Pizzeria da Laura in Berkeley is a fantastic spot for Italian food right in the heart of downtown, just steps from the university. The location gives it a lively downtown vibe with lots of energy from the surrounding area and nearby students. The reservation and check-in process was very smooth. The staff were incredibly courteous, welcoming, and helpful throughout the visit. I actually arrived about 30 minutes earlier than my reservation time, and they were kind enough to seat us early, which was a really nice touch. One thing I really like about this place is that they update their dishes a few times a year, so every visit can feel a little different and exciting. The menu has great variety, especially when it comes to pizza styles as you can choose from New York, Sicilian, Detroit, and Grandma-style pizzas, and the pricing is very straightforward for all the sizes they serve. The pizza was perfectly cooked and tasted great. They also allow you to customize your pizza by adding or removing ingredients, which makes it very convenient for everyone to choose based on their liking. And they add toppings with open-heart. The pasta was also excellent. We ordered the Peperoncino pasta, and it tasted amazing. The garlic flavor and breadcrumbs were really the highlight and brought out the authentic character of the spaghetti. Another big plus is that they have plenty of vegetarian options, making it easy for different dietary preferences. The portions are generous and the prices are very reasonable for what they serve. Food arrived quickly, and the service from the servers and staff was great throughout the visit. The restaurant also has plenty of space and handles reservations well. The atmosphere is lively with lots of people around and students from the nearby university, which adds to the downtown Berkeley energy. A little more upbeat music could add even more charm to the place. Overall, this is a place I would definitely recommend to anyone visiting Berkeley. It's the kind of restaurant I'd happily come back to again and again. read more

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disappointing. ordered a "Sicilian Style" expecting the pastry-thin style of, uh, y'know, Sicily, and got something almost 2" thick; apparently their idea of "Sicilian Style" is more like Cheese Bread. (it's hard to tell from the cartoon depiction on their website, so be forewarned,) furthermore, was told it would be ready in 30 minutes and timed our arrival to be there just before that, only to get a text message 12 minutes after ordering that it was already ready. makes it really hard to plan to pick up your pizza fresh when the staff can't even tell you when it's really going to be ready.. read more

First time at Pizzeria da Laura and glad to finally give it a try. The wait for 4 people at 5 pm on a Saturday was quick with no reservations. We all enjoyed the chicories and beets salad. Very refreshing. The Marge pizza was good. Their take on the classic margherita. The dough and crust was super tasty. Everyone liked the Ray J Sicilian version. 12 slices. The dough was pillowy and fluffy with crisp crust. Enjoyed the garlic fermented honey. By 6:30, the entire restaurant was filling up. Some notes that could improve, serving cold water with ice for the warm Berkeley days like today. Adding more servers so the one server is not as busy. We got a box for few leftover slices but instead of giving the check he walked away to take another table's order. We had to flag him down again for check and never received copy of receipt due to being busy with other tables. Indoor/outdoor seating Street parking only read more

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Had a great time at dinner after wanting to try this spot for awhile. Tried both a pasta and pizza, the rigatoni was excellent! I honestly liked this more than the pizza. The pizza wasn't bad, it would have nice with a bit more sauce. But still delicious! Our server was incredibly nice and walked us through the menu to help us decide what to get. The desserts were also both amazing! The restaurant is very cozy and they also have a nice upstairs section. I would come back again! read more

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We popped in on a whim and loved the Art Deco vibe right away. The service was efficient and friendly -- staff actually recommended things off the menu, which made choosing easy. We shared the rectangular "Ray J" style pizza (square-cut, melty mozzarella, olives, zucchini, mushrooms, spinach) and it was perfectly browned at the edges with a great balance of toppings. The broccolini with white beans and a spoonful of chili crisp was a standout -- bright, garlicky, with a nice spicy kick. Bathroom down in the basement felt odd at first, but it was roomy and clean. We only had water and skipped dessert (trying to be good), but we're already plotting our next visit and which pie to try next. Two thumbs up from both of us -- would definitely go again. read more

