Finally, "real" Chicago pizza in SF, and in Hayes valley! In news thats probably not good for my waistline, I passed the former location of Powell's Soul Food on Hayes near Octavia, and there was a sign in the window for "future home of Patxi's Chicago Pizza. (hmm, its the picture here used for Yoga Tree, the paper'ed up store front between Yoga Tree and New Leaf) Patxi's makes a Giordano's style pie, like Zachary's Chicago Pizza of Berkeley/Oakland. Its not my favorite type (Lou Malnati's, Nancys, Pizza Bakery, etc), but its a close second. Patxi's recently opened in Palo Alto, and is pretty good. There's no information on their website about the new location, yet. Frankly, Zachary's missed the boat on this one, I'm sure they could have expanded beyond their two stores, but they've been stagnant for too long, so Patxi's is going to try it instead.

There is a "Pizz'a Chicago" in SF at the Wharf, but they're pretty far from being an accurate rendition of a Chicago Pizza (decent meatball sub, though). There was a chain Pizzeria Uno Chicago Grill on Lombard, but it recently became an SFO something (similar signage, UNO->SFO, and recent enough that the yellow pages and the picture at Amazon are of the older one). The chain isn't that much like the original, and the original isn't my favorite, but if you got the Classic it was an ok pie (did I mention I was a gourmand, not a gourmet?). older one