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Categories: Cooking Schools, Pizza
Neighborhood: North Beach/Telegraph HillWed-Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
"I tried this place the other day and thought the pizza was pretty good. Food: They serve pasta, salads, and most importantly pizza. It's…" read more »
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It's so nice to find a great pizza place in North Beach where tourist traps abound. I'm drawn to the hustle and bustle of the neighborhood, but more often than not, am disappointed by the lackluster tourist-ridden choices.
Stepping into Tony's felt like old North Beach with a modern twist. We opted to sit at the bar and ended up dining there as well largely due to our fabulous bartender.
The cocktail menu has been given special attention and it shows. The classic negroni and blood and sand were both delectable and we thoroughly enjoyed talking vermouth and spirits with our bartender.
We felt inclined to order the award winning margherita pizza, but because only 73 made daily, of course they were out. Why only 73? Is it to create buzz? If that's the case, then I'm annoyed. Our bartender assured us that the other margherita pizza made with a different kind flour in the dough was equally tasty. He was right, the crust was perfect, the fresh mozzarella was a nice contrast with the acid of the tomatoes.
The deep fried string beans didn't compare to Coco 500's version, but were still tasty, nonetheless.
The menu has an extensive amount of pizzas to choose from; Sicilian, American, Romana, Napoletana - take your pick.
I want to go back to Tony's and try the award winning margherita along with the "regular" margherita and conduct a side by side tasting to see if my novice pizza palate can detect any difference. Stay tuned!
For now, I'm rating Tony's at 4-Stars, "Yay! I'm a fan." Next time I go, it could easily move up to 5-Stars. The reason I'm holding on to that final star is because I want to try a little more of the menu.
We had three items today... the Speck Wrapped Burrata, The Little Italy salad and the Margherita pizza. All were very tasty, but I think the Little Italy was probably actually the best item. The balsalmic reduction really tasted fantastic with the gorgonzola and the olives. It's easy to put some gorgonzola and balsalmic vinegar in a salad and have it taste good - but Tony's seems to have found the best pairing of the two. I suppose you could say that the olives were julienned, and that was another great decision - you don't get super strong salty olive taste, you get just the right amount of olive to go with the rest of the flavors in the salad.
The Margherita pizza is a classic and that is the centerpiece of the menu at Tony's, so we had to order that on our first visit. In general I find Margherita pizzas a little bit unexciting, and that flavors my review a little bit. The sauce was super, but I really can't wait to get back and try some of the other pizzas. I think that's when I'm going to really be able to finalize my opinion of Tony's. It was really good, and I'm going to go again as soon as possible - but is it exceptional? The kind of place I make sure to bring all of my out-of-town guests? I'm excited to find out!
I was so stoked having found this spot close to where we parked as I remember reading about this on Yelp. Located on the corner, you can't miss it on the corner of Stockton and Union. It's classy yet trendy and oh so North Beach.
Walking in, I immediately was impressed by the full bar and warm atmosphere. There is a room off to the side which is great for groups; the main room has booths to the side.
We ordered the Cal Italia ($18) - complete with asiago cheese, prosciutto and the subtle hint of figs. Also got the Bronx ($15), your classic pizza with salami. While waiting, you are brought a small basket of bread with olive oil dipping tray: three sections consisting of marinated peppers, minced up garlic and plain olive oil. Love that minced garlic! Be sure everyone tries it, or you'll feel self-conscious about the stinky breath.
Depending on how hungry you are, two pizzas are suitable for four adults on a diet. I think 3/4 pizza per person is a good size to go by.
They do have a wine list, which unfortunately I couldn't partake in, but it didn't look cheap! At first glance, it seemed to be primarily Italian wines. A half carafe was about $30, a bit much in my book. They do have wines by the glass too.
OMG. Love this pizza. The crust is perfection; crispy with just the right amount of doughiness. The flavor of the Cal Italia is out of this world, the asiago cheese balanced out nicely with the sweetness of figs.
You bet your bottom dollar I'll be back!
This yelp member has been out of reviewing commission for a while but after eating at this place, Tony gave me something to yelp about!
Delicious! Wonderful service....
We ate with a party that had 6 people and it was perfecto!
Spicy Calarmi, deep fried string beans, Cesar Salad were all wonderful starters to this meal. The Pizza Margherita, the Salsiccia and the Bronx were also equally delicious.
The Panna Cotta and the Affagato were all the perfect ending to an outstanding meal!
Yummers to the max. Ordered a pizza to go and despite being super busy, the host was patient and even separated our pizza into 2 smaller boxes to fix on our motorcyle.
After reheating it at home I nearly fainted from the cheese, crust, sauce, and basil. If it's this good reheated, I can only imagine how tasty it is straight from the oven at the resto. Margherita was magnificent. Definitely want to return and try the other dishes.
