Our neighbors have been telling us for months about their new favorite pizza place in the Western Addition. Driving down Divisadero tonight I saw Little Star Pizza out of the corner of my eye, and said to myself, "O.K., tonight's the night."
Since parking is tough around Divis and McAllister, I decided to drive home, pack up the kids and the dog and stroll over to Brian's eight-month old posh pizzeria.
Little Star's Deep Dish has been compared to Zachary's legendary pizza on the East Bay. As one customer who voiced their experience in Yelp.com said, "It's up there with Zachary's. Good thin and thick slices...and I don't have to pay the $3 toll to the East Bay." A number of customers consider Little Star even better than Zachary's.
And Marie D. said, "Believe the hype. Little Star Pizza will own you. It certainly owns me."
Brian, the mastermind of and financier behind this Hidden Treasure pizza place, used to be in the Hedge Fund business. He said, "I got into the pizza business because I have always loved pizza."
The person who gets the credit for Little Star's great recipes, however, is his business partner Jon.
Since Brian and Jon opened Little Star Pizza they've gotten rave reviews. San Francisco Weekly's 2005 Reader's Poll calls it the "Best Pizza" in the city. The San Francisco Examiner put the little restaurant on their Hip List in January 2005. The San Francisco Chronicle promoted Little Star in their Discoveries column. And other local magazines have featured this great find in their publication up front and center stage.
Brian plans to stick around The Western Addition for awhile. He chose to "set up shop" in this neighborhood because he's lived here for years. And now he's in contract to buy his first home within walking distance to the restaurant.
While the Deep Dish pizza has gotten more notoriety, the thin crust is Brian's favorite. Ours too.
Little Star's Deep Dish Pizza
For a family who has ordered North Beach Pizza nearly once a week for over a year, these were the comments from the "pizza gallery":
Jessie said:
It's as delicious as North Beach, just different. However, I would call Little Star a more gourmet pizza.
Niki, who is not able to eat anything with wheat in it, said:
I like the chopped walnuts on the salad the best.
I would prefer to come earlier when it is not so dark and the juke box isn't so loud.
I really liked our waitress. The owner was nice too.
I would say, "Brian is one of those souls in San Francisco who makes this eclectic city so great."
Little Star Pizza airs on the more "rugged" side of "rugged elegant," which is quite apropos in this neck of the woods.
Brian and Jon's new "place of taste" will surely make it on the 2006 page of our Hidden Treasures Rugged Elegance Companion Guide.
In the meantime, you can find our profile for Little Star Pizza, with favorite menu selections, their address, hours and phone number at:
SF.RuggedElegance.com/LittleStarPizza
Welcome aboard Brian and Jon!
And thanks Terra and Chris, Quinn, Cooper & Bernie for the inspiration!
May San Francisco's Rugged Elegance community find Little Star Pizza as satisfying as we do. When we're back from vacation in the fall, we'll either plan to show up at 5 o'clock with the kids, stop in for a small thin crust on date night, or do take out.
Then again, we may just bring the whole neighborhood!
If you have an inspirational message to share about this restaurant, please add a comment below, or go to our newly launched:
Wiki.RuggedElegance.com
Inspire & Be Inspired.
Here's to healthy, adventuresome, soulful, "delicious deep & thick and thin & crusty" living!
~ Jennifer Carolyn King, Rugged Elegance, LLC
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