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"Excellent pizza and really friendly delivery guy - pizza comes fast and warm with a yummy crispy crust! I had the turkey ham and pineapple -…" read more »
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Well it's really all about the pesto potato pizza... everything else is meh. The staff seems a bit surly, but then again I wouldn't want to put up with all the drunks.
Um, skip the non-pizza items like salads... not so good. Make sure they heat up your slices enough, too! And get a fountain drink :-) Oh and read the funny comic and look at the cool pictures and autographs!
Born in Manhattan, I feel it's my duty to point out this is New York pizza only in the faded memory of an expatriate. Sorry, but it needed to be said. Ten minutes anywhere in NY or NJ will get you a more satisfying pie.
But if you're near the Castro this is certainly serviceable choice, available in traditional and exotic (read "Californian") flavors. Lots of turnover means you get fresh slices, the staff are friendly, and the location is great.
The near-by Marcello's offers another competent alternative, as does the Spaghetti Factory across Castro Street.
And which San Francisco pie, you may ask, do I like the best? Village Pizza, at the corner of Arguello and Clement. Especially the pepperoni.
Delivered in like 15-20 minutes after being quoted 30-45, so one star for that! Friendly delivery guy.
The Pizza however, was really not very good. The crust is barely discernible, and is more of a delivery vessel for the bland ingredients. Really disappointing.
LOVE their Potato/Garlic/Pesto pizza. As for the other slices... I would personally grab a slice elsewhere (Nizario's down the street has some decent tasting slices). One good thing about this place though are their Tuesday specials! (not exactly sure what they are, but my roomie tells me they advertise $2 slices - probably worth checking out if you're in the neighborhood)
I love it, what can I say? I go here all the time.
I LOVE the "You Say Potato" pizza. It's to die for if you like garlic and potatoes with pesto. Amazing how well that combo works. :)
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Went for "The Gourmet" just because I'm a sucker for artichoke and while not a horrible pizza by any means, actually quite a tasty one, it didn't really stand out. At $4 a slice (only for the gourmet) I will look around a bit before making this my new place for pizza place.
So this place is good for pizza because you don't have to worry about anything sneaky or fancy being thrown onto your slice or pie. The crust is thin and the flavor is standard.
I wouldn't pick this place as my favorite pizza but it does the trick and is good to order a large order from.
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Nice place. Decent seating, although the tables feel a bit overly large if you're with just one other person. The pizza was good, and HUGE. There were plenty of options, several of them pretty unique. I personally had never thought of putting potato on a pizza, but there you go.
As for service, the cashier was kind of impersonal, but not unhelpful or sullen. However, there was this other guy who was pretty awesome. I think he had brown hair to about his shoulders, and looked vaguely unkempt...although this could have just been because it was 11pm and he had been cooking pizza all day. At any rate, he was very helpful and offered us a menu when we were having trouble deciding, answered our questions with a smile, and even asked me how the pizza was as I left the place, seeming to genuinely care about my answer.
Definitely going again whenever I have a craving for a good slice. :)
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Pizza by the slice is great here. All of it! The whole pizzas are a little pricey though. I absolutely recommend Escape From New York.
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For New York style pizza, this is some of the best. I'm in the Castro often, and have hit all three of the pizza by the slice joints several times. After much assessment, Escape from New York provides delicious pizza each and every time.
The best part of their pizza is the crunch. I've never had a soggy slice and love the crunch you get in every bite. I love the consistency; I've never had an off pizza ever. The topping combinations are great too as they offer options that are not your typical sausage or pepperoni (though they offer those too). I had the best potato & pesto pizza last night.
If you want a quick slice of NY style pizza in the Castro, this is the place. They're also quick and the place is decorated nicely too.
for the late night pizza fix, this place sells HUGE slices. i got a slice with sun dried tomatoes and some other veggies that was almost twice the size of my head. it was tasty. two slices were almost 8 bucks, which seems like a lot, but they are really big. definitely not the best pizza the bay has to offer, but fills a late night pizza void.
I had a pizza slice, it was good. Price was ok for the slice of pizza that I had.
I was walking by and looked inside, reminiscent of yummy new york pizza. See, I lived in NYC for 3 months and ate a ridiculous amount of amazing New York pizza. I know, some people think its all the same. But honestly, once you've developed a taste for the pizza there and come back to the west coast... you'll notice the difference. I miss NY pizza.
So, I decided to give this place a chance (also because i was STARVING) and ordered a pesto pizza slice. I think it was just made fresh, because it was actually pretty good! It didn't hit NY pizza perfectly, but I will say it was as close as I've found so far.
I just moved to San Francisco and this was my first time ordering pizza at my new place. I actually ordered a pizza from a different restaurant first, but they messed up the order. Normally I'm not too picky, but this was an allergy issue. After a big hassle of returning their pizza and getting them to cancel charging my credit card I called Escape from NY.
Escape from NY came through like a champ. The pizza is very good. I had an ammusing interaction with the delivery guy, which went something like this: I hear the delivery car pull up; so I start heading downstairs before he rings the buzzer.
