Golden Boy Pizza (North Beach)
Similar to Good Mong Kok, the best restaurants sometimes don’t require seats. And also sometimes, you just want a pizza with some attitude. Golden Boy Pizza in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood has been making some of the city’s most reputable- and quirky- pizzas since 1978.
And yes, for those that know, Golden Boy’s pizzas may not necessarily be the most “traditional” and as such cannot be rated in that category. But even Golden Boy themselves call their pizzas uniquely “San Francilian” as a nod to their Sicilian roots.
With only a small ordering window on Green Street, Golden Boy consistently has long lines of hungry customers stretching all throughout the length of the shop and further. Each slice is square in their signature shape, and also comes with unique toppings.
While more normal toppings such as cheese, sausage, and pepperoni are offered, one of their most famous menu items is the clam and garlic pizza (above, with regular cheese in top left corner). Deeply aromatic and sure to make your breath smell like garlic, this pizza is the epitome of fusion between Italian food and San Francisco’s seafood culture. The clams are perfectly cooked and small enough to add flavor without compromising on the slice’s textural integrity (if that’s even a real phrase). The minced garlic adds the perfect complementary ingredient to the clams, and the lightly-baked focaccia bread crunches deliciously with each bite.
Each slice comes out piping hot and the best thing is its price. Slices range from $3.50 at cheapest, to $4.50 (prices may vary over time) at its highest for a roughly 6x7 inch slice.
The speed, convenience, and high quality taste of Golden Boy’s pizza squares make this a local favorite of North Beach, and a historical gem of San Francisco.