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I recently moved to the Lake Merritt area and was happy to discover a cute-looking pizza place right down the street from me, because I like eating pizza (..a lot).
I really really wanted to like this pizza. I was so hoping I would. It's so close by and convenient and they have beer and everything!
However, it's not that good :\ And the reason? The crust. I got a pizza with some veggies on it for take out, and everything else about the pizza was pretty decent, but the crust totally ruined it. I did order whole wheat and that kind of dough does tend to be a bit denser, but this was just all kinds of wrong. The crust was thin, but much much too dense and chewy, even for whole wheat. It was hard, but not crispy. The pre-made whole wheat crust they sell in the Trader Joe's refrigerated section is much better than the crust on this pizza. The only reason I bothered to finish the pizza the next day was that I had no other food in the house.
Get a new crust recipe!!!! I want to patronize your establishment :(
WOW! how good was that? absolutely terrible!
i must admit i rarely write reviews (i think i've only written one or two in the past) because i use yelp mostly to see what the community thinks of a given service, but tonight i just had to write.
after reading what people said about Leaning Tower, we were excited at the thought of enjoying a good pizza on a friday night after a crazy week. we ordered the Mediterranean Special (Green Olives, Artichoke Hearts, Feta Cheese, Roasted Red Pepper) which sounded really good, but what a disappointment. honestly any frozen pizza purchased at a grocery store would've been better than what we ate tonight. they obviously don't prepare the dough fresh and the veggies tasted like caned food.
i wouldn't ever recommend Leaning Tower, and really don't understand how anyone can enjoy their food. where do all these 4 star ratings come from, i'm not too sure. fake reviews? perhaps...
It has been a while since I have eaten here, and in my life I have eaten here probably 4 times. For some reason, while living in Oakland for the last 8 years of my life, and only eaten here 4 times, Leaning Tower of Pizza is always in the back of my mind.
I really love this little area of Oakland. I love the location of Leaning Tower. Just off the beaten path, quiet, but if you want noise it is only 2 blocks away. In the middle of a place where a gazzilion people live, i love to sit outside and look at the buildings and inside the windows of all the people who live around here. (not in a perverted way).
It was prettty entertaining reading the pages of reviews of this place. Some were pretty downright brutal. All in all, I can't say that some of the brutal critical reviews are wrong, yet again, can't say the ones which show total lovevare wrong.
I guess my point here is that if Leaning Tower was located smack dab in the middle of Lakeshore Ave, I probably wouldn't even know or care it existed. Is the pizza memorable? No way. I do recall at one point they decided to use a crust rolling machine which I recall first seeing at the Costco Pizza deli. I thought to myself it seemed a bit lazy for them to use at Leaning Tower as there is no way they do the same volume that a Costco does.
Well, by now if you are reading this, you have checked out or said to yourself, Damn this dude needs to stop smoking some much weed......But in summary, if I lived in this area of Oakland, I would 110% support this place, it is not the best, not the worst, but serves an important role in the neighborhood. Even if you are on the fence about the pizza, would you prefer there to be a empty store front or even worse a faceless place like a Dominos here?
Still the BEST place to get a Pizza delivery in the Lake Merritt area.
The Pizzas are piping hot when they get delivered
and they accept CASH!
The last pie I ordered was a Hawaiian pizza and it was good!
Either they changed the ham or I just caught them on a bad night
the last time i ordered one. The Hawaiian Pizza is GOOD!
This is the ONLY place we will get delivery from again.
It's good!
You must ORDER a Pineapple & Jalapeno Pizza, it's the best!
I've been ordering pizza from…
Read more »
All I ate today was coffee and chocolate truffles, so by 6pm I decided that it would be a good idea to get some real food in my stomach. Being tired and lazy, I did not want to walk farther than a block so my choices were Quic-Stop and this place.
Although after reading other reviews I was a little weary of the cardboard crust, I decided against Quic-Stop for dinner. I ordered the California special: goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach. I like veggie pizza so this sounded good. The guy said 15 minutes.
