Polk Street Turns Up the Heat
Earlier this summer we shared with you a list of the top-20 pizzas in the nation. A few Bay Area favorites were mentioned including Berkeley’s own Gioia Pizzeria, now poised to expand into Russian Hill this autumn.
The critics have been heaping praise on this East Bay all-star for years, ever since Brooklyn native Will Gioia opened the doors to his pizza parlor in 2004. Much of the acclaim is due to a masterful blend of East and West styles that his delicious pies continually demonstrate: a true harmony between New York and the Bay, artfully exhibited by way of a large mural inside the restaurant depicting the Bay Bridge connecting San Francisco to Manhattan.
Now, after nearly 8 years of slinging slices to Berkeley residents, Will and his wife Karen are in expansion mode as they look to take over the former location of Rose’s Hair Salon, directly adjacent to Cole Hardware at the corner of Polk and Green-an area of Russian Hill that is seeing many new and distinguished restaurants open in the next few months. This week they go before the SF planning commission in order to secure a conditional use permit, which will get the ball rolling on their new digs. Look for Gioia SF to pop-up later in the year. Try to contain your excitement.