Believe the hype, it's that good.
Don't try driving here and then moan about the parking....just walk, cab, or PT it and get here to try their amazing margarita pizza. They fly in the olive oil and the flour and who knows what else but it totally works for a melt in your mouth super thin and tasty pizza. I wouldn't try to do take out with this pizza because the thin crust might get soggy and is best eaten right out of the hot oven (leftovers aren't likely).
They also give you bread with yummy olive oil to dip - one with pesto, one with fresh chopped garlic, and one plain. Soooo good. We also had a salad to start which was more than enough for two to share. Can't wait to go back to try other varieties but would absolutely get the award-winning margarita again.
I've had Pyzano's which is the place that Tony used to run. The pizza is as good as it was over there, except for the Margherita...The margherita is actually served here and tastes awesome. The dough is chewy, but light and crispy. There is not too much else to say as I got take out, but it does keep well in the box.
Note that they run out of margheritas because they only make a limited amount of dough in a day. I'll be back to try other things.
I've heard of this place for a while from my GF who loves East Coast- style Pizza.
She thinks Chicago kind is "cake", should not be called as Pizza.
" Or you can call it Jiveass Pizza."
Well, I don't want to put my self into between Chicago and East Coast. But there are people who thinks Chicago pizza is jiveass.
Fine.
I know the feeling.
I have been out spoken of Jiveass rolls are such a pseudo sushi.
And keep sayin' that Jiveass rolls are disgusting crap.
But, situation of Chicago Pizza is totally different.
How different?
It's a big difference because Jiveass rolls are basically using cheap part of old raw Tuna, Salmon and Hamachi camouflaged by stinky hot red sauce and Japanese Tonkatsu sauce mix with Mayo.
The mix hot sauce is the key of Jiveass rolls.
It needs the hot sauce to eat the old fish.
I'll say it again.
So, What's on Jiveass rolls?
CHEAP PART OF OLD RAW FISH.
Ugh.
If you like those pseudo sushi places on the list, you should be glad that you are still alive.
http://www.yelp.com/li...
Sorry, I was talking about Pizza.
We went to Tonny's Pizza week ago at night about 7. That was a mistake because it was 1 hour waiting list. So we went back there on Saturday afternoon, about 2:30, we got seats right then.
My GF was here before had the signature Pizza Margherita so she wanted something else.
So we had:
NY Sausage and Pepper, $15
3 meat balls, $5
Italian Fries, $7
Caesar salad, $10
I am a sucker for meatballs, so I had to have it.
3 for $5, 6 for $7.
The meat balls were big, good and soft with the juicy killer tomato sauce on it but we were glad we ordered 3.
Fresh cooked hot Italian Fries.
The pizza was ... I loved that making a sound when I bite, and the juicy tomato sauce came out with fresh pepper and smoky sausage.
Perfect!
This place has 4 different ovens.
This place is really serious for Pizza.
Classic Italian, Classic American, Sicilian Style and Limit 73 per day Margherita Pizza.
I don't know how many times I have to come back here again to get all Pizza at Tony's but I want to try them all.
We finally got around to going! A pretty broad selection of pasta & pizzas of various styles, & also an impressive bar for a pizza place.
A 45 minute wait for 5, but the hostess took our number & we wandered down to Tony Nik's for a cocktail, so it was 45 minutes well spent. You can eat inside or out, and since it was a nice night, we went with out (though there are heat lamps for the coldblooded among you like myself).
Appetizers:
Fried green beans - Fresh & tasty! Without the oil at the bottom of the dish, you'd never know they were fried. We were expecting something more like deep/batter fried beans, but I think actually enjoyed these better. Crunchy & seasoned with all kinds of goodness. Highly recommend.
Garlic bread with mozzarella - Pretty much what it sounds like; a half-loaf (meaning a full loaf cut long-ways down the center) of thick garlic bread with a generous amount of fresh mozzarella melted on top & then sprinkled with seasoning. You could tell that this was VERY fresh mozzarella - it had a very milky character.
Calamari - We went with the calabrasi option, which is slightly spicy. I liked the flavor of it (sort of smoky & concrete-y), but it was a bit chewy.
We also had a half-bottle of red wine, though I can't remember now what it was. It was excellent & went well with the food; on the other hand it was $26 for a half bottle.
Pizzas:
There are several options here. You can get classic Napoletana, a number of traditional Italian-style pies, several NY style options, or one of the Sicilian pan-style pies. Napoletana, Italian, and NY pies are 12 inch pies with 6 slices; the Sicilian pies are about an inch or an inch and a half thick crunch & serve 2-3, depending on how hungry you are. We tried:
The Bronx - a NY style pie with salami. Tasty! (Then again, I love salami.) Needed more sauce.