Me: "Hey it that for apt. #3?"
NY: "Yeah."
Me: "Sweet. I heard you pull up."
NY: "Oh, for a second I was thinkin' 'This motherfucker has ESP.'"
Thank you for saving my dinner plans Escape from NY Pizza!
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After Arinell's this is my next favorite NY-esque slice in the city. Of course in NYC, you'd never get a slice w/ pesto garlic and potato for chrissakes. But hey, we're in SF, and let's not forget it.
The crust stays nice and crispy despite being pretty thin, which makes this one of the better slices I've encountered in SF!
Okay so there were these two girls I met at The Cafe who brought me here for the first time a few years back. I think I had the potato pesto pizza, but I'm not 100% sure. I knew I had tequila shots at the bar earlier, definitely yes. It was a bit late - sometime after midnight. I think.
Flash forward to a much later time when I returned to the Castro Street location for more pizza. This time in daylight hours. The potato pesto tasted good, but only after I doused it with parmesan did it taste even better. I'm still trying to find the best place in SF that makes a non-tomato sauce thin-crust pizza. Haven't found it yet. Gonna have to consult my NY homies for suggestions.
Anyway, never did find out what happened to those two girls. But at least I know I have crash space in the windy city if ever I decide to visit!
o_0
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Their cheese pizza was a highlight of my night last night.
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Do not stop in this neighborhood very often but one time I was in a rush and needed to get some grub so I stumbled upon this place which is next to some hardcore sex shops and grabbed a quick slice and bounced. The pizza was really thin and good. One filled me up ok but two would have done the job great.
The bestest thin pizza ive had in the Bay. My chick used to live in the Castro and every Friday after she'd pick me up from the Oakland airport this would be our first stop before nesting at her place. The chicken pesto and the potato/garlic constantly fight for my affections. Which usually means i get a slice of each. The small regular salad with a side of ranch often helps me balance out the guilt. Their ranch + pizza = awesomeness.
The employees are coo, the service is prompt and Its always a good spot to people-watch if you have some time on your hands - quite a few characters in this neck of the woods.
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As Matthew R. said "Context can often color our perception of a meal" I stopped in to this Escape from New York after having my first eye exam. Being effectively blind from the pupil dilation, I popped in to sit it out for a while and have a snack while my paralyzed eyeballs got their act together.
All I could think was that it wasn't as fun and charming as the Haight st location and the pizza didn't look as appetizing. Granted that may have been just me, but that is the read I got. The slices I received tasted OK. Not spectacular, a little on the dry side, but overall solid decent slices.
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2.5 Stars.
Meh. I went Friday night after leaving Bliss, and I guess I'm not really a fan of "New York" style thin flimsy pizza...but this pizza was ok. It wasn't bad at ALL...but it wasn't anything to write home about. I got a slice of pepperoni, and it was flavorful enough, I wish it had more cheese on it (more cheese makes ANYTHING better!!)
I do, however, love The Castro...lol..it was teeming with activity and bubbling over with gaycitement!! I can't even describe the snippets of convos, and blurbs I heard while walking down the street looking for this place. Let's just say they probably wouldn't be accepted by Leah Garchik for inclusion in the "Public Eavesdropping" section of the Chronicle..haha
I guess Friday nights..the Castro comes alive!! ::jazz fingers!::
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Ryry, his mom and I always order from Escape when we don't have any dinner plans because the pizza is good and they deliver.
The usual, the dependable - 1/2 pesto & mushroom, 1/2 artichoke & mushroom with tomato sauce.
Thin & crispy, this pizza hits the spot. Really good left-over, too (but isn't any pizza great the next day? if it isn't, you've got bad pizza)!
Great that they give you coupons for your next Escape order - use them, up to $3 off!
Stopped by for a quick bite before we went to a show at the Castro Theater. The interior is small. All of the workers were awesome. You can actually see them making the pizzas right there too. If your a customer you can use their bathroom too.
The pizza by the slice is a giant slice of pizza you can share with someone else. I had one with everything on it which was OK. My mom on the other hand got this spinach tomato artichoke heart with some type of feta cheese with garlic on it. I was so jealous of her pizza that I was really disappointed with mine. Hers was so good I wished I had that one. I want to go get some more tomorrow. Pretty good for a quick lunch to grab.
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Not much to say about this joint other than that it definitely delivers when it is most needed.......aka.......after a night of one too many drinks in the Castro as you walk home tipsy at one in the morning!!
YUM!
After one too many vodka cranberries a slice of the potato pesto pizza will make one perk up again!
Definitely approve.
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Not the traditional "NY pie" & I'm glad since I don't like really greasy pizza that needs to be folded to eat so the toppings don't slide off.
No ambiance but huge slices. My fav is the Gourmet - Fresh Spinach, Feta Cheese, Sun-dried Tomatoes & Artichokes. All the folks were friendly - cashier & manager who prepped my order.
Tip: They have a slice card - after 7 your 8th is free.
I guess this is a general review for Escape in general, as I have been to the Polk St and Haight locations as well. The Castro Escape is the one I frequent most often by far.
