By George Brown V

Along Judah Street in the Outer Sunset, steps away from the ocean, lies an unassuming establishment near the corner of 39th Avenue. This cozy spot has been a fan favorite to locals in the Sunset District since it first opened five years ago.

DAMNFiNE pizza, with its gourmet wood-fired pizzas, pasta and salads, provides an atmosphere where families and friends gather.

Owner Laura Seymour, who is originally from Seattle, has lived in San Francisco for 23 years. She chose to establish DAMNFiNE pizza a few blocks from her house in the Sunset District, where she has resided for the past 15 years.

The initial concept for her restaurant was to have separate daytime and nighttime themed menus.

“I wanted it to be coffee in the morning, pizza and cocktails and wine at night, and so it was kind of a culmination of all my favorite things,” Seymour said, recalling the inspiration for the restaurant’s name. “We kind of just said it’s, ‘damn fine,’ all the good things.”

Seymour said she has found that being in a residential area with less commercial spaces, compared to other parts of the City, allows her business to be supported by the neighborhood. With this in mind, she said she has cultivated value and purpose in her community.

“Having a place that you can walk to – a restaurant that you really enjoy – to me is special, so that was the goal, the dream and I think that’s the reality as well,” Seymour said.

DAMNFiNE pizza first opened its doors during the COVID-19 pandemic in January 2021. Without enough money to furnish the restaurant at the start, Seymour ran her business without any tables or chairs, operating strictly for take-out.

“The neighborhood was very gracious; everybody got a lot of to-go pizzas,” Seymour said. “Now we have lots of tables, chairs and a full-service restaurant. We built out a back patio. We’ve really scaled the business in these five years tremendously, and we’re just thinking of what’s next.”

Seymour rotates through seasonal specials at DAMNFiNE pizza and just recently exhibited two of their unique creations at the SF Pizza Bagel and Beer Fest in North Beach in mid-August: “The Dad Jokes” with grilled corn and sungold tomatoes, and the “Stonefruit Summer,” which includes nectarines and prosciutto. Seymour also anticipates a late summer tomato burrata salad to return to the menu.

“We’re always highlighting a season’s ingredients,” Seymour said. “Because we’ve been doing this for five years, people get excited about their favorites. There’s always room for us to explore and creatively try different things as well.”

The restaurant has seen a regular crowd of loyal customers since its inception. Patrons supporting the business include people in the Outer Sunset, as well as regulars who venture from the Richmond District and even folks who come all the way from Pacific Heights, Marin and the Mission District, especially on sunny days spent at the beach.

Visiting from San Mateo, Ashley and Madhav Chhura came for a late lunch with their daughter, Aradhya. They were drawn to DAMNFiNE pizza after seeing it on a list of the top pizza spots in the City.

“The ambiance is very nice, and it seemed very popular for this time of the day,” Ashley said. “We chose the ‘Pig in the Woods’ pizza because it’s different from what we usually try, and I like truffle.”

Diners Diana Paraiso and Allen Cai from the Dogpatch neighborhood had nothing but glowing reviews of the pizza. Paraiso, who used to live in the area and has eaten at DAMNFiNE pizza seven times already, favors the pepperoni pizza.

“The crust is perfect, thin and airy,” Paraiso said. “DAMNFiNE pizza does a great job of balancing the ingredients and flavors.”

Michelle and Ken Folsom traveled from Los Gatos to feast at DAMNFiNE. Their daughter, Taylor, who is a producer at the San Francisco radio station Star 101.3, resides in the Sunset, and has frequented the restaurant. While she prefers the purple potato pizza the most, she shared pepperoni, mushroom and margherita pizzas with her parents.

“It’s always a good vibe when you come in,” Taylor said.

“It just feels like San Francisco,” Michelle added.

Seymour said she appreciates how the community has rallied around her restaurant. She said her favorite part about running the business is the people, both the customers and the staff, who have helped her live this dream.

“When I had this opportunity, I asked myself: ‘What does the neighborhood need?’ I felt that we didn’t have any wood-fired pizza, and that was a type of cuisine that I felt excited about and comfortable pursuing,” Seymour said. “I knew we could make something special in the neighborhood.”

DAMNFiNE pizza, located at 3410 Judah St., is open Mondays to Wednesdays, 4 p.m. – 9 p.m., Thursdays 4 p.m. – 10 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 12 p.m. – 10 p.m., and Sundays 12 p.m. – 9 p.m. Learn more at damnfineco.com.