Zachary's Chicago Pizza
5801 College Ave
(between Birch Ct & Chabot Rd)
Oakland, CA 94618 (510) 655-6385
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat 11:00 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
Sun 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
180 reviews
Neighborhood: North Berkeley
"One of my favorite pizza places, I just wish they had more seating. I too like the pepperoni and also the asparagus pizza. Love the crust…" read more »
702 Reviews for Zachary's Chicago Pizza
This place gets crazy throughout the day. Even when we came in after "lunch" time it was still packed. But you could call in advance so that they can have it ready for you when you get there and you can either eat it there or take it to go. The place is small, so it gets crowded really fast. Especially since their line forms by the door, you'd have to excuse yourself with people trying to get to the bathroom or when you leave. There's bodies everywhere!!
They serve deep dish as well as thin crust. I love their deep dish here. They have super tomato sauces on the pizza. I'm a big tomato fan so this style of pizza makes my heart melt and my mouth explode with flavors. I wish they did have more cheese in there though because after 2 slices, the tomato was too overwhelming and I couldn't handle anymore.
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Living close enough to walk to Zachary's is a double-edged sword. Both the pro and the con are the same: I can go here all the time. The amazing thing is I've shown a lot of self-restraint.You see, I love pizza. From the greasy, thin slice from any of the NYC Ray's to the deep dish enjoyed by all who travel to the Mecca that is Zachary's.
The pizza is damn good. Ingredients are always fresh. The pie is always perfectly done. And, let's face it, after an hour of waiting, anything with their zesty tomato sauce would probably be tasty.
Evenings are packed. The system (new?) of assigning you a wait time and then ordering your pizza seems to work fairly well even on an incredibly busy night.
Just mushroom is heavenly. With a salad, it almost seems healthy. Get the root beer in the bottle. It's the best!
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Maybe I'm a cold fish, but I've never orgasmed from a piece-a Zachary's pie. It's pretty good, but I agree with those that suggest it's not exactly pizza. Given, I have little to no experience with the Chicago School of Pizza, but I'm not particularly encouraged to review this area considering Zachary's. I prefer their by-the-slice to their deep dish pies.
Other than that, the wait is generally very long. I've only dined in on off-times, but at a dinner rush I definitely suggest calling in to pick it up.
I'm getting married in ten days, so my buddies took me out to Zachary's for my bachelor party last night. (really, honey, that's where we were!)
I am from Chicago and confess I'm a pizza snob. Zachary's is south side Chicago, and I prefer the cornmeal crust style of the north side.
But I like a good pizza, so the six of us order three pizzas and plenty of beer and wine and lemonade (someone had to drive). I enjoyed the deep dish "healthy" pizza with a whole wheat crust, white meat chicken, spinach and the usual cheese and chunky tomato sauce. I like tomatoes, but could have done with fewer chunks, or better tomatoes. Overall, I enjoyed it.
However, the other pizza was a thin crust with asparagus. I liked the asparagus, but the rest of the pizza was not so good. Probably because I just don't care for thin crust, but the flavor was just out of sync with my taste buds. They also serve the pizzas on top of cardboard. What's up with that??
The wait staff are great, but the place is too noisy and crowded. And this was on a Thursday at 7PM. Will I go back--sure. I want to try the unhealthy sausage pizza next time, maybe for takeout, since you can't escape the cardboard anyway.
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I like that you can order your pizza before you sit down. Wait is long, but its to be expected. I am not a huge fan of deep dish, I like the cheese on top, and the thinner crust so you can better taste the ingredients. But my friend is from Chicago, and made us go here. I wasn't upset.
We ordered two pizzas for five of us, and finished half of each. I felt like I was going to explode after two pieces. It was very yummy, and although I would come here again, I don't completely understand all the hype.
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Oh man, I forgot to Yelp Zachary's?!? Whoops...
Well, Chicago deep dish is not what I grew up with, but what can I say? It's good. Real good. I can definitely try to get used to it. Especially all those luscious tomatoes in that pizza pie.
Main problem is it's too small for the huge crowds! Guess cuz it's so good.
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07/11/08 (Friday):
Pretty good, but if you're in SF, just go to Patxi's to save the trip.
My girlfriend and I ordered their deep-dish Chicago style pizza with Spinach/Mushrooms, and I also added sausage. We ordered a small 10-inch pizza and it came to $20.77. What can you say, you have to pay for quality.
It's definitely good stuff and I think I've definitely changed my entire taste preference from thin-crust to deep-dish forever now.
