Amici's East Coast Pizzeria Redwood City (226 Redwood Shores Parkway)

Specialties: "Amici's East Coast Pizzeria's 10 Bay Area locations each offer authentic thin-crust, New York style pizzas that are cooked in traditional brick ovens next to an open flame. Our pizzas are complemented by a casual Italian menu featuring freshly made pastas, salads, wings and breadsticks. A well chosen selection of Californian and Italian wines and popular draft and bottled beers are available to enhance your dining experience. In recent years we've paid special attention to creating many new options for our vegetarian and vegan guests, and 10 locations also offer a complete gluten-free menu. As well as our smart casual restaurants, many with outdoor dining options, all Amici's locations offer takeout and delivery to local homes and businesses 7 days a week, and Amici's drivers only deliver one order at a time, so you know the food will come direct from their kitchens to your door. Amici's also offers Half-Baked Pizzas which can be finished in your home oven in just 5 minutes."

History: Established in 1987. "In the mid 1980's, two East Coast transplants, Peter Cooperstein from Boston, and Mike Forter from upstate New York decided to do something about their mutual longing for a slice of the type of thin-crust pizzas they'd grown up with back home. After much research, in 1987 armed with old family recipes they opened their first location in downtown San Mateo cooking pizzas directly on the stone hearth of brick ovens at over 700 degrees, and turning out the distinctively dark and deliciously crusted pies they'd craved for so long. Pretty soon it wasn't just transplanted East Coaster's flocking to their doors, but many other Bay Area patrons in search of a taste of New York. Peter and Mike remain the business owners to this day, and have been careful to manage their growth and expand to just 12 locations in order to preserve all the elements that made their first location a success. They look forward to seeing you at one of their restaurants SOON!"