Arinell Pizza

Terrific place! Thank you, Scott, for the delicious pizza and memorable lunch :-) FOOD: The pizza crust is delicious. This NY style pizza is better than several pizzas I've tried in NYC because here they bake it just right. The crust is not burned/charred black, it's thin and crunchy but still foldable. Good balance of cheese and sauce. I got a full vegan pizza and the cheese did not stick to the mouth and overall tasty 👍 SERVICE: Maybe the best part. So friendly, welcoming, and accommodating. They greet you like you're a friend visiting after a while.

Small place, Great Pizza, lovely guy 🙃👍🏼 5 bucks a slice….

What happened to this place??? Used to be the best and now they closed SF (where the staff were horrific, but sucked it up for the pizza) and now Berkeley is horrible. Maybe the slice I got was old but a whole pizza is now $42+ dollars??? Please!! Too much competition for better pizza in Berkeley. You guys are losing the race big time and keep upping the prices - even the prices on the sign are cheaper than what they charges me -“oh we have not updated the sign!” Hahahaha ridiculous place !

Not like I remember, and definitely not up to par. $5.73 for a plain, lousy slice. No no no.

All good things must come to an end. The owner sold the place, it’s $12.00 for two cardboard slices of pizza, almost no sauce at all, place feels like a shell of its former self. That’s life I guess. What’s terrible is that for $12.00 I got nothing essentially, an entire Sicilian pizza is $50.00 - yea you read that right. no substance in the pizza flavor. I used to go to this place as a kid and during the years after. Arinell has fallen and I will never set foot inside again. Sad story but a common one in the Bay Area.

Really not great. It said it opened at 12 noon... We were there at 12:05 and it was still closed. Waited until they opened a few minutes later. Tried to order right away because my toddler was hungry. Was told we don't have any pizza ready and to wait. We should have left at that point. Pizza was ok but I wouldn't go back again. They take cash only!

Door open. Sign said “closed.” Employer Ignored us. I asked in English and Spanish, with a smile, if they were closed. No answer. Pizza slices looked meh. Will try again, but…memories of my youth :-(

Great pizza, the staff is chill too. Love the music that they play. My go to is always the sicilian and the pepperoni, delicious 🤘🤘

Terrific place! Thank you, Scott, for the delicious vegan pizza and memorable lunch :-) FOOD: The pizza crust is very good! This NY style pizza is better than several pizzas I've tried in NYC because here they bake it just right. The crust is not burned/charred black, it's thin and crunchy but still foldable. Good balance of cheese and sauce. I got a full vegan pizza and the cheese did not stick to the mouth and overall tasty SERVICE: Maybe the best part. So friendly, welcoming, and accommodating. They greet you like you're a friend visiting after a while.

That's just bad pizza. Remember when indoor malls existed and they all had a pizza place? This Is the same greasy tasteless pizza we had back then. It was definitely nostalgic. But not something that appeals to me any longer.

The pizza is fine (I've had it before) but they can be rude. I went into the restaurant and waited to have my order taken. No one was in line and the person in the back clearly saw me waiting and chose to continue to chop an onion instead of acknowledging me in any way. I waited for a minute or so to see if he would say anything and he did not. So I walked out. The pizza is tasty but not necessarily worth being ignored.

Dropped in sort of for nostalgia's sake. Slices needed to be reheated and were average at best. I think it was around $6 for a slice of cheese. There are lots of options for good pizza in Berkeley, I probably won't stop by again in the future. The pizza wasn't horrible, just not good enough to come back for, but give it a try for yourself to see if it is your cup of tea.

They keep raising prices for food. Also they haven't changed location yet. Stop in if you're in the area.

Arinell's on Valencia St (now closed) used to be my favorite NY style pizza and I thought I'd give this location a try. Very disappointing, very average pizza. Way too much bad cheese, not enough tangy sauce. Sad to give this two stars.

I was in need of a quick slice on a work break and I had never had Arinell before so decided to give it a whirl. Here you can order by the slice and have them add toppings as you'd like. I went for just a plain pepperoni. It was an okay slice of pizza. For this price point in this day and age I won't complain. I don't see this being a regular spot for me, but I'd stop back in in a pinch.