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One of the best pizza places in the Bay Area! Love that you are able to customize and choose what style of pizza you prefer. There's Ny style which is the classic pizza slice that's thinner. Or the grandma style which is thicker than ny and thinner than a Sicilian slice ( this is my perfect choice ). Sicilian is thicker than grandma style and is more thick. And the thickest of all is the Detroit style! I got the ray j grandma style! I came here with my boyfriend's family and the next week we came back with more family! Everyone loved the ray j! It was creamy from the burrata, sweet from the honey and sooo good with the little pepperonis! Personally one of my favs and my boyfriend's family's favorite! I've converted them all to eating here !!! We also got the standard grandma style and pepperoni NY style but everyone's fav is the RAY J!! We even got another pizza at the end bc 3 wasn't enough!! We reserved a table this time bc we had more than 6 people but last time we walked in and was seated right away! Everyone is super friendly and will explain all the styles of pizza! Couldn't even get a decent picture of the ray j bc it was THAT GOOD! read more

Pizzeria da Laura - Ray J ( grandma style) - Pizza Near Me - Berkeley, California

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They accommodated a party of 20 on a Sunday night. Food was delicious and fresh. Service was quick, attentive and friendly. They have many options. Vegan options too. Will definitely be returning. read more

Pizzeria da Laura - Pizza Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Nice airy dough. Got the NY. Nicely cooked. Great ceasar salad. $31 for small pizza. Salad $15. Drinks - $15 for cocktails wines. Beers 9-10. read more

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We got two pizzas and arancini as takeout a couple weeks ago. I think everything suffered from being 10-15 minutes colder than it should have been, so would recommend eating in if you can! The crust was great (we got one Grandma and one New York). Unfortunately the veggie pizza was predominantly eggplant that itself wasn't well cooked. Three of us loved the arancini, one of us felt like the saffron note overpowered the cheese. read more

It was a dark and stormy night, we took shelter from the rain and nabbed a high top no rez, to catch a meal before a show at the freight. The first bite of radicchio red onion pistachio and little gem was perfection. Pizza was on point! No complaints--server said next time try the detroit.. Cool spot. read more

Pizzeria da Laura - The Truly Thin and Crispy + thin pepp and garlic honey - Pizza Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Amazing service -- our waiter was warm, attentive and knowledgeable. Incredible broccolini and aranciata, absolutely smashing. We had pizza slices that were huge and filling. I wish they had more creative vegetarian options though. The chef is brilliant so I'd love to see some of that skill applied to veggie dishes! read more

Pizzeria da Laura - Meat slice and veggie slice - Pizza Near Me - Berkeley, California

Employee appreciation week! One of our guys recommended this pizzaria for our employee appreciation week! We were sort of skeptical but man, he delivered! The place is pretty big for a pizza place with sitting both indoor and outdoor! However, we decided to order takeout pizzas! We didn't have a favorite but all were good specially the meat lovers one. We will definitely order takeout again in the future. Lastly, on the wing of the restaurant they have a little area where you can order by the slice! A really great option to have! Definitely stop by when you're in downtown Berkeley in the Shattuck area! I know we will! read more

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Had a standard sicilian pizza and a glass of wine. Sadly, they ran out of sausage, but the pizza was still delicious. Stark ambiance and very noisy. The TV had Chinese news on and there wasnt a Chinese person in sight. Service was ok. read more

As a huge pizza fan, I'll admit I'm very picky when it comes to pizza. For me, a great pizza has to get three things right: the crust, the cheese, and the sauce. Pizzeria da Laura nails all three. I love that they offer different crust options, my personal favorite is the thick, Detroit-style crust. The Grandma style came in a close second, but honestly, you can't go wrong with any of them. The sauce has just the right balance of tang and sweetness, the cheese is top quality, and every bite feels perfectly crafted. They also have a great selection of beer, cocktails, and wine to pair with your meal. And the fact that it's set in a beautiful historic building just adds to the charm, the whole place has such a wonderful, inviting vibe. If you love pizza (and care about the details), this place will make you very happy. read more

