Emilia's Pizzeria

A pizza situation without complications. we picked up our first pizza from here, the "Standard" exactly on time and it was love at first sight when we opened the lid,, we ate most of it on our drive home, discussing the high harmonies & the perfectly neutral crust. it was a 20 minute conversation. on a search for pizza that reminded us of our childhoods, whenever that was; not too acidic; floppy but with a crisp. no one is fighting in this pizza. a sad intermission while finishing the crust then biting into the next slice remembering why you love pizza all over again. by far the best pizza of this type (maybe all types) in the bay. close second (need more tastes) to mother dough in LA (RIP). thank you pizza man.

Had pizza delivered. We had a Pesto Chicken pizza and there version of a supreme. Food arrived hot and was so so tasty. Had plenty of toppings, cheese and sauce. Reasonably priced and convenient. Did not disappoint. (our only issue was we didn't see the tip we left the delivery driver on the receipt he handed us, but it was on the electronic receipt. Really hope driver got his tip.)

Fantastic Italian style pizza! One man and a pizza making station, simple and pure and I love it. Not something you can order on a whim unfortunately but worth planning ahead.

This place is an absolute gem!! Our friend recommended us this place and we finally got around to try it. Make sure if you want to try this place that you order online early! Otherwise you will have to wait a bit to pick up your pizza. We got the Gina Calabrese and it was so delicious. It’s NY style pizza and it looks like there is only one person making all the pizzas so feels very homemade but super tasty! Will be back to try other pizzas.

The pizza tasted good but it was light on ingredients and the chef/owner really had one style-his. Don’t ask for extra Parmesan because it’s already on the pizza and no peppers available. It was good but there are so many better options that I won’t be back.

Keith is legit. A lot of pies this size are overtopped and have too much sauce and cheese. Not here. His balance is perfect. His sauce is sweet, and that’s not to my personal taste but it was still delicious. The dough is the star here. Complex, tangy and subtle hints of sour. Outstanding work. I hope he gets to a point where he can get staff and more space. We need more great pizzaiolos in the bay! I say that as one myself! Great job Keith!

Officially our favorite pizza in Berkeley! One man show. Need to order early starting at 9AM. Each order gets a specific pick up time.

Absolutely incredible pizza. I recently moved here from New Jersey and was told I'd never find NJ/NY pizza but boy were they wrong. The biggest thing to keep in mind is to check their website and call at 4pm to put in your order, it's easy. And they give you an estimated time of when your pizza will be ready (either dine in or take out) and he was spot on with that time. The crust, sauce, cheese, visual, aromas, everything was exactly what I want in a pizza. And btw cash only!

It is cruel to have the best pizza anywhere close and also have the hardest hours and close the most often and so difficult to get. Fantastic pizza if you can get it the 20 minutes a week they're open.

Amazing. For many years, the ordering process required advance planning, but it's now simple enough for spontaneous orders. Perfect every single time.

This is the best NY style Pizza in Berkeley and perhaps the entire Bay Area. As someone from the East Coast it's incredibly hard to find a good slice, but this place nails it each and every time. It's takeout so no ambiance, service is quick and easy. He has a system, it works, the food is excellent quality. Everyone should try this place even if it's just once. You just need to decide in the morning that you want pizza for dinner and order online since that's the system.

I ordered the standard pie. This pie definitely has fresh ingredients, like fresh, but very simple tomato sauce. For my taste, this pizza is nothing amazing, very forgettable. It just lacked so much flavor, mostly because of the fresh mozzarella, I didn't know that the mozzarella would be fresh mozzarella as opposed to regular "dry". It's pretty cool how light and airy it is, but it is entirely lacking that proper crisp. Also, $30 ain't cheap.

Their pizza was very solid, but not outstanding in any manner. The service was prompt given the strict pickup rules, and overall I have no complaints here.