Upon arrival they only had cheese pizza that was sitting there for who knows how long so we ordered a fresh new pepperoni pizza. It took about 20 mins to have made so wasnt too bad of a wait. Pizza was ok. The cheese would fall right off of most of the slices that i grabbed so it was kinda messy. Overall i probably would not come back again. Very mid pizza.

Mannn I miss the old Arinell Pizza. This place was boarded up because they are now under new management and staff and the difference is so very clear. Pizza was cut awkwardly and very thin, bread tasted dry and stale and when I asked for extra marinara, I got watered down canned tomato sauce. Horrible pizza, very disappointing.

I haven't been here in a while. This was the closest thing you could find to New York Pizza. Last time I was here a large pie cost $26 now it's 36. I get prices of gone up so I wouldn't complain on this. The pizza was amazing. When I first got the pizza, Home open the box and it looks so good filled the whole box so you definitely getting a better value, but they changed the recipe because the sauce the cheese and the dough was not the same. The dough was so much thicker and dry and lots of flour on the bottom. The sauce is not balanced anymore. It's flavorless besides oregano on the cheese doesn't have the same taste. Very sad as this was such a good place. The staff was amazing though.

Arinell pizza ,,, we went to buy some big pizza for Super Bowl and it certainly was not the same Pizza from a while back. I know they have a new owner and he said he stick to the same recipe, but he certainly didn't do that on Sunday. there was not enough tomato about this pizza I'm so upset. I hope that the owner would go back to the original recipe from the other from previous owner so love this pizza and I was not happy on Sunday something happened. Maybe they had a different cook that day.

The pizza is as close to a perfect New York slice as you will get in the Bay Area. Perfect crisp, not too charred, big, thin, melted cheese. Chefs kiss. The service is good and employees are quick. Has a very nice vibe too.

It's NY-style pizza. It's good if you're into that. I am and to me they do a great job compared to those I've had while living on the East Coast. Just wish they take orders after 6 PM so we can have pizza for dinner as working people... Also half of the time their POS machine isn't working so you have to pay cash. But welp, it's the best NY-style pizza I can find in this area.

I ordered a medium pizza via door dash at 5:30pm and came here around 6:45pm. I came in and no one was at the front. The staff was dancing with music, recording a video, and drinking from a can in the back. Ok...one of them saw me and didn't acknowledge me and continued to just play loud music and dance. After they were done, I told them I was picking up an DoorDash and was just told they never got the order and that there's nothing they could do. They told me It's a computer error. I contacted DoorDash and they cancelled my order and I attempted to order a medium pizza again and I was turned down. It was 7:00pm at this point so I ordered two slices Togo. I felt a vibe that staff just didn't want to be bothered with. The flavor this time was a miss for me, it's not as tomato-y is I like it. I think for how inconvenient it is to drive and park here, i would opt for something else.

Tried this place yet again and honestly I felt that this second time around was worse. They already heated up the pepperoni and mushroom slice that I got and it was basically on that cold tasteless crust. The service was not friendly at all even though there was no one around and I felt let down by this place.

More like what didn't go well! This pizza joint, in the New York City tradition, is arguably the best slice this side of the Tri-State Area. Period.

Some of the best pizza in Berkeley if you like NY style thin crust. They have a thick crust too but I find the thin much better.

As someone who grew up in NYC, I can confirm this is real deal NY style pizza. I'm grateful to have something that reminds me of home available in Berkeley. The accoutrements are also very par for the course - parmesan in a glass shaker on a skinny bar table that is solely meant for you to rest your slice on while you shake cheese and red pepper flakes on top of your food. Unfortunately I don't frequent Arinell's very often for 2 reasons: the price and the ambiance. It's quite expensive for a slice - $5 for a plain cheese - but I would rather they raise the price than drop the quality if those are the only options. I'm not expecting a fancy table service experience when I go to a pizzeria, but it is so dark in there after the sun sets that I feel like I'm meeting someone in a claustrophobic alleyway. Maybe that's on purpose to prevent loitering? Whenever I bring friends, we leave ASAP after finishing our food to get somewhere that feels more comfortable. Overall, Arinell's serves true NY style pizza (take it from a born and raised NYer) and I highly recommend coming here if that's what you're looking for.

