Che Fico Pizzeria is offering slices in a new location near Chase Center, complete with a walk-up window

As of Wednesday, October 9th Che Fico's pizza has finally grown up and found a space of its own. The iconic cakes have long been relegated to a single section of the Che Fico menu, competing for attention alongside pasta and other dishes at the popular Divisadero Street restaurant. But now chef David Nayfeld and business partner Matt Brewer are finally moving the pizzas to a stunning space of their own: Che Fico Pizzeria in Thrive City, the neighborhood directly in front of the Warriors' home at Chase Center.

It was a natural progression for the team to open a pizzeria, says Nayfeld. “We always knew that after we opened the original Che Fico and realized we had something special on our hands with the pizza,” Nayfeld says. “We always knew there would be a pizzeria soon – we just had no idea what it would look like, where it would be, or how it would work.”

Although pizza has been on Che Fico's menu for years, Nayfeld is excited to give it the star treatment at his new location. It's still the same naturally fermented dough made from local grains, but Nayfeld has refined the recipe so that it's perfect for eating in-house and sturdy enough to withstand delivery—a first for the pies. The other change is the size, which will be a little different than what they're used to, moving from a 12-inch pie to 14- and 20-inch sizes to match its new pizza-focused location. “Anyone who knows anything about me knows that (pizza) is probably the thing I thought about the most at Che Fico,” Nayfeld says, “and it's the thing I was most sensitive about, it is “The thing I had the strongest opinions about, and it was the thing I struggled with the most.”

As much as Nayfeld has spent a lot of time focusing on his pizzas, he also knows where they belong when it comes to the location and the guests. The pizzeria has a take-out window where you can grab a slice before a Warriors game or concert. Nayfeld doesn't want to give the impression that what they're serving is, as he puts it, “artsy farty pizza.” “When you stop by our slice window to grab a piece of cheese, a slice of cheese should remind you of strolling the streets of New York City with your favorite slice of cheese,” he says. “We're not trying to twist it, we're trying to make the best cheese pizza San Francisco has to offer.” And that goes for the OG pepperoni slices with their crispy pepperoni cups or the pepperoni, mushroom and sausage pies. However, diners will still see the Che Fico flair for pizzas with long-time restaurant favorites on the menu, such as the Bianco with four cheeses – provolone, mozzarella, stracchino and ricotta – as well as the house-made Calabrian chili bomba and chili honey. Also on deck is the famous pineapple chili pizza (called “pineapple” in the original restaurant, the Italian word for pineapple) with thin slices of pineapple and the chili bomba, a slice so good Nayfeld swears it is an old pineapple pizza naysayer.

The pizzeria's menu is also aimed at lunch guests. To mark the occasion, Nayfeld and his company have developed a selection of salads and sandwiches that are – gasp! — Guests may want something other than a slice or a whole pizza. The chopped salad is from Divisadero—“If we opened a restaurant without it, people would riot,” Nayfeld notes—but there are also protein-packed salads like the bomba shrimp salad made with kale, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, avocado and grilled corn dressed in tomatillo salsa. Chicken schnitzel can also be added to any salad, including the Caesar or Greek salad, which “every pizzeria needs,” says Nayfeld. Four sandwiches are also on the menu, including muffuletta, the olive-laden New Orleans classic served here on a sesame seed bun with Genoa salami, mortadella, provolone and giardiniera. From there, a crispy chicken schnitzel is the star in two sandwiches: the Parmigiana, which combines the schnitzel with marinara and mozzarella, and the Chicken Cutty, which tosses the crispy chicken with provolone, marinated artichoke, pesto, pepperoncini and pickled red onions.

In addition to the stunning water views and interiors designed by Jon de la Cruz of DLC-ID, there are other attractions to the new location. Nayfeld says the cocktail menu features drinks that are meant to be light and fun, like the Che Fico Negroni, made with gin, Contratto bitters and sweet dry vermouth. Also on deck is a continuation of Il Mercato di Che Fico's gelato program, with seasonal gelato flavors served similar to the slices found in the takeout window.

Combine this new look on Che Fico's face with the fact that Nayfeld is a die-hard Warriors fan who grew up within walking distance of Warriors games and even got his hair cut at the same store Chris Mullin would go to – Razor's Edge in Alameda, if you're wondering – he calls this opening a “kismet dream come true.” He continues: “For me there is something very intentional about all of these things, if that’s not too trite,” says Nayfeld. “It’s like a hometown kid opening a pizzeria with his hometown team.”

Che Fico Pizzeria (1 Warriors Way, Suite 300), premiering Wednesday, October 9, is open for dinner Tuesday through Friday from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m opening hours will soon be extended until Monday. The lunch break will also follow shortly and will initially last from Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Correction: October 9, 2024, 5:10 p.m. This article has been corrected to reflect the restaurant's current cocktail program at Che Fico Pizzeria.