'Casey's Pizza' To Bring New York-Inspired Pies To Mission Bay Restaurant

'Casey's Pizza' To Bring New York-Inspired Pies To Mission Bay RestaurantA Zoe's Pepperoni pizza. | Photo: Casey's Pizza
Fiona Lee
Published on June 14, 2017

Pizza lovers in Mission Bay will soon have a reason to rejoice. In July, San Francisco's first pizza truck, Casey's Pizza, will be opening up a brick-and-mortar pizza joint and bring its pies to 1170 4th St., at the corner of 4th and Channel streets. 

For owner Casey Crynes, whose truck can be found in FiDi, SoMa and Hayes Valley, it's been a long time coming. He told us that he had been looking for a space for almost two-and-a-half years, and the restaurant itself has been a year in the making. 

Casey's Pizza truck in Hayes Valley. | Photo: Casey's Pizza

"I’ve always wanted to open a small pizzeria," he said of the transition to brick-and-mortar.

The new restaurant, also called Casey's Pizza, will offer the truck's "classic East Coast-style thin-crust Neapolitan pizza," inspired by New York-style pizzerias. Pies include classics like margherita (red sauce, mozzarella, grana padano, fresh basil, and extra virgin olive oil) and the Zoe Pepperoni (red sauce, pepperoni, mozzarella, grana padano, and extra virgin olive oil) as well as specials like the Bacon Kale (bacon, roasted organic kale, mozzarella, grana padano, lemon zest, and extra virgin olive oil). 

The new spot will also offer beers and wine. "I'm a real big craft beer guy, a homebrewer," explained Crynes. "We're going to source the best beers I can get." 

Wine lovers can also expect to see "value-driven, nothing overpriced" in terms of the wine selection, which will include California wines as well as wines from France, Spain and Australia.

1170 4th St. | Image: Google Maps

Initially, Casey's Pizza will serve up dinner five days a week, Tuesday through Saturday, in the small,  "rustic-but-modern" space, which can seat 28 people total. A chef's counter will allow 10 customers to see their pies being made in the open kitchen.

The pizzeria will also focus on takeout for the Mission Bay neighborhood, which Crynes described as a "pretty underserved" market. Once the restaurant gets going, Crynes hopes to serve lunch and even do a brunch offering, which would feature brunch pizzas topped with bacon, organic eggs and green garlic. 

A brunch pizza. | Photo: Casey's Pizza

If diners aren't completely stuffed after chowing down on the pizza, there are other options as well. "My partner worked in a lot of high-end restaurants," Crynes told us, "and is doing all the salads and desserts." Ice cream sundaes with really cool seasonal fruits or crisps and toasted nuts. 

Crynes said that he specifically chose Mission Bay to open his first restaurant because of the neighborhood, which has many residents, but not many options for dining. 

"It's kind of interesting to stake a claim in this neighborhood and add value," he said. He also noted that the building, which is brand new, "offered a lot of creative opportunity." 

Casey Crynes. | Photo: Casey's Pizza

An opening date hasn't been formalized yet, but Crynes said that he expected to open in July, with the end of July at the latest.

In many ways, opening the restaurant in Mission Bay, an area considered a food frontier in San Francisco, is similar to when Crynes, a resident of San Francisco since 2008, first started slinging pies through the food truck. Casey's Pizza was San Francisco's first pizza food truck. 

"I got in really early when I got my food truck permit in 2012," he said. "I was lucky enough to get some good spots in Financial District and Hayes Valley—you just can’t get any more spots like that any more."