North Beach Pizza
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11:00 a.m.-12:00 a.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
42 reviews
Neighborhood: South Berkeley
"Ok so it's Friday @ 12:30p & I call to confirm that they'll deliver to Emeryville, they do, PERFECT!! So I order the food & the guy says…" read more »
33 Reviews for North Beach Pizza
Let's see... Our waitress didn't speak English. We got regular crust when we ordered thin. The "garlic cheese bread" was out of a box. The bathroom smelled like someone took a big dump and then lit some incense. And the cooks are super creepy and stare at you. However, on the plus side, our pitcher of beer was great, the meal served it's purpose of some pre-Dolly grub, and you get to see who comes in and out of the Magic Johnson Clinic across the street while guessing which STD they have, or if they got knocked up by their college boyfriend who still eats cereal for dinner and plays XBox until 5 in the morning. Yes, this was my favorite part.
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Ok North Beach, I USED to like your pizza, til I ordered pizza earlier this week for the playoff game and it was DRY DRY DRY. I would have liked to have SOME sauce on my pizza. I felt like I was eating cardboard. The SF locations are better than this location, although, the service is good and the people are so nice. But I need to be fair - your pizza was disappointing.
For REALLLLLLLLY good pizza, you can't go wrong with Toto's pizza. I dream of that sauce, the cheese, those toppings... MMM...
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I guess I am in the minority, but I like their pizza! The Coit Tower pizza is really good. Lots of cheese, and toppings. Maybe I just got lucky when I went.
Wow, there are a lot of bad reviews here. In my experience North Beach Pizza in Berkeley has been very good. Their pizza is delicious, they have huge salads which are decent, and the staff has always been very nice even when they may have been short a few people. (There have been some waiting issues when I've eaten at the restaurant, but it has a pleasant enough vibe there) Mostly I do take out now but either way I'm glad it's close by and pretty inexpensive.
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The pizza here is greasy and gooey, with lots of cheese and toppings.
It's good!
I am really really pissed off. Having had pizza from their SF locations, I told someone that North Beach Pizza is some of the best pizza in the area. Having now eaten at this local excuse for a restaurant, I'm gonna have to track this person down just to save face.
The pizza at this location is revolting. I got tricked into getting the combo lunch, which is eat in only, and includes a side salad and one of four types of slices for $4.95. When my Veggie Slice arrived, the server apologetically told me it had been burnt, and that if I didn't like it I could get a replacement. I ripped off the blackened tip, and attempted to fold the granite-like outer crust to no avail. The server asked what veggies I'd like on my replacement slice, and we agreed on eggplant, tomatoes, and green peppers.
A few minutes later, I received a slice with pieces of flavorless tomatoes, green peppers, and cubes of raw eggplant that were cooked only in the time needed to reheat the pizza. The pizza was a meager step above the type I made in 7th grade Home Ec, but I'd like to emphasize something else. Was this raw eggplant flavored as in Melanzana al Crudo or perhaps Aubergine al Renaldo? No, and you know why it didn't resemble raw eggplant in those dishes? Because those dishes don't fucking exist, and because you can't eat fucking raw eggplant! Why the hell would you list eggplant as a pizza topping if you're not aware it needs to be pre-cooked?!?!? Had I ordered chicken, would I have gotten a big fat pile of feathers? Aaarrghghgghgh!!!!
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We always have the nicest server ever- a sweet young woman with an Eastern European accent.
There's not a lot else to recommend the place, though; the pizza's okay- boring. The feta on the greek salad is often bad or on its way to getting there. I've gotten sick a couple of the times I've been roped into eating here.
I don't get it. I lived in North Beach for over 3 years and was three blocks from this wonderful joint. The pizza always rocked. I now reside in Berkeley and thought, great! A place that can deliver the same quality pizza I've enjoyed for years in San Francisco.
What I received was not remolety near the great pizza they served up in S.F. The crust was awful. No flavor, they didn't season the dough when they created it. It wasn't chew but rubbery. The sauce had absoutely no flavor at all. Trust me, NB always attracted me because of their tangy and garlicy pizza sauce. This time nada. It was awful.
The cheese and toppings were scarce and for twenty five bucks, I expect damn good pizza.
My wife came home and had two slices and I didn't say anything to her because I wanted to see her reaction to the pizza she lovesand she looked at me and said "this pizza has no fucking flavor." End of story. I was hoping I could just jot them a little email to explain what my expirenece was but no email available.
I really didn't want to get into a discussion with them because I just don't think they would get it and from what I see from these other reviews, some house cleaning needs to go on at their Berkeley store.
I won't be returning for a while unless the reviews get more pleasant around here. Want good pizza? Amazona's on Telegraph in Oakland is a sure bet. Trust me.
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The pizza's, well.... pizza's a round, flat piece of dough, and has toppings, baked for a while. Sometimes it can be very good. Other times, like here, it's a bit forgettable. I give it 3 stars b/c the regular serving of Caesar Salad was humungous. And it's near Five Star Video, my fave video store.
