Gioia Pizzeria

"Next time your friend’s roommate who used to live down the street from Joe’s starts complaining about the lack of New York-style slice spots in SF, point them in the direction of Gioia in Hayes Valley. Their massive, thin-crust slices are meant to be folded (the directive is outlined on the box), and are best eaten while standing on the curb and debating whether or not you’d be able to survive an actual winter. Toppings stay pretty classic—think pepperoni, sausage, and mushroom—and you can (and should) dress up slices with ranch or chili oil." - julia chen 1, lani conway

"You’ve got a handful of solid pizza options in Hayes Valley including Doppio Zero’s floppy Neapolitan-style pies and Paxti’s deep-dish specimens. But Gioia Pizzeria does New York-style pizza with California fresh ingredients, which makes it perhaps your best option for takeout, popping in for a slice, or splitting a pie for a casual dinner. Fans appreciate the not-too-thick, not-too-thin crust with just the right amount of chew. Plus, there are salads and sandwiches to round out the meal." - Lauren Saria, Dianne de Guzman, Justine Jones

"Gioia used to have an outpost in Russian Hill, but then they moved here to open this smaller, much more streamlined spot. No matter which toppings you get from this counter-service slice shop, know that the crust is always perfectly crispy on the bottom and chewy around the edges. Our go-to at Gioia is the garlicky mushroom pie, but you really can’t go wrong." - Julia Chen 1

"Next time your friend’s roommate who used to live down the street from Joe’s starts complaining about the lack of New York-style slice spots in SF, point them in the direction of Gioia. Their massive, thin-crust slices are meant to be folded (the directive is outlined on the box), and are best eaten while standing on the curb and debating whether or not you’d be able to survive an actual winter. Toppings stay pretty classic—think pepperoni, sausage, and mushroom—and you can (and should) dress up slices with ranch or chili oil." - Julia Chen

"Gioia has built up a loyal following for its East Coast style pies, which it occasionally gussies up with decidedly West Coast toppings (there’s one covered with kale, naturally). Both its Hayes Valley and Berkeley locations are doing delivery via Caviar." - Luke Tsai