If you’ve been following me over the last year or so, you’ll know that Detroit-style pizza is all the rage in San Francisco these days. So many places are opening up, but so many of them maybe aren’t doing the best job. It’s pretty tricky to get a great, fluffy thick crust and the perfect texture of crunchy cheese all the way to the edge. That difficulty doesn’t stop me from trying all the new places opening up, however! The newest buzz seems to be around Joyride pizza with two locations already: One in the mission and one near Yerba Buena gardens. While Yerba Buena is probably closer for me, I had some other business in the Mission, so I stopped in for lunch one day to grab some slices.
I do appreciate the fact that they offer half pizzas or whole pizzas. Even though they are small, they can be quite filling, so a half pizza does a better job for lunch. Half pizzas could run in the range from $8.50-$11.00, while whole pizzas are more in the $18-$23 range. They also provide a build your own option if you really want to experiment. I went with the half Sweet Heat Pineapple (yes I’m firmly on the side of fruit belongs on pizza) consisting of pineapple, jalapeno, peppers and onions finished with Mike’s hot honey and Parmigiano Reggiano! ($11)
It did look really appetizing when it came out, and it was incredibly tasty. The two slices were absolutely perfect for lunch, alongside a sparkling water. They do pre-make most of their pizzas, however, and I could tell it was reheated as the center was a bit cold. Being pre-made also mean it comes out incredibly fast, so if you have a short amount of time for lunch it is ideal.
I’d probably go back, I want to try some of the full pizzas on offer as a couple of them don’t really have a small size. Or I might try making my own so I know it will be baked fresh and hot right then. It’s definitely more of a Detroit pizza slicery, which I can get behind, even if it may not be the best version in town.
Score: 4/5
Joyride Pizza
411 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
