Berkeley's Rose Pizzeria, tapped by The New York Times as one of the country's best pizzerias, has officially crossed the Bay, opening its first San Francisco shop in the Inner Richmond at 1 Clement Street. Owners Alexis Rorabaugh and Gerad Gobel landed in the neighborhood in late April with a larger kitchen and an expanded menu built around the thin, blistered pies that turned their East Bay spot into a cult favorite. The new Clement Street address is already pulling hungry crowds from both sides of the bridge.
In San Francisco, Rose has introduced tonda Romana pizzas - a thinner, cracklier style - while keeping the airy, thin-crust pies that defined the Berkeley original. According to Eater SF, the menu highlights include the She Wolf and Champion pies, along with starters like Rancho Gordo beans and a spicy miso Caesar. The review also points out that the Clement Street spot operates as a beer-and-wine joint and permits limited tweaks to the cheese pizza.
Bigger Kitchen, New Flour And More Seating
The San Francisco outpost gives the couple a kitchen close to seven times larger than their original Berkeley setup, opening the door to additions like house-made gelato and a full tonda Romana line. As reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, the restaurant uncovered and restored a hidden green-and-white checkered floor, now seats about 44 diners inside with roughly 15 more outside, and relies on flour from local Full Belly Farm for its dough. "Not that many people get a chance to open in San Francisco. We're really just gonna go for it," co-owner Rorabaugh told the paper.
What To Order
Reviewers have singled out the She Wolf - topped with burrata, garlic confit, capers and olives - and the mushroom-packed Champion as essential picks, with pies generally landing around $26 and starters like the Rancho Gordo beans or spicy Caesar hovering near $14, per Eater SF. The tonda Romana Beach Club reworks Hawaiian-style toppings into a more polished, salty-sweet combo, and the shop's Ezzo pepperoni gets special attention for its cuppy, salty finish. For those who like to customize, the SF location allows up to two toppings on the plain cheese pizza, a notable shift from the Berkeley shop's no-modification rule.
Reservations, Takeout And The Neighborhood
The Clement Street address, formerly home to Village Pizzeria, sits directly across from the Sunday Clement Street Farmers Market and is already reshaping foot traffic on that block. Rose's official site lists daily hours, links to Resy for reservations, and notes that for now walk-up takeout orders are handled in person instead of by email. That mix of bookable tables and counter service is meant to balance the larger dining room with the quick, buzzy rhythm of Clement Street.
How They Funded The Move And The Build-Up
To finance the expansion, the owners turned to a community-backed bond offering through SMBX, a strategy that kept investment close to home instead of leaning on private equity, according to SFGate. That reporting also notes The New York Times placed the Berkeley shop on its 2024 list of 22 best pizzerias and that Rorabaugh's strong showing at the International Pizza Expo helped boost the brand's profile ahead of the move. The result is a bigger, more ambitious Rose that still banks on simple, carefully sourced pies to win over diners.
Whether you are crossing the bridge from Berkeley or strolling over from the Richmond, you can expect a lively dining room and weekend lines; reservations remain the safest move while walk-up takeout stays in the mix. For the latest hours, reservations and the menu, visit Rose Pizzeria's site or its Resy page.