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3.5 rounded up Granny style La Regina- really great texture when it first comes out. I wouldn't recommend getting this to go. If you do, expect to reheat it in the air-fryer. It got a bit hard and not as good mid-way through dinner. Ingredients seemed very fresh and flavors were as expected. Small NY style Ray J- I felt this packed more flavor than La Regina but I'm not sure if I really liked the garlic infused honey. It wasn't terrible but I think I prefer hot honey on pizza over garlic honey. The pepperonis were tasty but I do like mine a little more crisp. And the texture of the pizza crust was not crispy in the center. It's limp when you pick up the slice. The edge was good though. Overall, I liked the granny style over the New York style but only if you eat the granny style quickly. Once the granny style gets hard, the New York style is better. After tax and tip, it's pretty pricy for 2 small pizzas. I wouldn't mind going back to try other flavors but I also wouldn't be in a rush. Staff was friendly and attentive. There's a clean restroom, which needs a keycard to get in, for patrons in the basement. read more

Pizzeria da Laura - Small, New York style Ray J - Pizza Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Wow. Great pizzas Great great great. Rice balls outstanding. Give me more!!!!! Forgot to shout out the great server too. read more

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Matt's next stop on his excellent East Bay Pizza research is Pizzeria da Laura. Pizza da Laura has all of the ingredients that make a thin crust pizza great. Chewy yet crusty dough that stands up to any toppings you want. My pie came with quarter size pepperoni liberally added to a tomato and cheese base that made me smile. Location is central Berkeley near campus. Parking can be challenging but their are dedicated lots near by. Berkeley has become a Mecha for outstanding Pizzas, and Pizzeria da Laura is definitely in my top three. If you are going to Cal Football or an event at the Freight, Matt says drop by Pizzeria da Laura for a pie. You can thank me later read more

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VEGAN REVIEW came here to celebrate my pizza-loving hubby's bday. pro tip: get a reservation if you can! we came on a Saturday night & it was hopping. they've got a whole vegan menu! we enjoys broccolini & arugula salad as our apps (they were out of vegan casaer, boo). built a yummy Sicilian pizza, it was HUGE & delicious. they also have great cocktails. service for the food was good, drinks took forever. we sat upstairs which gets LOUD & hot when it's full, also has extremely bright lights-- it was like eating while getting interrogated LOL read more

Traveled up from SJ to try this place out bc my bf read an article. We recently got back from NY eating some of the best NY pizza we had so our expectations were high. We got the Regina NY style. The pizza bread was crispy , the cheese on top wasn't my favorite, i like mozzarella, there was alot of prosciutto on top, making it a bit salty for me, but nice they dont skimp on the meat, i liked the arugula. My stomach just couldnt handle maybe the cheese or meats. Overall im glad we tried it and would maybe try a different one with different meat and mozzarella cheese next time. The service was amazing and they have patio seating and open doors so it was nice with the sunny weather. read more

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Update # 2: 1/18/2026 This is my second update in less than a week because I want to make sure prospective customers know that Pizzeria da Laura is a top-tier business with top-tier customer service. They delivered on their promise to refund me for Local by Toast's mistake. I might just have to drive into Berkeley to get my next pie. Well done, Chef Laura and team. read more

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Wonderful pizza spot in Downtown Berkeley! I've only had takeout from Pizzeria da Laura, but I loved their pizza and service during my experience. I ordered a Detroit style Ray J online and picked it up around 20 minutes after I got the notification that my order was ready. When I got there, they took my pizza out from a thermal protected bag and my pizza was still very warm despite my late pick up! The pizza itself was delicious - the crust was crispy, while the dough was fluffy, and the combination of tomato + burrata + basil + honey was fantastic. I've never eaten inside but before, but the ambiance seemed very nice and welcoming. I've heard their salads are delicious as well. Would love love love to return to dine-in soon! read more

