Finding great pizza in the Bay Area isn't easy. There are a few spots worth calling "good," but they usually come at a steep price. Back east, where I'm from, we judge a pie by three things: the crust, the sauce, and the quality of the mozzarella. Get those right, and everything else falls into place. Pazzo nails all three and it's the closest I've found to an authentic East Coast slice, and I've tried plenty of contenders on Laurel street. My personal test is the crunch: can you pick up a slice without it folding and the toppings sliding off? Too many places fail this, but Pazzo's crust holds up every time. The meatballs are excellent too. Service has been consistently good on every visit, and the ambiance feels genuinely authentic, the place is usually buzzing, which only adds to the experience. read more

Very much one of the locals only, if you know you know kinda places. The vibe is NYC burrow. Families and friends talking and laughing. Very loud. Nobody was on their phones. Refreshing to see. The outdoor patio was Suss and needed some TLC. Packed at 530 on a Friday night. We were seated promptly, never felt like they were trying to turn tops. Service was pretty generic and non descript. Staff works really hard. Young college/high school kids. Started with the focaccia. What a treat. I only wish it was warm. Shared the sausage mushroom pizza. The Mushrooms seemed like an afterthought. Pizza was lacking toppings. Kitchen was slammed. The sauce seemed off. There is so much GREAT Pizza on the mid Penn. Will give it 1 more shot and will try the other location soon. It was a pleasant experience but we were Just not blown away. We wanted to be. read more

After hearing about Pazzo and the rave reviews my son and I decided to check it out ourselves. To avoid the crowds we arrived a little past four, the opening time. There were already several persons at the tables. We ordered the Margarita pizza, beet and arugola salad, and arancini. I would like to say that it met our expectations, but sadly we were not impressed. While the pizza had a nice crispy thin crust, the meager topping lacked flavor and was on the dry side. The beet salad could have more beers and dressing, and the arancini were on the bland side. i'm glad we tried the restaurant and I don't know what all the hoopla is about.. PS: Pazzo means crazy in italian . read more

Expectations is high coming here due to the recent episode on Check Please. We ordered the Cavatelli pasta ($22) and Special pizza of the day ($30) pepperoni, pecorino and pepper. It took almost 30 minutes for the food to arrive and we were the first at the restaurant when they opened at 4pm. Pasta portion is small and a little salty but is good overall. Taste 4/5;value 3/5 Pizza has burned edge and not balance in taste. It is salty and the crust is very thin which made it floppy. Taste 3/5; value 2/5 Service is very good. 4/5 The restaurant is small and noisy. It was almost full by 5pm on a Saturday. read more

Pazzo - Cavatelli pasta - Pizza Near Me - San Carlos, California

I cannot believe I haven't reviewed this place before! It is one of my favorite restaurants in the entire Bay Area! I have never had a bad meal here or a bad dish. Some of my favorites are, of course the pizza, the salads are absolutely fantastic, and the shrimp and grits is amazing. I love getting there and relaxing with a glass of wine. The service is professional and friendly, and the place feels like you're at a friend's home. And it's not too hard to find street parking. I highly recommend a visit here, especially with friends or family. read more

This is THE place to go for pizza. I know there are plenty of high rated places in Redwood City but trust me this place won't let you down. Everything I tried was the best of its kind. The arancini were so flavorful! So perfectly crisp on the outside and soft gooey yumminess on the inside. The focaccia was so soft and the tomato paste they serve with it paired perfectly. Next up the pizza. We only got one but I don't know if I could choose something else after that. I got the housemate fennel sausage. So good my 2yo ate a whole slice, mushroom and all. Now the dessert! That cannoli was perfection. It was clearly filled to order so was not lame soft and soggy. The ricotta was tart and not too sweet. The added crunch from the pistachio. The crispy shell. OH SO GOOD! I will definitely come back for more. Service was excellent. So kind and attentive. This place gets BUSY and is smaller compared to other places! But they also offer outdoor seating. We arrived right before 5pm on a Saturday with plenty of tables but by 5:30pm people were waiting to be seated. It would be worth the wait! read more