This is where they lose major points with me - it took at least 25, if not 30. Half an hour to wait for a small pizza - it better be absolutely delicious! This is where they lose more points: pizza was ok, thin whole wheat crust is how i like it, toppings were alright, but overall pretty bland. I would not mind coming back there for late night munchies, and they do have fat tire and skinny dip on tap :) but nothing special or something that I would recommend to anyone else.
I don't know what kind of donut crust some of these other reviewers are used to, but this place is great!
I've tried the regular and the whole wheat crusts now and they're both fantastic. Thin enough to have a crisp to it without the flaccid sogginess that can tend to go along with the style. I recommend the whole wheat.
Lots of interesting combo options for the vegetarians (I am one so I paid close attention). And who could say no to half price pitchers of Fat Tire on Mondays?
A large pizza and a pitcher only set us back $28 after a generous tip! You can't even get a large pizza for that at some places.
I think I have a new Monday night football spot.
A little more atmosphere (even just lower the lights a little) would have gotten them 5 stars.
Since living on Lake Merritt two years now, this is a reliable, walk-to business that I wholeheartedly support.
Turkey pesto and meatball sandwiches are good, pizzas are nice too.
I will continue to prefer the little guy to the big chain through life. I hope to live here for a long time and enjoy Leaning Tower's friendly service.
I just moved in to the Lake Merritt neighborhood and saved a visit to Leaning Tower to this weekend.… Read more »
This is the second worst pizza I've had from a restaurant. The cheese was ok, but the peperoni is greasy and the crust is worse than most frozen pizza. I had to soak up the grease with a napkin. As I was eating, I was wishing it was at least as good as frozen pizza. The location is the only good thing about this restaurant, except the inside was kind of dirty. I don't understand how a pizza place can make such blah pizza. The full pizzas are cheap. I guess cheap is their specialty. BLAH!
THIS PLACE ROCKS. The food is awesome. I order salad, bruschetta, and any or all of their pizzas all the time. My fav pizza is the Mediterranean. They also exclusively carry New Belgium beers on tap, always having seasonal brews, and ALWAYS served with the frostiest pint glass youve ever seen. The son of the owner Cam makes unbelievable pasta, and the owner is a gracious host always providing a warm smile and family-style service. This is a perfect place to go with tons of friends and feast on great italian food. The view of Lake Merritt aint so bad either...
Unusual pizza in a hidden location.
About a 3.5.
Parking sucks and it's freezing in the winter and hot in the summer,but worth a go.
I like their Louisiana Purchase that comes with hot links and shrimp.
Not bad.
I want to like this place. I really do. I want to support local eateries.
However: they need to crack open a cookbook and change the recipe for their pizza dough. Their pizzas are beyond bad. They taste like sawdust. The salads are limp and tasteless. The pasta sauce tastes slightly better than the pizza, but only slightly.
Sorry, guys.
One day I went in there and the owner was was very very rude to my young adult son who was playing the piano, he was outside talking with a friend while we were inside waiting for our order, the staff seemed very stressed and tensed. I was enjoying my son playing and no one was complaining and the owner came in there and said, i can't take it anymore and basically moved my son from the bench. We calmly bought our order and never went back. I asked him if he was the owner and he said yes.
I've eaten here a few times in recent history. First time I had the pizza that is all veggie and has a wheat crust. I did not like it, I liked the toppings but the crust was all weird. But I pretended like it because I wanted the girl to think I liked it.
Then we had another pizza at some other time, again I was non-plussed. I mean, no big deal. It wasn't bad The crust was no good, there no sauce. But it wasn't bad or great.
Then last night we got the mediterranean pizza delivered, and I was amazed. First off the crust was still nice and crisp, which for delivery pizza is amazing. I normally hate feta cheese on pizza, but they didn't over do it. I was really pleased by it last night.
So it's not bad, but it can be great.
3 stars breakdown:
0 stars for food, has anyone tried this CRUST????? NASTY!!!!!! They serve your pizza on a giant flavorless cracker not dough!!! I mean WTF?? Who does that??