The place was really crowded and it took 40 minutes to get our pizza. However, the servers warned us beforehand of the wait.
All I can say is that their pizza is good and extremely similar to Patxi's in SF over on Hayes Street. At the end of the day, I still think "Little Star" is the best. Although I've come to realize that Little Star's pizza is somewhat greasier than both Patxi's and Zachary's.
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five stars because it's by far the CLOSEST thing to chicago pizza i've had in the bay area. and by far the best pizza in the bay area. now, if this place were beamed out of rockridge and into the lakeshore area of chicago, it would only get three stars because it's still not quite on par with real real real chicago pizza. but it's the best thing in the bay area.
we can't all fly the 1,846 miles from SFO to ORD everyday, so on those days when getting to chicago is impossible and i just NEED chicago pizza, zachary's fills that void.
If you like deep dish style pizza, or you a fat fuck and you like good food in general then this is the place for you. They have "stuff" or "thin" crust pizza. Stuff is your Chicago/deep dish pizza. You can make your own and put whatever you want in it or you can try out the "Zachary favorites" such as the:
ZACHARY'S SPECIAL
Sausage, green pepper, onion, and mushroom. A classic combination!!!
The flavor is great, lots of tomatoes and a shitload of whatever you order stuffed in your pizza. Its always made fresh and hot so you won't be disappointed.
Beware though this place gets as crowded as a Japanese subway. I went here on a fucking Tuesday and it was packed as fuck.. a TUESDAY. Come early or order ahead of time OR do what I do; order your pizza/wait for your seats and go next door to Trader Joe's to look around.
Last night I had Zachary's pizza. I brought it home on the plane and finished baking it in my very own home oven. The spicy-tomato scent quickly filled the whole house and aroused my taste buds in anticipation of one of my favorite indulgences.
The rich sauce is so full of red tomatoes I could swim in it and just as the tangy tomato taste hits my tongue, the unctuous sinful cheese melts into my mouth. The only pepperoni I eat (ever) is salty and toothsome, not even comparable to that nasty thin crap you'll find on a regular pizza. The pepperoni is especially delicious because it is baked inside the deep-dish pizza pie from heaven. Sauce, super thin layer of crust, cheese and toppings all meld together to make a pie so good that I will happily check my MJ bag at the airport just to bring one home.
If you plan on getting one, I'd highly recommend getting a take and bake during off hours as Zachary's gets busier than just about any restaurant I've ever seen. If you don't mind waiting though, Zachary's on a Saturday night is an experience. I love efficiency, it might sound weird, but I really do. Sitting at Zachary's on a busy night I have witnessed how well run this machine is first hand. I know people who work at Zachary's and it seems that are few places better to work.
How many other pizza places are Zagat rated and Michelin mentioned? Think about it. I know I will be until I get my next pizza fix.
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Like other Berkleyites, I was introduced to Zachary's as a young, naive, hungry undergrad at Cal. I heard a lot about Zachary's before I ever tried it, and once I did, I was hooked.
Zachary's has great pizza. Both it's Chicago style and regular, corn-meal crust pizzas are excellent. The salads are always fresh and delicious as well. The only downside is the excruciatingly long wait during peak hours, both for a table and to pick up your to go order.
Of course, there is no Zachary's near Stanford in Palo Alto where I live ... just another reason why Berkeley rules and Stanford sucks ;)
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I went to Zachary's for the first time yesterday and id have to say it was the best deep dish pizza I've ever had. me and four friends got two large pizzas, one with pineapple and ham, the other sausage and pepperoni and we were completely stuffed afterwards. The place was packed but after eating there, its not surprising why it was. The next day i took a huge poop. it was great.
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Being a noob to reviewing, the one thing I knew was that I just HAD to review ZACHARY'S for my first review. So, here goes my attempt to let it flow.... I absolutely LOOOVE Zachary's deep dish pizza, PERIOD.
This place NEVER EVER lets me down. It is the benchmark for a terrific pizza experience. The pizza here is really a meal in itself. I guarantee two things when you eat here:
1. you will leave full and
2. you will leave happy because you are so full
What more do you need :) It is the ULTIMATE comfort food.
Another cool thing about Zachary's (other than the food) is the relaxed atmosphere. It is not fine dining where you have to act prim and proper or dress to impress. It is a very casual, upbeat environment that has an intimacy that always brings out good conversation.
The Yelpers that complain about having to wait for a table need to calm down. Sure, if you go here during peak lunch/ dinner hours there is going to be a wait, but its usually never too bad.
