Oakwood Pizza Box — Restaurant in Raleigh

Thin crust pizza done just right, with minimalist toppings. Great for those who love a sweeter sauce, crisp crust, and scant cheese. Fresh basil is given in a little pouch for takeout, which is what I ordered. (Extra toppings and meats are available at an additional charge.) The pizza here is a blank canvas of sorts, and I served up mine at home, with a creative pizza bar of accoutrements. This pizza reheats beautifully. In addition to the round pizza I ordered the Caesar salad. It came with DELICIOUS dressing and fresh grated cheese. The romaine lettuce came in little heads. One could prepare the salad at home in a bowl, breaking up the romaine, or one could break off a leaf and dip it into the dressing. One of the little heads had black sand/dirt on it still. Not enough to spoil the whole salad. Just enough to be noticed and removed before consumption.

Communication could be better between the cashier and the customers. Perhaps two people at the door could best serve this business. How about a standing sign that says, “PLEASE WAIT TO BE SEATED?” This would eliminate the confusion of what the restaurant rules are for non regulars. I came at a busy time for the cashier, who was busy with pick-up orders. The woman before me had a missing order, and was not happy. He snapped when it came to me, when I innocently sat down at an available seat at the bar, and got reprimanded. When I asked why, he said they were reserved. Trouble is, there was no one waiting, the Instagram account said no reservations, there was no harm in me sitting there, and the counter was not set with new dinnerware. It was littered with red plastic drink cups. I had ordered a drink and had tipped $6.00 cash for a takeout order, and wanted to sit down to wait. Why the hostility?

Originally I gave this place one star since I was verbally accosted by the cashier. It was horrific. He told me to take my tip back if he didn’t like having to get up off the bar stool. He never told me where to wait! There was absolutely no pleasantries exchanged. None. In my head I kept making excuses for his behavior. He had just dealt with an irate customer before me. He was busy. But how he treated me was hurtful. How he spoke to me was mean. A female co-worker of his looked mortified.

He was obviously male oriented and I am the age of his mother. Does he have mommy issues? I don’t know. All I can honestly say is that the owner of this establishment reached out to me with an apology and a refund. I had charged the pizza and left cash as a tip. I hope the cashier shared the tip with the others. He did not deserve it. I had even approached him with a “No hard feelings. It would have been nice to have the rules clearly stated.” I was actually publicly humiliated. He would have none of it. Clearly he exhibited contempt towards me. I felt disgusting in his presence. This was most certainly was an isolated incident, and one in which my presence triggered another human. So sad since I have been supportive of the whole rainbow movement, have many gay friends, and a trans nephew. If the rainbow movement does not return the respect it’s a slap in the face.

I can recommend this place for the rainbow community and the 30-somethings. As a world traveler and global cuisine connoisseur, I’ve been around the block. Now I can say I’ve been to the Oakwood Pizza Box. Hopefully this was a teachable moment for the cashier. I ask for mutually respect in every eating establishment I support going forward. This one is hip, trendy, and does serve up pizza in a unique way. It will continue to be a successful business. For me the first experience colored my opinion of the place as...

This is one of my toughest reviews yet because it is a toss-up between giving it a perfect 👌 score, best pizza 🍕 in Raleigh or continuing my search. It's definitely top 3 overall for best pizza in the city for sure. What made it difficult to review was the main options available based on preference. First of all, parking around the area is a bit challenging depending on time of day you go, and sitting down at a table is very limited with just a few tables inside. Best option is to order for pickup or have it delivered. We were fortunate to find a parking spot on a side street not to far of a walk, and when we got inside around 1pm on a Saturday there was one table for two available 😀. We decided to order their popular square cheese pizza. How it became difficult to review is because my wife loved it... I wasn't such a huge fan. The Square option is on the thicker side, doughy but crunchy, very rich and saucy and overly garlicky but somehow still felt light for what seems like a heavy dish. After my first Square slice, I had the server bring me out a traditional regular cheese slice so I can compare 😋 and boy was I happy! I enjoyed their traditional NY style cheese slice way better. It was well-balanced cheese to sauce ratio, packed with flavor, light and crispy, and not too greasy. Good undercarriage, holding well in hand. So you can see my dilemma on how to score this one because depending on your preference it can go either way. Had I not ordered the traditional slice, this would have received a lower score for sure. Highly recommend Oakwood pizza...

I’m in LOVE with the perfect NY-style Pizza slices I finally gobbled up at Raleigh’s Oakwood Pizza Box. 🍕😍🍕

I’d been hearing great things for a long time, and finally made the short trip to downtown Raleigh. It's right by Crawford & Son, Jolie, and Ish Deli.

Owner Anthony Guerra layers on aged Pecorino from Sardinia, low-moisture whole milk Mozzarella, perfect sauce, a sprinkle of 18-24 month Grana Padano, and a huge fresh basil leaf to top things off.

This is a classic N.Y. thin style pizza - but not too thin to cause excessive drooping. Just the right firmness.

Optional Cup and Char Pepperoni forms delish little grease pools with some spicy crunch. Drool.

The rest of the menu is super simple, so you won’t be overwhelmed with a zillion options.

There’s an excellent wine list - plus champagne, which Guerra says is one of his #1 pizza pairings !

The tiny restaurant has a fun vibe, service was prompt and friendly, prices were fair. I will be returning, probably many times, and soon!

Please check out the photos of Cheese Slice - Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Fresh Basil, and also a Pepperoni Slice.

Highly recommended, run don't walk to @oakwoodpizzabox.nc !

P.S. Oakwood Pizza Box takes no reservations, so if you are going, I’d suggest (for at least your first visit) you pick some off hours so you don’t get frustrated waiting in long lines etc for the very few tables available.

Plus I think you can only get slices at lunch, for dinner it is...