Zachary’s Chicago Pizza

Let me start by saying that I’ve never had deep dish pizza, so I don’t have much to compare it to. With that said, the deep dish pizza was amazing!
My coworkers kept raving about this place so a friend and I decided to try it out for dinner (truthfully it was between yoga and pizza, pizza won of course!)
We ordered a medium deep dish pizza to share (about 10 slices, I believe) with salami and jalapeños and a beer each (perfect right?)
Right off the bat you need to know that the deep dish pizza takes about 30 – 40 minutes to cook but if you’re like us, chatting and drinking it really doesn’t feel like that long of a wait. Plus, it’s worth it!
The pizza was absolutely perfect, it came out STEAMING hot AND deliciously cheesy. It really had the perfect amount of sauce, cheese and toppings ratio. The crust was excellent as well, crunchy enough to get that extra texture but soft enough that you don’t feel like your tooth is going to break.
All in all the experience was great! Oh and did I mention, t’s a five minute walk from the Rock Ridge Bart station! What more can you ask for? I would like to say however, that I do want to try The Star on Grand as many have compared it to Zachary’s and have said that it’s even better. Who knows! We’ll see next time I’m in the area.

Any place with over three thousand reviews is worth checking out and I’m glad we did.
This is really good. Having moved from Chicago to California it’s been hard finding food comparisons here. This come the absolute closest.
The only weans I they didn’t get 5 stars is because I feel that the deep dish in Chicago is still better. But this place is still great.
I will be back multiple times!

Zachary’s is probably my favorite spot for pizza close to Berkeley. Good deep dish pizza is just hard to come by, and Zachary’s is definitely good or better.
Zachary’s pizza feels like a hearty, rich meal without feeling overly greasy, and the crust is perfectly crunchy on the outside yet not crispy enough to be hard to eat.
I ordered a large size of the special and split it between myself and 2 friends (the recommended split is between 4 – 5 people) and it was just enough for 3 extremely hungry people with big appetites.
It’s a little pricey (we ended up paying around $ 12 each), but for a rarer form of pizza (at least on the west coast) done extremely well, it was definitely worth it.

This is a staple go to spot for Chicago pizza in Berkeley! They have so many options and I’m happy to say that their customer service is very friendly and hospitable. I enjoyed sharing a large stuffed carne pizza with four others.

Best pizza sauce on the planet, their pizza was so awesome, it’s out of this world
delicious, they should bottle their sauce
It was so good it was unbelievably top notch, top shelf… It was really good.
We arrived at 9:30 pm and they still provided service with a smile, it’s Chicago style, so it’s deep dish… Cheese first then the sauce on top, man is it good

Disappointed by the hype.
Came by over the weekend with my family and the food was good, but not 5 stars good…
We ordered 2 deep dish pizzas and 2 thin crust. The Spinach and Mushroom Deep Dish we ordered could’ve passed for just a plain tomato and cheese pizza – couldn’t taste the spinach, couldn’t taste the mushroom. Same problem with the other deep dish. I was fishing around trying to find some meat. I also didn’t care for the crust. In my opinion, it was hard to bite into.
Service was great and they were very attentive, but I just wish the food was better.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit again.

When I was in Chicago, I tried a couple of places for chicago-​style pizza, and I wasn’t terribly impressed. It was disheartening, but a friend said Zachary’s is the best in the bay area so I thought I’d join them for the ride.
I must be a terrible judge of chicago-​style pizza — but Zachary’s is fantastic, period. I mean, their crusts were perfectly crisp, with SO much cheesy + topping goodness. I was in pizza heaven. Their pizzas are made to order (for the most part), so expect quite to wait at least 30 – 40 mins if you’re arriving and then ordering after being seated. I imagine the wait can be really long at peak hours, if you’re waiting for a seat and then ordering, and then waiting some more for your pizza! I saw a lot of people coming in to order take out so that might be the way to go, if there’s no seating. Otherwise, come early like we did and there’s little to no wait!
We had leftovers and when I re-​baked it in my oven, it was almost just as good. YUM.

I just need to let people know that this is where the journey with the best pizza ever started.
Zachary’s is the best Chicago style pizza. I have been told from people from Chicago that Zach’s is better then pizza from Chicago, and that is saying a whole heck of a lot. Zach’s is the best.

Long lines here. I definitely have been here before with someone else but then again I haven’t here in a while.
I ordered the small spring salad to get some vegetables in. The pieces of grapes and dried cranberries was delicious! It was a great little salad to start off with.
We ended up ordering the medium deep dish. Half half. Zachary’s special and carne. I only had one slice and I’m happy I chose the slice of carne.
Pro tip: order your pizza while you wait for a table. Then it’ll be done around the same time. No additional wait time needed.

