THE GOAT HILL PIZZA STORY
In the Fall of 1975 five twenty-something friends scrounged together some cash and took over a burnt-out BBQ joint at the corner of 18th and Connecticut. Back then Potrero Hill was a mix of warehouses and working-class residences with great views of San Francisco down below. Early in the renovation process post-1906 earthquake photographs of Potrero Hill were discovered in the basement which showed goats roaming among the tent villages, temporary housing and rocky outcroppings of Potrero Hill. It’s unclear who first thought of the name but by the time the restaurant opened for business the name Goat Hill Pizza was hanging on the wall outside.
Then someone suggested mascots! Hilda and her two kids, Loretta and Bucky roamed the rocky then empty lot behind the restaurant and that of course caught the eye of newspaper man (today they’re called bloggers) Herb Caen of the SF Chronicle. Once he started writing about our pizza and our goats Goat Hill Pizza became a go-to for pizza lovers throughout San Francisco. The goats were there until they moved to Sonoma in 1985. A huge hit with the neighborhood kids.
In 2008 we opened a second location on Stillman Street (SOMA) and in 2012 we opened store number three on West Portal Ave. Looking back over the last forty-two years we are proud to say that our original mission, providing delicious, reasonably priced sourdough pizzas as well as being active in our local communities continues to this day. We will always be the neighborhood gathering spot for school fundraisers, and birthday parties. We will always have wall space available for local artists to display their work, and we will always offer our neighbors a warm relaxing gathering place.
We ask that you assist us in continuing our legacy, established over the last 42 years, of community, conviviality, fun and of course great pizza!!! Welcome to the neighborhood!!