I've never had anything here that I didn't dream about later. Love their pizzas. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE their gin and tonics (they have a homemade (or "house made" as fancy people say) tonic. SO WORTH IT. read more

YUMMMM! Celebrated a friends birthday at Pizzaiolo last night, and though we waited awhile for a table cocktails and conversations with other patrons were very pleasant. If you're impatient, be sure to make a reservation. I was really impressed by the range of delicious seasonal food on the menu. We ate family style, so that everyone got a share of everything! The asparagus with hand pulled mozzarella and spring peas was lovely, and the squid with cicis and escarole was outstanding, as was the gnocchi with slow braised pork. Every mouthful of this meal was truly delicious, and I loved the old-world bistro decor. read more

I guess I never wrote a review after any of my prior visits. That first visit, way back before Boot & Shoe Service opened was much more enjoyable. Last night I was not as happy of a camper. There just weren't enough options on the menu for me to find something I was really excited to order! The food I ordered was okay, but there are better wood-fired pizzas with more pleasing flavor profiles out there. I did eat everything though I had to add some salt and spice. This is also one of those places with snobby, ultra hip waitstaff who ignore you once they realize you are not buying drinks. Aside from them and the cocky pizza chef who forgets he's in an open kitchen where I can clearly hear him (WTH?), the busboy was literally the best I've ever had! He kept our water and ice refilled and offered bread, kept our table clean...he was awesome! Too bad...because the owner is really nice. I don't think I'll go back, though I may go to Boot & Shoe Service again... read more

i went there with a group a couple of years ago, and am just reminded about the place by the Check Please review. Food was ok, place was crowded and loud. BUT the thing that got my goat was that our group which had a reservation was not seated until much later "because Alice Waters was there" and felt like hogging our table with her pals while we stood around waiting. What terrible service! read more

Cocktails are on point.... pizza is delicious I live in Los Angeles and this place made a serious impression on me. Anytime I'm back in Oakland, I gotta hit up this place for the amazing cocktails and delicious pizza. Ingredients were fresh and the ambiance is perfect. Go... Just Do it.... Totally worth the $$$ read more

Still as good as the first time and the place is always jumpin. Love the morning buttermilk donuts and coffee. Quality and taste go hand in hand. I can't add much more to what's already been said. read more

My husband and I recently moved to the neighborhood and came into dinner at Pizzaiolo as sort of a happy accident! We'd actually planned to get ramen down the street but didn't care to wait over an hour. We walked in to Pizzaiolo and sat at the bar, and had a fabulous meal! Not only is the pizza amazing, they had really tasty and interesting salads and starters, not to mention the delicious cocktails and wine! We love sitting at the counter too, feeling a part of all the action. It's a super cool space. I really would like to go back soon and enjoy the back patio as well. read more

Caught dinner here on a Thursday night. We shared a salad--actually, I think it was the Brandade toasts, and some mix of greens with fried rosemary!!--as well as a pasta dish and a chicken entree. All great. For dessert: rice pudding with strawberries. With drinks we did $100, which surprised us since we didn't intend to spend that much...but, it was our first dinner here and darnit, we wanted wine with dinner. You could probably spend less with fewer drinks and doing just a pizza and salad. Overall, an enjoyable experience, and our waiter was awesome. Breakfast at Pizzaiolo: ridiculously tasty buttermilk donuts, and one of the best cappuccinos I've had in a while. Love the rustic furnishings and feel, and agree with Rona F., service is friendly when it's not always the case for a restaurant like this. There have been a few times where the doors were open and there were people inside, but for some reason they weren't really "open." How you cruelly taunted us, Pizzaiolo. I'll be back for breakfast, though, after running Lake Merritt so I can get my pre-burn on for those fabulous donuts. read more

I'm not sure why it took me so long to try this place, but I'm so glad I finally did. Pizzaiolo straddles the line between fancy and casual in the best way--quality food with fresh ingredients, reasonable prices, and amazing service. Lastly, you can literally drop in here last minute and have a good chance at being seated! You can't really go wrong here. read more

