The Sausage Factory

Easily the best pizza in San Francisco. Amazing crust, great sauce and the toppings are the best.

This place is supposed to be an italian restaurant but nothing in the food is close to any italian classics. I had some saltimbocca with basic ham, cheese that looks like mozarella (but only looked) and some bad quality meat. Don’t talk about vegetables not cooked and with no taste. My friend had «spaghetti carbonara» and it was even worst ! Liquid sauce, no taste — very poor quality ! Beers were very good ! Do not go there if you are looking for some real italian food !

The food was ok — we had spaghetti and baked-​penne which were home-​style and large portion. The bread was very dry and sour with butter. Why don’t Italian restaurants stick to oil and vinegar for the bread??? Service was attentive, but a bit off — my salad (which I had written off) arrived 5 mins after I was eating my penne and request for water was forgotten twice. The décor was old, which could work in an old-​world way, but instead just felt tired. All said, price and portions were the main highlights.

Delicious pizza, friendly and attentive service, competitive, fair prices in the heart of the vibrant Castro neighborhood. The thin crust, traditional combination pizza was delicious, and we loved the mixed green salad. Parking is challenging and sometimes there can be a wait. However, the wait time here is generally far shorter than many neighboring restaurants.

3 ½ stars is a more accurate review rating. It a nice mom and pop joint with tons of pasta, entrée and pizza options. The portions are huge so come hungry. I wish I could have ordered a nice helping of pasta but I was trying to be good even though I loaded up a lot on some bread. I recommend asking for olive oil and balsamic vinegar to go with your bread. The waiters were friendly and attentive.
I ordered the salmon piccata and the gf ordered the chicken piccata. She wasn’t a fan of the chicken but loved the capers. I really liked my salmon. The veggies were bland and so was the pasta sauce that came on the small side of pasta. I would come here again but this time hopefully try a pasta dish.

Average Italian food. Had the pizza. Medium was perfect size for 2 people. 4 pieces each. Ample toppings. Flavor was somewhat bland hence the average Italian rating. Service was no nonsense. To the point. No pleasantries but efficient.

Very disappointed about this place. Pizza was terrible and my spaghetti carbonara was more like a carbonara soup and noddles… Bad quality ingredients, regular service and the place is very old style.
Not recommend at all!
Foodie Horror Stories, Vol. I!

This is an old style mom and pop Italian joint. The neon signs out front just invite you on for the old world flair.
The décor was exactly out of a 1970’s movie. The place was very clean and our waiter was genuinely excited and happy about his job.
The pizza was fantastic– living up to all expectations. Tons of toppings and great crust. The salads are definitely enough for 2 people and loaded with all the good stuff.
The reason for 4 stars not 5 is 2 fold. Lack of domestic beer choices and the pasta Alfredo dish (chicken) tasted like fish. Yea… I know
I would recommend this place as well as visit again. So much fun and reasonably priced

This is a good restaurant with a solid reputation in Castro. Many restaurants come and go but this place remains. It provides good solid American food that never goes out of style. Pizza, pasta or something else from the 1980s it’s all here.
The pizza has always been awesome and the pasta is great. You can spend your time here and enjoy your time with aging homosexual gentlemen. Great place.

This is a nice place to visit if you have a good appetite and like hearty portions. We sat down for dinner around 7pm on Saturday evening.
I chose the PENNE with SAUSAGE. I absolutely loved the sauce it was bathed in. Very unique, unlike any other I’ve experienced in recent memory. Notwithstanding, I did find it necessary to season it, something I rarely do. Overall, though, I thought the dish was executed quite well. Prior to the entrée arriving, the meal is served with a salad, which is humongous. I loved the salad and adored the array of veggies, but I had to stop eating it out of fear that I would get too full and neglect my pasta. Also along with the salad was a lovely loaf of bread for the table to share.
One of our dining companions ordered a pizza. It was huge. I didn’t take a bite, but it seemed to be enjoyed.
Service was prompt, but at times seemed a little too persistent. We were waiting on another person to arrive, and the waiter appeared to lose his patience after about the second or third time delaying putting our entrée order in. Overall, though, I thought he was a good server and did a good job making sure we had everything we needed.
The Sausage Factory reminded me more of an old-​school Italian restaurant. Loved the dark ambiance and smell of ragu and pepperoni in the walls. Probably one of the better dining experiences I had during my recent stay in the area.

nice charming atmosphere.
big portions.
the pizza was good.
i got the chicken cutlet with eggplant, it was a little bland but easily rescued by parmesan and salt.
the salads are huge/​generous.
our waiter seemed a little impatient/​jaded.

