Reply To: The All-Time Best Marin Pizza (Battle of The Decades)
I had no idea LoCoco's was still in business! Dammit, I was just in San Rafael a couple weeks ago (I live in Colorado) and didn't think to try looking up LoCoco's because I thought there was no way it was still around. My family and I ate there a LOT in the 80s...
Well, now I know better and that will be the first place I go to when I'm back in the area.
Hey Jason, is the Gaspare's in San Rafael run by the guy that has Gaspare's on Geary out towards 25th in SF? Those guys do a great thin crust pizza & the place is decked out with clusters of fake grapes & chianti bottles hanging from the ceiling with old school formica tables in the booths & a satellite juke box module at each booth so you can spin some Dean Martin or Sinatra without leaving the booth.
Unfortunately for my heart, waistline, and double-chin, I'm a pizza addict. At the moment, the Best Pizza in Marin is LoCoco's in Terra Linda.
The pesto pizza at Mulberry is fantastic (if you don't mind heavy garlic) but a pizza restaurant should be judged by its pepperoni and mushroom pie (washed down with a slug of root beer if you want to get scientific).
If you eat your piping hot pizza inside the Terra Linda restaurant (as opposed to taking it home where it gets soggy), LoCoco's is wonderful. Nicolo used to tell me that taking his pizza home robs you of the pizza's true essence. So you gotta eat it right out of the oven.
As for Red Boy, I've found the trick is to order "extra sauce". Years ago the pizza used to be good in all of its outlets but I've had some real losers recently from the Larkspur and San Rafael stores. The Novato restaurant on the Alameda del Prado exit is still pretty good. Does anyone know --- is Red Boy originally a local chain? Who was the father (or mother) of Red Boy? Is that person still involved in the franchise?
If you're into super thin crusts, Gaspare's in San Rafael is very good. If you're into deep dish -- try Little Star (I think on Divisidero) in SF. EXCELLENT.
Anyone try the new pizza place that opened almost right next to Red Boy in Larkspur (formerly the Easy Street Cafe)? How is it? Can that little strip mall support two pizza restaurants? Who's going to be victorious?
Speaking of Red Boy, remember when the restaurant was larger and it had a waterfall in the back. Looked like something out "Land of the Lost".
How about some input on the worst pizzas in Marin? My nominations would include Pizzeria Pico in Larkspur & Small Shed Flatbreads in Mill Valley. How anyone can even call their products pizza is beyond me!
I too had heard that Boboli was based on LoCoco's crusts, and that that word was how Nicolo described the crust...'bubbly' is what I believe he was saying! Personally, I have never cared for Boboli so it does sound like they messed with the ingredients because it's no way as good as LoCoco's!
Didn't Nicolo LoCoco come up with the idea and product that is called Boboli pizza shells ?
If I remember right, He took on a marketing/promotion type business partner who backed out having getting all the info from Nicolo and proceeded to start Boboli without him.
Nicolo sued and won a lot of money but nothing compared to what Boboli was worth.
Definitely LoCoco's in Terra Linda for me. I probably started going there as a kid with my mom shortly after it opened. Luckily I can hit it on my way home, which I do at least two to three times a month! When I lived in San Anselmo, I tried the LoCoco's there but didn't think it matched up. And I discovered they didn't have the Terra Linda Pizza with the hamburger and scallions! These days I focus on pepperoni.
Years ago I told the owner Nicolo of my opinion, and he said 'yeah, I had heard that before!' which seemed to make him very happy. I am glad I had the chance to do so. RIP Nicolo.
Does anyone remember the pizza place in San Rafael that used to have the big organ? I had a birthday party there once when I was like 10 or something. It was so cool. The organ played by itself. I remember it playing "the Entertainer". I think it was on 3rd street?
That was Marin Pizza Pub that had the pipe organ. I remember going there for soccer team dinners and such. It was also the place that had Tempest video game.
Lo Cocco's does have good pizza. I have to go with Dario's in Sausalito though as my favorite. All the pizza combos were mind staggering. They opened a second location for awhile on 4th street in SR but it closed within a year. Too bad!
Hard to argue with those choices, especially Lo Coco's.I do remember Red Boy as being the best for quite some time, but they are not as good now as they were in the first several years they were in business. I had a slice at Rocco's earlier today & they have the best slice deal in town there. I've hd some good ones lately at Dario's in Sausalito too.
SoroccObaba- Hmmm...Here's the deal. I cruised down to Hanalei yesterday PM, and picked up goodies. Didn't check anything online because I was flying home that nite, and needed to buff the cottage, as we have a guest booking arriving Monday. SO, the upshot of this is, I wasn't aware of you specifics, and got you a red-ish large. Sorry man, didn't know. I did get a couple of bitchen' stickers.
I've lived in Marin all my life, eaten pizza in Italy (very different there), and my vote goes to Mulberry Street Pizzeria in Terra Linda. The award-winning mushroom lover's pizza is out of this world (it's not the same as the original mushroom lover's--it has wine in the sauce, and a few other distinctions). My other favorite is the greek (pepperoni, green olives, artichoke hearts, feta). Their non-pizza items are great too--I love their stilton and red leaf salad, and for dessert, the chocolate peanut butter pie is divine. Yes, their pizza is a bit pricey but it's worth it for the occasional splurge.
When I'm trying to be economical but don't feel like making dinner, I confess to being a faithful patron of Papa Murphy's take and bake in Novato.