After reading a Yahoo! article saying this was the best pizza place in California, the best friend and I made the 45+ minute drive (in rush hour traffic!) to try Pizzaiolo. Very cozy and dim ambiance, so a great place for a date. We waited at the bar for about 15 minutes. The server recommended the meatballs and a pizza to share between the two of us. We got the Chanterelle Mushroom pizza + sausages and the Meatballs. To be honest, I've had better pizza in California. But don't get me wrong, it was good, but I don't think the best in California. But the meatballs.... omg. They were AMAZEBALLS. Crunchy on the outside but melt-in-your-mouth on the inside. Plus the sauce is A+! You DEFINITELY have to get the meatballs if you come here. I also really liked their beer selection. Next time, I will for sure come back to try their pastas (which the serve also highly recommended). read more

I didn't realize Pizzaiolo was related to Boot and Shoe Service which I had heard a lot of good things about so I was excited to get my pizza on with Melanie N. and Andrei Z. on a super wet and rainy evening. The space inside is spacious and well appointed with a nice chill vibe and good mix of folks from professionals to older locals to semi-hipsters and the like. As usual we got the margherita as our base pizza to see what it was like and also opted for another with ricotta, sausage, onions and something else I can't quite recall. The crust here is very light (perhaps almost too light, as it was hard for it to sustain the toppings without wilting, although that's not a huge thing). The ingredients and flavors were pretty good here, and the cocktails were pretty delish as well. I had a house made soda with bourbon that hit the spot after a full days photoshoot and I had a sip of the drink Andrei and Melanie got and it was also quite tasty. Service was attentive and we enjoyed the house made bread which you need to ask for if you'd like it (AND YOU SHOULD!) read more

Items Selected: Crusty Bread and Butter Anson Mills Polenta with Gorgonzola Margherita Pluot, Brown Butter, and Walnut Crumb Tart with Crème Fraiche Driving back from The French Laundry in heavy Friday traffic approaching the Bay Bridge I opted to wait out rush hour wandering Oakland and after checking out some local shops I made my way to Charlie Hallowell's always busy Pizzaiolo on Telegraph. A Chez Panisse alum following Alice Water's ethos of sourcing as locally and seasonally as possible it was really no surprise when I arrived to find a thirty minute wait for a single seat at the bar (an hour and fifteen for those desiring a table) and chatting with those waiting in line I was immediately struck by how passionately the clientele felt that this was the best pizza in the Bay Area, an assertion I'd find to be true approximately an hour later even though the bubbling, wet, and slightly charred Margherita wasn't even the best thing I ate at the restaurant, that title instead belonging to an unassuming bowl of creamy polenta given an extra degree of dimension with a hefty dollop of rich, aged gorgonzola that was great on its own and moreso when scooped up with warm bread from the oven. Undoubtedly a place that the locals eat but also a 'destination' pizzeria where the $25 price of entry for Una's Margherita can get you a $14 Marhgerita, $7 bowl of polenta, outstanding complimentary bread an BART fare with a few pennies left over Pizzaiolo is about as good as it gets for those willing to head out to Oakland and taking that travel into account I'd also suggest sticking around for dessert - a seasonal fruit tart kissed by the wood oven and topped with tangy crème Fraiche is never a bad choice. read more

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Ordered: Blood Orange and Grapefruit Salad; Lamb Pasta; Margherita Pizza; Potato Pancetta and Fontina Pizza; and Rapini and Sausage Pizza What to get: Blood Orange and Grapefruit Salad; Potato Pizza Completely agreed with the comment below. Hearing about the great reviews about this place, we drove all the way to Oakland to check it out. All of the pizza crusts were spotted with burnt areas, which detracted from the pizza a lot. The dough was soft, but at times too thin that the contents soaked it. Blood Orange and Grapefruit Salad: highly refreshing. It was lightly dressed. The stark contrast between the citrus taste against the raw onion and cilantro was great. Lamb Pasta: the pasta was cooked well, but this dish was overshadowed by the others. Margherita Pizza: for some reason, I just really wanted tomato sauce, so this was a good one to order to balance the other two. Potato Pancetta and Fontina Pizza: a favorite. Rapini and Sausage Pizza: too much rapini. read more