Well. I had heard all of the hype and after watching Netflix's Chef's Table: Pizza for the last few days I was craving some pizza so decided to pull the trigger. The ordering process is... odd. It seems like a form from 1999 and not in a cool way. I understand not wanting to pay for Toast or whatever other systems are out there these days but this was just plain bad. Saying that, I physically watched the pizza cook remove the pizza from the oven and box it so it was fresh exactly at my scheduled pickup time which was great. The pizza. I immediately noticed upon picking up my box how light the pizza felt. This is an 18" pie. I imagined it would feel slightly heavy. Upon further investigation I understood why. There was a minimalist aspect to the toppings. A thin layer of sauce, sparse amounts of cheese and a few pepperonis scattered around the pie. The crust was phenomenal, a crispy undercarriage and chewy center that is best enjoyed hot. Although I did wonder how much the sparse toppings attributed to the pizza not having any flop. All in all it wasn't a BAD pizza, but I wouldn't say it was a GREAT pizza either. For $36 I was expecting a little more. I'll probably be sticking with Pollara or Rose the next time I have a hankering for pizza.

Great pizza! The crust is done perfectly, light and fluffy while also being flavorful. This pizza is more on the lighter side in terms of topping and crust so if you like a lot of cheese or grease then this style might not be for you. But if you are someone that enjoys eating pizza everyday and don't want to feel sick doing so, this is the place.

Great pizza, archaic system, pizza came out of the oven exactly at pickup time (gotta love NY efficiency) - so overall not too inconvenient and worth the try! -Gina Calabrese was yummy. Nice thin crust and tasty toppings. Personally I would've preferred more sauce and spiciness -I used the callback option - I filled out the form at 8:55am, waited until 9:01am for it to refresh, and there were many time options. Callback came between 3:30-4pm -Best of all was that the pizza came out of the oven right at my pickup time. So don't come too early or too late :) -Don't forget it is cash only -Only minus one star to be honest with myself - it was a good pizza but not a pizza I'd crave to go back to I recommend you try it!

I love a great thin slice pizza, and this place does not disappoint! I got the Gina calabrese, and it was frickin amazing! - Crust: it has that slightly black char, with such an amazing sourdough-like chew. - Ingredients: fresh and very flavorful - Cheese: fresh, flavorful, and break down nicely without the need for excessive chewing. - red peppers: They actually have great flavor, not just the spice, and they're uniquely ground down to a powder. This is brilliant because it imparts more flavor, and you don't have to worry about getting red pepper pieces stuck in your teeth. Reheatability: No joke, this pizza tastes as good or better after being reheated in the oven.

Amidst the East Bay's (surprisingly) standout pizza scene (Rose, Pizzaiolo, Lucia, Cheeseboard) Emilia's stands out. Evoking New York's finest, the pizza is low frills (with limited toppings) and makes its impression through the quality of its ingredients. The dough and the sauce particularly stand out. The former is chewy - like a Neapolitan - but with more resistance. There is enough of a underbelly char that the pizza has a slight crisp, yet it's not brittle or hard like a cracker. The sauce is tangy and fresh, I wish I knew which tomatoes they use! There is the perfect amount of cheese: you taste it's presence, yet the takeout box dodged the typical oil stains. My buddy and I felt limber and light after splitting this pizza! (That's not to say we weren't satiated, but just not utterly defeated). We got the Calabrian hot sauce, which was fantastic and simple. I do wish there was more basil, but that's just a personal preference, not a sine qua non. I would recommend this place highly!

The ordering is incredibly confusing, but I was still able to navigate and my pizza was literally ready at the time I went to pick it up. Best NY slice I've had outside of NYC!

Still the best pizza I've had in the Bay. Yea, I've tried most of the spots on most of the lists, including from the IG pizza "experts," and most are whatever. Your pizza was cold after 6 minutes? Try Papa John's. Emilia's isn't meant to sit, especially in some pizza heater. Not enough toppings? There's always Round Table. You missed the point here. Ordering system is old school? You might like Domino's--pairs well with Corporate Memphis and no sense of humor. Or if you really want an ~artisanal~ pie that shreds your mouth with shards of crust as sharp as glass and as dry as cardboard, then sure, stick to Rose Pizzeria.

