Stopped by on a Saturday afternoon for lunch after stocking up at Monterey Market. I'm luckily within walking distance but parking may be tricky for those driving in. Ordered slices of pepperoni, Julian, and Spinaci Aglio. All were amazing. Thin, crisp crust, tangy pizza sauce, good olive oil, great cheese pull. Simple ingredients coming together for a satisfying and piping hot bite. Pepperoni drips with the golden orange oil, characteristic of a solid pep slice. Spinaci has just enough garlic that works perfectly with the mild spinach. The star of Julian is the near crunchy kale complemented by pops of sausage. Place your order inside and pick up at the window just outside when they call out your order. There's a park a block or so down the road that's a great place to stop by and enjoy your slice if the small bench in front is filled up. read more

Gioia Pizzeria - Spinaci aglio - Pizza Near Me - Berkeley, California

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20-year loyal customer shocked by the increasingly rude front staff We have been coming to Gioia Pizzeria for over 20 years. It's our neighborhood go-to, and we eat here at least once a week because the pizza is truly excellent. For nearly two decades, the staff was always friendly, but over the last couple of years, the front-of-house service has drastically gone downhill. The people taking the orders consistently seem like they don't want to be there. I've been overlooking the cold attitude for a while now because we love the food, but my experience today was the last straw. I ordered a whole pie and politely asked to have it double-sliced. The cashier looked visibly annoyed by a simple, standard request. It got worse when the pizza was ready: after she handed me the box, I kindly asked for a few paper plates. She literally threw the plates at me with a glaring look of unhappiness. I was honestly in shock by her behavior. Stunned, I asked her what her name was, and she flat-out refused to tell me. There is absolutely no reason to treat a regular, polite customer with that level of hostility over plates and a name request. I believe people need to be held accountable for how they treat others, especially in customer service. Looking at other recent reviews, I see that I'm definitely not the only one feeling this way. Gioia has been one of our absolute favorite pizzerias in Berkeley for over 20 years, but it's a shame to see a great neighborhood spot ruined by the attitude of the people taking orders. I am truly hoping management and the owners will read this and take real action. The food is still great, but the toxic energy at the front counter is ruining the experience, and loyal customers shouldn't be treated like an inconvenience. This incident happened today at 1130am. read more

Tucked into the side of your average street in Berkeley is the best pizza we've had in the Bay Area. GIOIA is serving up some VERY good pizza out of what feels like a hole in the wall. Beware that parking may be hard to find as it's right off the street although there is a lot just down the road. The inside is very bare bones, which in this case is a good sign. The smell of the oven and dough just hits you once you step in and it's fantastic. Ordering was quick and easy and the slices are priced a bit high but for the quality of pizza we'd say it was worth it. We got some classic slices and also their fungi slice. From ordering to eating it took about 5-10 minutes despite a few people ahead of us so it was relatively quick. And now time to try it... man was it good. It's clearly a good representation of NY style. The crust is firm and crunchy but the pizza has a nice flop to it. The cheese is tasty with a good sauce under it too. The fungi also popped with flavor from the mushrooms, parsley, and olive oil; just a great series of slices. The best place to eat it is probably the bench seating they have outside but it may be full as a heads up. As far as we see it, GIOIA is a must stop in Berkeley. It came very highly recommended and was devoured in less than 5 minutes. We almost wish we didn't have plans to eat later that day because we could've eaten 2 more slices each then and there. This is as close to true NYC style pizza as you can get outside of NYC. read more

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They honestly have solid pizzas but I absolutely love their salads. They are always super fresh. I will buy 3 of them and eat them through the week. You can tell they are fresh because on day 3, no brown lettuce. I have been to fancy restaurants with worse salads. Service is solid too and the ambiance is efficient made for take our but there is at least 2 or 3 places to sit for a slice. read more

The pizza here is solid. I come here every once in a while for a slice of cheese pizza. There isn't really seating inside but there's a couple benches outside. Staff are generally nice, if a little overwhelmed during busy hours. read more

Great pizza and service with a smile. Solid large slices. Funghi - 3/5 pretty basic mushroom pizza. nothing special. Wouldn't get it again. Julian - 5/5 loved the crispy kale. Will go back for this for sure. read more

4++ small pizza spot located in Berkeley. This place is seriously not much larger or wider than the counter you order at. The folks here are friendly and they have lots of premade slices that you can choose from. This place is conducive for takeout or grab and go. It's a great neighborhood spot where you can walk inside or order from the window I think. I wasn't super hungry so I just got the mushroom slice. Nice crisp and great flavor. My brother took me here when we were visiting the area with him and my sister-in-law. They let me know that this place was one of their old haunts. Just a really great spot to grab a quick bite for a reasonable price. read more

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I love their pizza sooo much! They make it very crispy and well done and they have a decent variety of flavors.