Was taken here by a local friend for dinner. I used to live around here too but this place opened after I had left. What a treat! I loved the rustic urban chic setting, and the deceptively simple menu items. We didn't have the pizza, and from the other reviews it doesn't seem to be the star of the show. The other items though, was all awesome. You can taste the freshness of the ingredients and the love that went into making the food. The prices are actually pretty low considering the quality of the ingredients and the amazing flavors. Their chicken liver (it was around Rosh Hashanah) was delicious. The service was spot-on: humorous, efficient, attentive without being overbearing, thoughtful. Kinda depressing b/c it's yet another reason for me to be bummed I no longer live in Temescal. read more

As someone who has spent plenty of time in Italy, this stuff is the real deal. Wonderful Neapolitan pizza, with perfectly hydrated, thin, doughy crust with a perfect leaoparding of burnt spots on the bottom. Truly some of the best pizza I've had in the bay area. Additionally, the pork ragu pasta was hand made to perfection, and the sauce rich and thick. Truly some of the best Italian in the bay I've had. read more

I love margherita pizzas. Mozzarella, tomato, and basil. Such a simple combination, yet so perfect. Unfortunately, our margherita pizza was incredibly underwhelming. There was nothing memorable about the toppings, except for the very conservative amount of basil. To top it off, the crust was burnt and unevenly cooked a soggy center. You can get much better margheritas for less elsewhere. We also split the panna cotta was nice, but it wasn't something worth coming back for. You can live without it. I like the ambiance here though. Dimly lit, comfortable, but classy. I'd think about coming back here to try the drinks, but not for the food. read more

We ordered the panchetta and cherry tomatoes pizza and let me tell ya... You know it's DAMN good pizza when you gotta fight your man to grab those little tomatoes which fall off when you take one of the pizza slices. I think I would fight off my own grandma, little orphans, whoever, to get to those fallen pieces. The pizza toppings were that good. read more

Pizzaiolo is, quite simply, the best pizza place we've ever eaten at in SF Bay Area. Ok, that might seem a bit "excessive", and perhaps I need to clarify what I meant by that: "If you are looking for authentic Italian-style pizza with fresh ingredients that is truly unique and authentic, Pizzaiolo is the best pizza place in all of San Francisco Bay Area." The first thing that you will have know about Pizzaiolo, is it can be tricky to find. They have no sign out front, but if you look for a long line of people standing in front of an unmarked door with only a small menu taped to the window, that's the place! Parking is a bit tricky (I suggest parking in the lot next to the Walgreen's), and the wait can be long if you don't have reservations (20-40 min depending on the day; Friday nights are the longest). They have quite a few tables, including large booths for 6-7 people, a small banquette room for 12-15 people, and a really nice outdoor area in the back (best for Spring/Summer time, but any non-rainy day is nice). The best part is their menu. It changes daily, so you really never know what you are going to get! They usually have 2-3 hand made salads/soups, a couple antipastos, and a few entrees (as well as their daily pizza dishes; usually around 5-7 choices, plus you can always make your own). I highly recommend... well... Everything really. I've attempted to try just about everything on the menu and I truly have to say I have never been disappointed. From my last visit, I would say order the gnocchi, tagliatelle and a Margarita pizza. Even the bottled root beer is good! The prices are a bit steep, but we are never sad when the bill comes. A normal meal for two, with coffee at the end and darn big smile on your face is going to run you about $80-100 (more if you get wine, and they do have some nice wine I am told). If you are doing your anniversary, taking a friend out for a birthday, or just need a great Italian meal, this is the place for you. read more

