Zachary’s Chicago Pizza

Over priced and very mediocre pizza.

5 Stars! Best deep dish place I have ever been to. Wait is about 30 – 35 mins, so come early but it’s well worth the wait. If it’s your first time here, I highly recommend getting the BBQ chicken pizza.

Thanks to Facebook marketing we found out about this place. The Unilocal reviews made it an instant choice. Zachary’s delivered on Chicago Style Deep Dish in Oakland. Excellent service and food.

It’s the day before Father’s Day, and my better half wants to have pizza for dinner. Sure! After all, it’s his weekend. So, we decide — HE decides — to get some special pizza. No. Not THAT kind of special… Ok, I had too much wine before we left the house…
So, we rounded up the kids and trekked over to Zachary’s Chicago Pizza in Berkeley (there’s one in San Ramon and one in Oakland, too.)
The restaurant is charming. Cute, original artwork by young and old, has a brick and mortar look… reminiscent of Chicago old school buildings, stainless steel tables. Clean overall, including the women’s bathroom. (Good sign, if it’s considered a reflection for those who ponder the hygiene of the college student man-​handling your pizza dough.)
Anyway, food… Hubby and I first ordered a salad. He got a green salad with a delicious Mustard French dressing. You’ll like it if you’re into mustard. I ordered a Caesar. It was yummy! The only thing is, I wish the bowl containing the salad was a little bit bigger. First stab at my husband’s salad, a few leaves fell to the table and two cherry tomatoes came shooting out of his bowl, bounced off the table and furiously rolled away on the floor… leaving an intermittent trail of dressing as they ran away to freedom.
Now for the pizza. We ordered a large spinach, mushroom (and I added pineapple) pizza. The kids got a ½ & ½ pep and cheese. When the pizzas came in, they were so big and hearty that they needed their own stool to sit on! Amazing how thick they were! The cheese was so stretchy and so gooey. Lol! If you have a sensitive gag reflex, mind the amount of melted cheese you put in your mouth. Our daughter gagged so loudly that people started staring at us. Despite all that attention, our dinner was pleasant. Back to the pizza…
Husband loved it. He loved that it had fresh tomatoes chopped up and in their juice. For me, it had too much tomato sauce on top. (I secretly wished they had pesto sauce instead). Once I slid the sauce off the top of my slice, I noticed that the spinach bed was laid underneath the cheese. How brilliant! No crispy, burnt leaves that taste like ash! I thought the pizza was alright. Honestly, I liked the taste of the cheese pizza the kids got better.
After all that salty pizza, hubby and I were craving something sweet. Wait! What? No cannolis???. It’s okay. It’s late. We’ll just pick up some ice cream and indulge in front of a good movie at home.
So, I consider our experience at Zachary’s Chicago Pizza to be pretty good. I think I was more impressed (and shocked) with the visuals (size and color) rather than the actual taste of the spinach, mushroom, pineapple one we ordered. At least the service was really good, it was clean and the food wasn’t bad. The drive was long from where we live, but we were in good company the entire way. Wish we could’ve come earlier. The town looked so charming. Lots of shops… Some old, and some new. But now, the town is asleep. Maybe next time, when we’re in Berkeley.

Amazing Pizza ! One of the best all round in the Bay Area. Great location, friendly staff and family friendly. Check it out for yourself and let the awesomeness of a deep dish pizza warm your heart!

BOTTOM LINE:
Great flavor
Huge thick slices
Polite workers
Good area
$ 35 for large pizza
So arriving to Zachary’s pizza you’ll notice it’s a nice suburban neighborhood and that its location is on a Main Street surrounded by other small restaurants. I noticed a Petes coffee nearby as well as a Starbucks, some homemade organic ice cream shop which had a line out the door. There was also a sushi restaurant and a book store nearby with a few hippies playing guitar and making small talk on the street. On to the pizza. Walking inside you notice it isn’t extremely big or anything just enough to fit around 45 – 50 guest at most. Maybe not even that. But it’s very colorful inside. They have all kinds of art posted on the walls. Seems like a great place to take the family. The workers all seemed busy but went out of their way to make sure I was taken care of. I ordered a large pepperoni deep dish. They told me it would take around 30 minutes but it was done in 20. This pizza was probably one of the most thickest hearty pizza I’ve had in years. One large slice was about all it took to get me full. The flavor was amazing and it didn’t fall apart soon as you pull it from the rest of the slices. I give Zachary’s 5 stars for convenience and flavor.

