Sourdough Pizza by the Slice in West Portal: Goat Hill Pizza

Goat Hill Pizza's West Portal shop, at 170 West Portal Avenue, is where San Francisco's best-known sourdough pizzeria sells pizza by the slice. The original Goat Hill has fed Potrero Hill since 1975, but this second location, opened in 2012, is the one with a dedicated slice counter, a glass case of whole pies cut and ready to reheat for anyone walking in off the avenue. It opens every day from 11 am to 9 pm, and a sourdough slice here makes a quick lunch for families and Muni commuters passing through.

The story starts across town. According to Goat Hill's own history, in the fall of 1975 five twenty-something friends, Joel and Loris Lipski, Ruthann Dickinson, Karen Clark and Philip De Andrade, pooled a little cash and took over a burned-out barbecue joint at the corner of 18th and Connecticut. Sit-down restaurants were scarce on Potrero Hill then, and the pizzeria quickly became the place where neighbors hung out. The name comes from the hill's past as pastureland; old photos found in the building's basement showed goats grazing on the slopes.

The defining choice was the crust. San Francisco has been famous for sourdough since the Gold Rush, and Goat Hill built its pies on a handmade sourdough base that the restaurant describes as crisp yet chewy. In 2012 the owners brought that dough to West Portal Avenue, a village-like shopping street on the west side of Twin Peaks. The homepage now thanks customers for helping the business reach fifty years, so the West Portal counter carries a recipe that has been in use for half a century.

At West Portal the slices are displayed rather than listed. The current menu, dated August 2026, simply says pizza by the slice, see display, which means the choice changes with whatever whole pies the kitchen has baked that day. Expect a plain cheese, a pepperoni and one or two house combinations, cut from full-size pies and warmed in the oven so the sourdough rim crisps up again. Look at the case first, then decide, because the best option is often the pie that has just come out.

The sourdough crust is noticeably different from a thin New York slice. It is a little thicker at the edge, with a gentle tang and an open, airy chew, so it reheats well and stays crisp at the bottom. That is why a single slice here feels more substantial than a slice at a classic folding counter. Pair it with a side of garlic bread for $7, and you have a full lunch without ordering a whole pie.

If the case does not have what you want, order a pie. The August 2026 menu prices a Classic Cheese at $16 for a small, $22 for a medium, $28 for a large and $34 for an extra large. The Potato Pesto is $22 for a small and $40 for an extra large, and the Meat Lover's tops the list at $26 small and $50 extra large. A gluten-free crust is available in the medium size only, for an extra $6.

A practical rule for groups: one medium is plenty for one or two light eaters, while a large or extra large makes sense once three or more people are sharing. The Potato Pesto is the pie to try if you have eaten Goat Hill before only by the slice; the sourdough base and the pesto make an especially good match.

Goat Hill lists its policies plainly on the menu. A 5 percent SF Mandate Healthy surcharge is added to checks. Delivery carries a $7 fee when the restaurant delivers directly, and parties of more than seven people have a 20 percent gratuity added. None of this is unusual for San Francisco, but it is worth knowing before you add up the bill at the register.

The famous all-you-can-eat pizza and salad night, $19.75 as a nod to the 1975 opening, is a Monday tradition at the Potrero Hill location only, from 5 pm to 9 pm. At West Portal the move is the slice counter. Lunch hour on the avenue is the busiest stretch, so mid-afternoon on a weekday is a calmer window to choose from the case and find a seat.

West Portal Avenue is one of San Francisco's most walkable small-town streets. The avenue ends at West Portal Station, where Muni Metro trains emerge from the Twin Peaks Tunnel, and the blocks in between are lined with bakeries, a neighborhood bookshop, cafes and the West Portal branch library. After a slice, a slow walk from one end to the other takes about ten minutes and shows the whole street.

For more space, Stern Grove lies a short ride south. Its eucalyptus-shaded meadow hosts the free summer concert festival, and its trails make a pleasant loop on any clear day. Mount Davidson, the highest point in the city, is also close by; the forested path to the cross at the summit rewards a short climb with views across the west side when the fog cooperates.

Address: 170 West Portal Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94127. Phone: (415) 242-4628. Hours from the official website: open every day 11 am to 9 pm. Service: delivery, dine-in, take-out and a slice counter. Prices from the August 2026 menu: Classic Cheese pie $16 small, $22 medium, $28 large, $34 extra large; garlic bread $7; gluten-free crust $6, medium only. Surcharges: 5 percent SF Mandate Healthy surcharge, $7 direct delivery fee, 20 percent gratuity for parties over seven.

Getting there: the K, L and M Muni Metro lines all stop at West Portal Station, a few steps from the shop, which makes it easy to reach from downtown without a car. Metered street parking on the avenue fills up at lunch, so transit is usually faster.