Emilia's Pizzeria — Restaurant in Berkeley

Emilia’s suffers from one of the greatest fallacies in pizza along with a desperate hype-train in a quality-pizza-barren region. All the hallmarks of a social media-lauded Neapolitan style are present: Under-cooked center, I.e a crispy crust with chewy core (this one was a little bit too chewy, although I get it that some people love that), under-seasoned sauce, overpowering basil, and tasteless cheese. Another disappointing element was the heavy handedness of the fennel in the sausage. If you like licorice pizza, this might be for you. But the fennel is supposed to be there to accentuate the meat, not cover it up. Heavy fennel like this makes me question the quality of the pork. Overall the pizza was very fresh, but perhaps too fresh. Think garden salad fresh. That’s not how pizza is supposed to taste. Mozzarella, or other cheeses, are better left aged to develop rich oxidized flavors and aromas that cut through the sauce and crust. Oregano is needed to balance basil (especially when you’re using those Biano DiNapoli canned tomatoes that have been soaking in basil for months before they arrive stateside). Crust shouldn’t be doggy-chew texture inside, but rather croissant like. It’s sad that this and cheeseboard (a far worse offender) are the best the East Bay thinks they have to offer. To top it off, the pie will run you about 25-30 bucks depending on how aggressive you are with toppings. While pizza enthusiasts might find this disappointing, Emilia’s offers instagram op fare for privileged trust-fund drunk kids, which fortunately is a sustainable market...

This place has a very unassuming appearance, as it is a tiny, hole-in-the-wall, one-man show in a quiet part of town. But the pizza is delicious.

PLACING AN ORDER: You have to plan ahead if you want to eat here. I dialed in as soon as the clock struck 4pm (which is when they start taking orders). However, the line was busy. I kept calling over and over until I finally got through 5 minutes later. I requested a 6pm eat-in slot on a weeknight, but it seems that in those few minutes everything around that time had already been claimed besides 5:30 and 7:30. I decided to go with 7:30.

THE PIZZA: The pizza was worth the wait! We got half plain, half sausage + mushroom + onion + Aleppo pepper flakes. I was particularly impressed by the crust and the house-made sausage. It was just two of us, and we had intended to only eat 2 or 3 slices each, but once we got started we couldn't help but gobble down the whole pizza. But the pizza is pretty thin and not particularly heavy on toppings (in a good way), so it wasn't that overwhelming in the end.

DOWNSIDES: If I had to name one complaint, it would be that I wish the pizza had been served piping hot instead of letting it cool before serving. It's really just a matter of personal preference though; I always burn the roof of my mouth on pizza, so honestly I should probably be grateful that he saved me from myself and my lack of restraint ;P

The only thing stopping me from coming here all the time is that it's a bit troublesome to call so far in advance to get an order in. Still, I definitely see myself coming...

The review from Nick C. is off the mark.

I grew up working in pizza restaurants, and have eaten in arguably every best pizza restaurant in America, from Sally's to Di Fara to Totonno to Spumoni Garden to De Lorenzo's to Antico to all the Chicago spots, you name it. Joe's, Bleecker St, Pizzeria Beddia. Literally, nearly every discussed spot. Born in Brooklyn, lived in Middle-Jersey, New York, Philly, Jersey City, etc.

This place is great.

Now I don't get additions to my pizza - I'm plane Jane, so I can't speak to the mushrooms, sausages, etc, but all I know is his straight up, regular pizza, is the best in the Bay Area. It connect the dots between the modern, personally, more doughy pizza, and a classic pie.

P.S. Still love me...