A Berkeley classic! I just love, love, love their tomato sauce. I think it’s ridiculously good. I’ve been here like 5 times and it always tastes fresh and as if it’s been cooked for hours (maybe it is?). All the pies are delicious, can’t go wrong with any deep dish.
I wonder if I could buy the sauce by jar from them…

My parents introduced me to this place many many years ago, and I’ve been a fan since then. I’ve tried Chicago style deep dish pizza in many places, but this place tops it all. With that said, I’ve never tried it in Chicago, so perhaps when that time comes, my opinion will change.
Zachary’s is always poppin’. There is almost always a line at lunch and dinner times, especially if you have a huge group. This place has a lot of character and it definitely takes food seriously. There are paintings of renditions of Zachary’s pizza plastered all over the wall, and they change constantly. I love admiring the artwork while waiting for my pizza to cook, which takes about 30 – 40 minutes. But don’t be discouraged by the wait, because the pizza is definitely worth it. You can also order a salad in the meantime to ease your hunger.
I always get Zachary’s Special Deep Dish Pizza, which includes onion, mushroom, sausage, green pepper, cheese, and the tangy, rich tomato sauce. The cheese in this pizza is incredible — melty, savory, and gooey. I normally don’t eat pizza crusts (I’m one of those people), but Zachary’s crust is flaky, crispy, buttery, and simply irresistible. The tomato sauce is chunky, thick, and definitely very tomatoey. It’s easy to tell how much care is put into making each deep dish pizza.
A size small will easily feed two people, since the pizza is four times the normal thickness and everything is quadrupled in quantity. They even offer a half-​baked option that enables you to order ahead, take the half-​baked pizza home, then finish the baking at home. If you’re short on time or just want to eat in the comfort of your home, this is the option for you.
The service here is always great, and the servers are efficient and attentive. I highly, highly recommend this place.

Great place for deep dish Chicago– style pizza. My family and I have been coming here regularly for two years now and we’ve tried a couple of their pizzas. We always order Good Health (free range chicken breast, chopped fresh spinach, reduced fat mozzarella on a wheat crust) and we’ve gotten Carne (Italian sausage, pepperoni, salami, chopped bacon and mozzarella). Both excellent options, but be aware that the pizza can take 35−40min to cook. It’s worth the wait but if you’re crunched for time – this is not the place. The thin slice pizzas don’t take as long. There’s standard beers on tap and some good quality bottled beers. They serve salad for those that need their green fix.
The wait times (especially during peak times– Friday/​Saturday evenings) can be long but they can start making the pizza while you wait. The service in the restaurant is exceptional, however I’ve had a few negative interactions when ordering to– go. They get extremely busy at times and the area around the cashier gets crowded– long story short, one or two of the waiters were rude which is outside of their normal service.
Overall, the pizza is great quality, the dine– in service has always been rad and the atmosphere is relaxed. It is a great place for a fun date or a family night.

Great place to hang out with friends and eat some awesome deep dish pizza! They have a good variety of pizzas both deep dish and thin crust. We ordered two deep dish pizzas: Carne and Zachary’s Special. Carne has a variety of meat, so if you’re a meatlover this is your pizza. Zachary is a good pick for people who wants a little veggies and some meat.
Another plus, is that we had a party of 8 and the restaurant was a little busy. However, the manager recommended that we place our orders and come back when the table was ready. This was perfect because we avoided the wait time after being seated.

The first time I came here, I didn’t know what to order! Their pies? Thin crust whole pizza or by the slice? I opt for by the slice and the best thing for me was that it’s thin sliced! My favourite type of pizza. I was happy about it. Sadly, they ran out of the sausage and we were asked if we wanted to wait about 7 minutes for freshly made ones. I’m glad I did. It was fresh out of the oven and smelt so delicious!
It’s been so long since I had pizza this yummy. Now I understand why people love this place, it’s good. When I walked in, you either have a choice to dine in with menus or walk up along their little pathway to order and then sit down. On your right, they have a mirror that extends up to the ceiling. You also see a lot of art work drawn by people, it’s very entertaining to look at. They have this sign hanging by the door, «People who love to eat are always the best people.» I agree! I actually want that sign to have in my room!
It’s a very casual feeling in here, the servers are friendly and service is super B! I believe they do prep for dinner rush hour. Plates, napkins and utensils placed on the table. Now it’s the second time I’ve been here, I decided to try their stuffed pie! It sounds very delicious. However, they did inform us that it will take up to 40 minutes for it to finish baking. Pizza are best when made with care and love, I see why it’s good quality pizza here. A lot of customers come during their break or lunch time to grab a slice.
They do have the option for half-​baked. You order ahead, they bake it half way and prepare it for you to take home with instructions to finish the rest of the baking! I like the idea of that. You can have their stuffed pizza in the comfort of your own home.
I found another place to stuff my face with awesome pizza! Will recommend others to come try this place out.

