Pizzaiolo

Doesn't Recommend

bobbydeniro2

Joined 7 years ago

Terrible experience!!. One word describes our experiencemiserable. The food was mediocre at best (we didnt try the pizza though weve heard they are good) and very disappointing. But the biggest complaint is the service. The wait staff was rude and arrogant and not attentive at all. They didnt acknowledge our arrival for several minutes, only to make us wait and finally seat us at the communal table (which had been empty the whole time).

There are much better places to dine than here.

Recommends

ebgirl

Joined 11 years ago

Good food, but.... I went here the other night with my friend. Our salad was delicious, but small and cost $9. We also ordered the sand dabs. The plate was large enough for us to split. The service was great and the vibe in the restaurant is laid back and warm. The food is good, but there is a tremendous wait (45 mins. on a Tuesday night). There is no waiting area and the bar was packed. You can wait outside, but it's not an area like Rockridge where you can at least walk around and check out a couple of stores while you wait. This place does not take reservations. While the food is definitely good, the prices are high for what you get, so it's hard for me to justify returning here when there are so many other great restaurants in the area that take reservations and are comparable or better.

Recommends

Andreotti

Joined 10 years ago

La pizza perfetta!. We'd heard good things from the Chronicle and again from friends. We are so happy that we decided to try Pizzaiolo! We had to wait for 20 minutes for a table, but we ordered a bottle of wine at the bar, so that was no problem. If you're looking for pizza like you enjoyed in Italy - this is the place. Delicious! Original, but simple. We had a hard time finding the place (there's no sign outside!) It's directly across from Walgreen's - take the address. The ambiance was perfect. We highly recommend it!

Recommends

jgoldenstein

Joined 7 years ago

Best pizza in the bay area, tremendous value. I came because the local magazine reviews raved about the place and I was not disappointed. Without a doubt one of the best gourmet pizza places in the bay area. I'm not sure why other reviewers complained about the service. The wait was long, but attests to the popularity of the place and the quality of the food. Once seated, I found the staff was knowledgeable and efficient. For the quality and quantity of the food, the prices are extremely reasonable. The wine list was a good mix. If you think $33 is too much for wine, then perhaps you should go back to eating at BK...

Doesn't Recommend

jsmith1970

Joined 7 years ago

Not Worth the Wait or Aggravation. I was looking forward to trying this place and was fine with the hour wait to get seated. We were given the worst seat in the place at the communal table in front of the kitchen door with the smell of bleach and the romantic ambiance of fluorescent lighting. We asked to be moved and were given the second worst table in the place next to the hallway to the bathroom. Simply put, the service stunk.

The food was a bit simple and over priced. The lettuce salad was microscopic and salty. I had the beef short ribs, which were very fatty and salty. The pizzas were good but I would suggest the Cheeseboard. The food wasn't worth the poor service and long wait. The only saving grace of the night was talking to the couple next to us about how comically bad the service was.

Doesn't Recommend

muppditt

Joined 7 years ago

Please turn off the Sting album. Yes, blasting a Sting album, not the Police, Sting. Doesn't really go....anyhow on to the food & wine. The food here is very mediocre, things you can make at home, but what makes it less pleasant than staying home is the loud corny music and the 3 servers who come to your table confused. The first was upset that we did not know what we wanted when he approached us 25 seconds after we were seated, then again 50 secnds later. The wine pours are CHINCY, maybe 2 oz for $7 to $9!!! The pizzas have a chewy, albeit, thin, crust, and a seafood stew was bland, cold and not fresh. Disappointing. Thought there would be something interesting in Oakland.

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atrave

Joined 8 years ago

Pizza as it should always be!. I was there with other two friends, all from italy, and let me tell you, this is by far some of the best pizzas I have ever had, definitely the kind I am used to at home. Perfectly-cooked crust, delicious tomato sauce. Even the garlic in the marinara was not at all overpowering, as it is too often the case. Good wines and desserts, very cozy atmosphere and nice service. All in all a quite honest value for what we had: it's slightly pricey for a pizzeria, but, hey, this is a fancy place, not a fast food joint! I've already suggested the place to everybody as the only pizza place they need to know.

Recommends

bill_garcia

Joined 9 years ago

Sublime. I've been to Pizzaiolo several times, and the food has always been sublime. Things like smoky wood-oven calamari with garbanzo beans. I go back for that one dish alone! And there is no comparable pizza in the whole Bay Area.

Recommends

yanochka

Joined 8 years ago

no rsvp's, but the wait is worth it!. The restaurant doesn't take reservations, but the wait is worth it. The staff were always courteous to compensate for somewhat slow service. The place is packed with families with young kids - very friendly atmosphere. The food is what you come here for, and it is heavenly. You can taste the freshness of ingredients. The menu changes every day. We had the sausage pizza with greens (broccoli, how creative!), meatballs, and lasagna (very fluffy and light). Definite recommend!

Recommends

bayardj

Joined 8 years ago

Pure Northern Italian Delight. If its hard to get a table it is because the food, not to mention the wine, is so exquisite. The fresh Monterey Bay sardines were absolutely scrumptious! All of the appetizers, especially the antipasti, were elegant and creative. I'm not even a pizza-lover particularly, but the wood fired crust topped with rocket and prosciutto made me love the pie. I couldn't disagree more with the other review.