2 stars for $5 pitchers of New Belgium on mondays!!!!! Only hang up is you have to order some of their nasty ass pizza to get the deal..... *Shrug*
This is a rare instance where I cannot pinpoint my criticism to anything specific. Everything was awful....
Everything.
Awful crust, awful sauce, awful toppings, awful, awful, awful.
WORST.
PIZZA.
EVAR.
How this place has managed to stay in business is beyond me.
If you think this place is "simply amazing", you must not eat out much. I would put this pizzeria on par with little caesars, except that little caesars has affordable pricing!
The "lunch special" is $4.50 for a wooden slice of pizza and a -can- soda?? Give me a break! I can go down Lakeshore to 'Slice of Hollywood' and get a FULL-QUALITY-MEDIUM PIZZA FOR $5.00!! :O Can't compare!
As it turns out, they do NOT have NESN.
Drat.
On the plus side, he now just gestures to the remote, as well as stops annoying kids from banging on the piano while I am watching Jeopardy, just because I turned around and gave him a look.
They have NESN. Go Rem Dawg. Read more »
Pizza from here is...different. Its good, just different than what I'm used to. The best I can explain is that it doesn't quite feel totally incorporated. Its not like this gooey slice of floppy cheese pizza - its very structured. That being said, all the flavors go well together and its very satisfying. I usually order the pesto special (menu: http://www.ecovillage5...).
The delivery is pretty quick in case you're too lazy to walk/drive. Nice murals on the wall inside.
Please note: I have only ever ordered the Hawaiian from Leaning Tower but it is ALWAYS perfect. I've never had a poorly cooked or less than delicious Hawaiian pizza from this place in over three years. That's three of the stars I've given them. The fourth is for the $6 six packs of Budweiser. Righteous.
Yuck.
Thanks to Yelp I just ordered from here instead of Pizza Man.
You guys suck.
Where do I start?
The guy did not have a receipt of any sort so I could not verify my order.
I asked for an extra large pepperoni and it came out to $17.35.
However this thing was the size of a large from my other place. Did he give me the wrong one? was my order wrong? I'll never know, I have nothing to verify the size and how big it should have been.
All I know is I paid $.17.35 plus $2 tip for shit pizza of a smaller size than my normal spot which would of had a much bigger pizza and a free 2 litter soda with this order.
The pizza itself is janky as all hell! Saltine cracker ass pizza with a little bit of greasy cheese and flavorless pepperoni. Really, how did this place get good reviews????
I sure wish he had some parmesan cheese and peppers to help me think the pizza was ok. But he didn't have jack shit, not even the receipt!
never again.
Pizza Man Oakland ftw.
p.s.
update as of a few hours after eating.
If you like the smell of your own farts this is the place to eat.
So I am out on a bike ride around the Lake, taking a break from a morning of painting and enjoying Day 1 of a month-long staycation. Feeling like I had earned a slice of pizza for my self-motivated morning of work, so I set my targets for Arizmendi of course. Little did I know it closes at 3pm on Mondays. What a shame. On the way, saw that LaneSplitters is opening up on Grand. Great news, but does little to help me in this situation. Then I remember about Leaning Tower, which I had never been to or even noticed really. Determined to have a slice, I recharted my course.
Compared to the hustle of Arizmendi, this is a sleepy little place. There were but 3 folks working behind the counter without much to do, but the cashier took quite a while to respond to my presence at the counter. I wanted to keep it simple, just a slice of cheese, but its never that easy is it? As soon as I ordered I knew I had gotten myself into trouble. First the cost $3.50. Why do pizza places consistently punish those who just want a slice? Second, they had to cook it from scratch. I am all for fresh-baked pizza, but if you run a pizza parlor you should have pizza available at all times.I started freaking out a bit, first pacing around the place, then sitting once I realized I would be there a while. Why can't pizza be simpler?
