Best under the radar higher end Pizza in San Francisco?

The key to your question is timing...all it takes is to get to Una Pizza Napoletana 10 min before opening and you'll have the best crust in the city without a hassle.  I've gone even just a little after opening and had no line to wait in.  Similarly, you can catch the Del Popolo Truck at Off the Grid: Picnic at the Presidio on Sundays for a nice early lunchtime pie.

While their crusts might not be as robust as the above, Pizzetta 211 is always a great spot for a pie as long as you don't go at typical weekend dinner times.

Another high quality/hassle ratio spot is Zero Zero  While I still prefer the pizzas coming from their sister restaurant Pizzeria Picco, Zero Zero does it justice...at either place don't neglect to finish off with some soft serve.  Again, avoiding peak weekend dinner times shall reward you with great pie with minimal hassle.  If you hit up Picco on a weekend, shoot for the in between time of 3-5PM.

And while outside of "normal" pizza circles, if you're open to it, Liguria Bakery makes a phenomenal cheese-less "pizza" focaccia.  They open at 8AM, and theirs is best enjoyed hot & fresh out of the flame thrower driven brick oven.

Lastly, while it may not be the proper pizzeria, Tony's Coal-Fired Pizza & Slice House sends out more than solid slices.

Hi Scott,

I have to second Krista's suggestion on Little Star Pizza (they have 2 locations: Little Star Pizza), the pizza is different than what you would find at Pizzeria Delfina (which is more what you would get from a "higher end pizzeria"), but I love their deep dish. I think it's the best in the city! Again, they also have 2 locations making it that much easier to find one closer to you.

Enjoy and have a slice for me :)

- Kristal

Hi Scott,

Awesome Q! For a wait line hack, I suggest hiring a TaskRabbit to stand in line for you. Have done this a few times, and it works well! For restaurants other than Tony's & Flour + Water, here are a few places worth trying:

1. Il Casaro This spot is relatively new, and my Italian boyfriend chose it as his favorite when visiting San Francisco. Cooked in a wood oven with simple, Italian ingredients, the pizza resembles that of what you might actually find in Italy.
   
   
2. Little Star Pizza Little Star is awesome *and* accessible. Well known, but for good reason.
   
   
3. Gioia Pizzeria I love Gioia on trendy Polk Street for pies made with seasonal ingredients. Gioia ranks  high for accessibility and it flies considerably under the radar. ;)
   
   
4. Pizzeria Delfina is another fave, and provides a perfect place to sit down and eat when wandering around Pacific Heights. 
   
   

Hope this helps. Let me know if you need any other tips or neighborhood specific suggestions - happy to provide some more ideas! :)

Here's my favorites: Starbelly (Castro). If you call 45 minutes ahead, they will put your name on the list via phone. Beretta (Mission) Go for lunch on the weekend and get there before noon and you'll be ok. Zero Zero (SOMA) and Rose Pistola (North Beach) takes reservations on Open Table. Flour + Water is not worth the wait in my opinion.

I don't have a new spot to add, but I do want to second two places that have been mentioned: Pizzeria Delfina , next to Tartine is a great place that's in the similar style of Flour + Water (and close by, too, if you can't get a table there). Pizza is great (as are all the other pasta offerings, etc.)  The less high-end, but definitely not lower quality option of PizzaHacker is a great choice that I highly recommend. Excellent pizza--and no need to worry about not getting a reservation! Here's the site

Cinecitta is highly recommended. Thin crust, great service, atmosphere in North Italy. I highly recommend. 

This may be helpful: http://www.axs.com/72-hours-in-san-francisco-49133

I'll add one place to the list. I'm not sure how "higher-end" this is, but the pizza is definitely great. 

PizzaHacker

The guy started out selling pizzas from his homemade oven. He eventually became popular enough to open a physical location in the Mission. The pizza is top notch. 

one word: Golden Boy Pizza .. or Tommaso's Ristorante Italiano .. golden boy for an on the run slice .. tommaso's to sit down and enjoy..

Another vote for Little Star Pizza

Golden Boy Pizza, the vegetarian slice in North Beach.  Quick, cheap, minimal wait, grab it and head to a bar to eat and drink, yum. 

Goat Hill Pizza is great!