Oh my god!! What has happened to Arinell's? This used to be the gold standard for a New York slice in Berkeley, or the entire bay area for that matter. I had no idea it was under new management until I had a slice of pepperoni. I have been eating Arinell's for almost 50 years. Sadly, unless they go back to the what they had, I'll never go back. The pizza was bland, and it's texture was brutal. I can't tell you how disappointing this is. Arinell's was an institution!

We went by on a Sunday afternoon at around 5:30 when it indicated the business was open. Unfortunately, we found the place completely closed and with no sign of anyone anywhere or any indication that they had amended their hours. This is the place that my husband and I had our first date at and we were hoping to pop in for a slice as we made our way through Berkeley. We were lucky enough to bump into a very nice young man who lived just a couple doors down and did indicate that it was open for business just a few days earlier so hopefully it's not closed for good and does not suffer the same fate as their San Francisco location.

My favorite spot, always Fresh pizza. I tried the Sicilian deep dish slice, very good but my favorite is the Neapolitan slice. Always good service, go there and support, best thin slice pizza!

Vegan slices are back! If you want the best $5 slice of vegan pizza in Downtown Berkeley, you have to try Arnell Pizza. Get two if you're hungry. Real New York pizza, right here in Berkeley.

Great quality. First time trying Arinell. "18 pizza pepperoni and 16" medium mushroom. I am impressed. No one complained. Thin pizza. I will buy again.

It's NYC-style pizza alright, emphasis on *style*. To get to full-on NYC pizza, I think their slices need a little more grease, more tomato sauce, and for about $1 cheaper. Not bad though, Arinell's! Z. and I did a pizza tour of Downtown Berkeley and liked Arinell's the best. I got a slice with garlic for $4.50, so prices are on the steeper side. Pizza came piping hot and pretty stiff, not floppy. The crispy crunch of the crust was 80% there, and the slice stayed crispy for the majority of the time. This is a no-nonsense, get-in-get-out joint. Also helps that they were playing some screamo in there ( on a Saturday at 1 pm). Z. and I were the only ones hanging out there for the 10-15 min or so it took us to order, wait, and finish eating. Good to know that ingredients use no MSG and no sugar. Just adding a little more tomato sauce would do the trick for me. We'll be back!

Arinell pizza is a Berkeley staple. Whenever I'm in Berkeley, I make time for pizza. I've been coming to Arinells since I was a kid and now I enjoy it with my daughters. Quality is the same every time, delicious! Customer service is great, I always feel welcomed. The pizza is thin and you can order it extra crispy. Simplicity at its finest! Be patient with parking. There's a parking garage about 1 block away. Otherwise street parking. Keep up the great work Arinells, thank you for the great memories!

Take out orders only since it's SIP I didn't know what to get so opted for the Sicilian style pizza w sausage. It was about a 25 min drive home, and since we like our pizza bubbling hot- I stick this monstrous thing in a 400° oven to warm up. 10 mins. OK alarm went off and were ready!! The sausage is baked under the cheese and they were pretty generous with this. The bottom crust is thick yet crispy, the sauce was very flavorful, and the edges and corner crust is perfectly crunchy. If you like crusts, I hope you get lucky and score the corner piece. We called to place the order and it was ready in about 25 minutes. Really Friendly service. Thank you for staying open during this time.

I love Arinell's pizza. If you like thin crust Nay style pizza gives this place a try. I think Arinells is one of the best NY slices in the Bay Area.

Classic new york style pizza joint. Reasonable prices and pretty good flavor. I really enjoyed the checker board flooring the vintage interior. Apparently the shop has been around for 50 years and is family owned

I was inspired to write this review after seeing arinell's has only 3.6 stars on yelp. Saying Arinell's is only 3.6 stars pizza is like saying Steph Curry is a 3.6 star basketball player. It's an abomination. This is the best New York style slice in the east bay. Highly recommend. Grab a slice, load it up with some oregano, garlic powder, chili flakes and parm and experience the magic.