Zachary’s makes the best deep dish pizza, period! No offense, but deep dish places in Chicago aren’t even close. To get over 3000 reviews and still have nearly 5 stars tells you something. Little Star in San Francisco is very good, but if you want the best, drive across the Bay Bridge.
This time we got a medium with black olives, pepperoni, and sausage. Yum! The sausage had a really good flavor, which is wasn’t fully expecting. It’s well-​worth the wait for the pizza. The new meatball appetizer is fine, but I’d just stick with the hearty deep dish pizza.

Ok I have been here twice. Peeps have told me over and over again to stop by as they all know me as a pizza snob from NY. BUT I LOVE Chicago deep dish as well. My favorites in Chicago are Gino’s East and Pequods! I give those a five. Now if this place was in Chicago I think it also would have a strong following with all the other pizza places they have. This is a well deserved 5!!! Great service, kid friendly but can get busy. You can wait the 40m for fresh or get half baked and go to your hood and chow down. The beer and wine selection are cool but they also have great murals on the walls! Love this place! Dough is light but has substance, the sauce is just right that it doesn’t over take the pie!!! I am drooling as I write. I need to go back again again and again.

I’m not a deep dish kind of gal, but Zachery’s is my only exception. I’ve been to different places in the Bay Area and I have not enjoyed a pie like I do at Zachery’s.
For the most part we order it half-​baked to-​go because the restaurant itself is quite busy… like ALWAYS. But a few weeks ago I actually dined in with the hubby and offspring it was a bit clusterphobic at first but somehow everyone around kind of fit into place. Which was weirdly cool…

Definitely a must try place for deep dish pizza. A staple of Berkeley Alumnis who come here when ever in neighborhood. Customer service is top notch in the way they handle the wait to serving food. Even though I read that you can pre order order (because it takes 40 min) to make your deep dish over the phone, this night we were told to come in then order. It took 40 minutes to get seated on a Thursday night so if you are dining in just go to the location and order your food. Now to the food. It’s pretty darn good. We order larger Zachary’s special. The cheese was gooey and stretchy. The sauce had the right amount of sweetness. All combined to make it a great dish. That being said Chicago still has the best pie. But outside of Chicago this has been the best deep dish pizza I’ve had in long time

When you’re willing to drive almost 100 miles one way, you know the pizza is THAT good.
Zach’s is unlike any pizza that i have ever had. Come hungry… its filling and you’ll want room in your tummy for as much as you can handle!
I find the service to be hit or miss. This doesnt deter me or countless others from enjoying a good slice of pie. Be prepared for long wait times during Friday/​weekend nights. There are a couple of locations, and locals know to try the different locations for quicker service/​seating. Sometimes they will take a call ahead, and sometimes they don’t. Ive asked about this and always have been given a different story.
As a fan of deep dish, and when i tried Zach’s years ago i was surprised by the presentation. Now, i look forward to this «upside» down taste sensation. We always order cheese and are never disappointed. The outer crust is crispy, and the pie itself is substantial enough to hold the mass amounts of cheese and sauce. The pizza comes with the sauce on top. Thats right! The sauce which is flavored with basil and other wonderful spices, is chunky! I never thought i could love chunky tomatoes/​sauce so much. I could actually eat the sauce by itself, Its that tasty. check out the pictures!
This time we also ordered the pizza Blanca. OH EM GEEEE… What an amazing treat. This thin crust isn’t that cracker like thin crust pizzas youd expect. it has a wonderful crust, and its my new current favorite pizza.
The Blanca, is made with garlic, fresh herb and olive oil base topped with
mozzarella and ricotta de latte cheeses, garnished with fresh lemon. Thats right, lemon. True Italian pizza at its finest. Be daring, and try it. The light lemon spritz makes the pizza flavors pop.
They make a variety of pizzas with different toppings, and if you’re hitting Zach’s up around lunch time, you can grab a slice or two of whatever they have made and waiting. The pesto is pretty scrumptious. Ive mixed the pesto and tomato sauce and have enjoyed it.
**Diners advice** If you’re planning on having the stuffed/​deep dish pizza its a 40 min bake time regardless of dining room wait time.
Call ahead and order your pizza to go. If you luck out and they have dining room places available, you can change your «to go» to dine in after you’ve been seated. People tend to linger once seated, so consider either going early, or having plenty of time for dine in.
They will make pizza’s that are half baked. If you’re close enough to take it home and finish baking it, its not too bad. If you have a drive, it works, but there is something about a real pizza oven.
Manga!

