San Carlos Loses Two Popular Pizzerias.

A Sad Time for Pizza Fans.

San Carlos can certainly stand toe-to-toe with any other community along the Peninsula when it comes to high quality pizzerias. Ever since the downtown district began to transform into the shopping and dining mecca that you see today, pizzerias have probably far outnumbered any other kind of restaurant in the city — even Mediterranean.  If you fancy traditional California pizza, thin crust New York style pizza, deep dish Chicago pizza, or even Connecticut-style clam-based pizza, San Carlos seems to have a restaurant that covers every base.

But in what can best be described as a culinary one-two punch to the gut, two of the most popular pizzerias in San Carlos appear to have closed their doors permanently in just the last few months, leaving pizza fans shocked and saddened.

San Remo's Ristorante and Pizzeria, a longtime favorite of many San Carlos families, suddenly closed their doors a number of weeks ago citing “medical reasons” behind the closure. Long-time fans of San Remo's kept their fingers crossed, waiting for the day that the doors would once again open to this San Carlos institution.

But that apparently is not to be.  The temporary closure appears to now be permanent, with this for sale sign replacing the handwritten sign that once adorned the window.

The second pizzeria to close its doors came as a huge shock to many people, including myself. Speederia Pizzeria was arguably the most legit New York style pizza not only in San Carlos, but also anywhere along the Peninsula. They offered a variety of pies that you simply could never grow tired of, and it was a huge lunchtime favorite for San Carlos students when they got out of school on early on Wednesdays.

But just a few weeks ago, this sign appeared in the window of Speederia:

I spoke briefly with the owner of Speederia, and he told me that there were some issues with their rental on Laurel Street, and that they decided to close up shop rather than operate under a cloud of uncertainty about their future.

As the sign indicates above, they will still be operating their Redwood City restaurant, which sits kitty corner from The Canyon Inn on Oak Knoll Drive. But it's really not the same for us diehard fans who grew accustomed to dropping into this tiny storefront on Laurel Street and were always treated with the best thin-crust pizza anywhere….

So long, San Remo's and Speederia!!  You were a treasured member of the culinary playground that downtown San Carlos has become, and you will be sadly missed.