Firepie Pizza

The delivery take-out parade, along with mass confusion about who’s open, who has outdoor dining and WTF is going on continues in this new normal world order. It all just makes one want to eat, drink, sleep, repeat. Seems like a go to delivery item is the way to go when looking for comfort food and pizza comes immediately to mind. (Okay, cake actually comes first, but that isn’t usually on delivery—and why not I ask? Someone needs to make it happen stat!)

Instead of going with a tried and true fave, recently I’ve been taking a chance on some newbies that popped up around town pre-COVID and which, due to pizzas popularity as a delivery item, seem to be weathering the current restaurant apocalypse. Into my line of site today is Firepie. They have (or used to) a roving truck that also has a permanent location in The Mission and their selling point is wood fired pizzas in 90 seconds and delivery in roughly 15 minutes or so, which means their delivery area is limited somewhat in the city. Somehow, probably through one of the innumerable food mailing lists I am on, I got a $2 off coupon for them and in the guise of saving money (HA!) I thought I would give them a try and was able to order up not one but TWO pizzas to nosh on and have breakfast leftovers of—because we’ve all done that! And if you haven’t you really, really should. Not warmed up either but straight outta the box you hopefully remembered to stick in the fridge. (And even if you didn’t, it will still be good)

Turns out, I wasn’t eligible for delivery, but pick-up was an option and since they pushed that ready in 90 seconds thing I waited till I got there to order. They had a few orders going and I can’t say it was exactly as quick as stated, more like 5 minutes or so, which still, ain’t that bad. Part of the speed here is their 900 degree wood fired brick oven and a thin crust which combined, will cook faster. Plus, they only do the one ten inch size.

First up was a veggie pizza with mushroom, red onion and arugula. From first look, they probably could have down a little better with dispersion of toppings and, me personally, could have used a little more cheese. I like the thin layer of tomato sauce instead piling it on like some places. Which was good as it wavered to the bit sweet side but not overwhelmingly so. It was a nice mesh with the earthy roasted mushrooms. As for crust, yes, it was super thin which I kind of like. The quick fire process keeps it crispy and no so much subject to “soggy tip syndrome” which we all know I despise. Though not enough to not eat it, I mean, it is pizza after all. But the same process which can create crispy can also bring on the blackened char in a big way.

Here is the bottom of the pizza and in the other pic above, you can see some of the outer crust is charred black. I know some people are into it, but I’m ambivalent. Sometimes it can add a nice bit of roasted flavor. Other times, it can be too much and overwhelm everything else with nothing but the resounding taste of bitter burnt blackness. This veggie pizza was right on the edge for me in that sense. This is where I think a little more of the buttery creaminess of more mozzarella would be a flavorful balance to it.

Which brings me to the pepperoni pizza, where they tossed on some arugula….just because? Plus, I figured I had a veggie one so why not a meat one! And they really only have four options at a time to choose from which in the grand scheme of things does make it simple for ordering.

Here you can see a much better distribution of toppings and cheese. There was literally (I’m using that word correctly here!) some pepperoni in every bite. Spicy, greasy, cheesy, notes of sweet tomato and a crispy crust—what more could you ask for. Wait I know! A little less black char on the bottom.

While the top outer crust on this was practically perfect, the bottom was a little less so. As you can see it is way darker than the one above and this was prevalent across the whole bottom. Not my particular like but I will say, the greasy, spicy pepperoni offset some of the burnt taste. Some, not all. I could still taste it there as an underlying flavor, which again, not to my liking.

This is not to say I didn’t like Firepie pizzas, for the most part I did and would recommend them. I like all the pepperoni they gave, the thin consistent crispy crust, and when they put on an acceptable amount of cheese. I guess if you are a fan of pizza char (it is a thing) then most likely, these pies will be a win for giving a try. If you are not, then you might want to search elsewhere. This is the challenge when cooking such thin crust in such a high heat. It would explain the 90 second claim as you wanna get in and out quick otherwise it will burn to a crisp and be totally inedible.

In the grand arena of pizzas in SF, of which there are many, Firepie does a decent thin crispy crust version. I don’t know if it is something I would pick over other places, but if I was in the mood and the truck was around, it is a good enough option. I know, not overwhelming praise, but with such a multitude of pizza options in this town you really gotta stand out in a flavor way, not just a “hey, we cook in 90 seconds” way. It’s not a knock per se and for your local neighborhood spot, it works, but if you are trying to reach the broader city it might not be enough to entice them to venture to the Outer Mission to try.

NOTE: Pizzas will run about $15 a pop if you are picking up and a little more if you live within their delivery zone for the delivery fee and tip upcharge.