Meh...
Pizza is edible, but only just. We should have gone to Lanesplitter...
Service was friendly, but overall, no real reason to eat here as there are way too many good options nearby.
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There were 4 of us. We all ordered the same thing.
One of us was served within 10 minutes. The other three of us were served ONE HOUR LATER.
If that isn't ridiculous, I don't know what is. And the food is crap.
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You know what North Beach pizza is good for?
Reminding you what bad pizza is REALLY like.
In line with the philosophy that "you must feel the stinging cold of rain to appreciate the warmth of the sun," every once in a while we all need to eat some truly nasty-ass pizza to remind us what the heaven of Gioia's or Pie in the Sky truly is.
Unfortunately I have this opportunity all too often because every time my employer serves us lunch it's from this taste-forsaken blackhole.
Want the specifics on what makes it so bad? WAY too much cheese - and it's the greasiest, cheap, chemical-flavored kind. The crust is barely cooked through and it's too thick and rawhide-like. Want more detail? Okay - I don't know what they do to the spinach, but it's slimier than okra. Satisfied?
Question: If you can only get pizza from LaVal's or North Beach, what should you do?
Answer: Dig for grubs.
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Because we live close by, we tried it. Once was enough. Never in my life had I been unable to finish a slice of pizza until I discovered North Beach. Leaden, bland, and repulsive. The whole box went to the great composter in the sky.
As a previous reviewer has stated, the one good thing to come out of the experience was that it deepened our appreciation for Cheese Board and Gioia.
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Don't go here, even if you got stuck in a 90-minute traffic jam and are running late to the Berkeley Rep and missed your reservations at Downtown by an hour and need food fast.
In fact, that would be a particularly bad time to go.
It took us 45 minutes to get our flippin' SALAD, and 5 more to get our pie. Then it took 10+ minutes to get the check after asking for it, when the place was empty. This as the waitresses stood chatting with one another. And the food was so terrible -- we were expecting mediocre, but not outright bad.
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Well after my annoying experience with Round Table (see my review) I dropped them and phoned up North Beach. Wow! Great gobs of cheese covering over thick slices of pepperoni. We opened the box and thought they might've fogotten the pepperoni since we could only see a bit of one slice. Turns out it was buried under delicious mounds of cheese. Even the crust was delicious.
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DO NOT, I repeat, do NOT give your credit card to this company!!!!!!
========
I ordered a pizza with my debit card and the day after I was a victim of "credit" card fraud. $600 in online purchases, flowers.com; qvc.com; oldnavy.com Rag head piece of crap.
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throughout history spice trade has fueled human exploration, driving the quest for new, exotic lands and flavors. the owners of north beach pizza berkeley apparently did not take any world history classes. at all. none. there is not even a hint of salt or garlic on the blandest piece of baked white flour dough (and thin glaze of tasteless tomato paste) the world has ever seen.
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After an absolute day of languid laziness and no strict schedules of any kind set, we met up with good friends of mine from Sacramento, who were on their way back to the capitol after catching the Bernhardt show in SF.
I've passed this nondescript shop a gazillion times on my way to UC Berkeley and fun Telegraph, so pulling into their parking lot was a little on the surreal side for me. Wow. A free parking lot in Berkeley.
Once inside, I am instantly wooed by the warm casual and unimposing decor and ambiance. The tables are clean and clothed in green checkered tablecloths. The vinyl seat literally reaches up to receive me, and my aching feet are tucked under in a serene yoga sit-up position.
During moments of chatter, I peruse the menu. Cheap, affordable, and lots of choices. Usually not what I expect at a pizzeria. Since I was craving pesto for some crazy reason, the chicken with pesto sauce seemed quite striking to me, and I ordered the small ($12.95). The bf ordered a plate of their gnocchi in pesto sauce (I think $8.95?) and an appetizer of fried tortellinis. The entire table decided to order the Caesar salad, priced at $5.95, because the waitress assured us that it would feed a table of four.
After a great conversation that ensured my bf's stance in the view of my rating friends, our meal arrived. Holy moly! The portions here were huge........the Caesar salad was a platter of tossed greens in their signature dressing, my pizza was this sinful 12-inch large round of melting cheeses, juicy chicken, and mushrooms and onions. I was lit up with Italian food bliss. The bf's gnocchi was a perfect combination of savory and slightly sweetness in the potato puffs of pasta.....
We left, with two containers of leftovers, which incidentally ended up our early lunch on Monday. Great gourmet style pizza when Blondie's is too casual and you need to rest your weary legs. Our waitress was great with her recommendations as well as service, since our food kept on coming in a straight line. She's probably a student at UCB, so kudos to her for this academic year and being a great employee at this location.
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Not a bad option when you refuse to leave the warm confines of your home to forage for food in the cold, chilly night. North Beach Pizza has decent pies, affordable prices, and a quick delivery service that accepts credit cards.