Waited a while to try this pizza but did not disappoint! Perfect cracker undercarriage- One of the best pizzas I've had! The sauce is amazing- You can tell their is a level of expertise and craft in the making of this pizza :)

Literally the best pizza in the Bay. I haven't written a review til now cuz I wanted to keep it hidden, but I also want him to stay in business. So, pizza lovers who haven't yet been blessed with a pie from Keith: hit up the website now! You're welcome in advance :)

If you are looking for the best pizza in bay or perhaps even in the country, this is it. Definitely worth waking up at 9. Even if you are ordering a few minutes late, that's fine as you should still see slots available past 7 PM. We got the hot honey pizza, pick up was very quick, there is no seating area there. There are a few places few blocks away where you can sit and enjoy it too. The size of the pizza was a normal large size too and the crust, toppings, taste, everything was perfect.

Delicious pizzas! The new online system is definitely easier to manage than the previous one. Best of Berkeley and with one bite, transports me to NY. The guy running the show is brief but always cordial. Consistently great pizza!

My old boss told me I had to try this place! Well, I finally was able to and had the pepperoni pizza with hot honey. I placed the order on the website and it was made ready and popped out of the oven at the exact time it was scheduled for. It was flavorful, but light. Just the right amount of honey. I'd definitely grab this again but am keen to try some other toppings next time. Glad this is just a quick two minute drive from my house!

Where do I even begin. I just went to New York and tried all the recommendations: Scarrs, Joes, Lucali. Honestly they don't even come close to Emilia's. The flavors of the cheese, sauce, toppings, the crispness of the crust, the balance of the char on the dough -- it's all simply perfection. Do yourself a favor and try the hot honey with whatever other toppings you love, it's impossible to be disappointed with this pie. The only negative I can think of is that Emilia's effectively ruined all other pizza for me.

I was really looking forward to trying this place after reading a few reviewers declaring this was the best pizza they've ever had. Unfortunately, Emilia's didn't live up to the hype. Firstly, I never experienced a more complicated ordering system. Online ordering opens at 9 am. I advise logging on precisely at 9 am, as I waited until 9:45 on my first attempt and they were completely sold out for the day by then. On my second attempt, I logged on exactly at 9, was placed in a que, and was able to submit an order by 9:15. Emelia's will then call you back in the afternoon between 3:30 - 4, where you tell them what specifically you want to order and then they give you a pick-up time, which is not really flexible. They told me 8:20 pm pick-up. Great. I understand it is a one-man show, and that is part of this place's appeal, but all the hoops and jumps to place an order weren't worth the trouble for me. It is also pretty pricey at around $30 for a pie with toppings. Cash-only (you can't pay by credit card online). Taste-wise, it was solid, quality New York style pizza. But I wouldn't say it was the best pizza I've ever had (or the best NY pizza I've had). It's good. But for all the trouble it was to get a pizza, it better be pretty epic.

Best pizza in the Bay. He does things his way, from how you place your order to how pick-up works, but it's so worth it. There's no dine-in; you place your order in advance on the website and pick it up at the scheduled time slot. I almost don't want to post because I don't want it to become swarmed every night, but everyone deserves pizza this good.

Simply put, Amazing pizza! The first time I called they told me it would be a 4 your wait for a pizza which threw me off completely. After learning the process I called back a month later and only had a 3 hour wait time. Was it worth the wait? Absolutely. I ordered a custom pizza with pepperoni, mushrooms, sausage and calabrian chilies. I have to say my faves were the mushrooms and pepperoni although everything was great. The crust is soft and chewy, the sauce is not overpowering so you can enjoy each flavor, the pepperoni had the perfect level of crispness and a little spice, mushrooms were sauteed and juicy, I do with their were a little more chilies but i like spicy so i may be over picky. All in all I love the place and will definitely return. Fortunately I plan my meals hours in advance which is why it gets 4 as opposed to 5 stars. They could make quadruple the money if they had a bigger operation but what are you gonna do? Can't knock them for doing it their way, in the words of Sinatra!

One of the very, very few that gets the salt/sugar balance just right. This guy has really gotten the whole thing right.

12 years since my first visit, and still the best pizza I've had in CA, on par with some of the finest in NY. Moreover, it's still a one man show, though you can now make a reservation and pay online, making it feel a bit less like a pizza speakeasy. Truly a one-of-a-kind NorCal gem!

