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Ramona's Pizza
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Bill K. said: "I really like the pizza here. When San Remo's isn't open, this is my #2 pick so far. I wouldn't say it's perfect pizza yet, but it's very close. This is really thin pizza, the toppings are good and I've eaten here a bunch of times…" read more »
56 reviews for Ramona's Pizza
Review Highlights
56 reviews in English
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Review from Jason K.
Sunnyvale, CA
1/11/2012 1 Check-in Here
This place has good New York Style Pizza!
Although, I have never been to New York, this is what I imagine their best pizza tastes like, but what do I know, I am from California.
Big Slices fills me up quick! That's not too easy! -
Review from isaias J.
Fremont, CA
9/2/2011 2 Check-ins Here
We'd been looking for a local pizza place to hit-up for lunch since our company moved to Palo Alto. I just so happen to pass this place on the way to find parking the other day and made a mental note to come back.
Last Friday I had pizza on the mind, so we popped over to try it. They serve pizza by the slice, but since there was three of we decided to order a whole pie. The pizzas run big, so a medium was enough to fill us all up.
We had the all meat pizza and it was delicious. Probably the best pizza I've had in the area!
Will be back to try more combinations! -
Review from Kourtney L.
Hayward, CA
2/3/2012
I stop in here on my lunch breaks every now and again. The pizza is good and the size of a slice is great. They have daily deals throughout the week as well. As far a service there a little slow. Everything seems pretty fresh, nice seating area and there is a bench outside to enjoy the sunshine.
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Review from Liwei Y.
1/25/2012
Pizza is pretty decent and the slices are big. Wasn't too impressed by their toppings though. Not much of a selection and most didn't sound that appetizing. Ended up pouring lots of basil and red pepper flakes to add more flavor to my pizza. Positive points for having lots of random herbs/spices you can add on your pizza!
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Review from Laura Michele A.
Palo Alto, CA
12/8/2011
Our new favorite pizza place. My kids and I LOVED their whole wheat crust. Italian sausage delicious, generously portioned, and pieces the size of meatballs! The cheese pizza was so good, we all wish we had ordered cheese! Great service, too.
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Review from Celeste S.
El Granada, CA
6/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
I have not eaten here in years. I used to work down the street so we would get it at the office on occasion. And it was always good.
This time around I ordered a pizza to take home. Took about 15 minutes or so and even though it wasn't hot by the time I got it home (traffic, etc took an hour) it was still delicious. I ate a piece for lunch the next day and it was even better cold!
They sell pizza by the slice and it's pretty darn cheap for big slices. It's not a fancy place or a big one. It's a counter, pizza ovens and some tables with coolers. They do have a few outdoor tables which is nice.
I prefer thin crust pizza so Ramona's is good for me. It's not quite as thin as real NY pizza from NY but I really like it and would highly recommend it if you want tasty pizza. -
Review from Michael W.
New York, NY
6/25/2011 2 Check-ins Here
With all the pizza joints around California, there has to be one that's decent in Palo Alto. Luckily, there's Ramona's. Now I've been here back in the late 90s when I was still in high school. From my recollection, it did taste better back then, but nonetheless, it's still pretty decent. Ramona's is located off of California Ave., so there's plenty of parking lots all around. So many, that there's one right across the street from the pizzeria.
During lunch hours, they do sell individual slices, but that's the only time. Otherwise, you have to buy the whole pie. When it comes down to their pizza, its decent, but not mind blowing. First of all, the crust is just too bready for me. For a NY style spot, the crust and dough doesn't have that awesome thin crunch to it. The toppings, however, are in abundance. Ramona's doesn't shy away from loading their pizzas with toppings. Even on their Hawaiian pizza, they add green peppers and mushrooms to give it more pizzaz.
At the shop itself, you can sit down and eat while watching their TV. There are only about 5 tables, so don't expect bringing over a party of 20 to eat pizza there. The staff is nice, and it's quite worth it when you factor in those http://Restaurant.com gift certificates. Just a note on that, if you're planning to take some pizza home using the gift certificate, Ramona's only gives you a small pizza box to take home with you. Pack it to the brim, cause that's all you can take back.
Good pizza, nice toppings, but mediocre pizza dough and crust. Not bad for Palo Alto, but it's not Slice of NY. -
Review from Michael W.
Sunnyvale, CA
6/24/2011
I always go out of my way to try new pizza places that I find and this one really caught my eye since it touts itself as having New York Style pizza. I for one am a big fan of NY-Style pizza and always look for good replicas in Cali.
Here is my critique:
Dough - not elastic enough, so when pie is cooked you don't get a slight chewiness combined with the crunchiness.
Crust - is a bit thicker than an authentic NY slice. The smell from the crust is fragrant, but doesn't have a strong enough crusty bread smell.
Cleanliness - The place looked rather old and there were flys circling the kitchen area. Not good.
This place is definitely not for me. The pizza they serve is a hybrid creation that is a typical California Style Pizza. No Thanks. -
Review from Mihir M.
Fremont, CA
11/7/2011
The pizza was good. Like others have said, not true New York style. The dough was a little thicker. They put lots of cheese & toppings. The service was not bad. You order at the counter. Its very casual dining. We had Pesto pizza.
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Review from Doctor L.
Palo Alto, CA
10/6/2011
Decent pizza, but how does delivery take 1 hour and 20 minutes if I only live 4 blocks away?
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Review from Jennifer R.