Add a few bottles of Stella, some college football on the big screen TV, spark up the fireplace and you have all the ingredients for a perfect Thursday date night.
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I am so done with this place... even if it is good for young kids.
It must have gone down hill. It can't just be me. The eggplant parm sandwich is still one of the best deals on the menu. But last time I had it, it was just nasty.
Barely sauced. Cheese blonde and barely melted. Same goes for the 'za. Maybe they are trying to save on energy costs by under cooking their food.
I might go back again. It is a family place, and very kid friendly. Plus they have beer. Which sometimes you need with the family.
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Um... I actually liked the pizza, but maybe it was because it was free and I didn't pay for it, who knows.
Favorite: pesto sauce, chicken, feta cheese, and spinch.
- "Featured Wine of the Month: "CHARDONNAY"" signs in 1993 Print Shop Deluxe font are a.) trashy, and b.) 3 years old.
- Horse trough shreddings of carrots and lettuce do NOT constitute a salad.
- Owner/worker on speed who runs around wiping down tables, gathering dishes, and distributing menus without actually changing her surroundings ("speed" cleaning) also dressed in all pink and brought her daughter, dressed in all pink, for an all pink birthday, while she ran around doing a whole lotta nothing on speed.
- You bust down the bathroom door on me. It was locked, I answered in a raspy voice, "Just a minute!" when you knocked, and you still bust in.
YOU SHIT MY HOUSE MAN, YOU SHIT MY HOUSE.
I NEVER WANT TO SPEAK TO YOU AGAIN!
one star
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I am not a big fan of thick pizza. Never the less I like the flavor of this pizza place. I like to go their and eat. Free and easy parking.
The pizza is so bad! The crust tastes like cardboard. There are many better options in Berkeley for pizza like Zachary's or the Cheeseboard Collective Pizza just to name two. Do not waste your time or money on this place.
Bad value and bad pizza.
If you want decent pizza, try Arinelle's, the Cheeseboard, or Pie in the Sky (if it's still open). They're all respectable.
This place tastes like pizza made by people who think that Round Table is good pizza. Hint: it's not.
And to Patrick T., check out the places I recommended. Edible pizza in the Bay Area is really hard to find, but not impossible.
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The pizza's too cheesy. They do make one of the best garlic pizzas in the Bay Area - something that's surprisingly hard to come by.
What I really like about this place is the dining room. It's not fancy, but it's one of the most comfortable places I can think of to eat. You could bring a board game and your server wouldn't bat an eyelash. Trust me - I know.
What is up with the lack of decent thin-crust pizza in Berkeley? It makes me want to cry big cheesy tears.
North Beach Pizza is one of several mediocre to OK thin-crust places in Berkeley, the others being Zachary's (40 minute wait in line? meh) and Lanesplitters.
The pizzas at North Beach are pretty bland. There' s nothing special about the crust or the sauce. On the plus side, service is friendly and efficient, prices are cheap, and there's always seating. They have their own parking (a rarity for this neighborhood). Good place to bring kids.
I just wish they'd do something about, you know, the pizza.
A decent crust and a decent sauce aren't hard or even too much to ask. Even the completely baked guys at Arinell's can put together a tastier cheese slice than North Beach.
Please, someone, open a good thin-crust place in Berkeley.
UPDATE - my prayers are answered. Gioia over by Monterey Market.
Worst pizza ever? Just maybe. Worst service ever? probably so. Our appetizer came out cold when it needed to be hot. Deep fried cheese ravioli sounds great, but cold. Then as soon as it came out so did our wet soggy pizza. The crust was an almost, but with the runny sauce it turned out more gooey and slimey then bready with a nice crunch. Then to get the ticket 24$ for probably one of the worst meals we've had in years. I really wish we would of stayed home and ordered the special from west coast pizza. It would've cost the same and tasted so much better. What really lured us to north beach pizza was the parking and we wanted to eat out. Will never go back and would suggest that the experience isn't even worth a try. From what I can tell the entrees have the same nasty sauce on them too....YUK
Great pizza! I love Cheese. But restaurant is a little too family orientated for my tastes. Great for take out.
bleck
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This is was one of the worst restaurants I have ever been to. The took a long time to fuck my order up, then an even longer time to get it right. I didn't try the pizza, but the "BBQ" ribs were actually boiled then covered in shitty sauce. They were not edible. My fiance's chicken fettucine was barely edible but the red sauce was gross. These people should be embarrassed. I jut tried to give them no stars but I am forced to give them one if I want the review posted.
my impression of north beach pizza is perhaps unduly biased against it b/c i happened to be in the company of folk who ordered a cheeseburger pizza. it was disgusting and one of the most singularly awful gustatory experiences i have ever suffered. the delinquents who ordered the awful creation in the first place didn't seem to mind it all that much....
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so much better to be found in this area...
very mediocre pizza.
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