of crap on it is what I crave.
And I finally found it. Arinell's is the BEST. It's certainly the best you're going to find in our podunk pizzaopolis.
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The only reason i gave it 4 instead of 5 is because the slice was cut akward but i was hungry and i didn't care! real new york slice, you just fold it over, thin crust, always good.
After working in corporate America all day, since 5:54 a.m this morning I was stuck at my desk on conference calls, fixing problems, researching issues, and then noticed that I missed my lunch. The calls grew longer and I was getting more stressed on what was supposed to be a happy friday. Whatever, I digress.
At 3pm I wanted something quick and something I could get to go. I decided to take my mom for a quick bite to eat and I ended up going to Arinell's.
This place is located on 16th and Valencia. It's next door to an ATM machine, and they only except cash so BRING CASH.
This place serves up huge slices of thin crispy crust New York style pizza. For plain cheese, it's 2.50 a slice, they charge you for extra cheese and extra toppings. We wanted to take some home for other people so we bought 4 slices, 2 with extra cheese and 2 with extra cheese and mushrooms and onions. The 4 slices cost 16.50.
Mind you these had to go into two large boxes they were so big.
Also there are alot of signs that say "No cellphones".
So please don't bother talking in their with your cell phone cause they don't want to hear your business.
This pizza was crispy, thin crust and pretty good. Stop buy and bring your own beer!
This place just serves pizza and soda, and thats it.
There is maybe 4 places to sit, and that's all. You'll really be eating this while you're walking.
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I have no clue about NY style pizza, but I don't give a sh*t. I love the pizza here. It has just the right balance of sauce, cheese, crust, and grease. That's right, I said grease. YUMMY!
The metal dudes that work here are really nice, too. Sitting in the small space, listening to their music while eating that damn good pizza enhances the whole experience.
Once, while walking by here, there was a guy out in front panhandling. Did I give him money? Hell NO, I bought him a slice of pizza!
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I prob eat here once a week at least. It's funny--the pizza can vary a bit and sometimes isn't as good. But usually it's amazing. I always heard New Yorkers say NY pizza this NY pizza that blah blah blah and never understood what they were talking about. Now I do--not sure what it is--very simple cheese slice but it's sooo delic.
I seem to give a lot of 5 star ratings, but I guess I'm an optimist.
Anyway, Arinells is THE spot to get some good, greasy, big ass slices of thin crust pizza after hitting the bars around Valencia. The dudes are really nice and are usually on something.
It's pretty cheap, around $2.50 a slice I believe plus a few cents for extra toppings. I don't know what New York style pizza is supposed to taste like, so I can't approve the validity of that, but I can say it competes with Escape From New York pizza and is almost winning on atmosphere alone.
Their Berkeley spot is just as good, too.
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If I can't go here, I might as well slap a little Hunt's tomato sauce and a Kraft Single on a Thomas' English muffin because that's about as right as anyone else in this area can seem to get pizza.
Seriously.
And to all you Cali bitches dab-dab-dabing the grease off your pie with napkins, GROW A PAIR! This is New York Pizza--live a little, damnit! Life is fucking short! SHORT, I say! Yeah, that's right, I AM A REAL WOMAN!!! I fucking EAT my pizza, grease and all. That's right, bitches. And when I'm done I stick out my tongue and lick the orange sheen off the wax paper. What? Thought I WOULDN'T? As a matter of fact, you know what? Leave that greasy napkin your narcissistic pussy ass used for blotting and I'll SUCK on that mutha, too. WATCH ME.
I hardly miss New York at all.
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Yummerz. I've had so much bad pizza in this town before coming to this joint.
Sure you may have to make a venture to hipsterville to get a slice but it's the only decent slice being served in this city.
The pizza at Arinell's is the typical slice you'd find on any street corner in NYC --- which is eons better than any other place you'd find in SF.
Thank you sweet Yelpers for guiding me to this place.
There are just some things that you don't do--one of them putting too much tequila in both margaritas you hand to Jaime.
So around whatever the hell time it was, I stumbled outside with Matt for some much needed air and slurred "if we don't start walking, I'm going to puke".
So Matt did what any good guy who doesn't want to hold someone's hair back would, and took me to Arinell Pizza--it was quite a walk. Then again, I wasn't really walking, I was babbling about someone unimportant, and time just seems to fly when you can't see straight.
OMG. SO FUCKING GOOD. Having to stand there to wait for the pizza made the room spinny spinny, but finally was able to make that stop when I put that piece of deliciousness in da mouth. I woke up in the morning with a burnt tongue, which also goes to show I can get pretty numb when I drink too much.
