Benchmark continues to be one of my favorite spots when a serious pizza craving hits. Last night, I…read morestopped in specifically hoping to try the eggplant pizza, but unfortunately they were sold out. Since the only other pie I'd previously had there was the brown butter sage -- delicious, though I've learned lemon on pizza simply isn't my thing -- I decided to go with their classic Benchmark margherita instead. It absolutely delivered. This is Neo-Neapolitan pizza done right: bright, fresh tomato sauce, creamy mozzarella, torn basil, and a beautifully balanced crust with a perfectly thin base, nicely charred underside, and those airy, leopard-spotted edges that make wood-fired pizza so satisfying. Simple, restrained, and incredibly well executed. It was an unusually warm evening, so I opted to sit outside. My only real complaint is that the tables closest to the street sit noticeably on a slant, making it a bit of a challenge to keep plates and glasses from slowly sliding downhill throughout the meal. A small detail, but worth noting. That said, the staff were genuinely lovely and welcoming, and the overall experience was exactly what I was hoping for. One final recommendation: do yourself a favor and ask for a side of olive oil for dipping the crusts. It's the perfect finishing touch. I'll absolutely be back the next time the craving strikes.

I came here for dinner on a Weds night. For two people, we ordered a pizza, some drinks and a…read moreseasonal lemon pasta. The crust on the pizza was a little thick but had a good chew. There was too much sauce on the pizza, which made the pizza very wet in the center and difficult to pick up. The flavor on the pizza was good but felt like it wasn't baked well. We also ordered the lemon pasta, which I do not recommend. There was crisped up breadcrumbs in the dish, that was meant to add crunch to the dish, but the texture ended up resembling crushed eggshells when chewed in the mouth, and it lacked lots of flavor. I would definitely not order their food to go, as I don't think it would travel well. I don't think I would return to benchmark if I had a pizza craving.

This was a completely accidental find, and as it turned out, a serendipitous one. With my typical…read moreblinders on, I've walked by this space a number of times without noticing there was a newish pizza cafe on North Shattuck. It appears to be a one-woman operation and a far cry from the casual, student-geared grab & go I had presumed it was. Feeling peckish after a longish walk, Jamie W and I decided to stop by for a late Saturday afternoon bite. Considering she was by herself, we were impressed with her robust menu offering eight pizza choices as well as two salads and a selection of draft beers. She was also having a 30%-off Happy Hour special on the 12-inch pizzas, so naturally we took advantage and ordered the Veggie Pizza. The 12-inch was normally $18 and brought down to only $12.60. The pleasant surprise was that it was a genuinely tasty pie on a thin, flatbread-type crust. It was topped with a nice mix of peppers, artichoke, broccoli, tomato, and basil and a liberal ladling of red sauce. Most gratifying was the thick layer of melted mozzarella that covered the pie quite thoroughly (Photo 9). She generously served us a complimentary bowl of Fresh Salad with a light Italian dressing (Photo 8). We added a couple of refreshing $2.50 glasses of Lemonade to complete our more than satisfying meal (Photo 10). A lucky find. FOOD - 5 stars...stellar pizza at a bargain price and a fresh salad to boot AMBIANCE - 4.5 stars...casual tables and chairs make this more of a dining experience than you'd expect SERVICE - 5 stars...she does it all on her own TOTAL - 5 stars...definitely recommend you drop by for a satisfying pizza RELATED - Exploring Berkeley? Here's a collection of places l've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/ARb9hLYSFi

5/23/25 - I saw this place on Tiktok and wanted to come support the business! We ordered our food…read moreat the register with the girl up front. She was really kind and helped out a lot with our order. While we waited, we looked around at the interior decor. It's really well decorated and has a simple and almost vintage aesthetic to it. There's a chess board in the corner that we played at just before our food arrived. We got the 12" Altan's Special pizza for $20 and their Altan's Waffle for $5.50. The pizza was really cheesy which was so good and the cheesiness went well with the white sauce. It also comes with a small caesar salad. The Altan's Waffle comes with strawberries, whipped cream, and nutella. The waffle batter was made fresh from scratch! The family working there was really nice and even gave us a second waffle on the house. They paid a lot of attention to us and the other customers to make sure we were doing okay. I will definitely be coming back to continue supporting them!

As an east-coaster on the west coast, there's something about an Italian joint in a brick building…read morethat brings a tear of joy to my eye. Simply put: homemade pastas, cozy atmosphere and phenomenal chicken piccata sliced so thin you'd think it's carpaccio, maron! Try the meatballs, the pappardelle and the cannolis

While visiting Berkeley, our brother brought us to this restaurant as we were craving Italian food…read more The restaurant is small, but cozy and inviting and staff are extremely friendly. Each of us ordered something different and all enjoyed our meals very much! The chicken parm was huge! The carbonara and gnocchi were scrumptious. I assume because this place is small and likely family owned, the menu was a little limited. There were a few items we were hoping to order, but were not on the menu (calamari and wine). Overall it was still a great experience and I would recommend visiting if you are in Berkeley.