Came on a Sunday night and waited 45 minutes to seat seven. Luckily, we can place an order while waiting, which is a huge time saver!
We ordered Zachary’s special and chicken special in large (serves 4 – 5). Both were delicious and extremely filling. Having Zachary’s fresh tastes so much better compared to when it is catered on campus.

Great pizza and good food. But only got pizza and salad. No breadsticks. No chicken or mozzarella sticks. No perks.
Order in time cause he take forever. Deep dish pizza is great. Their all chicagoesque style pizzas.
This last order o was disappointed cause I asked for pizza and garlic bread and she said ok. When we got there. We were told theY have no garlic bread.
Really a 5 star but gave a for cause the bad garlic bread experience.

If you love pizza and salad, this place has both which are their main dish. For the deep dish pizza, we wanted to try their Zachary’s favorites. We decided to get a large deep dish and make it ½ & ½. So one-​half side of the pizza was their spinach and mushrooms while the other half was their Zachary’s Special. The spinach and mushrooms consist with a blend of 3 cheeses and special spices, and the Zachary’s Special has their classic combinations of Italian sausage, green pepper, onion, and mushroom. Thick crust with thick covering of red tomato sauce which tasted great! Would recommend anyone for their first time to try their Zachary’s favorites such as these 2 specialty items we’ve chosen.
As for the salad, we ordered 2 kinds; first was their Caesar Salad & the other was the Spring Salad. Caesar Salad was with romaine lettuce tossed with Caesar dressing, croutons, aged parmesan and 2 long thin breadsticks which at first i thought it were 2 chopsticks to scoop or pick the salad up. My friends laughed when I use the breadsticks as if it were chopsticks. The Caesar dressing was a usual taste of what this salad is, but with a little bit of stronger taste of garlic. The best salad we tasted was their Spring Salad. It’s mixed with spring greens, small red grapes, dried cranberries, gorgonzola cheese tossed with shallot vinaigrette. Love the ingredients mixed in with the lightness of the spring greens. I would come back to have this salad here again.
The waiter who helped us was friendly, helpful, and provided great service. Since it was our first time there, he recommended to try their Zachary’s Special & Spinach and mushroom. Their dining tables were at the left side area of the store and walls with frame paintings and clear shaped ball lights hanging on top of ceiling.
There are parking spaces outside the store, but may have to drive a block further to find parking. I’m a fan of chicken wings and was hoping the store would have it as an appetizer, but did not.
Overall, my experience with friends invited over to have pizza and salad was wonderful. If it were for anyone’s first time here, i would suggest to try their Zachary’s favorites and the Spring Salad!

I ordered ½ cheese & pepperoni. The pepperoni didn’t taste cooked. It was like it was pulled out of a package and placed on my pizza. I like my pep. crispy/​fully cooked. Other than that, it was good. Would I return? If I’m in the area, sure why not? But not my favorite spot in Berkeley.

best pizza in the bay we love it here in the office
thanks gays

I live in Oakland but decided to pickup from this location since I was in the hood. I didn’t have my wallet on me so I used my phone to order online since I have my credit card number memorized. Their site indicated that the food would be ready in 40 minutes (T’was a Friday). 30 minutes after ordering, I arrive, the man at the counter maintained a smile and eye contact with me from the door all the way to the counter. That’s approximately 50 feet of eye contact and smiles. 5 stars. PIZZA IS ALWAYS GOOD AT ANY ZACHARY’S.

I’m not a deep dish pizza expert by any mean but I found it really good. The half-​hour wait is actually a good sign as they bake the pizza on order, and the ability to get two flavors per pizza is very nice. We were 4 and did not have to wait to get seated on a Saturday at 1pm.

Just came here last night, after a couple years. I used to come here all the time when I was living back at home (El Cerrito.)
As I am older now, I appreciate the paintings that they have. As a younger person, I didn’t so much. LOL
I know this place is very popular/​busy, and everyone loves it. I still, wish that it was bigger. Maybe one of these days they will remodeled the place and/​or expand it. It’s well worth it. Still the greatest place for deep dish pizza.