So here's the dirt: This place kicks ass. Excellent food. Warm, and depending on where you sit, romantic atmosphere. Service that is not all up in your grill, just attentive when they need to be. Like it. A lot. Although, when my dining partner asked for a diet coke, she was visibly horrified by the question. This made me laugh. Hard. :-) I ordered a marinara pizza with fresh arugula. Hell yes! I have no idea how they managed to bake some flatbread, put some sauce on it with a little pile of fresh greens that tastes so freakin' good. I'm convinced they performed some culinary magic that frankly, I don't need to know the details of. I'm happy being in awe. Yum. My dining partner ordered some whitefish type dish. Can't remember the name. We peeled the bone right out of the fried little bugger. I kind of liked that, even though I'm vegan. Or, maybe it's because I'm vegan and never see or do that? I don't know, don't really care. I tasted it too. And it was pure fishy goodness. Ordered the Tino Modotti cocktail. It was great. I recommend. I was hesitant about the grapefruit used in it, but the juice wasn't too overpowering. Followed that with a Chianti. Went really well with the meal. I will, without a doubt, revisit this restaurant. Highly recommend (just don't ask for a soda)! read more

Maybe I came on a bad night but I wasn't impressed. It's a really hip place with great atmosphere but the food was just.. okay. The sausage with rapini was a bad choice on my part. From what the waitress described I didn't realize I would basically have a pizza with boiled mustard greens on it. The flavors didn't blend well for usually when I think sausage.. I think savory. The pancetta and potato pizza was much better but too salty. By the end of dinner, between all the salt and the burnt crusts, the inside of my mouth was feeling beat up. My date has been before and assured me that the food is usually much better.. but for the first time, I didn't want to stay for dessert. read more

The pizza was not mind-blowing, but it was very, very solid. If you're a fan of thin crust, you'll LOVE this. Aside from the 2 pizzas we got, we also got the polenta which was perfect and deliciously creamy. The dessert is very rich, so only order it if you know you have room in your stomach. All in all, there are a lot of pizza places in the Oakland/Berkeley area I have yet to try, so I won't be coming here for a while. BUt out of all the pizzas I've tried so far, this definitely ranks very high. It's definitely a must-try! The service is great--if you have a reservation, you get seated ASAP. The interior is dark and cozy, which I like, and there's outdoor seating which I'd like to try on a warmer day. read more

The thin crust pizzas at this place is wonderful! Crust is thin and just the right amount of chewy. All of the pizzas are very simple but taste wonderful. It's a nice place to sit down for dinner. The overall noise level is a bit too loud. read more

Best thin pizza in the west coast read more

Pizzaiolo - Italian Near Me - Oakland, California

My husband and I arrived at the restaurant at 6:35 on a Thursday night and the hostess told us that the wait would be around 40 - 50 minutes. I don't typically like sticking around for these long wait times during a weeknight, but we stuck it out. Our wait time did in fact turn out to be 50 minutes. On to the food... The house-made table bread was DELISH. It was sourdough; not sure if they rotate the kind of bread they make since their menu is seasonal. We wanted to try the meatballs since so many people posted high reviews, but they weren't on the menu :( We ended up just ordering main course items: the Bucatini all' Amatricana and the pizza with Rapini and house-made sausage. The pasta was good, if not a little salty. The pizza wasn't anything really special. I love arugula on pizza, but wasn't a fan of the rapini. We took a peek at the dessert menu but didn't see anything that we wanted to order. The server brought lemon sorbet and cookies with the bill, so that was nice. The meal overall was just OK. It definitely wasn't worth the wait. The place was really busy, so maybe we just ordered the wrong things. read more

