San Francisco is a city that’s known for its gastronomy — and, at long last, SF is getting its first taste of a food festival catered to those who regularly befriend carbohydrates.
Unlike butter, bagels, in fact, are a carb. Cheese is serotonin. Beer is hydrating. These are merely universal truths that punctuate life on this mortal coil.
For too long, San Francisco has been devoid of a foodie festival that marries this trifecta in harmony. (After all, we know just how successful pairing two cult-followed goodies — like, say Ube, and Mathca — is in the city.) Well, San Francisco is set to finally have a celebration of this holy trinity when SF’s first-ever pizza, beer, and bagel festival debuts on August 19th in North Beach.
Featuring over 45 food and drink vendors, the extravaganza is said to be a gastronomic love letter to SF.
“The Pizza, Bagel & Beer Festival is a celebration of our city’s rich culinary heritage and an opportunity for pizza, bagel, and beer enthusiasts to come together and sample the best that San Francisco has to offer,” said pizzaiolo and restaurateur, Tony Gemignani, in a press release for the happening. “After attending and being a part of pizza festivals from New York to Chicago, LA, and Las Vegas over the years, I knew it was time to launch our own rendition alongside the many talented pizzaiolos in the Bay Area.”
In a surprising find, tickets for the event are pretty well priced for what you’re getting. General tickets are $75 and feature unlimited pizza tastings, as well as four beer tickets. (Hell: You’d be hard-pressed to get a medium-sized pizza and two beers for less than $60 anywhere in the city. So the fact that you’re getting basically four beers and as much pizza as your stomach can handle for around the same price is pretty nifty.)
And though the young, small humans can’t obviously indulge in beer offerings, kids under five years old can attend the event for free; those between 6 and 12 years old need to pay $30 to enter.
Local favorite pizzerias like Del Popolo and Delora will be serving morsels alongside other famous institutions like Boichik Bagels and Harmonic Brewing. (TBD what the status of Anchor Brewing’s participation with the festival is; the now-closed brewery is listed as a participant… but it officially shuttered its iconic taproom today.)
There will also be live music, hand-tossed dough demonstrations (because of course), and more at the happening.
In a time where the country is divided between rational human beings and fools who believe drag is more dangerous to children than organized religion, may the ubiquitous power of pizza, bagels, and beer compel common sense and instill community in the minds of those who need it most.
The Pizza, Bagel & Beer Festival will take place between Stockton and Filbert Streets in North Beach on Saturday, August 19, 2023, from 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit sfpizzafest.eventbrite.com.
Feature image: Courtesy of Del Popolo