Pizzeria da Laura - Detroit Ray J - Pizza Near Me - Berkeley, California

The Ray J Detroit Style is absolutely fantastic, COME HERE AND GET THIS. I've literally been thinking about it since I had it. Wanna try more things but our waitress was also the sweetest! The ambiance was meh and I also thought the menu was a little too big and overwhelming. Great experience though, just narrow down what to get before you go! read more

Pizzeria da Laura - Ray J Detroit Style - Pizza Near Me - Berkeley, California

This spot really surprised me, and is definitely some of the best pizza I have had in the Bay. We tried a Detroit style pizza with thick cut pepperoni- crust was light, airy, flavorful, and just a wonderful crispy cheese on the outer layer. Not overdone, not overly greasy. Just really good. Also tried a NY style which was equally as good. Again, really good crust. For this one we got the "Ray J" with pepperoni with burrata, honey, basil. I thought it might be too heavy on the toppings, but the pizza held up and all the flavors were great. Overall, just VERY good and above average pizza spot. If I lived closer, I would probably make this my regular spot. That being said, will return anytime I am in Berkeley. read more

Pizzeria da Laura - Ray J NY style - Pizza Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Love this place! How have I not been here before?!! The place is a cool two story eatery with delicious Detroit style pizza. I tried the La Primavera and both my husband and myself loved it! Our waiter, Stephen (hope the spelling is correct), was super nice and friendly. It truly does make me appreciate going out and receiving great service at a restaurant, like in person! :) read more

Pizzeria da Laura - La primavera - Pizza Near Me - Berkeley, California

The 4 of us really enjoyed our Sicilian-style Pizza (Pazzo) which we almost finished. Those 12 meat-laden slices packed a lot of delicious punch, with the 2 remaining (and boxed) slices happily finding a home for the next day. This was our pre-Berkeley Rep dinner before seeing a production of "Mother of Exiles". We arrived on the early side to an almost empty restaurant. As Downtown Berkeley can be edgy in spots, I initially wondered what we were walking into. The 2-level interior also brought up a question or 2 on what business was here before them. But, according to the reviews, this place has been around for at least a couple years and apparently doing well. By the time we left, the place was largely full and with a lot of happy Pizza-loving clientele. We all agreed that Pizzeria da Laura merited another visit to dive more deeply into the other styles (New York, Detroit, Grandma) and topping options. Past the Pizza, there's a few Pasta and Salad choices, plus some fairly impressive wine, beer and cocktail choices. And of course, there's take-out and delivery options, unfortunately not all the way to our home in Northern Nevada. read more

Me and the lady went here, cause of Bay Area Check Please! You know? Cause that's what we do. The evening we went it was busy, but we had little wait for our table. The homie Fernando was cool and on top of things. It Did however take a min to get the pies. But it wasn't a crazy long wait. About the pies we got: I got the Detroit style of what's called The Ray J which is named after Laura's brother. I saw her make that on an episode Localish. My lady got a New York style of a "make your own". Both were fire. The dough on the New York style was nice and slightly chewy. And on the Detroit style, the way the cheese cooked around the edges were tasty than a mug! If you know you know. The ambiance was cool. I mean, it's a pizza place. Music was on point. Nah'mean?!?! Check it out. read more

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Finally got to try this place out order to go very happy with the choice of pizza I ordered. The Italian was good. Order to go. read more

