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Gioia Pizzeria (Pizza cuisine)  $

 8.75
JaT Rating

1586 Hopkins Street, Berkeley, 94707  (Directions)


510.528.4692


Website  Menu  vCard

            
Classic NY City Style pizzeria serving up pizza by the slice or full pies.


Reviewer: Jason
Total Reviews: 1005
Reviewed: 6/11/2005
Rating: 8
My photo gallery 		Sitting on my list for awhile now, it was time to make a visit to Berkeley for some cheap and tasty food. 1st of the list was Gioia Pizzeria for some NY slice pizza. There are a couple of things I look for when it comes to NY style slices; firm crust, super thin, and equal mixture of toppings, cheese, sauce, and crust.

sauce - I liked it a lot. Wasnt acidic tasting, very smooth and filled with palatable spices and herbs. I think this rates better than my favorite south bay NY slice pizza place Vitos.

cheese - good mixture, not overwhelming where I had trouble tasting the sauce or my toppings.

toppings - I got pepperoni, I kinda like my pepperoni cooked well done with the tops a tad burnt. It was still good though

crust - thin crust and disappointed with a thin slice, how could they undercook it? Towards the middle of the crust was nearly raw dough. I couldnt hold it horizontal without it flopping down. It failed my crust test. It didnt crack either when I folded it down the center. The crust itself when cooked properly is very tasty indeed. I even ate the end of the crust which is a true test to see if I like it.

Gioia Pizzeria is a good NY slice but when it comes to NY slices, the crust is one of the most important parts to me. I like a firm crust and the dough needs to be thoroughly cooked. If they would have left the pizza in for a little bit longer, this slice has potential to be with the ranks of Arinell.
 


Reviewer: Terry
Total Reviews: 735
Reviewed: 6/11/2005
Rating: 9.5
My photo gallery 		I had no idea about this place. Had never heard of it. Jason had wanted to go so I was not one to argue with a New York slice.

We get to Gioia and its in a really nice location, almost half residential, half commercial area. Nice shade trees, a good amount of people watching to be done. The place was pretty busy.

All of this means nothing unless you have good pizza. They had a few pies sitting in the glass display, set to be cut up into slices. I opted for a slice of the Cheese and waited. The lady behind the counter stuck it in the oven where it sat for an interminable amount of time. When it was finally ready she brought it over to me, I paid, and sat at the counter. I then proceeded to burn the roof of my mouth. Thats just wrong. But let me get to the food review.

The pizza was among the best I have ever had, in NYC City or beyond. I lived in New York for a solid 3 years and tried a variety of slices there, and for my money, Gioia's stacks up nicely against all comers. The crust tasted just right, had an almost cracker texture. You could literally crack the crust. Unlike Jasons pepperoni, my cheese slice was not oily at all in the crust. The sauce was a very tomato-y flavor. You could tell the ingredients were as fresh as can be. It wasn't exactly 100% legit NYC style, but DAMN close. The cheese was equally top-notch and highly flavorful without resorting to grease.

So for my Bay Area NY-style pizza money, I am thinking its neck and neck with Arinell and Gioia. I was not expecting much from the place, and it delivered SOLIDLY. If I wasn't going to review another 2-3 places this evening, I would have had another 2-3 slices it was so perfect.

I want to go back, and am itching to award a 10 here if it lives up to it. Way to go Gioia.
 
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