Gioia Pizzeria: Better than Cheeseboard?

This photo seriously does not do Gioia's delicious spinach and red pepper flake pizza justice.

Is there a pizza place in Berkeley better than Cheeseboard? To answer ‘yes’ to this question is almost blasphemous: Berkeley residents (myself included) unanimously adore Cheeseboard and its truly delicious pizza. But my visit to Gioia’s Pizzeria left me feeling far less confident about where to find the best pizza in town. Though it is difficult to say for sure which takes first place, Gioia’s hole-in-the-wall charm along with the perfect crust on its delicious New York style pizza has won my heart and quite possibly my loyalty.

             I made my visit to Gioia’s Pizzeria a few weeks ago, before my little food poisoning debacle. Ben and I arrived there at 7:15 p.m., about 45 minutes before they closed for the evening and about 30 minutes after driving around aimlessly, trying to find the place. (We eventually discovered that it is right across the street from Monterey Market, a place we visit frequently). My driving frustrations began to melt away as we approached Gioia’s beautiful brick exterior and detected the scent of freshly baked pizza coming from inside the delightfully small pizzeria. Since we arrived so close to closing time, their selection was somewhat limited, but I was still able to order the flavor I wanted: spinach with red pepper flakes. To drink, I ordered the appealing looking reddish-pink beverage that I saw behind the counter, which turned out to be strawberry lemonade.

            When I first picked up my slice, I was slightly disappointed at how floppy it was; I felt like I couldn’t get a good hold on it. But when I did manage to take that first bite, the pizza’s limpness seemed a trivial matter. Ah, it was wonderful! I am a sucker for spinach on pizza and the red pepper flakes gave it a snappy little kick. The best part about the pizza, though, was its crust, which tasted (for lack of a better word) real. Unlike some pizza crusts that just exist for the purpose of having something on which to put the pizza toppings, Gioia's thin and crispy crust had a life of its own, complete with lovely little air bubbles that were burnt in the most delicious way.

Gioia's beautiful exterior. Credit: 2008 Foodnut.com

In terms of tastiness, Gioia’s homemade strawberry lemonade kept up with its pizza counterpart. Every sip came with an abundance of tiny, tasty strawberry seeds, a testament to its authenticity. It was a tart and tangy supplement to the meal that brought it to the next level of deliciousness.

Overall, I loved my experience at Gioia’s Pizzeria. My only complaint, if it can even be called that, was that it was so light and delicious that I could have had at least one or two more slices (which is a lot for me). Sadly, their prices and the fact that their selection was waning prevented me from indulging myself in a few more slices, but the discovery of a potential new favorite pizza joint in Berkeley was fulfillment enough for me.