The Original Tomato Pie (De Lorenzo style) - Very basic New Jersey-style pizza - just sauce, cheese, and if you order De Lorenzo style, Italian sausage. We LOVED the sauce on this one! Rich, complex, savory, and plenty of it! I personally thought it could have used more cheese.
Margherita - The Napoletana-style pizza that won the 2007 World Pizza Cup! (You didn't know there was a World Pizza Cup, did you? Heh.) They only make 73 per day, but we were apparently in time for one. Alas, while it was quite good & there was nothing wrong with it, I would not say it was the best Margherita pizza I've ever had.
Quail Egg with Speck - This was like having breakfast on a pizza; I felt like I was having bacon and eggs (with a bit of spinach), which was actually pretty tasty. Nothing wrong with that.
So yeah. Great food & very tasty pizza (especially the Tomato Pie), but I wouldn't say it rises to the food-gasmic level. Also, kind of pricey for pizza. After tax & tip, the bill for the five of us was $170.
Mama Mia! What great pie! Pizza champ Tony Gemignan, winner of the World Neapolitan Pizza Making Competition in Naples, Italy presents his classic Neapolitan pies (and many other styles) at his recently opened restaurant in North Beach in San Francisco.
Tony's showcase Neapolitan pie is a perfectly simple combination of San Marzano tomatoes with a pinch of salt, mozzarella Fior di Latte, a little basil, and a splash of Campanese Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Baked in a wood-fired oven at 900 degrees for a mere 80 seconds, the crust, made with low-protein, low-gluten San Felice flour, emerges crisp and delicious with characteristic blisters and char spots.
Looking for more than Margherita? Other amazing pies include:
- Quail Egg & Speck with Mozzarella, Quail Eggs, Smoked Italian Speck, Arugula, & Fontina
- Truffle with Mozzarella, Burrata, Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam Triple Cream Cheese, Wild Mushrooms, Arugula, Parmigiano, Shaved Truffle from Italy
- Scarola con Pancetta
- Clam & Garlic
- Diavola con Rucola (Classic Italian) with hot Red Pepper Oil, Salami Picante, Arugula
- Fratellanza (Sicilian) with Pepperoni, Molinari Salami, Fresh Mushrooms, Italian Sausage, Oregano
See the full menu at http://www.tonyspizzan...
Expect long waits and difficult parking. (Porca miseria!) But don't be deterred - you can calm yourself in the bar with a cocktail or glass of Nero D'Avola and chat with the locals who pack this spot on a nightly basis.
Tried to get a parking spot and a meal at Tony's on 12/03 FAIL. I suppose that made me all the more motivated to try and have a meal there. The next day an opportunity arose and this time Sabrina and I were not disappointed. Despite it being a Friday night in North Beach we managed to score a parking spot within walking distance (pure luck and timing!) and no wait on a table. Secret - even though there was an hour wait for tables inside - there was no wait for an outside table. The outside tables are located along the Union Street side of the restaurant - there are heat lamps overhead . It was a nice kind of heat - warm enough to kill off the chill and not scorching like the other kind some restaurants have. We ordered the Classic Calamari appetizer (the Calabrese is the spicy version) and the fried green beans. The calamari was good in the sense that they were perfectly fried and fresh - definitely not the battered rubber bands some restaurants serve to the tourists who don't know any better. The green beans were wonderful - crunchy and not at all greasy! We were both hungry so we split a Caesar salad too. That was ok - the romaine was still crunchy and they don't over do the dressing. I ordered the Margherita pizza (the limited number one) and Sabrina had the Ravioli. The pizza is six slices and very good. The basil really comes through and the crust is perfect - not too doughy and not too brittle. Sabrina's ravioli came with a hearty bolognese and a hunk of bread with cheese. We were going to order a Classic Cheese to go for sabrinasdad but we ordered so much food we had enough to take home! (Not to mention the meal started off with a basket of bread - crusty baguette and foccacia served with olive oil, a garlic dip and roasted pepper tapenade trio). No dessert for us because we were both stuffed. There will definitely be a next time! Sabrina's friends swear by the Cal-Italia, I would love to try a "thin crust " pizza (either the Bronx or one of the classics) and the spaghetti and meatballs. Some side notes - soft drinks from the bar are not refillable - Sabrina had a Dr. Pepper which was enough for her but the table next to us ordered Diet Pepsi and tried to get refills but changed their minds when they found out refills were not free. For $3.00 a glass, sodas and ice tea should get refills. Also there is an incline on Union so one false move and there goes your drink (happened to the table on the other side of us). Doesn't help that the tables have "grates" in them - even on a level floor, a misplace of your glass on an open area between the slats could cause a drink to tip. Overall a good experience.
ok, so my co-worker told me i had to try out Tony's pizza. she raved about the crust and said how great it was. I am not sure what the hype is all about. i. i was really diasppointed in the pizzas. i had my hopes set high because of her recommendation. . the pizzas were sub-par. mine was burnt in some areas and really soggy in others. crust is so-so. I don't know if I will go back. i think i will stick to what i love, thin crust NY pizzas minus all the jazz!
one word. lardo.
