Del Popolo

"For excellent wood-fired pizzas with bubbly, charred crusts, book a table at Del Popolo. The wood-fired oven is right in the middle of the Lower Nob Hill restaurant, so you can watch as pies topped with hot salami or winter squash emerge from the flames and land on your table. We also love sitting on their back patio, which feels like a hidden, subterranean garden. Be sure to save some room for their rotating desserts—if it’s soft serve, absolutely finish your meal with a cup of it." - julia chen 1, lani conway

"Bubbly crusts and seasonal toppings are this pizza place’s specialty. The wood-fired oven at this Lower Nob Hill restaurant perpetually warms the dining room, where you’ll see triple dates splitting margheritas and sauce-drenched meatballs. If someone in the group has a puppy with attachment issues, this is also the place to suggest—their hidden back garden is dog-friendly, and an excellent place to debrief a sh*tty week alongside chewy crust ends and wine." - julia chen 1, patrick wong, lani conway

"We go to Del Popolo’s cozy garden for laidback dinners, and to unwind after a long week. You have to walk through the restaurant, past the kitchen, and down a flight of stairs to get here. The wood-fired pizzas are excellent, and the shareable small plates like candied bacon and blistered shishito peppers are great. Drink wine or beer while contemplating whether or not to invest in another houseplant." - lani conway, julia chen 1, ricky rodriguez, patrick wong

"Amidst all the fast-casual chains and overpriced tourist traps around Union Square, Del Popolo is a bright spot. Their incredible Neapolitan-style pizza draws us in, even when we aren’t in the area picking up our laptop from the Genius Bar or touching expensive duvet covers at the mall—the wood-fired crust always comes out gorgeous and chewy. There are nine options to choose from, but whichever route you go, the toppings, like spicy sausage and olives or garlicky mushrooms, are excellent across the board. We love coming to this relaxed spot for double dates or after-work pizzas at the bar—or, if you want a quieter dinner, request a table on the plant-filled patio out back." - julia chen 1, lani conway

"Having slung his top-notch Neapolitan pizzas from a specially rigged, wood-oven-equipped truck for several years, local pizzaiolo Jon Darsky opened this lower Nob Hill spot and now has a Michelin Bib Gourmand listing under his belt. It’s easily some of the best pizza in the city, but the menu also offers excellent salads and other seasonally changing-starters." - Dianne de Guzman, Paolo Bicchieri