After a borderline unacceptable wait of 10-15 minutes, my slice was announced with a whimper. On the plus side, a slice turns out to be two conjoined small slices, a little more appropriate for what I paid. The pizza itself was pretty middle of the road. Kind of reminded me of Mama Celeste, which I have a definite soft spot for, but is not really what I was looking for. I actually like the crackery quality of the crust, but the overall flavor was pretty bland. And while in the end I appreciated that the slice was cooked fresh for me, I kinda would have preferred instant gratification over freshness.
Now to be fair, this all went down at 3pm on a Monday. Given that they serve beer here, I'm sure that at night this is a fun neighborhoody place for dinner and drinks. But Leaning Tower has got to work on its slice game.
Eating pizza and drinking beer (among other things) pretty much go hand in hand when playing poker. This time, I was playing at a small cash game in Oakland when the typical pizza place the host orders from was closed. So, another player recommended this place as an alternative that delivers. Whatever, free pizza I figured.
Well...I should have known. This pizza was ass. Plain and simple. Sparse toppings, matzoh like crust and sweet tasting sauce. Imagine a cracker like crust. Kind of like when Domino's experimented with that flat crust stuff in the late 80's. Anyway, even the extra sauce the host requested did not help. We are batting 0-2 on pizza so far during the month of May...maybe this is a message from the universe? No pizza for you!
Like tearing off and chewing a corner of a cardboard box. Seriously. I spit out a wad of crust into a napkin after failing to masticate it despite 30 seconds of serious jawing. I must disclaim, I always order take-out. Perhaps this boxed, frozen, and mailed sham-of-a-crust is best eaten fresh out of microwave.
After 5 years of desperate, stoned ordering of this neighborhood pizza, I am sobering up and just saying no to leaning tower.
With Leaning Tower, you really get what you pay for. As far as pizza delivery in Lake Merritt goes, you can't beat Leaning Tower's prices. Super cheap, like around $15 for a large spinach & roasted garlic pie (our favorite) delivered to your door, tax included.
Is it awesome pizza? Not exactly. The crust is super thin, kind of like cracker crust, and they offer pretty basic toppings. BUT, it's totally decent and there are definitely moments when simple toppings and a thin crackery crust fulfills the craving, especially in warmer weather when you feel like pizza but don't feel like a super thick crusted, overly cheesy number,... this is right when Leaning Tower of Pizza comes in handy.
Other nice things about LT:
They're fast. When they say they'll be there in 45, they will, often sooner in fact.
They deliver beer and wine. I SAID THEY DELIVER BEER AND WINE!! Not since Chicago, have I lived within reach of a pizza place that will bring you a bottle of wine or a sixer of imported beers at your request. Seriously, beer delivery is one of the coolest things to have in your neighborhood and I am very, very grateful to reside by an establishment that offers this option.
Give it a try, ignore the reviews that say it's worse than Domino's. Not so. It's definitely no Zachary's, but for thin crust pizza at a next to nothing price point, it ain't half bad.
Leaning Tower is a great little place to eat.
The staff is friendly. The atmosphere is comfortable and inviting. It's casual and feels homey. You can usually pick what you want to watch on t.v., and it never feels like there's any pressure to turn the tables over ultra-fast. I love the mural of Lake Merritt that takes up most of the wall. You can spend an entire meal (or more) finding new things in it (and wondering wtf?). If only a trip to the real Lake Merritt was half as strange and magical...
No, this isn't pizza from out East. It has its own thing going on. I like The California Special with the wheat crust, goat cheese, spinach and sun dried tomatoes. It fills you when you are hungry, and it's not too expensive. The salads are also fairly portioned and cheap.
Monday nights are best here, as beer is half-price. You can't beat half-price beer. It tastes almost as good as stolen beer. In any case, and on any night (or day) the beer here is cheaper than at the liquor store across the street; you can get cold singles and six packs to go.
So if that's all you're in the mood for, skip the lotto line across the way and go here.
I always order here whenever we have a luncheon at work. All my co-workers love it, they always ask me who I order from.
The last time I ordered, I got an XL combo, and an XL hawaiian, came out to be $50 with tax and tip.
The ingredients are fresh and size is decent. The pizza itself is not overly salty like some of the other pizza parlors. The sauce is a bit sweet but blends well with the ingredients.
