Patxi’s (‘paw-cheese’) – Hayes Valley

The good: Where to begin? Oh - the pizza. Perfectly spiced sauce, perfectly balanced cheese and toppings, perfectly flaky, not cardboard-y crust: this place is great. The people who work here are proud of the pizza (rightly so) and their enthusiasm shines. Great (if small) wine selection & good beers on tap. Patxi’s has its roots in Palo Alto and opened up shop in the city not too long ago because of increasing frustration amongst city-dwellers to find pizza suitable for human consumption. Any east-coaster or Chicago refugee will tell you (and probably give you a look of disgust while they’re at it) that there is a lack of good pizza in California in general. BUT – problem solved. Go to Patxi’s. And go hungry: it’s fierce.

The bad: Although necessary for genuine Chicago pizza, you’ll have to wait about 40 minutes for your pie. This wait time, coupled with the fact that Patxi’s is a relatively small shop (in relation to its popularity), means that although you’re headed out the door ravenous (per my own suggestion), you may not have your pizza in front of you for quite some time. If you’re a visionary, (or an antisocial freak), you can call ahead and pick up your pizza, avoiding this whole mess.

The bottom line: Definitely go. But like I said before, go HUNGRY. It’s a whole lotta pizza.

The bathroom: Kind of strange, actually. Very industrial, like a gas station bathroom, and the toilet reminds me of something I’d encounter on an airplane. The amount of noise it emitted when I flushed it (by pressing a square plastic panel on the wall: also strange) made me wonder whether the contents were being blasted into the atmosphere.