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. 

The Cheese Board Collective/Berkeley’s Off the Grid: An Old Favorite and a New Encounter

The Cheese Board Pizza Collective.

A few nights ago, I went to The Cheese Board Collective to get pizza for dinner with a few friends. Located in the heart of the Gourmet Ghetto, right across the street from Chez Panisse, Cheese Board lives up to the reputation of the neighborhood and is a local favorite for pizza. Despite the long lines, the lack of seating, the fact that they only have one type of pizza per day and it most definitely won't have tomato sauce on it, Cheese Board leaves me with nothing to complain about. (Which is kind of amazing considering how much I like to complain). In fact, these things are what make Cheese Board charming. Yes, the lines are always out the door and frequently around the block, but, if you've been there before, you’re too giddy with anticipation to notice. Plus, the line moves fast and you get to listen to live jazz music as you wait. And yes, it can be hard to find a seat in the place, but there are always alternatives. If it is a sunny day, there’s always the median divider across the street, which has nice little patches of grass that provide a pleasant seating area for many eaters. If it’s not so sunny, you can always take it home. The choice in pizza and the lack of tomato sauce…well, frankly, you just don't miss it. Their ingredients are fresh and their flavor combinations impeccable. They rarely make a pizza that I don’t love. (And besides, they post their menu for the week on their website, so you can always plan ahead if you’re picky.)

Pizza. Orangina. Salad.

            The night I went they were serving a pizza with Roma tomatoes, red onions, fresh Asiago cheese, Mozzarella, fresh herbs and garlic olive oil. I got myself a slice, which, in typical Cheeseboard fashion, came with an extra mini-slice. As expected, the pizza was simple, fresh and tasty, just the way I like it. I also got a salad, which they change daily as well. Their salads are generally hit or miss, and unfortunately, this particular salad was a miss for me. It was something like garden lettuce with cucumber, currants and some form of fancy dressing. It sounded a lot better than it tasted, for me anyways. And to drink, I got an Orangina, which was a refreshing accompaniment to the pizza, as always. Overall, it was very typical of my experience at Cheese Board, a place I consider to be a sure bet when it comes to enjoying the food and the vibe.


             But  if I said that this trip to Cheese Board was totally typical, I'd be lying. In fact, it included an unexpected culinary discovery. On our way there, we noticed that there was a crowd of people and a bunch of food trucks on Rose (where the farmers market is usually held on Thursday nights). I kept it in mind as I was eating my delicious pizza. When someone brought it up at dinner, I mentioned I wanted to try to have dessert there, and one of my friends mentioned that there was a cupcake food truck. So, I knew exactly where to go. After dinner, we roamed around this little street food fest, and I almost lamented not trying it out for dinner. But I was satisfied with my Mexican hot chocolate cupcake from a street vendor called Cupkates. It was surreally spicy, in a good way, and the frosting served a dual purpose of being delicious and soothing at once. I had gotten a taste of the street food fest.

My cupcake and I.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcake. Spicy!

            But, I returned home wanting more information about this mysterious food truck gathering. It turns out, I had just attended a recently established weekly street food event on Wednesday from 5-9 pm, put on by a SF-based organization called Off the Grid. According to some of my reading, this new tradition may mark a turning point in the city of Berkeley’s attitude towards mobile street food, which had previously made the costs high and the red tape plentiful for food trucks to establish their businesses. 

            Hopefully, Off the Grid is a sign of things to come for street food in Berkeley, as I rather enjoyed this new encounter. And, after paying my respects to an old favorite like Cheese Board, what better way to balance my night than by trying something new.