Great Menu and both indoor and outdoor seating is available. So far, I've only had pizzas (red or white sauces), but pasta is also offered. The pizza crust is nice and thin, not overloaded with cheese, and toppings are just right. Sometimes, street parking wan be a little challenging, but it's worth circling the block! They also have a location in Palo Alto. read more

We came with the family for dinner. Staff - friendly and attentive. Restaurant is not big and can get busy. It's a casual and comfy environment. They do have an outdoor patio dining area in front of the restaurant but it was raining so no one was outside. While we waited for our table (there were 8 of us plus baby), I noticed there were several people picking up take out orders. Pizzas are thin crust and very tasty. (Prices range from $18 - 24) Appetizers - we had the 2 orders of meatballs - which is served with 4 beef meatballs and 2 slices of toasted and seasoned bread. Good and gone in no time. We tried 3 different pizzas - all tasty: margherita, fennel sausage and clam pie. Pizzas are well seasoned though not huge. The hubby had the pasta with clam sauce (one of his favorite pasta dishes) and wiped the plate clean. The wait staff who picked up the empty plate said - "Wow - you killed it." Parking can be a challenge. read more

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Disorganized staff and slow service. Waitlist is haphazard and staff seats larger parties (more than 5 people) first. Understaffed for weekend night which may be due to management. Pizza and pasta are ok. Salads are good. Beer is cold. All the waitstaff and bus boys are men. Haven't seen female servers since I started coming here. Quality and service have gone down. read more

5/5 for pizza crust (crunchy & thin) and pasta texture (chewy & beautifully made). I'm giving 4 stars because everything was overly salty. The rigatoni was yummy and the portion size was good (good amount of broccoli and sausage), but it was so salty. Pizza was also yummy, but the salty base/sauce and the salty bacon made it too much....our tongues were shriveling by the end of dinner from all the salt. The tiramisu was a good way to end the meal; it's light and airy, and a good size to share with 2+ people. Inside is really cozy and we got seated right away (it was a Thursday night). Our server was fast and attentive. Overall, we were a little disappointed that this was our first experience with the food given all the great reviews! read more

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Service: we had a toddler with us and stood for an hour when the kid said it will be 20 mins and everyone after us went inside because we needed to sit outside since we had a dog! i told the kid 3 times we have a toddler, can we just order and when the table is ready we can get the food because u know how toddlers are! anyways that did not happen! for a family restaurant, cmon folks! be creative, u have ample space outside! be emphatic, so we can atleast order until we wait! read more

Pizza, the way it should be. It's thin, crispy, and flavorful. Crispy cauliflower was a surprise. Definitely a good pizza place! read more