Escape has some serious pluses. The first being open after bar time. When wasted Escape is a god send, and if there was a "while drunk" option on Yelp, Escape would be getting 5 stars. Also they have a good selection. MY favorite was a spinach and sun dried tomato slice I got a while back.
When sober, Escape is still solid, and definitely an A-OK, 3 star place. The service is friendly enough, and all the locations are clean. The Castro location actually has room to sit as well. It's no little star or Delfina, but if you are looking for some quick, tasty and cheap pizza to go, Escape is great option.
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We finally ate there after years in SF.
Yuck-ee.
Lifeless pizza with too much cheese and a burned-tasting sauce.
The guys behind the counter were punks (one of them I'm not sure even works there, he just had headphones on and slouched back there, glaring at everyone, but he was behind the counter so....?)
The pizza, even at noon on a Friday was just not fresh.
I'm sticking with Marcello's. Way fresher (and nicer staff to boot)
I came here about a year ago after drinking and the pizza was really good. Something about alcohol and pizza mixes.
Well I was here again last week, trying to put some food in my stomach before going out. I decided I really wanted another slice, until I bite into it. It was cold. The door was wide open and the pizza was just sitting on the counter. A 40F night and after time anything will get cold, but they still served it.
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One of the best slices of pizza I've ever had!
Nothing Special Here::::..... Its PIZZA Folks!!!
You walk in, pick a pizza slice, they warm it, you eat it, you walk out....
Great before you go to the club, Great when you come out of the club
That's It
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After drinking 1 bottle of champagne, 2 jello shots, 1 tequila shot and a myriad of cocktails at the LOOKOUT on Sunday afternoons, Escape From NY is my go to place. It is perfectly positioned on my late night (or early evening) stumbling path from BAR Castro to BADLANDS. MMMMMMM....
The by the slice pepperoni pizza is TA DIE FOR!
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I don't understand why this one has less stars than the one on Haight.
I've been to the one on Haight and the pizza seemed flavorless, and greasy. The place was dirty and crowded, the counter girl wasn't really pleasant.
Visiting the Castro location was a different story. Spacious and clean, comfortable to sit in. The pizza tasted like PIZZA, not grease-sogged cheese with the bread part resemblant of cardboard. The cashiers were friendly and talkative, plus the slices were huge and I was sufficiently stuffed for 5 hours afterward. Yum.
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Ordered one large pizza, live only a few blocks away. They quoted 1 hour and delivered it after 2.5. Understandably things get busy, however, how about:
1. Not quoting an hour if you have no way to meet that commitment.
2. Calling to let us know that you will miss your promise by 150%.
3. Giving us the pizza for free or at least some sort of discount.
None of these things happened and we got no sympathy whatsoever. Absurd. Decent delivery in San Francisco is as elusive as a fog-less summer.
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PIzza will probably be my most favorite after drinking grub of all time. Almost anywhere I've been to in SF has some little pizza place somewhere close by. It's the usual routine: get in, order, eat, sober up a bit, get out. However, it's sad to say that I don't remember many of those places I've been to. Blame that on the *ah-ah-ah-ah-ah*alcohol. Luckily this place ceased to slip my mind. Only been here twice, but it's made a lasting impression on me. They have their usual choices (i.e. cheese, pepperoni, combo), but they also have pesto. Oh man, I love me some pesto pie any day. The slices are also a good size, so when you're done you're good to go. Thanks Escape for being the closest I'll get to NY style pizza until I can actually afford to go there and try the real deal.
The pizza isn't anything amazing... but the service is really friendly and they serve BEER!!!! After tax, my Anchor Steam was only $3!!!!! Score!
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first off... I'm from NY so yes...... i am a pizza snob! i'll admit it!
This is as close to real NY pizza as it gets! Thin crisp crust, tangy sauce and yummy cheese and toppings. Whenever i go to the Castro, i try to stop by to have a taste of home!
1 star shy of 5 for being a bit of a dump behind the counter... they do need a makeover...
If it was in NY, it would just get 3 starts because it would be your standard pizza but for being in CA.. 4 out of 5.
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I fall in love with this place all over again every time I come here! I stuck with my standard, Pesto Pizza, but my friend MG tried The Gourmet. She loved it and I vow to all of you Yelpers that I will try something new!
Best pizza in San Francisco, but my favorite is still Bronco Billy's in Fremont!
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hands down my fave pizza place in the city! my gbff (gay best friend forever!) and i looove to come… Read more »
Oh man. This is some pizza by the slice that hits the spot!
It's not the cheapest, but I gotta stop and get a slice every time I'm walking home from Muni. And the Gourmet is seriously slammin. Fresh spinach, Feta cheese, sundried tomatoes, and artichokes.
How can you go wrong?
Potato & roasted garlic pizza with pesto sauce, especially late at night...yum! Just watch out for the grease though...
Damn good, some creative options. You get what you pay for here and this place is expensive! The rosemary potatoe pie is a little to greasy/salty for my tastes but most of their other stuff is great. Excellent crust.
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