Pauline's Pizza

"Pauline’s Pizza & Wine Bar, opened in 1985 on Valencia Street, will close after December 21. “This has been my life for 33 or 34 years, so it’s kinda weird to leave, but I’d like to retire,” says Pauline’s owner Sidney Weinstein. Weinstein and her husband, Randy, who own the building that houses the restaurant at 260 Valencia Street, have sold it to a neighboring elementary and middle school, the San Francisco Friends School. Originally, the couple had hoped to sell the restaurant portion alone to a buyer who might continue to run Pauline’s — but when nothing panned out, they opted to sell the building entirely. The coming closure leaves just a few weeks for loyal fans to swing by for pesto pizza, sundaes with homemade ice cream, and salads with ingredients from Weinstein’s farm in Calaveras County. The owner even supplies her restaurant with wine from her own organic vineyard, like a 2017 Syrah-Vionier blend, and meat like merguez sausage from her own lambs and roasted chiles." - Caleb Pershan

"Pauline’s is for those who don’t want their crust blackened or their pizzas topped with things like arugula, hen of the woods mushrooms, nettles, etc. It’s classic and simple and sometimes, that’s all you want. The pesto pizza (with no red sauce) is pretty great, but if you’re with a group of carnivorous friends, the Italian combo is a good option. Of course, you could also just get both." - Taylor Abrams