Hot damn, Tony's doesn't just serve pizza; it curates all the world's pizza knowledge and bakes it into the dough, producing some of the best pies I've ever had. The people there take pizza seriously, like an art form. You might even say theirs is the Platonic ideal of pizza.
They serve classic Italian style pizzas, Sicilian, American, and of course their famed wood-fired Napoletana pizza (award-winning, they're quick to add). The latter they bake in limited numbers every day, supposedly, though I've never had a problem getting one. Napoletana is the original thin crust pie, brushed generously with olive oil and graced with just enough cheese and savory sauce. They also serve a variety of pastas, salads, and other Italian American fare. Their bar and outdoor seating area offer ample room if their main dining room is full (which it most always is).
Here are my favorite pies from Tony's:
1. Wood-fired Margherita pizza
2. The Cal Italia
3. Prosciutto e Pomodorini
4. Bronx
5. Americano
Finally, North Beach has REAL pizza!
Good pizza in North Beach? Now I've seen everything.
Not only do you get award-winning world champion pizzas here (we got the Burratina di Margherita, a classic margherita pizza with extra creamy mozzarella topped with fresh tomatoes, basil, and a little drizzle of balsamic), but the prices are reasonable (our pizza was $30 and easily big enough for 3 people) and the food is extremely high quality without falling into the common "gourmet" trap of having anemic portions.
If they delivered, I'd never get pizza from anywhere else. Will definitely be returning next time I'm in the area.
Finally, a break from the mediocrity of North Beach Italian!
The pizzas are amazing, the meatballs were out of this world, the salad was the perfect accompaniment, and the wine list was to die for. It was almost a shame they weren't small plates portions so we could try everything.
Our service was a little spotty, but we were also stuck in the corner. But Tony kept an eye on us and made sure we were taken care of - a sign he genuinely cares about his customers and business.
The bar is also solid - great cocktails, service, and conversation.
I can't wait to go back!
I was looking forward to going to this place, but every link I found led me to Tony's Pizza Cooking School.
We got an early table and were ready to order almost immediately, but could not decide what to do about wine, as we didn't really want to share a whole bottle. The selection of carafe's was not impressive, and would have done better by sucking it up and ordering a full bottle. We took the server's suggestion, who seemed to know everything about the wine, and was not afraid to show it.
We had to try the String Bean appetizer and it is a good choice. Full of flavor, and a good garlic kick. Since we were early enough and he only makes 74 of his award winning Margherita pizza, we had to get it. I wasn't really impressed with that, and have had better Margherita pizza's. I don't know why he makes only 74 of them, but maybe you will like it more than we did.
We also wanted to try something more traditional to get a feel for the rest of his pizza. The Pesto pizza was better than the Margherita, but we felt we should at least try it.
It's a small restaurant with a cozy, read, cramped feel to it. All in all, it was a good meal and I want to go back.
The short short version: fancy, expensive pizza.
The longer version:
First, know that Tony's is crazy popular. Expect a wait if you're showing up during typical dinner time.
Second, know that they have a full bar. This can ameliorate the waiting quite effectively (though it'll probably also be crowded). Luckily, if the bar's full, they take your phone number and call you when your table's ready, so you can walk next door to Tony Nik's and have a nice cocktail in peace and comfort.
They've got a bunch of appetizers, many of which are pretty tempting. Don't be tempted by the Calamari. It's typically fried, but was sadly tough and chewy.
The cheezy garlic bread on the other hand is delicious. The fried green beans were also fantastic - very, very lightly fried just to crispiness, with great seasoning and a shit ton of olive oil.
Pizza:
The focus is thin crust, though they do offer some Sicilian as well which we didn't try.
The World Pizza Cup Winning Margherita, that they only make 73 of a day? Eh. Kinda ordinary, really. I wasn't particularly impressed with any part of it, and thought it was slightly overcooked, as the cheese had started to brown and gotten a little chewy. Delfina wins this battle hands down.
Quail Egg with Speck: brilliant. I'm normally a believer that any pizza without tomato sauce isn't real pizza, but some kind of abomination. This pizza could convince me otherwise. The richness of flavor the egg added was astounding, and blended perfectly with the crispness of the crust and the fresh leafy greens.
Bronx - NY style with salami: good enough, though not really anything amazing. Some of my East Coast originating compatriots complained that there wasn't enough crust handle around the edge to qualify for true NY style.