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I wish, in some ways, that I do not find restaurants that bump off a previous favorite off of my list. However, when one comes along that truly surpasses my former favorite, it deserves recognition. Pazzo decidedly deserves recognition. This all started when my wife and daughter found this place on the back from visiting the Nintendo Store in SF. They brought back some leftovers - a Classic Cheese red pie - and a couple of starters - the Crispy Cauliflower and the Beet Salad. Even as leftovers, I was impressed with the quality of food. This would have been the end of it, had they not raved and raved and raved about how good the pizza had been! It made me more than a bit envious that I wan't there to share in their enjoyment. Now a few weeks later, we were all in the mood for pizza, and I eagerly suggested Pazzo, even though it was over a 45-drive to San Carlos - I am ecstatic that I did! The three of us ordered a Baby Lacinato Kale Salad, Ricotta Gnocchi, the seasonal special Tagliatelle, and two pizza pies - a Classic Cheese and the Eggplant and Peppers. The Gnocchi was to die for! Since that was my daughter's favorite, she eagerly devoured each fantastically fluffy pillows. The crushed tomato, garlic and basil adding a wonderful flavor to the gnocchi. I wished I had ordered that myself (next time for sure!) Regarding the kale salad, it was fabulous! I normally am not fond of kale as I find it too thick, dry and bitter. Here, the kale came wet with olive oil, and sprinkled with corn, pine nuts, and feta cheese. Gone went the dryness, in came a salad with a nicely-balanced flavor and texture. The sweetness of the corn, the crunch of the pine nuts, blended with the distinctive olive oil, the tang of the feta and the bitterness of the kale. If I ordered this salad alone, I would have been completely satisfied! However, we still had the two pies and the tagliatelle to go. The thin-crusted pies had a delightful crunch and a chewy texture that complimented the fresh ingredients - heavenly! If you aren't careful, one could easily finish off a whole pie before realizing that the point of being content has long passed. Tagliatelle was, at first, a disappointment. I found it too pesto-y for my tastes, and I had to eat some of the leftover kale salad to tone down the pesto. Imagine my surprise when I took my second bite of the tagliatelle that it was not as pesto-laden as the first bite. The salad acted as a palette cleanser! Initially, the pesto upset the balance of the flavorful pies, and together did not blend. But the salad cleared out the remnants of the pizza and allowed the true flavors of the pesto, pine nuts and the shaved parmigiano to come to life. I would highly asked the manager or wait person for some advice in this respect. Otherwise, inadvertently, it may cause a negative experience . . . Oh, all in all, I am so delighted to experience the fresh ingredients, the wonderful aroma of each pie, the blending of flavors and the complimentary textures in each dish. This is now my top place for pizza pies in the Bay Area - highly recommended! read more

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Pazzo is a local favorite for good reason, offering up consistently great food, service, and ambience. Particularly good are the arancini's, the cauliflower, the rigatoni, and the sausage and fennel pizza. Their specials are also quite good so worth asking about. I happen to think they serve up the best pizza in San Carlos / Belmont. Service is consistently attentive and friendly, and the ambience leans into the kitschy soap opera backdrop Italian restaurant - it's a fun vibe. Overall the Pazzo experience is consistently effortless, fun, and very tasty. What more could you want? 5/5 - would go out of my way to visit read more

Pazzo - Scallop risotto - Pizza Near Me - San Carlos, California

I am from the New Haven area originally. I grew up eating Pepe's, and have had all of them (Sally's, Modern, Zuppardi's, Roseland). I've had "apizza" export attempts across the country (e.g. Piece in Chicago, Pete's in DC) and Pazzo is the closest to achieving Wooster street perfection by far. I actually prefer Pazzo's tomato pie to Pepe's and Sally's, believe it or not. Been coming to Pazzo for the better part of a decade, it's the best pizza in the Bay Area and we are very lucky to have it here. read more

We came to Pazzo's for family dinner before heading out to see the lights on Eucalyptus Street. Its location on the end of Laurel, just south of Brittan makes it seem quaint and unassuming, away from the busyness in the heart of Laurel Ave. But you are in for a real treat if you find yourself here. Staff is friendly, helpful and attentive. Food is delicious, well seasoned and creative. We started with the Crispy Cauliflower, a fan favorite, and no doubt why. The crispy outside and tender inside, drizzled with a tangy sauce were amazing. Also had the Focaccia bread, which was warm and fresh, along with a side of tapenade. For entrees, we shared 2 pizzas, one red, topped with Pepperoni, and one white, the house Special, topped with house-made sausage, soppressata and basil. Both were fire baked, crispy thin crust, with well spiced sauces and flavorful topping. Absolute worth the trip. My daughters ordered the Spaghetti and meatballs and the Rigatoni and both enjoyed their meals. We finished off with the Tiramisu, which was classic and delicious. They also have a nice wine and beer selection. I would say it was a hit for the whole family. I'm looking forward to the next visit to try more tasty dishes. Thanks! read more

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Great place! We moved from east bay and the owner of our favorite pizza shop there told us to go to Pazzo. I don't like the char typical of New Haven style pizza but it does make the bottom very crisp. The crust is super thin and light and the toppings are great. I had a discussion with someone else that Pazzo is better than some other more popular pizza places - can't wait to come back read more