A mission for pizza...success! I love love love sustainable organic ingredients and this place takes the cake (erm...pizza pie) :). I love how they don't use heavy tomato sauce...they use fresh ingredients that are the stars of the pizza, not covered up by heavy cheese or sauce usage. I ordered the potato and pancetta pizza with a fresh farm egg...so delicious! Like breakfast in your pizza. My boyfriend got the one with housemade sausage and rapini, and it was delicious as well! I love how there's cheese on some parts of the pizza and not throughout the whole thing so that the ingredients can shine on their own. A very hipster-ish place, but the service is very friendly! The hostess we had was accommodating and got us a table in 10 minutes although we thought it would take 40 minutes! There was always someone to check up on us too. I appreciate this hipster pizza, I want to try new flavors soon! read more

My husband and I decided to go try Pizzaiolo on a Monday evening, we did not make a reservation and we probably should have, since it was totally packed! Fortunately we were able to order a couple beers while we waited, and then were seated out on the patio after about a 20 or 30 minute wait. The back patio is really beautiful, lots of plants, fruit trees, what looks like a bocce ball court and plenty of seating. They have outdoor heaters, and they provide cute wool blankets! I loved it, great touch. If you do not have a reservation and you arrive while it is crowded just put your name in, order a drink and head out to the patio, much nicer than waiting inside and feeling in the way. We ordered a pizza with peppers, house made sausage, and tomato sauce, and a summer squash salad. I also tried their new Beauregaurd cocktail that they make with their house made blueberry shrub - it was delicious, not too sweet, pleasantly tart, though the shrub did not seem to carry much vinegar flavor (which I usually expect in a shrub and is not a bad thing). The pizza was delicious with a crispy, bubbly, toasty crust. My only complaint was that the crust is so thin that it does not support the toppings in the center, so you have to use utensils to eat the center portion (or end of your slice). Summer squash salad was great, I wanted to hog all of the squash for myself! Very light and perfect for a warm evening. Over all really great food, lovely atmosphere, I would definitely return! read more

The most memorable part of my visit to Pizzaiolo has to be the first time I went with my co-workers. We had the pizza with sausage and rapini. At the time, we knew we just wanted a pizza with sausage. It was the first time I had tried rapini, and it had such an awkward taste for my liking! But it ended up being a funny topic of conversation with my friends I with the server about the types of greens we like on our pizzas. That's what I like about this place. The servers are great in that they spend some real time having conversations with our table. The ambience of the restaurant confuses me a bit, as it is a bit dark with majority candle light, but the vibe is so loud with all the conversations! The pizza has a classic, flavorful, taste. I liked the sausage the best--it really made the pizza. Next we had the spaghetti with manila clams. It had a great balance and the clams did not over power the dish. Be prepared to wait for a table if you don't have a reservation! read more

So I'm very conflicted on this pizza, but let me just say BY FAR, the best pizza box I've ever seen. Actually like the pizza wasn't amazing but for pizza open at 2am it was kinda dope. Seriously great box tho. read more

I don't get it. Granted I've only been here once, but the experience was so lackluster that I'm not sure I want to return, especially with far better food awaiting me at vastly superior places like Dopo or Oliveto. The antipasto, Jerusalem artichokes with treviso, walnuts, anchovy, & grana was promising with its potent anchovy/garlic/grana flavor, but this anchovy/garlic punch mysteriously vanished after a few bites, as if the dressing bottle ran out mid-drizzle. Hmm. Spaghetti w/ chanterelles and breadcrumbs could've been good, but Pizzaiolo was incredibly stingy with the chanterelles. I know those puppies are pricey, but there simply weren't enough of 'em to infuse the dish with their subtle but pleasing flavor, nor to justify the dish's $16 price. Once the few pieces were gone, I was left with an uninspiring plate of dry spaghetti and pebble-hard breadcrumbs. The girlfriend and I agreed: we could've made this at home *better*. Adding insult to injury, the crust of the pizza w/ butterball potatoes, fontina, and tartufata was so badly burned and blackened that every bite gave off that strong, unpleasant flavor of carcinogenic burn. Sadly, the potatoes and tartufata (a tapanade with truffle oil) were totally drowned out by the burned flavor. Probably a simple screw-up in the kitchen, but I just don't expect this kind of sloppiness from a place that claims to specialize in Italian wood-fired pizza. I really thought about sending this back, but that always seems like a jerky thing to do. But then, I think burning a $16 pizza and serving it to paying customers is also a jerky thing to do. The wine, a bottle of the Centorame, a red Montepulciano D'Abruzzo, was, of course, great. Part of me wants to give Pizzaiolo another chance. Maybe it was an off night? But I'm also inclined to think that Pizzaiolo is seriously over-hyped, and that people will run like lemmings to whatever is the trendy flavor of the minute. All I know is that Dopo and Oliveto offer a far more flavorful and rich culinary experience. I'm much more inclined to stick with what's genuinely good and avoid what's overrated and hyped. Oh, one more thing: the outdoor section in back offers a wildly different experience from inside: basically a barren, crappy, wide-open space, on loose gravel, with a few small potted trees, and views of garages, supply closets, and dumpsters. read more