Besides, what good restaurant ISN'T busy at peak hours?!
You can always pre-order your pizza before you are seated if you are absolutely starving. But seriously, why rush a good thing?
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Since I'm living in Berkeley for the summer, I've been told to eat at certain places as they are great eateries. Yet I've known about Zachary's pizza for about 7 years when a coworker at my job in Texas told me about the place (he went to Cal for undergrad 15 years ago). So all these years, it's been on my mind.
Tonight I finally went down and had the experience. And it's a good pizza. But not an *AMAZING* pizza. And it's a bit pricey to boot (though the rise in wheat prices could definitely be a big contributor here).
I walked in and ordered a small deep dish Chicago style stuffed pepperoni to go. The stuffed pizza's take about 40 minutes to make, so word to the wise, call your order in advance of showing up (though I took the time out to have a beer while I waited and people watched). The 10 inch diameter pizza was about $16. I didn't think it was going to be quite that much and I was a little annoyed that they didn't have prices posted for the pizzas.
Once I got my pizza, I whisked my way back to my apartment as quick as my stubby little legs would carry me (I'm 5'3") so that the pizza would still be hot when I ate it.
Mission accomplished-the pizza was the perfect temperature (hot but not so hot that when you eat it you burn off a layer of skin from the roof of your mouth). There was a mountain of tomatoes and sauce on the pizza and the crust was thick and substantive. The sauce to cheese ratio was very high. But for whatever reason, I didn't have the deep spiritual connection with my pizza as so many countless others before me have had. Perhaps it was the cost of the pizza. Perhaps it was the high sauce to cheese ratio (I like cheese at the Wallace & Grommit level). Perhaps I needed to burn the roof off the top of my mouth to really appreicate it. I don't know.
So there you go, my experience of Zachary's pizza.
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I ate at zacharys for the first time in my life yesterday. We ordered 2 large stuffed pizzas, 1 with canadian bacon and pineapple and 1 with sausage and peperoni. The wait is kind of long because the place is so damn good. The service is excellent and the waiter even offered to give me a glass of ice for my super hot gatorade. After 2 large pizzas you are pretty full but we managed to drive home in time to shit it out. This place is a must go for a deep dish maniac.
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Oh man this could be the first time I've ever had Chicago style pizza. We ordered pineapple/Canadian bacon and sausage/olive. Unbelievable. Sauce everywhere and super filling. One of the tastiest pizza's ever. But to be honest I'm not a crust type of girl, in general I do prefer thin crusted pizzas more than thick.
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I love the deep dish pizza from here, sometimes it can be a little to much sauce, but it is very satisfying.
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I guess this is the place to be if you like this type of pizza or if you're a tomato sauce fan. It's really popular during dinner times ( I have no idea about week nights). The line is out the door so I guess that is why the owner or whoever she is kept trying rush us out even though we still had at least 1/4 left of the 2 pizzas we ordered and we had not finished our beers yet.
This might be the 1st time I was constantly hinted to pay and get out even though I was still trying to stuff pizza down my mouth.
After hearing so much about this place, I decided to give it a try. We had to wait a bit, but it wasn't bad. It's really convinient that you can order your pizza while you wait, definitely a plus. We got the pizzas and they tasted pretty good. I love tomatoes, so the sauce was my favorite part. We got a sausage and pepperoni, and the sausage was really damn tasty cause it's flat and goes really well in the stuffed pizza. Only con was the price, but it's almost worth it. Great service as well, very friendly.
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Zachary's is my absolute favorite pizza around. These days I rarely go because A) it's consistently packed and B) I like to fit into my clothing. But every now and again I'll relent and grab a Take and Bake. Hmm, it's been a while, maybe time for another visit!
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They could use some more meat on their pizza's instead of them trying to overload you with insane amount of pizza sauce. The wait was pretty long and I do not like to wait for my food for a long time.
A-ok pizza, good JB's, and thank you.
I lived in Berkeley for several years. My boyfriend (now fiance) and I would ride our bikes everywhere and explore - we came across this little bit of heaven one lazy gloomy saturday afternoon. We walked in and i wasn't that impressed. I've got to tell you - i am (was) not a big fan of the deep dish - thought it was kindof gross to be truthful. It's just too much of everything and i just wasn't into it. Well that changed the day I ordered a slice of cheese and a bottle of Guiness. My life changed after eating that slice. This is the best pizza on earth. Hands down. I think i had two slices and three beers that day. Now whenever i go back to my second home in Northern California - my mouth starts watering for a slice of this pie.