Previous review was 4 stars but I'm upping that to 5. I'm rating Gioia on the pizza. I love it. Love it. I think it's improved. And I love the style which is the New York style way. You order your slices which are pre made pies. Then they heat them in the oven which makes them hot and crispy. Several topping choices to choose. No indoor seating. Other than a bench there's really no outdoor seating either. But the pizza is so good. And it's nice, shady outside. Decent amount of street parking. read more

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Delicious pizza! It was easy to place an online order on their website. I also needed to modify my pick up time and easily got a hold of them when I called and everything was smooth. We got the Pepperoni, Asparagus, and Julian pizzas, the chopped salad and cannolis. Everything was SO GOOD. Will definitely be one of our new go-to's when we're in the Berkeley area. read more

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This spot has been saved on my bookmarks for a while. Luckily I had a training nearby and had a chance to try it. The space is small with some seating right in front of this business. The lines can rack up during lunch so far ready. They're fairly quick with the order. A co-worker in front of me recommended their available salad and Julian pizza. Both were delicious! The total came out to ~$23 plus tip, which seems to be an average for lunch these days. The pizza had a perfectly cooked thin crust. The dough was so sparkly doughy and stretchy with the right amount of firmness on the bottom of the crust. The toppings (kale, sausage, mozerlla cheese, garlic...))went well together too with a fair amount dispersed on the slice. The salad was filling. I probably didn't need to get the pizza. It was well balanced with farro, avacado, golden raisins, and almond. The vinaigrette was also a nice balance (you don't need much). Go check them out! "High on Food. High on Life." IG/tiktok: thefoodhigh read more

Pizza is good, one of the better in the area. Pepperoni is my favorite here. Counter servers have a bad attitude and clearly hate their job and everyone who dares to buy pizza here, but if you can stomach the 'tude you will be rewarded. Personally for the price per slice, I take my business elsewhere. read more

The crust was amazing. Best in the bay imo. Could have been cooked a little longer for my taste. I didnt particularly like the cheese blend either. Sausage was good paired well with pickled jalapeños. Sauce was the most lacking. I prefer a sweet or spicy sauce. The sauce was very bland. Slices might be better read more

Gioia Pizzeria - Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Berkeley, California

Just a disclaimer, I don't eat at this restaurant because they don't have gluten-free options. But my husband and my son love love love this place. So I often pick up a couple of slices and sometimes a whole pizza. Never disappointed. read more

The pizzas are great. The service needs improvement for sure. I don't know why they had such an attitude especially they are expecting us to tip for picking up the orders. The signage for "Pick Up" should be clearer if the window is only for Website/Online order. There was no need to give me an attitude to inform me to go inside for the phone order pick up. Plus, she gave me such narrow window to enter the phone number for award points. If you can't enter the phone number fast enough to get the points, there should be a way to do it afterwards. read more

Been the best pizza in Berkeley for at least 10 years. Slice of funghi and pepperoni are top 2. Size of the slices has gotten smaller in the past few years. read more

Today we tried the cannolis and I was blown away by the deliciousness! I've had their pizza (equally good) a few times now but had never tried their cannolis. The last time I had a great cannoli was from Mike's Pastry in Boston so I wasn't sure Berkeley could live up to that. I'm happy to say that the cannoli was cheesy and creamy in a crisp shell. Yum! read more

Gioia Pizzeria - Pistachio cannoli - Pizza Near Me - Berkeley, California

40$ for a pizza is robbery. Especially given that it's just a regular to go pizza place. Food was tasty, but don't waste your money here. read more

I have had the pizza a few times more and can fairly say that it just isn't my favorite, even freshly warmed from the oven and eaten on the sidewalk. The crust has burnt edges, which I understand some people see as a feature, but the burnt taste overpowers any other flavor for me. It's also quite greasy. The line is long and slow, and even though the pizza is better fresh rather than taking it home, there is no seating indoors or outdoors, not even a stand up counter like at Arinell's. I wish I could like it! If it were five times faster, not blackened, and had a counter or some spot to eat it without getting grease dripped all over, it would probably be better. But it's not, it's successful as-is, and I am clearly one meh opinion in a sea of otherwise positive ones! read more