Pazzo - Pizza Near Me - San Carlos, California

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Hands down one of the best pizzas I've ever had in the Bay Area. Super thin and crispy with quality ingredients. Definitely recommend coming here if New Haven style pizza is something you like/wanna try. read more

Pazzo - Pepperoni pizza - Pizza Near Me - San Carlos, California

Call me an older timer (ok don't please!) but I remember this place when it was once called Rumi. Fast forward it now to Pazzo which has now been a staple on Laurel Street for a looooong time! This place deserved a review awhile ago as this is now my 3rd time back to experience with stretches in between (I moved around a bit, nothing personal!) This last time though for sure deserves all the stars! We decided to come here because my kiddos wanted pizza AND pasta. As it once was said, "Hey! Give them want they want!"... we had just finished a play date so serious hunger was upon us. Pazzo came to mind and I had never taken the kids with me so we just went for it, and thank you brick oven gods for leading us straight to you. It was quite busy and we lucked out getting a seat quickly, we were met with the sweetest most understand cool waiter (a young gent) that saw my kids ravenous faces and helped get us settled and eating quick! His service was beyond and I am super regretting for forgetting his name! We ordered 1 Caesar salad so good kids asked for another. For meal ordered 2 seafood linguinis and a sausage pizza. Everything was just delicious and just right...you can't beat the atmosphere which is loud (not obnoxiously) and family and fun date friendly! This place has a following and you should get on it too if you haven't yet tried! read more

Delicious! Excellent thin crust, could have more ricotta . Wine pours are generous, good house red and white. read more

Pazzo - Potato pizza - Pizza Near Me - San Carlos, California

I am from West Haven CT originally (right next to New Haven so local to New Haven style pizza) and now live in the Bay Area. Pazzo is absolutely a slice of home here in the Bay. My husband and I absolutely LOVE the pizza and I love that there is a place on the west coast serving white clam pizza which is my all time favorite. We usually do pickup orders but occasionally dine and in the service has always been great. Tonight we got to meet the owners and talk about Connecticut which is a rarity around here. It felt like we were meeting celebrities and they were absolutely wonderful. I've brought friends who have visited and all are in agreement that it is 10/10. cannot recommend enough and feel so fortunate to have found Pazzo! The foxon park soda is the perfect cherry on top! read more

Pazzo - Pizza Near Me - San Carlos, California

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The pizza was completely burnt and not enjoyable at all. We ordered takeout via DoorDash, and the quality was very poor. Really disappointing experience. read more

Pazzo - Cheese Pizza: burnt - Pizza Near Me - San Carlos, California

We tried the fennel sausage pizza w/ pepperoni, arancini, and rigatoni. The restaurant wasn't too busy so everything came out within 10 minutes. Loved the pasta noddles in the rigatoni, sauce was light but flavorful. Arancini paired really well with their ranch dressing. The filling was a bit cold but still delicious. The crust on the pizza was incredible, definitely recommend dining in to experience the freshness of the pie with no flop. Their homemade sausages were also quite good. Portion size was also larger than expected. read more

We were pleasurably surprised by Pazzo! The pizza crust is fantastic, crisp with soft cheese center. We liked the spicy marinara which was a special that day. The potato pizza is lovely as well. Great beet salad to compliment all the carbs Wonderful dinner, honestly better than Pausa in San Mateo and other fancy Italian spots in the Bay Area. Just come and be prepared for a wait! Chill out with friends and ignore the slightly angsty crowds due to the long waits. read more