I have yet to bring my bf to this place. He Lives by Pizza. We'll have to get beer delivered to our place next time! =)
I cannot believe this place has any stars. I wish Yelp allowed 0 stars (why don't they?)
Honestly, it is the worst pizza I have ever had. And that includes the little piece of bread and packet of sauce that constitutes "pizza" on Nutrisystem! :)
I don't think you could make a worse crust if you tried. Tastes like it's microwaved.
Abominable
"You're really ugly; but there's nobody cute around." http://www.homestarrun...
You know the whole thing about booty calls and #@$% buddies? You are physically attracted to each other at some level; but it will never be anything more than it is. You started out trying to look good for each other; but after a while, you don't put the effort in anymore. You eventually stop shaving and show up to each other in track suits and flip flops. It becomes more and more impersonal. You're both actively dating other people. You're never seen in public together. (Hey, the Urban Socialite will not be just any tool's arm charm. I'm sorry.) You don't call; but you TEXT to meet up. It's very "in the morning, don't say you love me." BUT, sometimes, you know, you're single, and you know it is always there and easy to have. Satisfying enough. Never really fulfilling. But damned if it isn't always a backup plan.
That's kinda how I feel about this pizza. It's close. It's easy. It's good enough but certainly not the best. I show up unshaven and wearing a track suit and flip flops. And always sneak it back to my apartment for a "I won't tell if you won't tell" kind of thing. I'm always alone. Actually, I would maybe bring a booty call to this place because it's oddly appropriate. So yeah, if you see me here in a track suit and with a guy, don't ask, don't tell, and PLEASE don't judge!
Extra star because it is trying to be a true neighborhood hangout. I also really like the lame murals...that's so Lake Merrit of them!
Living just over the hill, I always wanted to like this place. It looks kinda cute from the outside...cute mural and facade, but man, once you walk through those doors, forget it!
I've been to leaning tower twice now, and the pizza is just NOT good. Its greasy and it just sucks. my neighbors and I were talking...i mean how hard is it to make decent pizza. and not only is the pizza terrible but the service totally sucks. Never will you find one person that will smile at you there or even fricken say "thanks"....seriously, WTF? I just walked up and then down a really steep hill trying to be all supporting neighborhood business and you won't even grin...you just grunt when i hand you money and give you business. F that!
Terrible. F.
Is this even pizza? I think they accidentally covered a cardboard circle in cheese. Then they baked it for 10 min too long. Then they left it out on the counter for 2 days. Then they charged me $16 for it.
This place is the pizza holocaust. NEVER AGAIN
The day of the neighborhood eatery is so long gone, this joint gets four stars just for being a real decent pizza spot a block from my house.
Not the best but not the worst by any means. They serve beer and wine and will make you a custom slice with whatever you want on it for lunch!
It's so easy, breezy to stroll down the street on a weekday night when you just don't wanna go out or cook dinner, give 'em your order and grab a seat while you sip on a glass of wine....which is half off on Mondays! Gaze at the mural of your super cute neighborhood and watch your neighbors passing by.
Afterwards, you can stroll the two blocks to Lake Merritt to watch the sun set and marvel that you live in such a gorgeous and wonderful place. "Sighhhhhhhh...."
I'll see you there, darlings.
Leaning Tower isn't a total revelation, but it's also one step above your usual neighborhood pizza parlor: it's equally good at delivery and the increasingly-rare dine in experience. The menu is relatively small, but the topping list is large, so you can easily create your own pie. I also got no static in and had great success with making substitutions on the vegetarian special.
This place's biggest pluses are its crusts (on the crispy side but not cracker-thin) and the amazing lack of grease. It was definitely the tastiest, freshest, lightest pizza I've had in forever.
Prices are moderate but not cheap, although fairly quick and utterly hassle-free delivery make up for it.