Yeah Rob, after hurricane Inikee they installed hurricane proof transmission towers for Kauai Electric, check out those monsters. Did you know that right after the hurricane they brought in a nuclear submarine to power the airport at Lihui, gotta keep those tourists commin . As for the T-shirt, I wear a medium size , I like the tie dyed red dirt color. Mahalo.
Sho' nuff, Boss. Which flavor would you prefer: Photo-voltaic, wind-generated, tidal-generated, good karma generated, hydro-generated, or plain, old, boring steam-turbine generated. (which, by the way, is fired by bunker oil from the Richmond, Ca. Chevron refinery) Yup, we got it all over here. This is a "living off-the-grid" mecca. And, we pay the highest rate in the country for our juice: .39 per KW hour, last time I checked. Seems we're still paying for infrastructure rebuilding that resulted from damage from Hurricane Inniki in 1992. That one nearly scrubbed the island down to bedrock.
Thanks for the update on the pizza, I guess when I had it I was hungry for any pizza at all, and of course thirsty for pitchers of bier. Could you also bring me back some " Kauai Electric " ?
Storacababa- Yeah, I have. It's called, amazing enough, Hanalei Pizza. It sucks, really bad. To add insult to injury, it's horribly overpriced, as well. I guess what keeps them in business is the principle that everyone tries it once. With the tourist turn-over in Hanalei and Princeville, they stay busy. Sho 'nuff boss. I'll do the t-shirt and decal/sticker snag. I'll be back on the mainland next week. Aloha
RobbyBoy, have you checked out that little pizza place in that little strip mall across from the Hanalei Surf Company, it was decent for Kauai. Also pick me up a T-shirt from the Hanalei Surf Co, and a couple of decals, the ones on my vehicle are starting to fade, I will comp you when you get back to the mainland with the goods. Thanks.
Does any one remember a pizza place somewhere near Matteucci's in San Anselmo that had upstairs seating and was called something like Pagl iucci or etti or something?
I had my first ever exposure to pizza from Larkspur Pinky's. I couldn't have been more than four years old. I clearly remember the kitchen set-up towards the front of the house and the guys tossing and spinning the dough. If you ordered for take out, they'd wrap the pie in aluminum foil, as no one made pizza boxes yet. That same place is now called Ambrosia, and they really do make a great pie. Thin crust style. It's currently one of my favorites. I'm right now on Kaua'i, and the pizza situation is downright dismal. I've made it a personal quest to find a decent pie, and come up empty so far. It's either "organic, hippie style" (crap), or tasteless cardboard (double crap). Seriously, the best I've found, so far, has been from the local Costco. Isn't that sad?
I've lived in L.A. for over 20 years now and I still have never had a pizza here that comes anywhere close to LoCoccos pizza, and that includes all the fancy gourmet pizzas you can get here.
What was the place that took over the Pinky's Larkspur space? My girlfriend waitressed there. Their pizza was really good. It had some ridiculously long name.
Having worked there, I was pretty partial to Primo's in San Anselmo - especially the sauce.
Early Red Boy was pretty amazing. Not so much now.
My parents are fans of Mauro's, which is on Drake and Suffield.
I'm voting for LoCocco's in Terra Linda too. But does anyone remember Villa Romano in San Rafael? I don't remember much about it except that there were these HUGE bubbles in the pizza (filled with air).
While the Straw Hat pizza had a crust like cardboard, there was something comforting about it. By the way, who can name all the restaurants that took over and closed after Straw Hat in Larkspur closed?
The name of the pizza parlor on 3rd street, across from United Market was the Marin Pizza Pub. I worked there part time in 1973. On Friday and Saturday nights, they would have an organist play live and take requests. I remember one of the organists who was quite flamboyant. He looked and talked like Truman Capote & dressed like Liberace.
Although I loved Red Boy & Lo Coco’s in the ‘70’s, my all time favorite pizza of the ‘60’s and ‘70’s had to be the Pinky’s Pizza Parlor in San Rafael. Their crust would always puff up. They had a stainless steel poker to pop the bubbles (the tastiest part). The pizza was not quite the same at the Larkspur Pinky’s.
Wasn't that the one in the building right across the street from United market in San Rafael. I can't remember the name of the pizza place but I do remember the organ!
Well, I never ate at LoCocos so I can't say. But I have eaten at Riccardos. And I agree they were great. But best all time was Pinky's Pizza in the Montectio Shopping Center in San Rafael.
One pizza place that was great and fun, was the Shakeys Pizza in Terra Linda. It was great when we were young and hanging out playing video games. I remember meeting boys there after the movies got out. It was a cool hang out and make out place.
Does anyone remember the pizza place in San Rafael that used to have the big organ? I had a birthday party there once when I was like 10 or something. It was so cool. The organ played by itself. I remember it playing "the Entertainer". I think it was on 3rd street?
The deep dish pizza at Riccardo's in San Anselmo is awesome, and definitely my favorite. The Crispis (currently Rich, used to be his dad) own the place and it is awesome. Come to think of it, that's another place that's been around for 35 years, I bet. Love the wine bottles hanging from the ceiling...
In Marin County's history, where and when was The Single Best Pizza? This should include the present places as well. For example, does LoCocco's make "The Best Pizza of ALL TIME"? Has there EVER been a better pizza restaurant in this county's history?
