Rose Pizzeria - Berkeley, California

Max Kay

Heard about them in the news being best pizza in US! Well that's debatable but they can stay in top. Good selection and variety of wines and beers and desserts.
Salads are great! Tomato salad was fresh and refreshing. Pizza was fine but I had better. Dough was crunchy and real pizza bread. Fresh basil in top rather than baking with pizza was a serious touch.
Indoor and cute outside patio in the back.
Ambience is casual relax set. No harm to make a reservation! Staff are welcoming and warm. Good for small group, meetup and kids.

Ken Wong

August 2024:
This place was written up recently as one of the best pizza places in the area. So I had to try it for myself.

We started with the fancy anchovies which came with chips. I enjoy anchovies and these were prepared nicely.

Tried the Old Faithful pizza which came with sausage and spicy goat horn peppers. I prefer pizza with red sauce so this was one of the reasons why I ordered this pizza. I thought the pizza was very tasty. Crust had good flavor. Lots of ingredients evenly distributed across the pizza. Would consider getting this again.

Service was friendly. Thanks for a delicious lunch.

SC

Today was the day of finally making it to the Rose Pizzeria, after all this time this place has been marked as “to go to” on my maps. The atmosphere was simple, perfect for a casual lunch. The menu offered a wide variety of options, including some unique specialty pizzas that caught my eye.

We were short on time, so ordered Old Faithful to-go. It came out deliciously soft, flavorful and just outstanding! The crust was perfectly crisp, and the toppings were fresh and generously applied.

The service was prompt and friendly form the second we came up, without even ordering. From the expected 30 minutes wait time, it was cut to 15, which was presently surprising.

Overall, Rose Pizzeria is a wonderful spot for pizza lovers at downtown Berkeley. I highly recommend it and will definitely be returning to try more of their delicious offerings. Four stars and from what I saw the interior was in need of renovation.

Christina Corfield

Great pizza in lovely digs. Tiny inside but with a lovely calm patio in the back and some seating in front too. Service was fantastic.
Both spicy Cesar salad and sausage pizza were excellent! Tasty chilled red wine too.
We went early on a Friday (4.30) and got a table easily.
You will need to walk from where you park. It's in a busy, tricky neighborhood for parking.

Omri Aronow

A really lovely spot with a welcoming, old-school sit down pizzeria charm. We sat in the back patio which was heated felt moved away from the street.
Service was good and gentle with a very soft-spoken server.
We got the anchovies, burrata with tangerines and mushroom pizza, alongside a couple of glasses of wine.
The anchovy dish was a mix of cured and pickled anchovies with dill and sumac accompanied by potato chips.
The burrata came on a bed of arugula and tangerines (just peeled chucks…I think that making some supremes would have made the dish much nicer) with a side of focaccia. I am glad we got both of those dishes, because for me they complemented each other. The burrata dish was missing some salt, which helped tame the saltiness of the cured anchovies. I also liked that I could use the focaccia from the burrata to sop up the anchovy oil, which I couldn’t really do with the chips.
The mushroom pizza was good, but quite heavy and loaded. Pizza is such a personal preference, but mine is that less is more and I also put a lot of importance on the dough. I prefer a dough that is lighter and gives you a ciabatta-like ring of a crust. Personal preferences aside, it was a very good pie and nicely cooked, yet too much to finish (no complaints about having some leftover for tomorrow).
The price tag also seemed very reasonable for a restaurant outing.

jules kragen

Recent reviews have not changed a thing. Giant beans always delish. 3 white pizzas to choose from, our was rabe set off by a squeeze of lemon. Thin scorched crusts. Great wine list. All served impeccably on a comfortable back patio. Remains the best in Berkeley.

Udo Wahn

Thin crust crisp pizza that I consider NY style. Delicious pepperoni with jalapenos and a few other pizza options. Beer and wine. I recall no wine by the glass, bottle only. Reservations highly recommended. Our go to Pizza place in Berkeley. ?

Davoud Kermaninejad

The hype is real. Got an Old Faithful to go, it was excellent. Maybe not the best pizza I have had in my life but it’s certainly up there. They don’t have a phone so you have to order online or do a walk in, which is reasonable.

Eating there option looks super cute and cozy and they have a decent back patio. Would definitely return another time.