For what it is… it’s decent. Lol meatballs are made in house and delicious. Skip the garlic bread… it’s made on sourdough and not very good. Service was great. My wife liked her pizza. If you are looking for affordable food and some pasta, check it out. Portions are huge though! I only ate about ¹⁄₃ of mine before I was stuffed!

Maybe I should’ve got the pizza.
Came here with a group of friends (we’re all from out of town), and someone mistakenly recommended this place in the Castro area because they make penis-​shaped sausages. (which would’ve been entertaining if this was true. but after we asked our server, his facial expression answered that question for us).
So we stuck with the fact that this place is called the «Sausage Factory». Surprisingly not that many items on the menu had sausage in it, including the lasagna I ordered.
I wasn’t too impressed with my lasagna, portion size was huge and meaty, but the lasagna itself was very bland. It even wasn’t plated to impress anyone, just a large heap of lasagna sitting on your plate looking messy. None of my other friends at the table enjoyed their meals either (it was just average/​nothing memorable)
Server was really quick and attentive, their wine and beer selections were decent, and the place boasts a very rustic/​homey vibe.
I’ll say pass to this place

They have some big portions here. It’s actually a really hilarious name for a restaurant in the Castro. *giggle*
Honestly, the Sausage Factory has some really big.portions. For the most part, it looks pretty empty the two times I’ve gone in to grab some food (at around opening and around 8pm).
The meat lasagna — delicious. It’s not the prettiest items on the plate, but it’s definitely a huge portion. I had 2 very filling meals of the lasagna when I ordered it. Pretty good the next day. The spaghetti and meatballs — decent. It’s a bit portion again (with enough for 2 or 3 meals), but there was only 2 big meatballs. I wanted more meatballs, even if they were a bit smaller just because that’s what makes it spaghetti and meatballs.
Regardless, it’s a choice place for big portions and decent food.
Protip: definitely split the dishes into 2 meals — or share with someone!

I cringe every time I walk past this place. We used to live near The Sausage Factory and I was so excited to try it. We finally did — and the ravioli was really tasteless. To top it off, the wine is poured into the typical hexagonal/​round cups used for water (can’t remember if it was plastic or glass but it definitely didn’t help the taste of the wine). Only positive was that the portions are legitimately big.

It was pizza, so it gets 2-​stars by default.
Immediately upon walking into this «hilariously» punned restaurant*, there was a strange chemical smell that we never got used to and that seemed to just float above the table the entire meal.
We ordered… honestly, I don’t remember. I think it was a ham, tomato, basil mix but after the inexplicably long wait (it was basically empty, as it seems to be most days) our pizza arrived. The entire layer of cheese and toppings slid right off the pizza like a mud slide the second we picked up a slice. We spent the next couple minutes incurring 3^rd degree burns trying to place it back on. Now on to the pizza…
I could probably make better pizza from a lunchables kit. It’s just so average it’s hard to describe. Anyways, Oz is probably your best option nearby but you should just leave the city if you’re looking for quality pizza.
*Quotes denote sarcasm

Been going to it for years so I guess that means I’m a fan. There’s seating in the front and also a large back room for bigger parties. But be careful on Friday and Saturday night’s because the restaurant gets packed and seating is at a premium for larger groups.
We always go in when we know it’s gonna me semi busy and not a packed house. We always order a small «Mamma» (salad) which is plenty for two people. Honestly it’s fine for three people too. lol Larger groups have the BIG «Mamma» option. The salad is meant to be messy so get over your OCD when your here and enjoy yourself.
Next up is a pizza! We normally just get the factory special and call it a night. The pizza is big enough to give a nice lunch tomorrow. Yeah I know I still love cold pizza.
So, I enjoy eating here every now and then. Good food makes me come back for more.