Zachary's is the BEST PIZZA EVER. I go into withdrawls sometimes when I haven't had it in a long time... I start convulsing and writhing on the floor. (heh)
The huge, stuffed pizza pies are filling and delicious. I love the chunky tomato sauce on top. About 1-2 slices and I'm stuffed to the brim. Their caesar salad is good, too.
I love that you can order one "half baked" and take it home to eat it fresh at home.
Expect a bit of a wait on the weekends. Everyone knows and loves this place!
Coming from the Chicago area, I've been mostly disappointed with the pizza in the Bay Area. Zachary's is a big exception (I'd also recommend Patxi's). Their stuffed pizza is easily near the top of my list that I've ever had. The sauce, the crust, the cheese, the ingredients... all perfect! I really like that their "pride and joy" is the spinach and mushroom one, as it's exactly how I like to order my stuffed pizza.
To make it more economical my girlfriend and I bought in bulk and got a large.. we will have leftovers for at least a day or two. At about $3.50/slice, it's not a bad price considering you only need to eat 1 or 2 pieces per meal unless you are truly starving.
I've never had their deep-dish pizza. I have had several thin crusters, though, and they are amazing. They make a pie with hot links, too, which is incredible. Busy place-I always take out. And call early 'cause they stop answering the phone when a rush is on!!
Have you ever tasted something so good that it caused you to gyrate your shoulders and nod your head up and down like you were listening to your favorite song in your head? No? Well, biting into a slice of this pizza can cause to either have that strange physiological effect or cause you to have a leap in imagination to the point of reaching pizza Nirvana.
I'm a knucklehead and cynic when it comes to pizza. I easily dismiss claims of people suggesting their spot has the best pizza in the city or state. But I had to succumb to Zachary's because its really that good.
Believe me.
I don't wanna add more details to a restaurant that already has outstanding reviews, but I do have to point out a key part of the pizza that makes it downright wicked: Its the crust. The crust is crusty, not brittle like a cracker and its never too dry, too thin, or overcooked. Even if you take it home, refrigerate and reheat, the crust's properties continue to sustain its form, texture and flavor.
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Best pizza in the SF area, period.
You know, my favorite pizza in the world is at Pizzeria Regina, which means I'll wait in line for an hour in Boston weather (inevitably colder than 12 or warmer than 86 degrees) just to be crammed into an old mob hangout so I can be verbally abused by Italian waitresses who will never age or die. And I love every minute of it. So, I mean, Zachary's already had insanely crowded and surly going for it; all they needed was awesome pizza to back it up.
Idonno, the crust is fantastic (somehow crunchy and flaky at the same time, with a little sweetness), but the rest of the pizza failed to impress. Underseasoned and definitely oversauced. Maybe I just happened to get a bad pie, but being stuck four feet from five of the most obnoxious loud talkers in existence didn't add to my experience. In the future I'll stick to take-out, but I'm not that anxious to head back--Little Star is gonna be meeting my Chicago pizza needs for a while.
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I am by no means a Zachary's virgin, i have often filled my orifices with their delicious deep dish treats. I enjoy the biting into my first slice and feeling the juices slide down my throat. it is like loving for my stomach. never have a been so pleasantly filled as i was in my last trip to zach's. the wait was quite looooooooooooooooooooong, but we were able order or pizzas before being seated. Shortly after being seated, we were served nicely by a strong young man. Afterward i left a hearty spattering of fecal matter in my water closet.
i really love eating zach's pie.
This is one of the best pizzas I have had ever actually. And I eat alof of pizza. Location is usually really packed for lunch or dinner. So I do take out and it always comes out great. Price to food ratio is pretty fair. Parking is "ok" as long as you park across the street in the old albertsons lot. Nice date place.
Cheesy, chewy goodness. I have never been disappointed here! And while they are known for their pizza, their caesar is one of the best that I have ever had, and is definitely worth trying if you haven't already. And for all of you Fat Tire lovers out there, they have it on tap. SCORE!
Go! Indulge! Enjoy!
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Zachary's is clearly the standard for Chicago deep dish pizza on the west coast. You can always tell when you enter the shop that the pizza must be good as Zachary's is always crowded on the weekdays and the weekends. The draw for me lies in the amazing tomato sauce that has a certain chunky, tangy, sweet, and salty awesomeness to it. I often opt to get mine half baked and finish it off in my oven at home for a delicious meal. My roomies and I have to agree that Zachary's is a winner!