Incredible Pizza..........! We are lucky in that we need to dine early because of our young one. At 5pm, the place is still open and manageable, We got a booth for 5 of us and it was cosy. (It got crowded at 7:30pm and there were people waiting by the door.) So, make a reservation or show up super early. We ordered the following (please note that they use seasonal/fresh ingredients so the menu is constantly changing and you might not spot everything we tried: Little Gems Ceasar - Yummy! Asparagus w/ frisee pancetta and egg - asparagus perfection and good to the last bite! Polpette al Pizzaiolo - delectable Meatballs made w/ pine nuts (our little girl at 2!) and the ever famous brick oven, wood fire pizza... both had an incredibly chewy yet cripsy thin crust, not cracker thin and not doughy chewy... just perfect! a Potato Pizza - unusually yummy "white" pizza Arugula Speck and Grana - Arugula and pepperoni w/ house marinara The bar... pretty good selection of cocktails and wine. read more

Been there twice and found the food enjoyable but the place was a yuppie scene and it took a while to get in. I might return when the fad dies down because I did enjoy the salads and the pizza. The night before we went the second time I had just finished the book, "Life, Death and Bialys" by local author Dylan Schaffer. I still had the story and his face burned into my mind when I saw him just in front of me in the huddle waiting to get in the restaurant. I spoke to him briefly since I really enjoyed the book and since I used to be a baker. He was lovely and I was reminded why I like the Bay Area so much - it seems every other person has written a book or play or blows trombone in 3 bands or has some other fantastic talent. read more

If you want to have a big party, you should check this out. The wait staff are very helpful and friendly. the food was plentiful and delicious, even picky vegi types found good things to eat. The salads, the pizzas, the soup, we loved and ate it all. We brought wine and cake and there was no hassle like you may experience at other restaurants. Beautiful! My only disappointment is that they are not open for lunch, but I hear breakfast is great. See you there... read more

This summer: getting a table purely by chance, heirloom tomatoes with black eyed peas, green coriander and yogurt, Anson Mills polenta with gorgonzola and a summer squash, pounded parsley and grana pizza - and watching chickens out on the patio! Next summer: reservations, the daily changing menu - and watching a movie out on the patio! In the meantime: my sweetheart and I will likely return. The (98%) organic, local and seasonal triple threat does it for me almost every time - when the food is so tasty and simple, unfussy preparation lets the ingredients shine. The waitstaff was super sweet without being saccharine, which is a plus in my cranky little book. The veggie options seem to wax and wane, so I'll have to keep my peepers peeled - on days with more vegetarian and vegan options, I'm pretty sure I would happily bump my rating up a star. read more

This restaurant uses fresh, local ingredients, so the menu for the main course changes very often (daily I believe). So sometimes you find the best meal, others nothing that really appeals to you. Hit or miss. But their pizza is EXCELLENT and always available. Thin crust, wood fire (so can't go wrong) and with a great combination of ingredients. One of my favorites is the fontina, potato, leeks. Nice combination. The staff is super friendly and always very attentive! read more

