Finally, you can get a square meal with the opening of the first brick-and-mortar location of SQUARE PIE GUYS in SoMa. I became a fan of Marc Schechter and Danny Stoller’s Detroit-style pizza when they were a pop-up at Vinyl on Divis, and now they’ve moved into their very own digs, with a fryer, in the former The Board on Mission.
The menu is pretty extensive: you’ll want to start with their dry-fried Szechuan chicken wings ($11), and there’s Buffalo-style too, and they make a downright awesome chilled bowl salad ($12), with shredded kale, shaved broccoli, cherry tomato, spicy sunflower seeds, avocado, sun-dried tomato vinaigrette, and gigante beans (it’s vegan!).
I tried their Buffalo chicken Parm sandwich ($14)—with a fried thigh, Buffalo red sauce, fresh mozzarella, shredded kale and romaine, Green Goddess Caesar, grana, and mayo schmear on a brioche roll—and I’m already looking forward to having it again (you can also order it as a salad). There’s even a double cheeseburger, and a cheeseburger salad! (Lordy.)
As for the main event, their trademark Detroit-style pizza is baked in 8-by-10 rectangular pans, with a cheesy, crispy crust around the edges. (They’re hearty and leftovers warm up like a dream.) There are nine kinds to choose from ($16-$22), like their Mean Green Sausage Machine (with garlic ricotta cream, Italian sausage, roasted broccoli, chile flake, and Mike’s Hot Honey) and the Don’t Go Bacon My Heart (with red sauce, marinated kale, cherry tomato, and smoky bacon). Of course, you can go for a classic, like the 6x8 (red sauce with exactly 48 Pavone pepperoni cups).
A seasonal pie on offer right now is the Summer Elote Corn, with garlic ricotta cream, roasted local corn, cotija, taco seasoning, cherry tomatoes, and cilantro-lime crema. So good! You can also make your own (I asked the guys to make me one, “pizzaiolo’s choice” LOL, and they went to town with grilled chicken thigh, smoky bacon, scallions, and house ranch!), and there’s the option to sub vodka sauce on any pie. Speaking of vodka sauce: there’s an off-menu pie called the Spicy Ellen, with vodka sauce, Italian sausage, and chile flake, finished with basil, grana, and olive oil, and it’s a winner. They also developed a gluten-free dough, and offer vegan cheese.
Did you save room for dessert? Not likely, but there’s monkey bread made with pizza dough and served with salted caramel dipping sauce, and a couple other options. The beer list features local beers on draft or fun ones in a can (including PBR), natural wine on tap or in half-bottles, spiked seltzers like White Claw, non-spiked ones like Sunwink, and more.
You can dine in (the space got a paint job and cute pizza neon sign) or order delivery (soon), and they also have a mobile ordering system and will offer office catering. Look for weekend brunch and daily hours in the future. For now, they’re open Tue-Sat 4pm-10pm. 1077 Mission St. at 7th St.
The Summer Elote Corn pizza at Square Pie Guys. Photo: © tablehopper.com.