Pazzo has been on my to-try list since before the pandemic and we finally made it happen. There aren't many places in the Bay Area that make a clam pie and Pazzo's doesn't disappoint. It was perfect, chock full of finely-chopped clams, pecorino, parsley, and garlic. I honestly could have eaten a whole pie myself. The house made fennel sausage with mushroom was also really tasty. I will definitely be back to try more pizzas! The Caesar salad was a really good one, with dressing that was heavy on the anchovy and garlicky croutons. Yum. And I'm normally not a fan of gnocchi, but Pazzo's ricotta gnocchi was surprisingly light. Like little pillows of delight! And the homemade sauce was so good. Pazzo's pretty much got everything right. The restaurant is small so seating felt a bit cramped. Service was very nice and friendly. Oh, and their prosecco exceeded expectations. It's not as boring as other proseccos. Crisp, fruity, easy to drink. Get the bottle. read more

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Wow, enjoyed some delicious New Haven pizza and pasta on a packed Saturday night. Came at 5:30p, and the place is already packed inside. Wait was not too bad, about 15 mins and we were seated at the bar area. read more

Pazzo - Rigatoni pasta, delish! - Pizza Near Me - San Carlos, California

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great !! all food is delicioso The baby loves the meatballs and pasta. Ask for garlic bread or any pizza dish. the staff is great

Amazing freshly baked pizzas with unique flavors. Their salads are very nice presented and tasty. 1 pizza and salad is enough for 2 people. read more

Pazzo - Bianca Pizza - Pizza Near Me - San Carlos, California

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Pizza special or the day was incredible! I like how crispy it was. The sauce was really good. We also tried the meatballs, I usually don't like meatballs but here I would definitely add them to my new appetizer. The tiramisu was delicious and a big portion. The wine list is pretty good and it's not expensive. The service was great! The place remember me to a movie . I'm pretty sure it's family owned. It's cute and nice. I definitely coming back soon. Thanks read more

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Everything is DELICIOUS! Authentic Italian food, the pizzas are amazing with a perfect crust-not soggy. Deserts are also yummy this place will NOT disappoint. It's the best pizza spot in San Carlos! Friday and Saturday you could wait a bit during the usual dinner time but so worth it. read more

Great service. Great Italian cuisine with a family flare. Busy but quick and efficient. Great vibe and service was superb. Recommend this family owned icon. Great for friends and family gatherings. read more

Pazzo - Pizza was wood fire - Pizza Near Me - San Carlos, California

Luke Jacob Antoine Nick what a great crew it's a fun little spot to get a great glass of Vino with a traditional brick oven pie. The owner is from Italy and their dishes are divine that reminds me back of my time in Sicily. All ingredients are procured from Italy you won't be disappointed. The only challenge is on a weekend night. It tends to be very busy and people tend to talk, which is great to see people off their phones appetite. read more

I have been here before and enjoy the food and service. However, my experience this time wasn't that great. We ordered the following: shrimp and grits-the shrimp was cooked properly not chewy, the grits with the sauce was rich and creamy. We ordered margherita pizza, Bianca, and the fennel sausage pizza. The margherita pizza was good with nice crunch, and enough red sauce. Bianca was decent nothing special. However, the fennel pizza was burnt. We showed our waiter and he gave us a new one. I can't believe they thought we would eat a burnt pizza. My water was empty the whole dinner. The waiter never stop to ask if we need anything. We also order chocolate cake and cheese cake. He cheese cake was nice it was t too sweet and a not too dense. I didnt try the chocolate cake but I was told it was on the cold side. I been here before and the service has always been great. Unfortunately this this was disappointing. read more

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Traveled alone for business and stopped by for their fennel pizza what tasted super yummy. I like the thinner dough and the flavors were exceptional. Nice and hot right out of their wood fired pizza oven. Staff is friendly and the atmosphere is great. read more

Get the cauliflower. No... like... you HAVE TO order the cauliflower. I'm no vegetarian or anything, but whatever these guys do to the cauliflower dish they make... I could live off the stuff. Oh, and the pizza is also quite good haha. read more