Original Tomato Pie - NJ style, with Italian sausage: fucking incredible. First, I have to mention that I didn't even know there WAS a Jersey-specific style of pizza. Can't say I'm surprised, but still. The main differences seem to be a slightly thicker, richer, more paste-like tomato sauce than their other pizzas, and significantly more of it. This was a seriously sauced pizza! I love a lot of sauce on my pizza (my biggest complaint is usually insufficient sauce), and godDAMN this was good. The sausage was incredible also. This is one of life's most perfect pizzas, and the only pizza other than the Quail Egg one that I'd go back for.
They've also got a nice Italian focused wine list, including a few selections available by the carafe and half-carafe, but they're pretty pricey - our half was $26, though it was very good.
But the real pricey things are the pizzas: they're all in the $15-20 range and serve maybe 1.5 people each. It's very easy to walk out having spent over $30 each, so be aware of that even though it's a pizza joint.
The restaurant itself is surprisingly big and bright, and has some outdoor seating as well under heat lamps. Service is prompt, friendly, very knowledgeable and efficient.
I just went for my second time last night. My friends wanted to sit outside to skip the line and I was pretty hesitant b/c I always get cold at night, but it was totally fine b/c the heat lamps were great.
Drinks: I started off with a stoli and soda and it definitely was a little light on the vodka - I didn't even feel a buzz and I'm a relatively small person. I had two glasses of wine that I let the waiter choose for me, both were good and I think $10 each. We didn't end up getting a bottle but the prices were pretty reasonable. (unlike A16 - way too pricey of a wine list).
Appetizer: we had the spicey calamari. I'm not a fried calamari fan so I wasn't CRAZY about it. But my friends really loved it, and it tasted better than most place I've had it.
Pizza: We got a Margherita pizza and it was awesome - it was also delicious when I came the first time. It's light, simple and the sauce is fantastic. I usually am hesitant to order pizza w/o meat, but this was great and award winning, so give it a try!
We also got a Scarola con Pancetta which has crushed red pepper, mozzarella, pancetta, peppered Goat Cheese, escarole, sweet
piquante peppers. This was awesome, it was my first time having pancetta and I thought it would be more like prosciutto, but it was chopped and a little less flavorful - so, so, good!
The people next to us got the truffle pizza which smelled so fantastic that I will definitely go back and get that pie.
Also, the first time I went we got the pizza with prosciutto which was awesome.
The only reason I didn't give five stars is b/c it wasn't the BEST pizza I've ever had. I like to have fried egg on my pizza and its not an option at Tony's. But this place is definitely a cheaper alternative to A16, and has more variety than Del Fina (but I can't decide which one I think is better). Also, I HATE places that don't take reservations!! But they have a pretty big bar, so at least there's enough space to hang out while you wait.
In my humble opinion Tony's Neapolitan style pizzas enter into the upper echelon of the class of pizza makers such as Chris Bianco.
Does it top Bianco? No.
However, just entering this class is an honor enough and, quite frankly, those that know their pizzas, this is all I have to say.
This city needed this...big time.
Nuts and Bolts: Staff-beyond excellent, ambiance-busy and inviting, ...overall experience: a must go...and become a regular.
One bit of advice-the Sicilian style pizzas serve 4-5 and not 2 as listed...trust me.
This place is SO COOL.
I like the layout - it's casual yet clean and well thought out. Being seated at the bar for dinner was a different experience, but in a good way. There was just enough room for the dishes and the bartender/server was very pleasant. The large bell and baton hanging from the glass behind the bar was also a nice touch - things like these make restaurants so much more interesting.
The Margherita pizza was simple and light, but also flavored just PERFECTLY enough. The NY Sausage & Pepper was a bit more overpowering and salty, but also good. Both were delicious, in very different ways. I love this place, and can't wait to go back to try more!
Finally got to go to Tony's yesterday night. We got a table right away, the place had a few tables open and I noticed that a lot of restaurants in North Beach weren't that busy either, slow night on a Wednesday.
Me and my gf had the Italian Salad, which was a good starter.
Pizza - Margherita - The Napoletana-style pizza, when I asked the waiter if there was any left, he said that we're number 56, since they only make 73 per day. It was really good, but that's all we can order with 2 people.
Service was outstanding, waiter was nice and when we left, he noticed that I was looking at the wood fire stove and he explained to me how it worked and why their pizza is so good.
I want to go there again with more people next time so we can have other kinds of pizzas. So I can really get a good feeling for this place.
1 pizza warranted another visit for sure tho.
Perhaps my expectations were too grand. After all, I had heard only great things from every article I read about Tony's, all the Yelp reviews, and the guy won a pizza award in Italy! When I heard there were four different types of pizza made in four different types of ovens - I was more than excited, I think I peed my pants a little bit.
I waited until my sister came into town to visit with her pizza loving boyfriend (he had a shirt that simply says, "pizza is the best") to try Tony's Pizza Napoletana. I figured with five people we could actually order all four types of pizzas and not look like total piggies. The wait was not nearly as long as I had imagined, although we did go on a Sunday night. And the staff was friendly and attentive (especially the bartender who really knew his stuff).