Perfect pizza - or it would have been. I woke up in the morning craving pizza - can ya believe it? I know. So I thought this is finally the day. I get up and load the alarm for 8:50 and I place an order by 9:03 (currently the system opens 8:55 and it takes a few minutes to finalize the order). I make sure I'm on time, but I was 3 minutes late because of an traffic accident clearing at the intersection. I got home within 6 minutes but pizza was cold. Great quality toppings, perfectly risen dough and bubbly crust, mice underbelly char (not burnt). It's a piece of true art. But the pizza was cold. I think made the mistake of selecting a pick-up time that's too early - I could be wrong about this, but I figure if you choose a later time maybe you get a pizza right out of the oven. Regardless, maybe a designated oven to keep the pizza warm might be nice - but I'm not the pizza-maker. Calabria pizza came out to just under $40 after the tip, size is plenty and justifies the price. I just wish the pizza was at least warm. I can only imagine.

There is something about a simple, perfect pizza that is so special. This is that. You may be intimidated by the ordering process, but don't be, after your first time, you will feel like you won the lottery, and then with each additional time you will realize they use this system because Emilia's Pizzeria is truly a one-man show and this system works. Use the callback system on their website -- you submit that you want to place an order for X pizzas and they will call you back later that afternoon to confirm the order. Done! This is simple, delicious Neopolitan pizza. The crust is just the right thickness, the sauce is simple, the cheese delicious and the toppings are nothing crazy, but exactly what you want. We usually get one Standard (like a margarita) and one speciality or custom. This time it was theO.G., which is a Standard pie plus sausage & red onion. YUM!

Finally, some solid NY-style pizza in the SF Bay Area. The process to get a pie may seem like a lot of effort and more complicated as compared to other places, but it's actually straight forward and just takes some planning. Around 10AM the day we wanted to pick up, I submitted the online form on their website to get a call back (pro-tip). Around 330PM, we received a call from the owner to place our order. We wanted a half and half which if you try and add-up using the costs on the site didn't add up to what we paid, but I don't think it's worth sweating about, especially if you want something custom; 1/2 Gina Calabrese and 1/2 Veggie (+ Spicy Calabrian Chilies, which had to be on the entire pie, not 1/2) was $30 including tax. Available pick up time was pretty close to what we asked. We showed up, paid, and took it home. Now, the good stuff - the pizza itself. My favorite aspect of these slices are the crust. Super thin, well cooked, crisp bottom crust providing the ability to do a proper NY fold; the thicker part of the crust has good airiness and chew. The toppings aren't overwhelming, weighing down the slice but a good ratio with the thinness of the crust. Get on it!

I am a pizza snob who avidly follows the one bite channel. Would love for them to visit this location as I am confident he'd rate it an 8 or higher. Hands down the best authentic ny pizza I've had on the west coast and it isn't even close. Absolutely worth the drive if needed, make sure to order online earlier in the day to save your pie.

Call in your order early and get it to-go! Quality pizza but no ambience. CASH ONLY! Doesn't look like much from the outside, but is up there with my favorite pizzas in Berkeley. New York style slices (thin but large slices that you fold in half to eat by hand) with a soft, wood-fired crust and quality ingredients. They are a one-chef operated kitchen that take orders until they run out. Quirky setting on a busy intersection (Shattuck) with limited seating available. It is a casual and tight space, so I'd recommend placing an order by phone and taking the pizza to-go rather then trying to squeeze a seat inside. All that being said, they have quality pizzas and I would definitely order from them again. We had the Hoboken and there were no leftovers ;) Looking forward to trying more of their pizzas soon!

So, this is not New York pizza; unless we are using "New York" to mean really good pizza, which it is. This pizza is real good, y'all. The sauce is bright and tastes like San marzanos to me. The cheese is fresh and spread evenly. The crust is light, thin, and airy. It's got a real Neapolitan style to it. One pizza feeds 2-3 people. I ate half and was sad to stop. Now, I'm feeling my organs adjust. I got the Mike's hot honey, which was sweetened perfectly.