I have always enjoyed dining at the Sausage Factory. Just don’t expect to hear any Italian spoken, I usually order in Spanish as most of the waiters are Hispanic. Once I asked my waiter for an extra order of garlic bread, «pan de ajo» in Spanish. But he thought I said «pen de jo,» Spanish for idiot! I couldn’t understand the look of astonishment on his face, but he took the miscommunication well. My guest sitting next to me realized what happened and told the waiter I wasn’t calling him a moron, I just wanted more garlic bread, we all had a good laugh.
I enjoy the Antipasto, it is an enormous mountain, one order can easily be shared by four, five, or even six diners.
Of course parking is a nightmare. Park anywhere outside the Castro, and take BART to the Castro and Market Station and walk a block down to the Sausage Factory.

A group of us went here just before Christmas for dinner. Because our group was special, we got the room in the back.
The seven of us decided to order an antipasto and four pasta dishes because the portions are so large.
I made sure we ordered the linguini basilico which we all shared. One of us ordered the tortellini alla panna but substituted fettucini so I tried a little of that.
Everything was good. The antipasto was huge and easily fed seven of us. I liked it very much.
My favorite again was the linguini basilico which was a simple pasta with fresh tomatoes, garlic and olive oil. Yum!
Everyone enjoyed the meal so I think we will return.

SF has so many awesome restaurants that it’s just that much more disappointing when you land on a dud. The food was mediocre at best; garlic bread could have been Safeway french bread cut into pieces and buttered, and the cheese ravioli was definitely from Costco. I’m super confused why Italian restaurant chefs are so lazy they don’t make everything fresh, it’s like an episode of Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsay. Oh if Gordon had been there, he would have been hurling expletives left and right and spitting the food into a napkin!
Side note, the waitress was very nice. We also got a reasonably priced bottle of Malbec that was good … hence the second star.
I hear this place is an institution … and named the Sausage Factory near Castro it should be quirky awesome. I just don’t get it. The real surprise is that there were tons of people dining inside.

En pleno corazón de Castro street puedes encontrar este lugar que en verdad esta bastante acogedor y se come delicioso. El ambiente es bastante tranquilo como para tomarte unas cervezas y comer sin prisas. No le piensen mucho y pidan una pizza, están buenísimas. El servicio es de primera, toda la gente que atiende es muy amable. Como casi todo en San Francisco, te atienden tanto en inglés como en español.

Jeudi 15 août — 100e avis (Youhou !)
Bön et bien ce 100e avis tombe sur un restaurant italien sans grande prétention contrairement aux portions qui sont énormes.
Rien de bien excitant en somme, à noter: un service efficace et rapide sans faire de manières, une musique rétro, une tapisserie imitant des coupures de journaux.

Ici on sent la longue tradition familiale ! C’est un restaurant généreux, old school mais aussi un poil romantique.
Les serveurs sont sympathique et… originaux ! On est dans le quartier de Castro, né l’oublions pas ^^
La nourriture est bonne mais beaucoup trop riche à mon gout. C’est surtout la taille des portions qui pose problème. Elle sont bien trop grande !!! J’ai pris le plat de Lasagne et il y en avait franchement pour 2 voir même 3 personnes !
Idem pour la «petite» pizza de chewi d’amour, on aurait pu la partager.
Ce n’est pas de la grande gastronomie, c’est de la bonne cuisine de grand mère: riche, généreuse et et qui fait du bien au moral.
Pour le cadre, un brin désuet, de la tapisserie à fleur, des cadres genre «portrait» de famille, des coupures de presse de l’époque d’Harvey Milk… Il y a beaucoup de tables, des boxes avec banquette en cuir, des tabouret au bar, une arrière salle.
En bref, je conseille ce restaurant aux gros mangeurs, aux bandes de potes qui aimer partager des pizzas XL et aux familles nombreuses :-)