On to the pizzas. Luckily our pizzas were somewhat staggered so we were not confronted with all four pizzas at the same time. The Sicilian was very thick (as was expected) but surprisingly lighter than I had expected. The dough is filled with tiny pockets of air so it was more of a focaccia base than a dense dough. Oddly enough it was one of my favorites of the night - even though I am a thin crust pizza person. The Margarita was tasty, but I guess I was expecting more since this was the pie that won such praise in Italy. Crust was very good and charred, but I am not sure it was any better than Delfina or A16. Both the Italian style and American style were disappointing - I would not order either again. Very average pizza with a crust somewhere between thick and thin, its like it could not commit to either.
If you are in North Beach then Tony's is a good option for dinner in an area filled with tourist traps. But I am not sure I would trek out here again, there are better pizza options in the city.
A 1.5 hour wait is no problem, as long as you deliver solid Pizza like Tony's. Baseball playoffs on the Bar TV, cold beer on tap, great friends, great conversation and to wrap it up, some of the best pizza I've had at a restaurant (I'm kind of weird in that I love Round Table above all others).
We had the Margherita and the Sicilian style Colombo. Both were outstanding and left me very stuffed and happy. Service was solid and prices very reasonable ~ only about $20 per person for the two pizzas, a salad, plate of meatballs and sodas.
Okay, so I spent a month traveling around Italy this summer (where I got married. Thanks for the congrats.) and ate about 25 pizzas there. Tony's original margarita pizza is, hands down, the most authentic pizza on this side of the boot that you could ever hope to find.
Mind you, this is pretty damn different from Little Star (I still love you to death Little Star) because it's thin. And light. And Fresh. And, no offense Little Star, but it doesn't give me those crazy night sweats that your pizza often does. Not that this stops me or anything.
Tony, I don't know exactly how much cocaine you put in your pizza dough, but it's enough to make me go back and pay the $18 for a pizza for two people. It's still not as expensive as coke, so I guess it's a bargain in the end. Yum.
Yes, you will wait but there are plenty of places to hang out while you wait including the park and nearby watering holes. Love that they call the cell with your table, nothing is worse than loitering around outside on a corner.
Excellent salad (gorgonzola, apple, walnuts) and good pizza (panchetta, cheeses, and cherry tomatoes). Crust has a great flavor although I tend to like my pizza with a little more crisp and a little less grease.
They were busy and it really made our service slow. Food came out fairly quick after we gave our order, but waiting to get the food wrapped and then waiting again to pay the check took another 20 mins. Not a huge deal but it's a bit of a buzz kill and I like to keep the energy consistent throughout a meal.
I would recommend the spot if in the area again, but I visit north beach so infrequently that I'd most likely want to try out somewhere new.
Best pizza around....
LOVED the truffle pizza!!!!!
But, since they can't get the black truffle now, they're using the white truffles - ie, more expensive.
You ask how much more....
The truffle pizza used to cost $38, and that's a steep price, BUT NOW it's $90!!!! YES... you read it right... $90 buckaroos!!
**faint**
I've found my new hang out bar! The drinks are awesome!!!! I did try the fried green beans. Not… Read more »
came here 8pm friday night 30Oct (when the bridge was closed) and waited 38 seconds to be seated, party of two. yup, there was no line. it was AWESOME in northbeach with no bridge and tunnel people.
get the margherita pizza. it's limited. i mean why not? while you're at it, get the mushroom crostini's and the meatballs.
while the toppings are good (they are very good), this is the FIRST time i have eaten pizza and really really really payed attention to the way the crust tasted. if you try the different pies that are baked in different ovens, you really can taste the difference in how the crusts taste, are made, baked, and texture. it is amazing - definitely a lesson in pizza eating.
now its 20 days after our first visit to Tony's, and we've been there 2 times since, yes - 3 times in total in 20 days. though for the record, we do live 1.5 blocks away.
SHUT THE BRIDGE DOWN MORE OFTEN!
This place has an insane wait....luckily there is a great dive bar nearby. Our wait was longer than told to us, almost an hour and a half. So was it worth it? No, not really.
We ordered fried green beans to start and they were good, but hey, that's not a tough dish to do well. They were out of margherita pizzas so we ordered the M Extra instead, plus the clam and garlic, plus Frank's True Italian. The last one was the only one worth going back for: pesto with a lovely thin and uniformly crispy crust. Great.
The clam pizza needs to be renamed "salt pizza" and I am a salt lover. Not good. The Margherita extra was soggy and uninspired. Not my thing at all.
We would go back but only to eat at the bar early, and get Frank's pizza or perhaps a pizza in that style that is veggie (there may be others). But never again will we wait for a table.
