Last week, I got a chance to stroll along the seedy streets in the Mission district. Aside from having strong Hispanic representation, various cultures are high lighted especially by a wide range of cuisines. After a grub tip from Thanh, I had to try Arinell, a hole in the wall pizza joint famous for their New York style pizza. I ordered the Sicilian slice ($2.50) and one bite transported me to comfort food heaven. The slice is all about texture. The thin slice is chewy married with the nutty taste of slightly burned cheese. Simply delicious. An overuse of powered parmesan cheese, oregano, and chilli flakes would simply be a sin overpowering the goodness of the main ingredients.
{Pizza, like hot dogs, is a regional food}
New York:The New Yorkers like it thin and many eat their slice rolled up in half. I also like Escape from New York and Amici’s East Coast Pizzeria.
Chicago: Deep dish and meaty. My record, four slices in one sitting in Chicago’s Geno’s Eastin Chicago and Zachary’s in Berkeley
Californian: The use of Californian ingredients such as avocados and artichoke. (California Pizza Kitchen: Great BBQ pizza)
For other good eats in the Mission, try Cha Cha Cha for a festive environment and good Cuban tapas. They have two locations, one in the Haight and the other one in the Mission. Read my Cha Cha Cha review.For a great steak burrito, I like Pancho Villa.Also, check out a blog dedicated to pizza.Slice Blog
Consultant hat.
I like the operations at Arinells. The quick service restaurant mainly requires one main equipment which is the pizza oven which can range from a few thousand dollars and upwards. Most ovens can be found at www.pizzaoven.com. My estimation is that the oven they are using would cost around $17,000. The most expensive part in the operations is the rent. Located on the high traffic Valencia St, rent is probably around $6000 per month. Again, restaurant owners should be able to make enough to cover their rent in 3 days of operations.
Arinell (menu online)
509 Valencia St
San Francisco, CA, 94110
(415) 255-1303
Mon-Wed 11:30 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Thu-Sat 11:30 a.m.-12:00 a.m.
Sun 1:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Cha Cha Cha
2327 Mission St
San Francisco, CA, 94110
(415) 648-0504
Mon-Thu, Sun 5:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat 5:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Donna G. // May 31, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Don’t tell me this is the first Arinell’s you’ve discovered! There is an Arinell’s pizza right below the UC Berkeley campus on Shattuck! I haven’t checked in years but it should still be there. Slices to die for but not the most sanitary conditions - the same guy working with the money will use his hand to put the slice on the plate. And they had the balls to tell me I couldn’t sit by the door with my dog. (Whatever - everyone should get used to germs.) I haven’t been to the Mission location so I don’t know if the service is different, ie not by scruffy Berkeley stoners.
2 Administrator // May 31, 2008 at 11:59 pm
Serious Donna. I never heard of an Arinell’s at Cal.
We had Gregory’s pizza when I was around.
I love thin slice. Let me know if there are any food spots worth noting. Did you try A Cote yet?
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