I recently tried eating at a pizza place in the Outer Sunset – DAMNFiNE Pizza. And I must say, it was damn fine.

The venue’s atmosphere has that archetypal modern feel of angularity and monochromatic colors, collectively lending itself to a fairly casual yet professional atmosphere in which you can sit back and relax, the bustle and clamor of distant conversations just within earshot, but only passing through one year and out the other as if they were distant dreams.

Most curious was a disco ball located on the roof, which intriguingly was located within the rafters; I never did learn the reasoning behind that, but frankly I did enjoy the ambiguity it left behind.

The staff proved to be surprisingly amiable, and ordering was as straightforward as one would expect ordering food to be.

My drink was a bartender’s choice mocktail, which I later learned consisted of Sprite and grenadine. While nothing remarkable, the beverage provided a pleasurable, almost tingly aftertaste, and certainly added to the dining experience – like a missing muscle piece to elevate the whole experience.

Second was the fried green tomatoes, complemented by microgreens salad and pickled onion. The salad was serviceable, if nothing special, but the fried tomato was superb. Their crisp shell, marked by vivid hues of brown and red, betrayed a delicious amalgamation of what was sweet, salty, and savory. If I had to describe it in a word, I’d have to use vibrant, as each flavor makes its own unique mark on the dish.

And finally was the main course – pizza, as after all, DAMNFiNE is first and foremost a pizza place. The pizza in question was the Show n’ Low, which had pork, tomato sauce, kale, chiles, mozzarella, and the previously mentioned pickled onions. 

What was immediately obvious was that DAMNFiNE cooks a spectacular woodfire pizza, with its lightly charred edges and gentle smoky taste; this lends itself to a taste akin to a burst of smoky flavors popping off in your mouth, leaving you in anticipation of the next bite.

As I grabbed my first slice, I was shocked by just how well the pizza stayed together – for a dish with half a dozen toppings, it held its shape deceptively well, especially compared to other pizzas I’ve had before. While the verdant green of the kale dominated much of the pizza, the other ingredients were still allowed space to leave their mark as well – each bite was a new taste, a new adventure to briefly jump into. 

These toppings, with their complex, sometimes convoluted aroma, were especially interesting when juxtaposed with the gentle, charred fragrance of the crust; it smelled like a party of flavor gaining life with every breath.

Said crust proved to simultaneously feel both soft and delicate, allowing for a satisfying crunch with every piece, which only added to the spectacular flavor.

But perhaps my favorite aspect of the dish was the pickled onions, which glowed with fluorescent pink, immediately catching my eye. They had a sweet tenderness to them – a harmonious dance of crisp and tangy.

And yet, somehow there was more. Topping the pizza with hot honey just added to the experience even more. The dish now had a smooth, gentle texture; one to gently brush your palate with a warm, sweet ting.

Overall, DAMNFiNE provides a wonderful dining experience that delights the senses with lively colors and flavors, all packaged in a wonderful dining experience. If you are willing to pay for a night out, I would definitely recommend DAMNFiNE.