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Loved this restaurant! Stefan took great care of us! He got our food right away. We were going to a concert and didn't want to be late. We had Arancini (fried rice balls). These were delicious - cacio e Pepe risotto with delicious marinara sauce and pecorino Romano cheese. These came out piping hot - highly recommend! The Standard pizza, NY style was perfect. Large was $39.50. The toppings (pepperoni, onion, mushrooms, olives, sausage, basil) was a perfect combo blend! They have 4 styles of pizzas - NY, Sicilian, Detroit and Grandma - all look fabulous but we all wanted NY style. It was delicious. I would have loved some hot honey for the crust but that's just me! We also had the Bucatini Amatriciana ($24) which is made with homemade bucatini. Every bite was perfect with guanciale and calabrese peppers. We were not happy with the lasagne ($26). The top layer was dry/well done. It was also served hortizontally. It just wasn't good and we ended up taking most of it home. It was a little bit better the next day but just skip this since there are lots of other yummy dishes here. We were seated upstairs which was fine but it was right next to where they pile up the used plates. Had I noticed it sooner, I would have asked for another table. All in all, a great meal and we'd come back again. Hope to sit at Stefan's table again! read more

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I've been here a few times and the pizza is very good. We had the Pazzo Sicilian style. It had tomato sauce, mozzarella, thin pepperoni, sausage, bacon, mushroom, red onions, bell pepper and garlic. I love the airiness of the Sicilian style crust. They only prepare 25 crust of this variety per night. I had a couple of beers on draft. Thinking it wouldn't hurt to serve this in a larger glass. Draft beer is pretty cheap with high margins. The same goes for the Long Island Ice Tea my friend ordered. That's the smallest glass I've ever seen this drink come in. Kind of pitiful really. Otherwise its restaurant was hopping on a Friday night. I recommend always making reservations. read more

Pizzeria da Laura - Pazzo Sicilian style pizza - Pizza Near Me - Berkeley, California

Came here for lunch with some friends. I ordered 2 slices of pizza, sold by the slice. One pepperoni, one veggie. The slices are big and delicious. This spot is close to the UC Berkeley campus and students recommended we check it out. The arugula salad is just arugula leaves and shredded cheese. No other vegetables at all. If you're looking for a delicious slice of pizza at $6 a slice. This is a good find in Downtown Berkeley! read more

I had a parking spot in Downtown Berkeley, a rarity, and I was leaving an exhibit at a nearby museum, so I ordered takeout for my family to bring home since, well, see PARKING again. --Eggplant rollatini, the stuff dreams are made of. I would marry this, and the fam agreed. 5+ --Vegetarian pie of some sort I don't remember, pesto and lemon, NY style. A solid 2-3. The toppings were "fine" but the crust was meh, and for NY style there's way too much of it, as true NY doesn't give you so much breadiness. (Also if you're into the wood-oven char of a good Neopolitan/Californian this obviously won't be your thing either.) --Grandma-style margarita. I guess the lesson out of this one was we don't like Grandma. We'd never heard of it, and it looked interesting, so we gave it a go, margarita. It literally tasted like the pizza you get in public school cafeterias. If that is the point, then success. I'm guessing it's not so OMG YUCK. 0-1 stars. Lastly, here are some "good to know" items for you about this place, if you haven't been: 1. If you order online even with Toast Local, there's a $4 fee to do so. I'm not talking the horrible DD nightmare of end-stage capitalism stuff; I mean actual Toast. I can't figure out what you're paying for here, as takeout pizza boxes for every other business are built into the pricing model. But here whether you order 1 or 15 things, you're paying $4 for the "convenience" of walking over there or finding parking in DT Berkeley for pickup. 2. There's a nice little Italian to-go bodega attached Nextdoor. read more

This cute Italian joint is a Berkeley staple. We ordered family style, starting with all the salads, which were all great. The chicories and beets salad was my favorite. The Ray J pizza with pepperoni and a bunch of bold flavors was a crowd pleaser; the crust is perfectly thin and holds the toppings well. The mais corn pasta was good but lacked flavor. A solid place great for sharing! read more

Pizzeria da Laura - Ray J and mais - Pizza Near Me - Berkeley, California

my friend and i stopped by while waiting for our drink orders at another place and were glad we did. the experience was quick as we each just ordered 2 slices to go and took it out to enjoy at the outdoor tables for a bit. the slices were fresh and hot, not overly cheesy, incredibly thin, and a bit oily but overall delicious with good crust. read more

