Writing by Sites and Bites contributor Isabelle Ambler. Photography by Tracy Benjamin

Today Sites and Bites is back on the West Coast! We’ve been spending a lot of time in the Mission recently, so to to mix it up we headed over to North Beach. North Beach is San Francisco’s Little Italy and home to some of the best Italian eateries in the city. But first, to work up our appetites, we decided to scale the Filbert Street Steps up to Coit Tower.

Just as New York has the Empire State Building and Paris has the Eiffel Tower, we have Coit Tower. Its resemblance to a fire hose nozzle is fitting (even if not intentional) as the tower’s benefactor was a well-known volunteer firefighter. Coit sits perched atop Telegraph Hill and serves as both a reliable directional marker and lookout point. But to see its famed 360-degree view, we had to put in a little work. The hill is one of the steepest short distances in San Francisco. The ascending steps run through a garden occupied by the neighborhood’s most famous residents: the wild parrots. So take a break, enjoy the climb, and finally when you reach the top, you’ll have views from the Golden Gate to the Bay Bridge to greet you.

Besides the views, visitors have been coming to Coit for 80 years to see the Depression-era frescoes inside. Unfortunately, we didn’t time this trip well. Coit Tower and its murals are undertaking a couple renovations and isn’t expected to reopen until April 2014.

So while we wait, Tony’s Pizza is only a few blocks away…

One thing I have learned in life is that people take their pizza seriously. My New York bred parents have their go-to spot for a slice in the Village. My college roommate would have Lou Malnati’s overnighted to her from Chicago. And then there’s me, who studied abroad in Italy, aka the home of modern pizza. San Franciscans are in luck. You don’t have to go to New York or Chicago or Italy to get great pizza. Tony’s Pizza Napoletana features four different styles of pizza ovens and is committed to a comprehensive menu from California or New York style to Pizza Romana or Napoletana. (They even have gluten-free pizza!)

Naturally, we ordered the pizza that made 11 time World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani famous: his classic Margherita. Prepared with imported ingredients, cooked in a 900-degree wood oven, and so special they limit orders to 73 a day. Our verdict? Very simply, we agree with the Italians who already anointed it as exemplary.

To compare with our nicely charred, chewy, and bubbled Napoletana dough, we ordered the Pizza Romana. And out came a looong rectangular pizza divided into three different parts. We started with the prosciutto, arugula, and parmigiano, then dove right into the ricotta, chopped garlic, and meatballs, and capped it all of with gorgonzola, dates and pecans, apples, honey and nutella. Though our bellies were stuffed, I was already thinking about my return and what to try next.

Coit Tower

1 Telegraph Hill Blvd

Tony’s Pizza Napoletana

1570 Stockton Street