The service is great, but it's just not worth the wait when there are other great places in the city to go to instead.
apparently there's only 73 of the most famous pies made daily, and i showed up too late to have one.
the pizza was good, no doubt on that. the meatballs were better. we had a bit of this and a bit of that, i enjoyed myself but didn't feel as though the meal was worth all the money we paid (but i suppose eating anywhere in north beach with a name is going to have that rolled into the price).
i'd cruise back again, i mean, i love a decent pizza.
Thank the Roman gods that Castro Valley has reasonable fire laws because otherwise, owner Tony Gemignani would have never opened his newest pizza place on the best corner in North Beach. Y'see, they wouldn't let him build the wood-burning oven necessary to make the amazing pizza we in SF get to have all to ourselves. This guy went to Naples and freakin' beat all the locals in a pizza-making contest that probably had the Cosa Nostras up in arms.
So I came here for a birthday celebration on Saturday. Yes, it was mine, and it was a big one ...a BIG one. So there were eight of us, and my friend Maggie managed to engineer the big booth in the front window. Now the deal is you can't make reservations, so we sat across the street in the big, old Rat Pack-style bar at Joe DiMaggio's keeping an eagle eye for our table to open. My motor was already running a bit with a couple of Bellinis and a few mouthfuls of antipasto in me.
It only took an hour, and we were as excited as a bunch of bulimics at an all-you-can-eat buffet when we got seated. We had an amazing waitress who explained all the differences between the thirty pizzas on the menu. We settled on four different pies, five in total - the $17 Margherita Extra with cherry tomatoes, the $10 Classic Pepperoni (a steal), the Truffle Pizza Napoletana (two of those $38 puppies - ah, the price of real truffles!), and the $18 Cal Italia. It's all in the thin, flash-fired crust just burnt enough to give the pizza a smoky flavor and yet chewy enough to carry all the superb ingredients on top.
All were extremely tasty, but the absolute standout for me is the Cal Italia (see photo), as perfect a blend of sweet and savory as I've ever tasted on a pizza. This is no pineapple and ham combo. It combines four cheeses - asiago, mozzarella, gorgonzola and shaved Parmesan - with a prosciutto di Parma that's drizzled with sweet, aged balsamic. There is a Croatian fig preserve right in the center. How perfect to get to eat this pizza just before a trip I'm taking to Venice, Bologna and Dubrovnik.
I'll be back...again...and again...and again. Oh and the green beans bathing in garlic are great, too.
FOOD - 5 stars...best thin-crust in town and the Cal Italia is now officially essential San Francisco dining, says me
AMBIANCE - 4.5 stars...fun, loud place with the ovens a-blazing for your culinary pleasure...it's katty-korner from Washington Square Park
SERVICE - 5 stars...really enthusiastic and knowledgeable...we were never steered wrong
TOTAL - 5 stars...glad you came across the bay, Tony, my goombah!
Came here twice already with my boyfriend. Each time, waiting around one hour. The first time, we had the margherita and another pizza that was a special for the night. Both was really good, and yes, my boyfriend and I finished both pizzas in one sitting. I guess that one hour wait made us really hungry. I did notice that the pizza was a bit salty.
So second time we went to Tony's, we had the clam pizza and another pizza that was a special for that night (forgot the name). Once again, it was more salty than the FIRST time. It is a great place for pizza in the city, but next time I would probably call for pick up instead of waiting a hour.
errrrrrrrr
I blindly picked a dinner place before we headed off to our concert so we were hopeful. The conditions seemed perfect. We found street parking close by, it was right on the corner of an active nighttime neighborhood, we were hungry, we were in good spirits.
So we had someone put us on the waitlist before we even arrived and we were told 45 minutes. We get there to check and we were told 45 minutes, still. We walk around for a while and checked back to be told 20 minutes. We check once more and we were told 5 minutes. We did not get a table until 15 minutes after that and the best we got was a table outside in the freezing cold because their heat lamps are not coming in until next week. I will add that we had several servers and each one seemed very courteous and apologetic about the temperature and wait.
Sure, the pizza here is pretty damn good and reasonably priced for it being gourmet and all, but it was not worth the wait. I would come back to try the stromboli and scicilian styled pizza.
+1 Star for a great location (including outside seating)
+1 for a stellar menu with options for every pizza lover
-1 for slow service on a Sunday afternoon (took us over 10 minutes just to get our drinks)
+1 for the focaccia bread with dip that's served as you arrive
+3 For the Cal Italia Pizza - talk about all the right ingredients coming together for an orgasmic pizza experience!! Seriously the Sweet Fig preserve from Croatia took this pizza from really good to an exploding orgasm of flavor bursting in your mouth!
+1 for the Margherita pizza (it was just as described, floppy and full of flavor)
-1 for forgetting our order of meatballs
-1 for having to ask 3 times for a side of ranch (yes I dip my pizza in ranch, get over it!)