Either my tastes have become more discerning since college, or this place has gone downhill.
I remember what a treat it was to have Zachary's while at Cal. It's not cheap, and it's a painfully slow wait (AND you had to wait for the 51 if you didn't have a car), but back in the day, the spinach/mushroom deep dish pizza was worth every minute and every penny. The last 2 times I've gone, though, I would've rather had Costco pizza. Everything was salted to the point that you couldn't taste the ingredients.
Especially after having tasted a deep dish pizza from Gino's East in Chicago, I can't bring myself back to Zachary's again.
We now have a Zachary's close by us in San Ramon, but this one brings back amazing memories. My daughter and I would call in dish dish chicken and spinach to go, drive from danville (about a 30 minute drive from danville in traffic thru the tunnel). Steal a parking space in the then "Lucky's" shopping center next door, run in and pay. Then have a the torture of that heavenly smell of pizza all the way home ( the aroma of garlic and crushed tomatoes would fill the car , once I took bart from WC ...heheh) . This would take usually about an hour which to most would seem pretty crazy for pizza yes .... but NO! Its soooo worth it! And the deep dish is so filling we'd always have left overs . Of course like I said now we have our San Ramon location for Pizza which is good, but it will never be quite the same without the added trek which I know added to the flavor experience!
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Best waiter ever -- I think his name was Josh -- he had a cool accent.
Pizza was pretty good. I think I liked the sauce flavor here better than at Little Star. I do like deep dish, but I also like the crust to be soft yet toasted. This was very toasted or rather baked.
Great location (walked), we didn't even have to wait for a table (even though the waiting area was packed for some reason).
The only downside to our experience was the table next to us in the corner. The first couple there was making out practically on the table. The second couple after them, the guy who was facing the wall (away from our table) pretty much sat turned around staring out at the door the entire time -- which was highly annoying because he was practically sitting at our table and breathing on OUR pizza.
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I love Zach's! Ive gone here for years! The place is owned by the employees, and it is most always packed. They have amazing deep dish pizza and thin crust! My family and I get a deep dish spinach and mushroom pizza, which is AMAZING. once they accidentally put sausage on it but it was still amazing! To make a phone order is hard because you just need to redial and hang up until they finally answer. If you don't wanna do that pick up a half baked pizza during a less busier time of day and heat it up when you go home. I love the service there, all of the waiters and waitresses are SO friendly. I don't mind that its packed probably because i expect it. You can also buy pizza by the slice which is amazing! I highly recommend it! It is really worth the wait!
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I had so much fun with active scene here. The pizza was nice, thick and filling. My friend, though who just got back from Chicago didn't look so happy.I thought the pizza was quite good.
Comming from So Cal, this was only my second attempt at Deep Dish Pie. My first adventure was down near UCLA at Numero Uno (or something like that). My second was here at Zachary's. It looks even better on the Travel Channel, when they did a thingamagig on Must Eats.
We got 1/2 works, and the other half vegetarian. I love pizza, and i was expecting this place to hit me with a WOW..... Unfortunately, it was more like a not bad..... kinda saucey feeling.....
However, I have always been a thin crust (NY Style) guy.... a la Rays. But, to be fair it was only once, and maybe it was an off nite for Zachary's. So, im willing to give it another shot....soon.
Lets call this "incomplete" for now, so 3 stars for a middle grade.
If Zachary's is the best place for deep dish pizzas in Berkeley, maybe I'm just not a fan of deep dish. The crust was good, but there was way too much tomato sauce, which drowned out the rest of the pizza! It was basically like eating thick tomato stew in a pizza crust, with a fork & a knife that doesn't cut very well. I feel like I got a workout sawing through the crust.
Out of the three pizzas we had, I liked the Spinach&Mushroom best. Parking was manageable, the wait for a table was about an hour long, & the service was excellent. However, I don't think I will see myself craving deep dish pizza anytime soon. But hey, if someone else pays, I'm always down.
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I went up to SF for a work meeting and my close buddy picked me up from Oakland Airport and took me to two dinners. Well, one dinner of GREAT sushi then as we strolled down the street we passed by heaven on earth.
She took me in to show me around and everyone was so NICE! We ended up buying a small cheese pizza and took it home. Before we left I bought one of the most comfortable caps every! Great cap and great price $8!
I love how they put a GREEN list on the pizza box! Giving tips on how to live greener! Very cool! So my buddy and I did our part we recycled the pizza in our mouths and put the box in the recycle bin!
Go! Go! Go!
