SFGuide
The Best Spots To Eat Pizza & Drink Natural Wine, Ranked
photo credit: Melissa Zink
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably noticed that natural wine and pizza have taken over menus all across town. They’re the city’s hottest collab since Karl the Fog and Instagram. But not all places to eat a pie and drink something funky are created equal. Based on a highly scientific formula that takes into account pizza quality, an extensive natural wine selection, and outstanding vibes, we’ve arrived at this definitive ranking. Prepare for a lot of vinyl.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Melissa Zink
#1
This Richmond restaurant takes gold because it nails the Sicilian-style pan-baked pizza, the all-natural wine list, and ambiance—it’s the neighborhood’s sexiest place to see and be seen in the graphic tee you thrifted, a glass of orange wine in hand. And because vinyl is a logical extension of the whole pizza and natural wine thing, there’s lots of it stocked behind the bar, too. This spot is where to turn your phone on do not disturb and chat up the bartender about how you're really into shooting on film lately. We also like to come alone, sit on a cushy stool, and watch whatever sci-fi movie is playing above the bar in between bites of crispy-bottomed broccoli rabe pies.
photo credit: Melissa Zink
#2
Of all the places on this guide, Angie’s has the romance dial turned all the way up. To put it more bluntly, it's the restaurant embodiment of a Marvin Gaye song. So, come to this Mission spot to share excellent seasonally changing pies dressed up with garlic chili honey or creamy goat cheese with someone you regularly send heart eye emojis to. The whole space has a sexy glow, lit by candles and blobby mushroom lamps. The pours of natural and low-intervention wines are heavy and come in stout little wine glasses that’ll inexplicably make you want to feed your lover some grapes. A blazing wood-fired oven and records (sensing a pattern?) add to the sultry energy.
#3
What’s that? You’re looking for an unpretentious place for an intimate night of wine, vinyl, and good food? Meet 20 Spot. The Mission restaurant and bar with the neon “Records” sign feels like the den of a skateboarder who loves mid-century design and candlelight. It’s all very moody and casual, which is why you’ll see everyone in the neighborhood sprawled at the bar, sunk into the couch up front, or on the outdoor seats with a glass of something from Austria or Sebastopol. The food is reliable, leaning into cheese boards, small plates like an excellent chicken liver mousse, and, of course, (somewhat pricey) pizzas that are really more like personal-sized flatbreads. Though, they're some of the best cheesy flatbreads in town.
photo credit: Del Popolo
#4
Nothing says “I’m the main character” like chugging a glass of pét-nat in a string-light-filled backyard garden—which is the big draw at Del Popolo. Despite being super close to Union Square, this patio is the energetic opposite of Union Square (a.k.a. calm). Here, the sounds of Bush Street traffic fade into nothing, so you can be distraction-free when you turn your attention to the menu of entirely organic/biodynamic wines. Pair a glass with a chewy, charred Neapolitan pizza with seasonal toppings that range from Jimmy Nardellos to corn to just simple cheese.
photo credit: Erin Ng
#5
Shuggie’s is a kitschy fever dream complete with green and yellow walls, glitter bars, fringe lamps, and giant, pea-green chairs. Aside from the dining rooms looking like a hallucinogenic rabbit hole we actually want to go down, this Mission wine and pizza spot makes grandma-style pies using blemished or surplus vegetables, off cuts of meat, byproducts, and basically any ingredient that would usually end up in the trash. The results are rectangular pies with surprising topping combinations that always keep things interesting. A short by-the-glass menu of zippy and bubbly wines also keeps things interesting.
This two-story Nob Hill restaurant, complete with a well-stocked record collection, is another buzzy pizza and natural wine destination. It’s also a neighborhood staple for those who like to spend their evenings admiring wine bottles with photogenic labels. The menu is mostly seasonal plates like burrata and gnocchi with asparagus and peas, but there are a few wood-fired pizzas that get nice and bubbly in the wood oven. Hone in on the “That’s Hot, Honey,” a pepperoni-covered stunner drizzled with, no surprise, hot honey.
photo credit: Jessica Goss
Woods Lowside is the Lower Haight group hangout spot where you’ll come in for “just one drink” and end up staying for hours. The relaxed backyard patio enveloped by plants, and enough picnic tables for a 20-person birthday dinner has a lot to do with it. Cushy booths for smaller groups will draw you inside, along with shelves stocked with a rainbow of natural wine bottles. The bar doesn’t make their own pizzas, but serves Joyride Pizza’s hefty, cheese-walled Detroit-style pies instead. You’ll need them when you’re a few glasses deep and want to spare your table from your “time to belt out karaoke” alter ego.