Everything is perfect except for the very uneven slices. I was just in NYC and noticed they use a template to be sure the slices are even read more

Perfect grab and go pizza place. They are a small stores so we ordered ahead and it was ready when we got there. The crust is thin and a bit crispy. I wish there was more topping. We got the funghi pie. Overall not a bad place for pizza night read more

This is one of my family's favorite pizza spots in the Bay Area and I couldn't agree more! There's always a line whenever I go with plenty of people buying their delicious slices. My personal favorites are the Fungi and Julian but honestly you really can't go wrong with any of their pies. The crust has a nice crisp texture and the flavors are so unique that you can't really have anywhere else. Highly recommend to those in Berkeley or SF!! read more

Gioia Pizzeria - Julian Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Berkeley, California

Crust is super light and crispy. The Salsiccia has got a little kick to it because of the jalapeños which is nice with the meaty sausage chunks on it. The Red Gypsy was well balanced with the chunks of ricotta and salty olives. Like creamy and salty sort of on top of a beautiful crust. Red Gypsy isn't on the menu it seems, but it was in the glass case when I went so base your selection on what's available that day. Inside, there's about a 3 x 3 area to stand, look at the pizza selection, and order. It's very small, but there's so many pizzas in the back. You can get your slices hot or cold. You pick up the pizza in the little window connected to the sidewalk. There isn't really any seating there. Service is fast and friendly, not many words were exchanged. Parking is just street. Overall, I enjoyed my pizza and am excited to try the other flavors. read more

Gioia Pizzeria - Red Gypsy Pizza (Left), Salsiccia Pizza (Right) - Pizza Near Me - Berkeley, California

There is a woman there who is consistently code switching between being nice and sussing a customer up to determine what she can get away with in terms of self-indulgent behavior. It's not just me I stood there for a long time watching her do it. I knew she was going to do something to me or attempt to. When I called her on it she blamed me of course lol. If a person is going to do that so blatantly to someone who has seen this scenario a thousand times in a purportedly upscale neighborhood they are clearly switching code in order to magnify class differences and power structure. She heated up my pizza when I told her not to do it twice. A total loser move that did not go unnoticed. The owner used to be there but that was years ago. I'm sure he's just collecting the money from a remote position in this woman is running the joint. Absolving supervision by being off premises is basically hiding. No worries, if you are willing to let your place become a dump that's on you. read more

Food fantastic....best pizza ever....yummy..consistent.....check it out . Great place to visit.

Excellent pizza, love the dough and crust. I am a well done/ crispy lover and they always come with some char, which is my favorite. I do wish they had some different variety sometimes because I love what they make. read more

So far this is the best in the bay for NYC pizza from an actual NYC guy. Ask for well done to gat the pizza perfect. Crust cracks at base perfect, no droop on crust, sauce to cheese is even. Perfect a slice as I can find. read more

This used to be an institution -the bar against which all other pizza slices were held to- but it's in gradual decline. A true NY slice with a limited menu that really focusses the place on quality. So it was worth the weekly stop-over after neighborhood shopping for $6/slice. That's no more, unfortunately. The pizza has gone soggy and sloppy, with a very uneven bottom. This has been consistent the last 3 visit. This is not just a bad day. And as other say; the attitude of the ladies there is just plain bad. Fine if they'd get the job done. It's just a slice of pizza. But bad vibes & disinterest combined with inability. No, thank you. Pity. read more

Very nice neighborhood with a friendly welcoming vibe. Gioia is a very small shop. They sell pizza by the slice. There's no in-door dining. On the sidewalk is a small bench under tree-covered comfortable shade. I ordered a slice of Julian -- chosen because it was one of two options that had sausage. The pizza was absolutely delicious and super flavorful. I shall return to try other flavors. Tip: add take-out clam chowder to your meal from Monterey Fish Market next door. They are delicious. read more

Gioia Pizzeria - One slice of yummy goodness. $5.85 - Pizza Near Me - Berkeley, California

FAVE PIZZA SPOT in Berkeley. I've tried the pepperoni, julian, and funghi. You can't go wrong with any of the options here. Crispy, hot, and fresh. There is some limited outdoor seating, but this is mainly a takeout kinda spot. I always just stand outside and gobble down my slice. read more