Delicious food, friendly service Nice gluten free selection…read more Next time will definitely try the gelato

With my friend in town, she wanted to try good Italian food. We came to Passione Emporio based on a…read morefamily recommendation. We were satisfied and left full. The restaurant is quaint and has neighborhood charm. It's a cozy space with a decent amount of seating for various party sizes, plus outdoor seating. They have fresh gelato and a wood-fire pizza oven you can see. The service was fine. Our food came out hot and fast, and our water was refilled, but we weren't checked on much. Their menu offers specialties and seasonal items. I had the Salmon Ravioli and my friend got the Lasagna Ragu. The ravioli was good; you can taste the creamy spinach filling. The sauce was light and bright. I wish there were more ravioli plus veggies. My friend enjoyed her lasagna. Their menu online can be a bit misleading compared to their in-person menu. I wouldn't mind getting this dish again. Passione Emporio is a nice spot for Italian food in West Berkeley. I'd come here if I lived in the area but wouldn't go out of my way. They're located off Fifth Street with free neighborhood street parking around.

Amazing food! Luis is always so kind and welcoming I love talking to him. Not to mention the great…read moreatmosphere and fantastic music they play. Will always be my favorite spot!

The pizza is always so delicious and fresh, the atmosphere is great and on top of that the…read moreemployees are amazing and kind- Luis always get us right with our pizza and we love him

3of us arrived at 8:45pm. Dolly graciously invited us in and we ordered 2 Caesar salad es 2…read morespaghetti & meatballs & one shrimp & crab ravioli, soft drinks and a mascarpone. The food, hospitality, ambiance and service was excellent. There were 3 other jovial couples that ended up staying past closing with us. We ended up closing at 10!! Our only regret was that the place can only accommodate tables for 2 and seats at the bar. Dolly is a do

Made a recent visit here as I was looking to try cheese wheel pasta and I must say they did not…read moredisappoint. Inside is small, but fortunately we were able to be seated at the bar right away. The gentleman at the bar (Dolly's husband) couldn't have been a more gracious host. He immediately gave us menus and allowed us to sample the various wines before making our selection. We struck up conversation with him since it wasn't too busy and he told us how him and his wife met and got together, honestly a great story. As for the food itself, it was all amazing. We ordered a variety of things including the meatball and cheese wheel pasta and it was all very good. Dolly herself came out, who was also very friendly, and we were able to speak with her and meet their beautiful daughter. It was a great experience and I would definitely comeback and recommend to others.

Pizza Mercado is the upscale Italian pizza joint at the public market. They actually have a real…read moreclay oven here. This makes the pizzas absolutely delicious. I love it when the pizza has a little bit of charcoal flavor to it. The pizza is here are not cheap, but they occasionally have discounts and specials. This is a great spot to go to if you want to eat with your coworkers. Come here and split a pizza. Parking at the public market is ample, there is a parking lot across the street.

We placed an order through DoorDash on Monday. The order was accepted, and we were charged, but…read morewhen we arrived to pick it up, we found that the restaurant was closed. The following day, we called the restaurant hoping to resolve the issue or receive a refund. Instead of taking ownership, we were told to resolve it with DoorDash because someone had STOLEN the order. A reputable restaurant should ensure its DoorDash listing accurately reflects its operating hours and should not allow orders to be accepted when it is closed. What is most disappointing is the lack of accountability. We were charged for food we never received, drove to a restaurant that was closed, and then were simply redirected to DoorDash... This level of customer service is not what we would expect from a reputable restaurant.

Great food! I got the seafood risotto- cooked to perfection. The dipping oil for the bread- I…read morewould have bought a while vat! So delicious! Wonderful ambiance - cute, quaint, rustic scenery. Service left a little to be desired - got seated abd waited 20min for someone to take our order. Continually had to ask for water.

My son recommended Agrodolce, which is the sister restaurant to the defunct Trattoria La Siciliana…read moreon College Avenue that closed after COVID. I never knew that connection and was surprised by the lower rating on Yelp, but I booked a reservation for 6:15 PM anyway. We sat along the wall where an old Italian black-and-white movie was projected. Even though it was projected directly onto the wall, I really enjoyed glancing at it throughout dinner. We started with the Polipo all'Insalata, an amazing octopus salad with the octopus served thinly sliced. Next came the Fiore di Zucca, zucchini blossoms stuffed with mozzarella. For my main dish, I ordered the whole branzino. The waiter deboned the fish tableside, though I still found myself picking through small bones and spines, which was a bit frustrating. The restaurant quickly filled up, and the staff worked hard to keep up with the rush. Overall, we enjoyed the food and the venue, and we will definitely be back to try other dishes on the menu.