Power bottom.
Err, I mean weak bottom.
I was excited to try Rose Pizzeria with all the national and industry recognition for their first location in Berkeley (opened in 2021) including:
- One of "22 Best Pizzerias in the U.S." by The New York Times.
- Number 17 on "The Chronicle's Top 100 Restaurants"
- "10 Must-Visit Pizzerias in the U.S." by Food & Wine.
- Top 5 in "World's Best Cheese Pizza Slice" at International Pizza Expo Vegas.
- Ranking in the "50 Top Pizza" by an Italy-based guide.
IMO, UPN is the goat and they aren't even on all these lists so Rose Pizzeria has to be bomb right?
Until the newness wears off, expect a very long wait for walk-ins for their second location in the city. Def plan ahead and make rezzies on Resy (booked for the next few weeks).
Takeout is available but in-person orders only. No phone line. Online orders to come.
First try, the hostess said, there was 50 people waitlist (weeknight) so we left. The next day, I returned solo for a late weekday lunch and there was no wait for an outdoor table.
M E N U
Limited menu (different than online):
Three starters, three salads, six red pizzas, and three white pizzas. Pizzas are thin crust "west coast style"; whole pizza only (no slices).
Tonda Romano - thin, crispy Roman-style pizza not available yet. Beer and wine to come.
F O O D
* Pepp & Basil: Ezzo pepperoni, mozzarella, tomato sauce, pecorino, fresh basil, sicilian oregano (14", 6 slices-$24)
It's only week two so there's obvs kinks to work out. The biggest issue was the weak bottom, the undercarriage came out pale and underdeveloped with wet, soggy spots. The exterior crust had chew but was quite bland and it could've benefited from more blistering for texture and flavor.
The toppings were tasty...I mean it's hard to go wrong with melty cheese, bright tomato sauce, and ezzo cupped pepperoni with crispy edges. Ezzo's pepperoni adds little bursts of salty, slightly smoky fat with each bite. It's not a greasy salt bomb like massed produced ones.
I took it home and warmed it up in a cast iron pan to get some browning on the bottom. It was better but not great.
If you like it a little spicy, get the East Bay Green Sauce ($3)...it's fresh and herbaceous with a warming heat. Reminds me of zhug, Yemeni hot sauce.
S E R V I C E
Unfortunately, I had an unpleasant encounter with the hostess/server the night before. Maybe she was having a bad day but she came off as unwelcoming, rude, and dismissive when turning away customers for dine-in and takeout.
The next day, a senior couple thought it was fast-casual so they ordered, paid, and sat behind me. When their pizza arrived boxed up, they mentioned they were dining in. The female server's tone was curt and she could have at least offered them plates.
On a positive note, the young, blonde male server was very friendly, kind, and upbeat.
Service may be smoother indoors as outdoor tables had to flag someone down inside to order and/or ask for the bill.
After the lunch rush, the pizza took 20 minutes to arrive.
A M B I A N C E
Casual, rustic charm with lively indoor dining room with an open kitchen. There's about 8-10 tables with counter seating and a handful of sidewalk tables (no umbrellas or heaters).
Overall, I'm obvs an outlier but I'm not understanding the hype. I thought the pizza was pretty good after browning the bottom but not remarkable. They're new tho so it may be just kinks. Will give them another try in several months and hope to have a better experience then. read more