+1 for a deliscious, and healthy serving size, of the Little Italy salad
-1 for being a little on the pricey side ($78 for 2 pizza's, salad, & 2 glasses of house wine....a little much for lunch)
Grand Total= 4 stars. Well deserved!
To quote a friend, "This was the best mediocre pizza I've ever had."
Given the length of the wait for this restaurant, I expected something outstanding. On the menu, Tony's winning of some 2007 Italian pizza competition in Italy was compared to the mighty California cabernets that took top billing in the 1976 Judgement of Paris. Given all of the build up, the pizza was incredibly disappointing. [They probably would have gotten an extra star, had the build-up not been so dramatic.]
Now, to be fair, there was nothing *bad* about the pizza. The crust was the righ consistency and crispiness and the sauce was fresh, but I have never in my life tasted pizza so bland. The margarita (though we didn't have the special kind) was the best of the bunch. But bland. Tony may not have heard about the wonders of salt, pepper, oregano. . . hell anything! Most every pizza didn't have enough toppings on it. For example, the puttanesca pizza had one anchovy per slice and such a dearth of capers that we had to ask our waitress to bring out more.
With competion in the city from places like Pizzaria Delfina, Little Star, and dozens of restaurants that serve incredible pizza (try Pazzia in Soma for a surprise), Tony's will survive only because of tourist foot traffic. What a shame!
No reservations accepted, long wait on Friday nights, tough parking - who cares! Tony's Pizza is definitely worth bearing through all of those. Margherita pizza is fresh and thin, but the Sicilian style pizza is where it's at! The pizza is like large french bread pizza, with a VERY crispy, lightly buttery bottom. Salads (Spinach and Pancetta con Rucola) were very good, and enough for 2-4 people to share. Another hidden gem is their Calamari Fritti, Calabrese style (spicy). It tastes like a calamari version of the chicken from Tapioca Express.
Specialty drinks are good, but a little pricey ($10). Lots of unique ingredients go into them, so it makes it worth it. Bartenders are nice, but the area gets busy with people also sitting at the counter for dinner.
Tips: Drop someone off to put your name on the waitlist. Consider eating at the bar. Saturdays might be a better bet since you can go early to eat. Closed on Monday and Tuesday. Best to go with 4 or less people since the location is small.
Saturday, 11/14/09, 12:30pm. We were seated without any wait.
We had the meatball appetizer and the Margherita pizza.
The meatball appetizer came with delicious tomato sauce.
We loved it. It definitely deserves 4 to 5 stars.
In fact, I am thinking of getting them to go and try to make a great meatball and tomato sauce spaghetti at home.
It's only $5 for 3 meatballs and $7 for 6. You cannot beat that.
The Margherita pizza was disappointing...
Maybe my expectation was too high, especially after the meatball appetizer, I thought the pizza was OK to "so so".
My husband did not like it either.
2 to 3 stars for the Margherita pizza.
Oh wow what a pizza !!!!
We had the Margherita pie.
It was the best Pizza I have had in San Francisco.
Met the owner Tony. He is a great guy.
I will make this a regular stop.
Everything about Tony's Pizza Napolenta
was just Purrrrrr-fect.
5+ Stars from
-Simon the Cat
It's finally happened! I've found the most authentic pizza in the city of San Francisco and it only took me 3 years to find it. Or 2.5 months since I've moved to North Beach. Tony, a young, talented, and friendly guy makes one of the best Margarita pizzas you'll ever have. Turns out, he's won numerous awards for his pie, sauce, and dough tossing skills...who knew? Well, now I do and I'll be coming here on the regular from now on.
Ahhhh, a New Yorker CAN find heaven on the west coast. Mangia!!
What's this? ANOTHER pizza review? Yeah yeah, I know...but hey, I like me some pie. Tony's has been on my 'must try' list since opening. Do you want to know how serious Tony is about his pizza? He has FOUR different pizza ovens...you want Sicilian? It's going in a different oven than the Neapolitan. And coming out on a different (square) pan.
So here we are, trying to decide which to try and how many. We are told two should be fine for our table of four so of course we go ahead and order three with the intention of taking home leftovers. There were no leftovers. We went with the famous Margherita (my favorite), the Diavola con Rucola (Hot Red Pepper Oil, Salami Picante, Arugula) and the Salsiccia (Mozzarella, Garlic, Fresh Italian Sausage, Oregano)
I would order any of these pies again.
A couple of things: Tony's can get packed but don't let that scare you off. Go during off hours (4pm on a Saturday maybe) or give the cute hostess your phone number and head over to Tony Nik's for a cocktail while you wait. Hell, if you can find a seat at the bar you might want to belly up and order a pie for yourself. You never know, I just might be sitting next to you digging into a Margherita.
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