Oversaturated SF Pizza Scene Gets Brash Newcomer

Anthony Mangieri attained cult status in New York for the pies at his Una Pizza Napoletana: thin crust, not too many ingredients, very simple dough recipe, quick cooking time in the wood-fired oven. CHOW even did a video about him. He surprised everybody by leaving town at the height of his fame, revealing plans to reopen in San Francisco. Now that day has finally come.

Next week, his new restaurant in SOMA will open, serving only four pizzas (white, pizza sauce, pizza and cheese, and filetti with cherry tomatoes), beer, wine, and that's it. Zagat checked in with Mangieri to see what he had to say about entering what many feel to be an already overcrowded pizza scene and why he decided to come West to begin with. His answers are typically brash-bordering-on-arrogant.

"I started this whole wacky frenzy [about Neapolitan pizza]. All those other guys know that. Everyone who’s planning on opening a Neapolitan pizzeria has been to my place in NYC to check it out." Regardless of whether this is true or not, can San Francisco support another expensive pizza place?