Ok I'm going to update this part, it was a little mean. I have a guilty conscience. Either that, or I'm PMSing, hungover, and hungry as shit.
So here you go--if you want NYC pizza, GO TO NYC DUH. If you want bomb-ass san francisco style NYC pizza, go here.
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The Theory of Expectation says that you will love something that is crap if you thought it was something below crap when you went into it. Conversely, you will hate something that is amazing if you thought it was something above amazing when you went into it.
My experience at Arinell's falls into the latter category. I had far too many people telling me it was the best pizza in the city. For my $3, they're very wrong.
While the cheese and sauce were fine, the crust just ruins this slice. I think Arinell's and Blondies have the same recipe for crust because they both taste like eating flour. Go ahead. Go to your cabinet and taste your flour. I'll wait.
Where Arinell's and Blondies differ are on the thickness and crispiness of the crust. Arinell's was spot on with the thin crust, but it was so cooked that folding it made it shard like a piece of untempered glass.
It's been 3 years for this east coaster and my favorite slices are still Escape From New York, Victor's and Villa Pizza (Yes, the one in the mall. Yes, really.) in that order.
P.S. I hope you were expecting this review to be really, really crappy.
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So everyone has their own idea of what pizza should taste like. Most of the time you like what you liked when you were a child or when you had your first taste of any flour based pie w/ tomato sauce & mozzarella cheese. Fine. You grew up with thick; she grew up with thin; he grew up with chewy; over there, they grew up with crispy. Whatevs.
I grew up with thin NY style slices served in Italian family owned & operated hole in the walls. Most of them had counters with some seats. Some of them had benches with seats. They all served pizza by the slice. Capiche?
Arinell is like those pizza parlors of my youth. Except, that they throw in the punk rock soundtrack that I wished those parlors had played back then. It transports me back to my friends in the 80s riding around town on our bikes and skateboards, causing all sorts of trouble, refueling with a slice or two, and then getting into mischief again. Thanks Arinell!
DISCLAIMER: As for the pizza itself, I'm biased because I love this sort of thing. If you're looking for excellent toppings with an amazing sauce, try Little Star in both thin or thick crust. Or for crispy/crunchy, try Amici's.
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Arinells Pizza is a horrific establishment that has literally killed my love for pizza. My boyfriend and I recently stopped by around 10pm on a Saturday night, looking for a couple of hot, low-fi slices to enjoy after a long evening at Dolores Park.
We were immediately off put by the disgustingly greasy, old, and unattractive slices displayed in the glass pizza cabinet, but tried to remain optimistic that the fresh slices that they make to order would be better. We apprehensively order a slice of cheese pizza with olives, bell peppers, and mushrooms. The attendant informs us that toppings are $.75 each, almost as if to deter us from ordering any toppings whatsoever.
My boyfriend notes that the price is not an issue, as at this point we had decided against Little Star Pizza after being informed that the wait would be approximately 25minutes for dinner. If only we had stayed at Little Star! But more about that later. .
Instead of constructing a fresh slice, our Heroin-addled, greasy, anorexic attendant, whose smile shown of tooth decay and dental neglect, grabbed a slice of thin, greasy cheese pizza and threw a big soggy handful of olives, bell peppers, and pre-cooked mushrooms onto the pizza, and charged us $4.75 for what was the least attractive serving of food I've seen in years. At this point, the eye contact between my boyfriend and I shrieked: "Why didn't we just go to El Farolito's?!?!?" but we stayed and awaited our Arinells slice.
After about 15 seconds in the oven, we were handed our slice of lukewarm pizza. We both took bites, and soon discovered that this slice was the blandest, soggiest food we'd ever eaten. There were No, I repeat no redeeming factors to this slice. First of all, the toppings looked old and canned. The pizza itself had a millimeter of cheap greasy cheese covering tasteless sauce, and even the crust was soggy!
Although my boyfriend protested, I brought the slice of pizza up to the front counter, explained that the slice was sub-par, and politely asked for a refund. The other pizza crony, who was apparently quite used to defending the joint's deplorable meals, noted that Arinells pizza slices "aren't designed to handle as many toppings." Not DESIGNED to handle toppings? In this case, wouldn't it be logical to advertise a one-topping max?
Toothless heroin junkie was highly insistent on NOT giving me back my money, and at that points, we threw their slice of pizza in the trash and left. Although I was tempted to camp outside their restaurant and deter future customers from walking in and wasting their own hard earned American dollars on this joke, I decided to take the high road and walk down to El Farolito's instead.
This place is a sad sad joke. I recommend Seniore's Pizza on 19th and Taraval instead.
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