Restaurant review: Hi Hat, your neighborhood pizza joint

"Hi Hat employs a magical being that our server called "the Wizard;" its very own pizzaiolo, throwing pizzas by hand, as in ye olden days, spinning the pliant dough far into the air. Dinner and a show!"

"Spicy vodka sauce, garlic confit, basil, chili flakes, mozzarella, Parmigiano, and the lovely stracciatella. Wonderful, full of flavors that played together nicely, on a crispy, thin crust. The ultra-creamy stracciatella really makes this special."

"Again with garlic confit, porcini cream, mushrooms aplenty, mozzarella and Parm, lemon ricotta, oregano and parsley. There was no skimping on rich, cheesy goodness on this one, and the lemon notes made this pie sing."

Hi Hat opened in mid-2025 in the former Pi Bar location and features a pizzaiolo hand-throwing dough for an entertaining dining experience. The arugula salad with fennel, roasted squash, pomegranate, and za'atar chickpeas was disappointingly bland despite its promising ingredients. Cauliflower fritters were crispy but served with an overly sweet peanut sauce. The spicy vodka pizza with stracciatella cheese delivered excellent flavor on a thin, crispy crust, with the creamy stracciatella being particularly noteworthy. The mushroom pizza with porcini cream, lemon ricotta, and abundant cheese was rich and flavorful, with lemon notes enhancing the dish. Despite some appetizer shortcomings, the pizzas demonstrate quality and merit return visits.

Read at Mission Local