This is the first place I’ve ever gotten a deep dish pizza way back when.
Since, I’ve had numerous deep dishes from Chicago — pizzeria uno, lou malnati’s, Gino’s East, Giordano’s, you name it. Although in general, deep dish isn’t my favorite type of pizza, went ahead and given Zach’s another swing.
Still impressed! First, they have the best quote ever. «People who love to eat, are always the best people.» Sums up my fellow Unilocalers!
We had the deep dish Carne-​style. At first, I thought I made a mistake because I’ve had all-​meat deep dishes before in Chicago, and they are usually salty. However, Zach’s was just right. Thick, flavorful, and crispy but not burnt crust. So good.
Also had the Chicken Special, thin crust. Awesome as well! Zach’s just knows how to do pizza. I thought I was missing chicken wings, turns out the thin crust was the appetizer.

What do I love about Zachary’s Oakland?
I love the small footprint location on College Avenue (this used to be a lamp shop!). This is the original Zachary’s — where the founders started out in 1983 to realize their dream of opening a deep dish pizza joint in the Bay Area.
I love trying to parallel park in one of the side streets — trying to prove to my skeptical better half that years of suburban living haven’t atrophied my skills just yet!
I love the friendly neighbors — one of them showed our then 3-​year-​old older daughter how to pull carrots from his tiny front yard garden (right across from the Trader Joes parking lot!).
I love the memories — this is where I bonded with my «California Native» in-​laws over a decade ago when I was a newbie to the Bay Area, still a bit nervous about housing prices and living in earthquake country.
And of course, I love the awesome pizza and the friendly service, an inevitable side effect of being 100% employee-​owned!
Zachary’s San Ramon location may be a lot closer to our digs in Livermore, but eating deep-​dish pizza in Rockridge is much more special.
We will be back soon!

I visited from Hawaii with my family. This was a standard when I was at Cal. Zachary’s is as good as ever. I’m no Chicago deep dish pizza expert, but I’m not sure how it can get better than this. I’ve tried Gino’s East (not better) in Chitown but not any others so I may have to revise at some point.
My wife and I had the spinach and mushroom, and my kids had pepperoni. The thing that makes the deep dish go is the ginormous chunks of fresh tomatoes. Don’t get me wrong, the tall crust forming the perimeter walls and the fresh, stringy cheese are perfect complements. My 9 year old son is a picky eater, and even he said this was the best pizza he has tasted in his young life. This is an Oakland/​Rockridge institution.

The pizza and their own crust is good, especially like the huge chunks of tomato. Plenty of stringy mozzarella cheese too! But between popular deep dish restaurants: Patxi, Little Star and Zachary’s. Zachary’s comes in second to Little Stars corn meal crust IMO.
Love the neighborhood vibe and family friendly atmosphere though. Beer and pizza for date night feels just as appropriate here as a post soccer game team meal would. It’s on a block with other popular restaurants and trader joes next door so parking may be challenging.

I took BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) from Glen Park SF to Rockridge (exit) and it costs $ 4.10 each way, so $ 8.20 round trip, without having to deal with the automobile commute issues of a car, gas, road rage, bridge tolls and other expenses including time commitment in traffic.
It is very well worth it to come to Zachary’s if you like Chicago Deep Dish and live in SF but only know of Little Star and Paxti’s which are good if not great pizzerias, but quite honestly Zachary’s falls into what i consider the «often imitated, never duplicated» culinary experiences that is on it’s own level and rises above all others.
If i were on Death Row and was given a choice for a Last Meal request, I’d seriously consider Zachary’s a meal to die for!
I like both Zachary’s East Bay locations. I even over order bigger sizes on purpose to have leftovers to savor later. I am going to freeze my extra slices and then pop them in the oven to reheat later. Keep them wrapped in foil to retain the moisture of the sauce and use a toaster over or regular oven mot a microwave to keep the crust crisp.
So, if you’re in The City, take public transit and it is a few short blocks walking distance from the BART station in Rockridge. It’s so easy and convenient.

I had Zachary’s once almost 10 years ago but every time I’m back in the bay area, I try to make it out here for it. There’s a location in Oakland and Berkeley. They’re both busy and equally good.
We came on a Sunday night so the wait wasn’t bad at all. There was still a pretty good crowd but we got seated in less than 10 minutes. The wait for the actual pie though was quite a bit longer. Luckily, we got a salad to share first so the wait was more tolerable.
We got the pizza with mushrooms and spinach. It’s one of their most popular options on the menu. We picked the smaller size and it was a lot of food for 2 people already. We even had 3 slices left over that we took with us but never ended up eating because we had too many things to try.

«Pizzas» estilo Chicago. Entrecomillo pizzas porque para cualquier italiano esto tiene de Pizza lo mismo que una Peaella.
Nomenclaturas aparte, las pizzas están bastante bien. Unos dos centímetros de profundidad, buenos ingredientes, sabrosas… desgraciadamente, el tiempo de espera (40 minutos como mínimo), y el precio (unos cuarenta dólares para dos personas) dejan mucho que desear.
Respecto al establecimiento, tiene cierto encanto, especialmente las obras de «arte» que lo decoran (hechas por los propios clientes en concurso) pero está demasiado masificado.