Pazzo - Pizza Near Me - San Carlos, California

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Came here on a Thursday evening for dinner and I'm glad we came early (~5:15) because it started to get packed shortly after! We ordered the crispy cauliflower and the New Haven style baby clam pizza. The crispy cauliflower was delicious and I was surprised that I haven't had cauliflower served this way before. It had a nice caramelization and slightly crunchy texture that was light and not heavy at all. It reminded me of maple glazed brussel sprouts which I'm a big fan of. I'm usually not a white sauce pizza kind of person but I was very intrigued by the clam pizza. It was good and I was pleasantly surprised by the abundance of baby clams and how they did not give off an overly seafoody or fishy flavor. After a couple slices though, it did become a little one note for me and I think I might have preferred it without the mozzarella. Service was super friendly and food came out in a decent amount of time, with the pizza piping hot from the wood-fired oven. I'll be back to try their other pizzas soon! read more

Pazzo - Crispy cauliflower - Pizza Near Me - San Carlos, California

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The pizza was close to what we ate in New Haven. The ambience was very good and staff was very friendly.

New Haven style pizza. Thin crust bubbly. Red and white pizzas and don't forget to try their pastas all made in house.

A solid pizza spot! Good char on the pepperonis (but maybe too much char on the crust) and I can always appreciate the cupped pepperonis. The dough is really well done - some crisp on the surface but has some chew on the inside, good amount of toppings, and the ratios for cheese and sauce were good. It's a solid pizza that I wouldn't mind going to if I'm already nearby. read more

Pazzo - Pepperoni Pizza - Pizza Near Me - San Carlos, California

We took a quick trip to the Bay Area a couple weeks back and met up with our friends who live in Redwood Ciy. We needed a place to get dinner without reservations on a Friday night, and they suggested Pazzo, a New Haven-style pizza joint in San Carlos. The place apparently gets busy, so my husband and I went early and camped out at the bar, enjoying a round of beers while we waited to claim a table. The staff wouldn't seat us far in advance, but we were in there before 5:00 and they said we should be good for another half hour. It turned out we could've walked in whenever we wanted. The dining room filled up while we were there, but never to capacity. The space was comfortable and inviting, built around an impressive pizza oven. We watched the pizzas take shape while we sat at the bar, then moved to a pleasant table that looked out onto the street. The New Haven pride was apparent, with posters and pizza boxes from Sally's, Pepe's, and Modern. There was even a potato pie on the menu, a probable nod to Bar. (I spent a few years in the area and got to know the pizza scene reasonably well.) The vibe was casual but lively, and service was good, helpful and attentive. There was a pretty robust beer and wine list. We went for the beers, mostly localish brews that we don't see in Southern California. I had the Little Beast Hot Break, a dry-hopped sour ale, and the Ghost Town Scaredy Cat, a Brett saison. My husband had the Moonraker Captain Mo pale ale and the Ghost Town Lecherous Haze, a hazy IPA. All nice, and well suited to a pizza dinner. The food was excellent. We started with several non-pizza offerings, and they were all winners. The housemade focaccia was fresh and warm, flecked with herbs and salt and served with an addictive sun-dried tomato spalmare (I guess that's an Italian word for spread). The meatballs al forno were hearty and delicious, bathed in tomato sauce with mozzarella and a side of toasted garlic bread. The crispy cauliflower was a pleasant, unexpected dish, tangy with citrus, almost like orange chicken. The cauliflower was lightly breaded and fried and served with currants, pine nuts, honey, lemon, champagne vinegar, and parmigiano. We also shared one pasta, the lovely, rustic cavatelli with slow-braised pork ragu and pecorino romano. We ordered two pizzas for the four of us and this filled out our substantial meal, with a few slices left over. The pizzas were in the New Haven style, with thin, almost crackery charred crusts. The margherita was classic, a red pie with fresh mozzarella, parmigiano, and basil. The New Haven clam pie took me back to Pepe's, chewy nuggets of clam on a white pizza with pecorino, parsley, mozzarella, and plenty of garlic. This was a fun dinner, with great food and drink in a charming, cozy environment. I'd recommend Pazzo if you're looking for a noteworthy restaurant in this part of the Bay. read more