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The best take out NY STYLE pizza in east bay! We order the fromaggio pizza 3x a month from here! Nice Thin Crispy crust Even warmed up at 450° for 5 min. Tasty crust. I guess I would like a bit more consistency in the sauce to cheese ratio. The right amount of tomato sauce makes it perfect! Otherwise it's good but lacking a bit of flavor. The PEPPERONI, fungi and spinach pizza are also good. We just prefer it with cheese! Their chopped salad is excellent too! read more

Gioia Pizzeria - Chopped salad added my own ham for protein and onion cause i loveeee red onion! - Pizza Near Me - Berkeley, California

One again proving that the best pizza places in Berkeley come from the smallest spots. I absolutely loved the pizza I ordered for takeout and chowed down with some friends. Highly recommend for anyone missing New York pizza. It's not too oily and they actually have good tomato sauce unlike most other CA pizza places. I'll definitely be returning. read more

Gioia Pizzeria - Mushroom - Pizza Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Delicious pizza. Been around for ever. As healthy as pizza can be.live the unique flavor combinations and always fresh ingredients.

Post-pandemic, the crowd situation has worked itself out. The pizza is still ok, if pricey.

I think things are going downhill at Gioia. Yesterday around 4 pm I placed an online order for a whole margherita for pickup at 6:30 (you can select an advance time in 15 minute increments). I arrived around 6:15 to order a few slices in different combos, knowing there might be a wait to order and then a wait to have them heat it up, so I should get my slices right around the time the whole pie was ready. Well there was no line at prime dinner time, and when ordering my slices, I mentioned I had ordered a whole for pickup at 6:30. The cashier said, oh that's ready, and handed me a pie already boxed up waiting. They had it just sitting around, at least 15 minutes before the ordered pickup time (and it didn't feel piping hot in the box, so it must have been waiting a while already). The cashier seemed disappointed that I still wanted my slices heated up, and also annoyed that I didn't want to hold the large pizza box while waiting for my slices outside, and after only about 2 minutes called me back to get my slices, which were unsurprisingly not hot nor was my whole pizza. GIOIA GET A GRIP! Finally, the margherita was super weird. It definitely did not have "roasted plum tomatoes" per the website but big glops of blended tomato sauce. Were the room temperature glops on their special crust still delicious? Dammit, yes. But it's just not enough when there are SO many great pizza options in this area. read more

This is the best pizza in the Bay. It's actually the best pizza I've had in California. Possibly the best pizza I've ever had. In the summer they have delicious strawberry lemonade and their soft-serve gelato is amazing. Plus you're right by the Hort and Hopkins St. Bakery. If you love food and plants, it's the perfect afternoon. read more

Always amazing!! Service great! Food was hot and fresh. Ambiance was calm. !!!!!!!!!!!!!

The worst pizza I've ever had. It's so salty. The cheese is salty and the fish was so fishy and salty. The only thing that was good was the crust. Do not recommend! Price $5 for the anchovies pizza! read more

Gioia Pizzeria - Anchovies (so salty!) - Pizza Near Me - Berkeley, California

I was craving pizza a few days ago and remembered this spot after searching no for it on Yelp. I used to pick up from here every now and then when I did DoorDash and the cannolis looked good. As busy as they were, I told myself I would go back someday. So here we are about a year and some change later. I came in on Sunday after getting a manicure in Berkeley. It was between this place and Spinning Dough in West Oakland. When I arrived they were close to closing. All that was left was a few slices of pizza so I got the Julian and another slice but I can't remember the name. The Julian has lacinato kale, house made Sicilian sausage, red onion, chili flakes, garlic, mozzarella and pecorino. It was alright. I now know I'm not too big of a fan of kale in pizza. The sausage was actually pretty good but it made the pizza too meaty for me. This is all a review based on personal preference. The cannoli was alright. I haven't had enough cannolis to make an expert foodie judgment, but I have had better. They have a host of pizzas on the menu that were to my liking. Next time maybe I'll just order a whole pie. The Acciughe seems very appetizing and I don't know where else I would be able to find a pie like this. read more

I honestly don't know how this pizza place has stayed open. While the pizza itself can be decent at times, it's wildly inconsistent--sometimes underbaked, other times burnt to a crisp. But what really ruins the experience is the customer service, which is hands down some of the worst I've encountered in the East Bay--and I've been coming here since 2007. The staff always seems to be made up of disinterested high schoolers who clearly don't care about the job. The attitude is consistently rude and snarky, and there are so many arbitrary rules that make ordering more frustrating than it needs to be. When ordering inside, there's often no clear system or communication--you're left standing around wondering if your food is even coming. After years of giving this place chances, I'm officially done. It's just not worth the hassle anymore. read more