Only reason to come here was my bf had business to do in Berkeley, Ca. So the drive wasn’t all that bad. It was through the city. It’s a bit different from Stockton, CA but it’s really nice out here.
My bf had directions on his phone to get here. The GPS said to make a left but it was an illegal left turn it led us to the back of the restaurant. Hahaha. So we had to turn around to the front of the restaurant. My bf found parking right across the restaurant bit of cousre you got to pay in the bay. We put in $ 3.00 for 2hrs the max because we knew the food will take 35 mins.
We enter inside the restaurant it’s a small place about 17 tables. I went to the table next to the window to see the veiw of people walking. Took a look at the menu they only have pizza, & salads & drinks so it wasn’t complicated to look at the menu. My bf took a look at the menu and he order the Carne stuffed pizza. It’s like the all meat lovers pizza.
It didn’t feel like it took 30 mins when the pizza arrived. Our server serve each of us our slice. The 1^st bite was amazing. A lot of cheese and sauce the topping were really delicious. I loved the crust. It was very crispy.
I was only to eat two slices same with my bf. It’s was a great experience to eat a real Chicago style pizza and I didn’t need to go to Illinois. So anytime in Berkeley this the place to go for pizza.

Let me start off by saying the pizza was good.
It wasn’t worth the wait… by that I mean we were calling for over an hour to place an order, busy signal every time… I can understand that if u get busy, adjustments should be made, but dang let ur customers know… I don’t appreciate u taking the phone off the hook. We got the Carne Stuffed… it took way longer than it was supposed to. Not what we were hoping for though…

Zachary’s, I love you! Seriously. Love. I’ve had Chicago style pizza in Chicago many times and it just doesn’t compare to Zachary’s. Zachary’s stuffed spinach and mushroom is the stuff dreams are made of. I’ve seen people order their thin crust pizza, and I just want to shake them and tell them what an enormous mistake they have made and that they seriously need to re-​evaluate their lives.

I love love love this place. This is the first and only place I have had Chicago style pizza and I’m in love! This place does get packed in pretty tight and can sometimes be over whelmingly busy. The service is always great! My favorite pizza is the carne and also the spinach and mozzarella. Yum yum! So good!

There is no better Chicago Style pizza I have ever had on the west coast!
There are two kinds of people in the Bay Area. The people who know that Zachary’s is the best Chicago style pizza this side of Chicago and those who have lost friendships because they don’t understand why everyone else thinks they are so great. I’m seriously, I’ve been a part of more arguments over Zachary’s than debates over who’s been on Netflix the longest. It’s sad, but welcome to San Francisco Bay Area. That all aside, it really is an amazing Pizza. For the longest time there was only two locations. One in Oakland and another not too far away in Berkeley where I would frequent. There is no difference in the food, its just a matter of who you want to be surrounded by. Its a really fun place to go to. Small and warm, sometimes loud and crowded, but its all about the pizza. Which, btw is amazing!
This is not your BJ’s pizza made out of Nurf bread, this is really buttery thin crust in a deep dish. You will love just about anything that comes out of that oven except their thin crust which I think is just there to please the people who don’t like to enjoy their lives. Thick crust, its where its at. I’m always going for the Extra Extra Pepperoni Deep Dish because I’m insane, but trust me its wonderful if you have a equally advanced case of Pepperoni addiction. We have tried 1x, 2x, 3x and even went as far as 4x Pepperoni and decided we have gone too far. So, trust me. 3x pep «Extra Extra Pepperoni» is the meaning of life. Oh, and there is something magical about their salad dressing. It shouldn’t be legal.
UPDATE:
More recently there is another chain restaurant that has opened up around the Valley. You might think its the same pizza. I’ll cut the the chase, its not. While the owner took the Zachary’s receipts and did a great job of franchising, he did lose something. The crust is no where near as good and the sauce is weak and thin. If you really want to know what it should be like, grab your friends and visit Zachary’s.

I’m going to be as unbiased as possible, I am a New Yorker and we love our thin crust traditional style pizza, but the Chicago style pizza was pretty BOMB! I can’t name the different pies we had, one had spinach, another had a lot meat, and the last pie had chicken. The pizza with all different meats was the best.
This has nothing to do with Zachary’s, I’m not a fan of all the sauce that Chicago style pizza had on it, that’s why I’m rolling with 4-​stars. The sauce was tasty tho!

Locate in a nice area. Plenty of parking at night. More spacious inside compared to the Oakland location. Staff really great, girl with the green hair was super cool. We had the carne pizza, really good. All in all I would def recommend.

While I haven’t consumed a single thing I purchased today from Zachary’s, the pie is sitting in the fridge and I will rate it with 5 stars based upon previous «half baked» pizzas.
Actually, a main reason (aside from it tasting wonderfully) for the max rating is that they’ve implemented an online ordering/​payment system.
I spoke to no one and arrived in Berkeley to a prepared and paid for pie to my specifications. Awesome sauce. (No really, the sauce is awesome.)