Pizzeria da Laura - new york style cheese slices ($5.50 each) - Pizza Near Me - Berkeley, California

Banger pizza that is has the perfect amount of crunchy gooey goodness you're looking for. I wish they had this in So Cal but it is a must have for anyone in the Berkeley area. We were well taken care of and they have a talented barista mixing up delicious cocktails worthy of a nice bar. read more

Pizzeria da Laura - Sicilian Ray Jay with honey on the side - Pizza Near Me - Berkeley, California

First time trying this place even though we live so close! Got the toots 18" New York style to share between 3 people. Pretty good! Love the thin crust. Wish there was a bit more texture as all the veggies just melded into one another. Also wish we could've done half and half like I've seen in other pizza places so that we could try another flavor. If there was arugula on top that might've bumped this to a 5 star. Good service, good ambiance, great lighting. Overall not bad but might try a different pizza place next time. read more

Pizzeria da Laura - Toots 18" NY style - Pizza Near Me - Berkeley, California

Came here on a recent pizza crawl with the bf. We were hoping to get slices but end up sitting down in the restaurant to order a whole pizza. **Slices are available a few steps further down** Which may explain why the sever that helped us was so unwelcoming. First he asked if we had a reservation then made it seem as if they were completely booked to a half empty restaurant to seat the two of us. Since we had our sights set on slices, we defaulted to whatever so we got the NY style Ray J. Let's just say there is nothing to call home about. I could have made a better pizza at home with Trader Joe's ingredients. The main reason we chose this pizza was for the "garlic fermented honey". I didn't taste the garlic at all and the honey was barely there. It was overpriced basic pizza. Plus I think they missed putting the burrata or maybe it melted away(?) There was nothing to really like about the pizza from the bland crust and sauce. It was like they were running out of ingredients and they just made do. Located in down Shattuck. There is garage and street parking. Pricing is way overpriced. I think we paid $40+ for just one 12" and one beer. They should really rework their seating. We got sat by the entrance walkway and the doors are door for patrons. Unfortunately that means the homeless are also welcome to wonder in and beg for money. The staff literally did nothing but stand around socializing with each other while the stench of the homeless man burned my nose hairs. Awful experience. Jupiter's is a million times better and just down the street. read more

A great pizza place located close to the Berkeley campus . I decided to go for the GOAT fried calzone and was not disappointed - it was large , fresh, tasty dough and good amount of fillings . I just wish the tomato sauce was fresh and not from a can ! The dough could be a little less fluffy but was satisfying nevertheless . First time I had fried calzone out side of Napoli - very yummy ! read more

Pizzeria da Laura - Fried Calzone - Pizza Near Me - Berkeley, California

I probably shouldn't submit a review because I only bought two slices to go at the store. The weekends are slow and there was no wait. With that said they only had three different slices so I chose something I would never order. Regardless the pizza tastes fresh and the crust is good. read more

Pizzeria da Laura - Vegetable slice - Pizza Near Me - Berkeley, California

So good! Sicilian is the best and Ray J is our favorite. Detroit comes in second place. Then Grandma. NY is not NY style, so I would skip that one altogether. read more

Night #1: Came for dinner to try the Grandma but she was 86'd. Slightly disappointed but ended up getting the Ray J on NY pizza style. The dough was stellar. Light, crispy, chewy, fluffy. The crust were the best bites! Also tried the Arancini (cheesy fried risotto with spinach and artichoke). Sounds heavy but it isn't due to the hint of lemon which really cuts the richness. Delicious. Night #2: Came back to try Grandma pizza style (sheet pan), classic thin pepperoni. Grandma style beats NY style for us (the nose on a NY gets soggy). Service was friendly and food came out surprisingly quick. It was nice to sit outside in an enclosed patio to people watch. Truly the best pizza in all of our travels. Hope to be back soon! read more

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