Places like Lake Merritt Pizza or Four Star may have better prices than Leaning Tower, but ultimately they veer much closer to the stereotypical "heavy, oily delivery pizza". Leaning Tower is everything I'm looking for -- mostly basics, but done well, mixed with a touch of the "+1" approach to customer service & quality and variety of toppings you'd expect from a Bay Area pizza place.
I feel like a picky little kid here: No tomatoes! No mushrooms! No olives! No eggplant! No artichoke hearts!
The menu is so pretty and exotic, and I feel like my tastebuds are depriving me on something quite delicious. That said, they make pizzas per request, so you can piece together what you want, even if it's not something that's on their main menu. Props go to their pesto chicken pizza!
OH - and if you are going to ever head here - go on a Monday. All beer is half off! They've got Fat Tire and 2 Below and all sorts of yummy ales on tap and nothing beats a $5 pitcher of beer! NOTHING!
I can almost roll out of bed and be eating here. Definitely the top of my "to-go" places to eat close to Lakeshore.
First meal in my new apartment. Long day of schlepping and unpacking. Tired and hungry, headed down the street for some pizza. Was going to get delivery, because frankly my legs were about to fall off. But, 15 min for pick up, 40 for delivery. My stomach won. Cute place, friendly staff, I threw in a few anchor steams and all set to go in 5 minutes.
Good pizza, california style, not greasy, fresh toppings, I'll be back...
If you are looking for gooey, cheese-laden pies on a puffy, greeezy crust, this ain't the place....but if you want a delicious, comparatively healthy alternative to everyday pizza nastiness, roll with the California Special - whole wheat crust, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, goat cheese...fantastic.
And, as noted before, these guys *deliver* *beer* and *wine*(!). Son. Nuff said.
From now on I've decided I truly can't work on Mondays...
Instead I am at this place, enjoying a pizza and half price beer or wine. And the beer is the one and only Fat Tire. They make my laundry day a much happier day...
Good Pizza. Good Service and Great atmosphere. I always get take out and it is always ready and warm. I love the sausage, mushroom and olive pizza.
Do NOT order any chicken on your pizza, it is horribly dry and flavorless. Other than the texture, the chicken tastes like the crust,
You can't find this place unless you've lived in the neighborhood but that's an indication of how good it is - it defies the ol' adage, location, location, location. For them, it's good pizza, good pizza, good pizza!
Best to order it to go unless you want to experience a romantic quiet getaway... Oooooooooh?
I. LOVE. THIS. PLACE.
My psuedo-sister-in-law makes a point of coming to our house whenever she visits the Bay Area just so we can order pizza from Hadi and his crew.
The Tops is certainly one of their best offerings, but for simpler folk the margherita is to die for. Add some onions and you've got heaven in a cardboard box. The prices are great. The service is friendly. It's a neighborhood hangout and a place where the locals can get together and do some neighborhood planning.
Other great combos I've come to know and love from LT? Linguisa, garlic and onions... Sausage, green pepper and mushroom... man, I could go on and on and never stop.
Delivery is always fast (granted, I live a block away) and service has never been slow for me. I'm there at least once a week in person and probably order at least once as well. In addition to the pizza, Leaning Tower offers supergood sammiches and yummy pastas. I love the lasagna! And the garlic bread is superyummers, too.
The on-tap beers are delightful- they carry a selection of New Belgium Brewing Company beers (most famous for the Fat Tire) and get the seasonal brews, as well. Wintertime means 2 Below (yum!) but I can't wait for it to be summer again so I can have some SkinnyDip.
Don't forget to try the "wonderful" desserts- the cheesecake is always on point.
As far as the pizza goes, I think they're a one-hit wonder. But the hit is a hit: the signature "The Tops" pizza with nearly every topping they offer for a super-value price. Delicious.
Haddi, the owner, is a swell swell fella, and offers the dining room up to regular/frequent meetings for the local neighborhood groups and crime prevention councils.
The Lake Merritt mural on the interior wall is also quite special.
What's more, they pour Fat Tire beer. I like this tucked away joint.
Neighborhood: Lower Hills
Category: Pizza
Oakland, CA
Category: Pizza
Neighborhood: Lower Hills
Category: Pizza
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