I used to go to Zachary’s at least once a year. A friend of mine that went to UC Berkeley told me about this place and whenever I need to go to No. Cal. I would make a stop at Zachary’s.
I landed at Oakland Airport around 11:00 and know that it was going to take about 45 minutes to go to Zachary’s and it usually takes about 30 – 40 minutes for a pie to be ready so I called and place an order to eat there.
I ordered a small pepperoni and mushroom. When I got there, I sat down and 1 minute later the pie was in front of my face I love the juicy tomatoes and the gooey cheese. I took that first bit and was in heaven.
I can’t wait to go again and again!!!

Came here because a friend loved this place from years ago. His opinion, the place hasn’t changed a bit, and the pizza is still delicious!
My perspective, the food was delicious! The atmosphere is very relaxed and the staff was really nice. Took about 40 minutes for the pizzas to be made, exactly as they promised. The pizza is HUGE! But so good. Loved it. Try the Carne!

SO I cant really say anything that hasn’t been said here already. The pizza at this place is amazing. Very real and fresh ingredients that you can taste, Excellent cheese and their meats are delectable.
Go with the thick crust of course and be prepared to wait a while as its ALWAYS packed.
Great spot here in the East Bay and an incredible location.

NOT A FAN OF THE DEEP DISH HERE. Or maybe I’m just not a fan of deep dish at all. The pizza crust bread was thin, I was playing with my food and happen to shave 80% of the marinara sauce to find the minuscule toppings that was added then a thin ass pizza crust at the bottom. I mean I get carbs is bad but pizza ain’t all that healthy overall.
The experience was so so. The staff was friendly. Ordering during busy hours was a hassle with a lot of pressure especially if it was your first time.
Oh and another thing, my BF ordered beer that they ran out of so the guy didn’t top it off and said the other round is on him, but the waitress came back with a half cup of the beer to «top off» the first cup LMFAO. Why bother?!

Deep Dish FTW!
It should come as no surprise that if the gluten free was stellar the deep dish had to be just as good if not better
It’s flavorful, amazing crust, balanced with sweetness and acidity
Overall Thoughts
In top contestation for best Chicago Style Deep Dish in the Bay Area

Granted, I’ve only been to Chicago once, so don’t have much actual Chicago pizza to compare it to, but this is the BEST pizza I have ever had. Honestly I am salivating just writing this review. The stuffed pie with whole wheat crust is indescribably delicious (get the whole wheat even if you don’t do the healthy thing because it’s flakier). My favorite combination is spinach, mushroom, black olive, and jalapeño. They will «half-​bake» it so you can take it home and finish it later. Also, this pizza freezes really well. You know that saying that pizza is always better the next day? That’s actually true in the case of Zachary’s stuffed pizzas. Something about the flavors absorbing. Who knows… who cares… it’s amazing.
There will probably be a wait if you eat in… worth it. If you order on the phone for takeout, expect it to take no less than 35 minutes… worth it. They don’t do phone-​in orders if you’re going to eat in the restaurant. The pies are kind of expensive, but again… worth it. One large pizza could last a couple of people a few days.

You have to be a deep dish Chicago style pizza lover to love Zachary’s. Staying in Berkeley for the weekend, Zachary’s was one of the top rated restaurants in the area. I immediately bookmarked them.
There will be a wait for a table, please NOTE! Best thing to do if it’s your first time, walk in and grab a piece of paper from one of the wait staff (the piece of paper has the time, approx. time for your wait, number in the party, your name, etc.). It’s kind of like pulling a number and waiting but this is a little note paper. DO, order your pizza in advance as the pizzas do take like 20 – 30 minutes (so they say). Then wait a little more for your table. Even waiting 20 minutes more for our table, after we sat down, the pizza still took an extra 10 minutes to be served.
I am a fatty pizza lover. Yes, I love pizza. This was probably my first real try at the Chicago style pizza and I thought it was just okay. If you love tomato sauce, tomato everything, you’re going to like Zachary’s. I thought it was tomato sauce overkill. I had a max of 1.5 slices of pizza as I was already full off just 1 slice.
There is plenty to share. The spinach salad was good and the service was wonderful! As a touristy, this was probably my one good stop for Chicago style pizza at Zachary’s Berkeley. Be careful if you’re in a big group, you’ll be waiting a while…

Die Stuffed Pizza ist einfach nur gut!