Consistently very good pizza. I have been going there for the past 16 years. They use good ingredients and they do a great job on both their thin crust and sicilian pizza.

This is not a New York style pizza! I don't even want to call it a pizza. Don't fall for any YouTube advertising like "Best pizzas in Berkeley" and listing them like you need to try them. The only pizza flavors are coming out is oven heated pepperoni. Their Cheese layer is literally Gulag portions ( imaginary). Tomato sauce is sodium concentrate with tomato flavors. They don't even have paper plates. They give you baking wax paper. Skip it

I have no idea what NY Pizza tastes like. However, as a pizza it was great. I got a slice of cheese pizza for $5. I have reduced the rating to 4 stars because the only thing I do know about real NY pizza by slice is that you should be getting it for $1 per slice; at least that's how much a slice of pizza costs in NYC.

Tried grabbing a slice today only to find a new "Closed on Sundays" sign posted. Hours need to be updated on Yelp and on their website.

Service is upgraded much more and is much better environment in there. Loved the people had a great talk and loved the pizza it was delicious. Everything is still the same and the people are great.

The original owner passed away a while ago. Since then, the food, service and customer attention has fallen off a cliff. I hope it turns around. The pizza has begun skimping on sauce, cheese and they don't let the pepperoni crisp. Sad. It's not NY style. It's what a grunge punk rocker would make: "here's the pizza take it or leave it and f off," that's what it has come to

Pizza is great but the service is quite bad. I saw them talk about yelling at a child, and then yell at the parent when they came in. I saw this because I waited 20 minutes for my to go slices; apparently they forgot to put them in, and didn't wonder why I was sitting there.

Best pizza in the Bay Area, period. Nobody else gets the ratios right. Eat it fast, cheese pizza needs to be fresh and hot

Nice NY style pizza - it tastes like what I think of when I think of pizza. Thin crust, red sauce, cheese. Nothing fancy. At $3.50 for a slice, I probably won't come back, but I understand the appeal of a normal slice of pizza, I guess. Tip: Barbarian is nearby and also has thin crust pizza. And more interesting toppings!

they shut down at 4pm and wouldn't serve us. we even said we would wait and they said no... never had that experience with them before and i've came here my entire life....

$5 vegan slices are back with vegan cheeze I recommend adding a topping so it won't be as plain. Try to get the first 2 slices, they tend to be bigger. The workers are nice!

The real deal thankfully still here in downtown Berkeley. God bless Arinell. Good enough for King Kong, good enough for me.

Serves drinks with bugs in it. Then have the gall to deny it and refuse to refund or replace the drink. I used to praise their pizza, but never going back. Because I don't want bugs in my drink.

Good when it's good, but extremely inconsistent. I've had pizzas that were raw when I go them, and I've had pizzas that were crispy on the bottom when I got them. They also get my order wrong about 40% of the time. They are lucky the first pizza I ever got from them was excellent, as I've been chasing that dragon ever since, giving them more business than they deserve.

The best. Legend. Staple. A go to for decades, from skate rat to whatever it is I am now.

Pizza is unreliable and inconsistent, sometimes very good other times inedible. The worst thing is the level of employee they hire, terrible customer service, no manners at all they just grunt at you when they hand you your change no thank you. Been coming here a long time won't be back. It's a shame as the owner is a nice guy.

A medium pizza and 2 drinks came out to $39. A bit steep, but whatever. Service was friendly and timely. The pizza itself had good flavor, but was very wet, which made it difficult to eat. Also, this restaurant does not give you paper plates to eat with, but rather parchment/wax paper, which was interesting.

It's an unwelcoming vibe as are most places nowadays. The guy behind the counter looks miserable. No customer service. My dad used to bring me and my brother here when we were little, it's been years and I wanted to go back to the 90s. The pizza was fine but if you're treated like an annoyance instead of a customer, it doesnt set in well. Of course, some people could care less about the service and just enjoy the slice, and well, this place is for you, pizza wasnt bad.

Terrible food and even worse customer service. Every employee here obviously hates their job.

Great pizza obnoxiously unreliable hours Third time I have tried to go and arrived an hour before close and they still just decided not to be open. So sad when the mission location closed. This one is on its way :(