Just returned from my 2nd trip to Pizzaiolo with hubby & sis. I'm convinced Pizzaiolo can never do wrong. The service was modest, non-intrusive, and friendly (especially the hostess). Water was always poured and wine glasses always filled. We had - bottle of red wine from Italy, beet salad, sea bass, pork, and pizza (rapini + sausage) - all to share. The salt on the avocado and the onion vinaigrette that came on the beet salad was just perfect. The vegetables that accompanied both the sea bass & pork were just fabulous. I don't know how they are seasoning it but I want to know! Pork was cooked so that parts were crispy while it was very moist and melted in your mouth. The thin-crust pizza tasted light (how can a sausage pizza be light?) and was a good finisher for us. Our stomachs couldn't handle more food so we had to skip dessert. Hope to go again soon! read more

Hands down, one of the best pizzas I've ever tasted. The buccatini with coconero beans were scrumptious. So the wait was pretty ridiculous. Almost an hour of waiting outside in the cold, while watching customers being served hot food was not the business. In my mind, I was thinking that it probably isn't worth the wait, but once I tried the food, I changed my mind in a heartbeat! I got the hoboken pizza with an egg on top (the egg makes a huge difference). I never knew eggs on pizza would be so good. The egg cooked in a sunny side up style so you have to spread the yolk evenly around the pizza. Don't forget to sprinkle some crushed red peppers and salt to give it that amazing taste. SO GOOD. The buccatini was also very delicious. All the ingredients went well together even though I was unsure about the coconero beans at first. The noodles were cooked to perfection because it was chewy and flavorful..just the way I like it. :) The portions were generous because I shared it with one other person and it was the perfect amount. I didn't get any dessert but I saw that a lot of the customers did and they seemed to enjoy it. Too bad I don't live around Berkeley but the next time I come, I want to go again. read more

Scrumptious but pricey: I got a Margherita ($14) and added anchovies ($3) and arugula ($4)... for a grand total of $21 for a pizza that was (at least for me) perfectly sized for one person. They had Drakes 1500 on tap for a reasonable $4.25, but still... kind of steep for a quick snack, no matter how delicious. Great service, good vibe, excellent music, handsome waiters -- basically my only issue is the cost. Maybe that's what I get for growing up in the Bay Area, hard to see the divide of haves and have-nots continuing to widen. For the perfect pizza (though not the same ambiance), my favorite place still is Gioia, which is expensive too, but for the same $21 you get an 18" Acciughe pizza (gotta have the anchovies), big enough that you *might* consider sharing with someone else... ;-) read more

For my 300th Yelp review, I decided to write about another pizza restaurant. We went to Pizzaiolo for the first time after reading reviews on Yelp. It's a nice looking restaurant with an outdoor area in the back. I ordered the Rapini with sausage pizza and my wife ordered the Margherita pizza. Both pizzas were very thin, so you know what that means.....it's going to leave you hungry. The Rapini with sausage was missing an important ingredient....pizza sauce. I think all pizzas should have pizza sauce. The sausage was not very big, but tasted pretty good. The rapini was bitter (I'm not sure if that is how it is supposed to taste) so I would not order it again. The Margherita pizza had only cheese and a little light-red sauce. Overall, both tasted okay but are NOT the types of pizza I like or love. Pizzaiolo's pizza is more like bread than pizza. And finally, I'll finish my 300th review by mentioning the pizza place I dislike most.....amici's!! Overall grade: C- read more

I love this place. The pizza, the specials, everything. I always take out of town guests here. Amazing cocktails! Amazing food. Great staff but always overwhelmed. It's not a place for a quiet conversation, too loud. And there are always a million people waiting for tables so beware. The jockeying for tables is a hassle, even with a reservation sometimes. But the food is great. read more

I wish I could give the drinks 4 stars and the pizza 2. Brick oven pizza is supposed to be eaten with a fork and knife. If the crust is too tough to cut into, that is a problem. I had this problem here. I like the ambiance but am not a fan of tough pizza. read more