Look no further if you're itching for some authentic, Italian-style pizza. I hail from central Jersey and grew up eating good pizza from local Italian pizzerias for high school lunches or pre-sports games snacks, so sniffing out delicious pizza is what I do. Emilia's is a solid choice! The pie dough is thin and soft, and actually delicious just to eat by itself. This was rather necessary because the tomato sauce layer was thin and the cheese at times sparse such that one is left to nibble at dough for some bites. However, there are these great melted dollops of creamy mozz on parts of the pie, which add a lot of flavor and deliciousness. I don't think these pies are actually worth the ~$30 or so (including tip), but hey--if you're looking for authentic Italian pizza (not the thick, hard, flatbread-style pizza pies), at least you've found the right place. Logistics-wise, Z. ordered online at 9:30 (we got the callback at 3:40 or so, only to find out that the O.G. (onion and sausage) was sold out because the sausages were out.) We opted for the onion + pepperoni topping instead which was totally good with us. If you are looking for a specific order, seems like ordering at exactly 9 am is the way go (evidently, ~75% of all their orders are made between 9-9:01 am.)

Dear Emilia's owner, I cannot express how much happiness your pizza brings me. It is incredible. The ingredients always taste fresh and in perfect ratios, the dough is flavorful with a beautifully pillowy texture yet thin height and crispy base. I cannot stop coming back here, and I can say honestly it is my favorite pizza place in the Bay. Coming to Emilia's on weekday evenings is a highlight of my day, and lifts my spirits no matter the troubles and stresses of the week. Thank you all of the joy you bring!

Just deal with his ordering system. It's worth it. I've been a regular customer for 12 years, and you just get used to it because no pizza is better than Emilia's.

Don't go here. I want to be able to still get a pizza without competing with the entire Bay Area. Highest quality pizza I've ever had. Kudos.

Pretty good NY style pizza - light thin crust & fresh ingredients. I took two stars off for the hair cooked into the dough.

Of all the food businesses in the Bay Area Emilia's has probably changed the least in terms of operations - it's trucking along as before and turning out the finest pizzas in the East Bay, and possibly the whole region. But it's the same setup as pre-COVID - order, pick up, take home and inhale that za. But in order to get your hands on one of these marvelous pies you'll have to jump through some hoops first. Emilia's is only open Wednesday to Saturday, and only in the evening. To place an order you call and order and are given a time of pickup. Reservation calls start at 4pm, but you are highly advised to sign up early on the website - I got through at just after 4pm and the earliest slot was 9:10pm. It was worth the wait. Emilia's combines a great thin-crust pizza base, with a slightly puffy rim, with a roughly 18-inch pie. The chef uses a mix of cheeses and an amazing tomato sauce, and has five pre-set pizza types, or you can build your own, with a maximum of four toppings. My better half is a New Jersey girl (aka massive pizza snob :) and will never touch a West Coast pizza but was seduced by an Emilia's. It's also good enough that I cheerfully can leave a slice in the fridge and have it for breakfast the next morning, since good cold pizza is the food of the gods.

Among the best pizza I have ever had ... right up there with Lucalis in Brooklyn (I was there 4 months ago). One of My top 3 pizza places in America. NYC style pie. Airy, yet crispy crust with the nyc flop.

Good- the site is confusing, you have to click into it to select a time to pick up your pizza (not just refresh the front page like I did for several days). Crust is very good, just wish there was more tomato sauce. Pizza was ready exactly at the expected time- lots of metered parking right in front so picking up was not at an issue.

I'm not from NY but the pizza seems to be on par with the Italian style thin crust. The pizzeria is a one man shop, available til the guy runs out. We didn't have an issue with the ordering process because we planned ahead. It's definitely not a pizza to order on a whim at 8pm on a Friday. I kinda like this business model, anyways. Very artisan. Anyways...onto the pizza. We got the veggie pizza. Very, very good crust and perhaps the best part of the pizza. It's chewy, light, and absolutely perfect. My only critique is that I wish the pizza had a tad bit more toppings and sauce. However, the best pizzas are always the simplest. And if you can appreciate that, you'll love this pizza. The flavor is on point, tomatoes taste high quality and everything is fresh. Not greasy at all. You can literally eat the whole thing split between two people in one sitting because it's not heavy and you just keep wanting more. 5 stars because anything lower would be a disservice to this pizza guru.

