When you arrive at Pizzeria Delfina in the Mission district of San Francisco, you will probably see a long line of people waiting to get in.

As you pass the waiting crowds and finally take a seat inside, you will feel like you’re at the local favorite neighborhood pizza parlor, only jazzed up a bit with a modern aesthetic touch. The décor is filled with soft yellows mixed with aluminum fixtures and accents. The classic smell of baking pizza wafts through the friendly atmosphere of this suburban side of the city.

Pizzeria Delfina is owned by the upper scale restaurant Delfina. The pizza place has a much more relaxed and casual vibe than its sister restaurant.

The food is both delicious and creative. The appetizer bread sticks are very addictive and should definitely be ordered. The salads are made fresh to order and have many quality ingredients. I ordered the Insalata Tricolore, which is their house mix green salad with a lemon vinaigrette and it was perfectly crisp and tangy.

The pizzas range from more traditional Italian fare to ones made with not-so-ordinary toppings. and tasted much more authentic than typical Pizza and Italian chain restaurants.  The clam pie, a pizza with fresh vegetables and clams, was excellent. The Salsiccia, a Italian sausage pizza, was also delicious.

For dessert, I ended with the baba rum in strawberry sauce.  The fruit sauce truly complemented the rum flavor and I quite enjoyed the cold sensation of the topping.

As far as cost goes, the food is very affordable with dishes ranging anywhere from $3-20. Serving sizes are large enough to satisfy cravings as well as have some leftovers to take home.

I went on a weekday around noon and enjoyed the lunch crush as the restaurant was lively and full of interesting people-watching opportunities.  Despite a 30 minute wait to be seated, the food and overall well ambiance was well worth it. 

I highly recommend checking out Pizzaria Delfina the next time you’re in the Mission.

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Pizzeria Delfina
3611 18th Street (at the corner of Guerrero Street)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Phone: 415-437-6800
www.pizzeriadelfina.com