The pizza is great. His method for ordering a pizza is not. I have had nothing but respect for this guy, but I am not one to think about ordering my dinner at 9am, hoping for a confirmation or a call back in the afternoon. This takes food too seriously and ruins it. Cheeseboard? Sure Goia? F yeah (and get any of their salads) Zacharys's? Can't go wrong with deep dish or thin. Emilia's? Too many hoops

Yeah this place is a pain to get... Yeah it takes forever and sometime your pick up time is 5 hours from when you call.... But DANG the pizza is good!!! One guy working whipping up the most fire pizza around. Fresh ingredients and perfect balance. The fresh sauce is what makes it. Super happy I finally got to try this place after always reading the stellar reviews. I recommend getting the Standard which is only cheese. It's a classic and lets you experience the true flavors. 5 stars... 8.7 on El prez scale If you order takeout have a slice right when you get it on the street. Nothing like having it super hot right out the oven.

I am logging on to Yelp for the first time in about a decade (I'm one of those old hags) to leave this review. This pizza, or getting this pizza, makes me bang my head against the wall in tears of frustration and ecstasy. I suppose in the context of insufferable Bay Area foodie "regulars" (like that awful dude who made Yume sushi shut its doors because he loved to manspread his arms across his date and the whole bar and scream, "I'm a regular, right Hideki? I'll take the oh-mah-kah-saayyy!"), I'll go ahead and say that I've been enjoying Emilia's pizza since it opened, and one of my go-to party jokes is actually kinda like how Yume kept diminishing the maximum party size you can bring ("Next time just two ... next time just one ... next time don't come at all.") The party joke goes, since the advent of the ordering website: You used to be able to call up and get a pizza here. Then there was this era when you'd call around 5 pm and get told that the only available slot is 9:30 pm. Then that moved to 4 pm. There was a good year or two when no matter what time I'd call, I wouldn't be able to order a pizza for any time before 8 pm. It was like calling Tumbleweed on KALX for concert tickets. I'd call, get a busy signal, hang up, and have a mock conversation out loud to myself about picking up the phone, ordering a pizza, confirming, hanging up, then back in real life I'd redial and bingo, connected. Then came the website. This was before the chart of success. In the beginning, I'd still just wait until 4 pm to to call. After about a year with no pizza, I finally decided to set a damn alarm for 8:59 am exactly so I can run to my computer and order. Kinda like that time in 2003 when tickets for the 2008 Beijing Olympics opened, I clicked the minute they were released, and they were already sold out. Then 9 am begat a 20% success rate. So if you click between 8:55 am and 8:59 am you might be lucky enough to get in the queue. But then, is the system going to refresh? Oh shit, I'm in Firefox incognito, it might not work. Shit, I blinked, now I'm timed out and have to start all over. And they're all out! Nowadays I get on at exactly 8:54 am, finger and eyes twitching. I have cursed with my fist to the sky, "DAMN YOU KEITH! You bastard! Why do you make such good pizza?! I hate you! You're totally cackling rubbing your hands together aren't you!" Recently, I successfully got only my second pizza in about a year and a half of trying. This is like torture. The world shouldn't be this way. And I keep coming back. And I'm not one of those people who would stand in line for 4 hours at Luca in Brooklyn for a single calzone in a paper bag. I often scream out the window at 51st and Shattuck at the ghosts of the fools who would take a several hour work from home break on a Tuesday to stand in line with all the other damn hipsters just to get a Bakesale Betty's piece of chicken and sticky strawberry shortcake. Not worth it. Nothing's that worth it. But here I am, validating this frustration for this damn pizza. I really truly mean this: Keith, you should have designed the COVID-19 vaccination websites for all of America, or at least California. You would have made order out of this shite. You are a master at reshuffling the chaos of the public's impulsive behavior and getting them to grudgingly fall in line. You win. Your pizza is the best I've ever had in my life.

Emelia's pizza has a good taste and fresh ingredients. It also doesn't have a lot of toppings. It's good pizza, but there are better places nearby, hence the four stars.

The best I've had. I'm from NY and I have a pizza tattoo on my leg - you can say I love pizza. Despite the interesting order system, it's well worth it. Incredibly flavor, texture, right balance of sauce and cheese - perfection. Can't wait to try some more pies.

Probably one of the best pizzas out in the Bay Area. They use Bianco di Napoli which is the best. The dough is truly the star though, super soft, but crispy on the bottom. Though the sausage was much better than the pepperoni.

This is the only spot in the Bay Area that has good quality pizza! We have lived in nj, nyc, boston, and chicago and have come to appreciate the pizza within each city. However, when we moved to the Bay Area, we gave up on pizza entirely! We could not find a single spot that would provide a decent thin nyc style with fluffy crust. Emilia's is excellent! I would describe it as a combination of nyc style because of the pillowy crust with the darkened char of a new haven wood fired pizza. It also has the feel of a neopolitan style pizza due to the drizzle of evoo, basil and the style of cheese and sauce (fresh slices of mozzarella spread amongst the traditional shredded cheese). The sauce is not too tangy or sweet (if there were an area to improve it would be on the sauce but that is only because I like a tangy sauce). Overall, this is the best pizza we've had in the Bay Area and probably the only spot we'll order from! Really enjoyed it and look forward to trying other toppings!

What can I say, the online callback system to get a timeslot just to get a phone call from Keith to order a pizza was a bit crazy. It was perhaps is a reflection of the owner who felt a bit eccentric, tucked away on his own in a small space in Berkeley. Keith knows his pizza and that's all that matters. The place seems to have a cult like following hence the callback system as one person can only make so many pizzas. An incredible crust and balance of flavors, a truly enjoyable experience. Be sure to order by 9am if you want your order before 7pm! Thanks Keith for bringing New York to the Bay Area.

4.5 stars. Not the most legendary, but for East Coast style pie, it lives up. If you're an East Coaster, and when I say East Coaster, I really mean northeasterner, the pizza scene out here is eh to fine. Yeah, you have the likes of Cheeseboard, but we don't consider that pizza, more like a flatbread. Yeah, you have delicious neopolitan pies like Lucia's, but again, sometimes you just want a regular pie. Nick's has been our go-to, with their California twist, and we still got love for it, but Emilia's hits it home. Emilia's has been on my radar since moving to Berkeley a few years ago. Mystery calls and wait-times, weird hours, these legendary Yelp reviews... We finally got our sh*t together, and called at 4pm. We had to call a few times to get through and the earliest pick up was 6pm. It's one dude. He picks up the phone, he makes the pizza, he takes your money. He's listening to the Yankee's, he's not trying to get to know you, but he's making some good NY style 'za. For the most part, Emilia's lives up to the hype and wins the best traditional style pie I've had while living it up in Cali. We went with the regular and the Gina Calabrese and it was so delicious. Nice crust, although a little chewy at the end, great toppings - not overloaded with cheese or sauce, letting that salty sopressata really shine thru. $20 for a regular pie and $26 for the meat. They really only do a few different toppings, so if you're looking for a Hawaiian, or goat cheese and corn, this isn't the spot for you.

Emilia's Pizzeria is worth the slightly cumbersome set-up. It's one of those places you always pass by while living in Berkeley and wonder "who eats here?" People with great tastebuds and patience, that's who!! You call the number listed on the website after 4pm, place your order, and get a pick-up time depending on how many other people are ordering. I used the same day call-back function on the website, which was super convenient and something I'd recommend others doing! You indicate your contact info and your preferred timeslot, and wait for the call. The website says that you'll be called back after 3:45pm and I was called at 3:46. Despite the speedy call-back, my pick-up time was for 7:40 pm. Since I ordered on a Friday, that might have been why! Got to Emilia's at 7:35 - plenty of street parking and when we got to the store, Keith was putting our Hoboken pizza right in the oven. He's a chill guy and the restaurant, albeit small, has cool memorabilia. Hoboken pizza ended up being $30 (cash only, heads-up) and Emilia's also offers drinks, such as San Pellegrino and soda. The pizza was HUGE - definitely enough for 2-3 people. You can taste the high-quality ingredients and the dough and crust were amazing. Super chewy, yet not overdone. The sausage was also fantastic. Overall, a bit pricey to make a regular habit, but definitely worth trying out!

What is all the hype? It's mostly dough. Bay Area people, please stop overrating establishments.