Palo Alto, CA
10/28/2011
Ramona's is just down the street from me so I've been a few times. Always fresh and hot because they make it right when you order it (so be prepared to wait about 20 minutes for it), and pretty good quality toppings and ingredients make for a much better pizza than, say, Domino's. I enjoy a little bit lighter crust, Ramona's crust is a bit heavy for me, but it's good. Really wish they had pizza by the slice at night as well - sometimes you just don't want a whole pie! Definitely the best pizza place I've found within a couple of miles my place.
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Review from Orian I.
6/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
sigh...
it's hard because California has a drought of pizza. it's like so many of the brown spotted lawns during the summer and so many unflushed toilets. there just simply isn't a good example of what a proper pie should taste like, which is possibly why people think this is east coast pizza.
it's hard to judge cause this might be the best around..and that makes it hard to star.
the slice was luke warm, the toppings were over the top, there was too much cheese and the sauce was not home made.
the good points are, the service was friendly, the slices are large and cheap, and in and around there it's hard to find anything under 10$. so there's that.
I'm hoping all of you get to have a real slice or a real pie at some point...then you might understand how this and so many other places just simply are not pizza. -
Review from reese w.
San Francisco, CA
8/19/2010
It got the job done. Stopped in here for a slice for lunch and the pizza was already warmed up and ready to eat. There was no wait and it was a good satisfying lunch. The pizza itself was alright. Oh... I wanted to get a side salad with my slice, but they only have the big salads. Too bad.
Oh yeah, the guy working there was pretty cute, so yay. -
Review from Kirsten F.
Palo Alto, CA
12/22/2010
I really like this pizza, and one of my favorite things about it is that if you order the pizza you can get whole wheat crust. It is just as chewy and yummy as the regular crust, and much better for you.
My favorite is the pizza with kalamata olives, feta cheese and spinach. Yum.
Service is always friendly. -
Review from Diana K.
Cupertino, CA
10/18/2010 1 Check-in Here
I wouldn't exactly called Ramona's "New York Style" pizza. The cheese and bread are nothing like NY. But i enjoyed the generous toppings - mushrooms, artichokes, and sausage. The bread is pretty thick and doughy, which i personally like but it didn't taste that great. Overall, a decent pizza but nothing i'd drive out of my way for. I prefer the pizza at Oasis over here.
The garden salad is iceberg lettuce, cucumbers, and mushrooms. I wish they specified iceberg as i prefer a more nutritious leaf. I'd skip it. -
Review from David C.
Menlo Park, CA
8/20/2011
My wife, my 3 years old son and I had dinner in Ramona's last night based on Yelp's good rating. We had a Clams and Fresh Garlic pizza, a All Meat Lovers pizza, Wings of Fire and a Greek salad. The price was good and the staff was friendly. However, I have to give it a one star because all 3 of us have stomach ache and diarrhea after the dinner.
Given the incident, we will definitely not going back. -
Review from Geoff D.
7/20/2008 1 photo
I wanted to love my return visit to Ramona's after more than a decade away. I have fond memories of that old candlelit pizza/pasta joint on Ramona Street... but I'm afraid the establishment has fallen a long way since then.
We stopped by tonight for dinner and found it unremarkable on just about every level. The pizza itself was okay; comparable to a chain pizza but at a higher price. The "simple" interior is clearly meant for slices and take-out, so I suppose it's out own fault that we ate in.
The staff was indifferent to us at best; I got the vibe that we were disturbing their conversation and then when I alerted them that they put the wrong toppings on the pizza, I didn't even get an apology (more like a "I wish he would just go away" look) much less a topping refund or anything. To be fair, towards the end of our visit another woman walked in who appeared to be the proprietress -- she greeted us with a nice smile and the others' energy picked up. So it could be that when she is around, the place has a more upbeat vibe.
We were the only customers during the entire visit, but as we were walking out, three 14-15 year old boys were walking in. That makes sense. My 15 year old self would have enjoyed it too.Listed in: Found it on Yelp
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Review from Raphael C.
Palo Alto, CA
7/19/2011 9 Check-ins Here
Great pizza. Perfect base and fresh ingredients. Could do with a little more Parmesan in the cheese. Moderately priced.
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Review from David P.
2/10/2008
I needed pizzas for a skating party at Winter Lodge and wanted something a notch better than the local Round Table. I was expecting more and got less.
I could swear I ordered 4 large pizzas but when they arrived, they didn't seem very big. Hard to tell since all the children in my party grabbed their slices so quickly. The slices were thin as I had hoped for but they were actually rather oily drippy and limp, making them rather hard for everyone to eat.
Sorry to say, but we'll have to go with Round Table next time. -
Review from Andrew F.
Palo Alto, CA
6/5/2006
This is definitely the best pizza I've had on the Peninsula. Well, I did love Redboy Pizza but they closed up shop at Town & Country Shopping Center in Palo Alto several years ago. The entire Ramona's pizza from the cheese to the sauce to toppings is excellent, but its really the crust that is truly amazing. Ramona's is a substantial crust that has a slightly sweet taste and perfectly chewy without being too "bready." I highly reccomend the Ramona's Special, which is similar to a combo pizza but isn't overloaded with meat the way that so many others are these days.
Ramona's is mostly a delivery shop. They do sell pizza by the slice and they do a decent lunch business but there is only seating for 5-10 people and the decor is of a place that focuses on delivery and not dine in, ie, you will be sitting next to crates of soda. -
Review from Bill G.
6/16/2010
Been coming here for lunch on-and-off over the years. When new management took over a few years ago, quality and service both took a dip and I started going elsewhere. But I've started going again recently and I'm happy to say that the new team has hit their stride.
Pizza is basically the same as it ever was, a NY style pie but with a slightly thicker crust. It has a good amount of chewiness and the toppings balance it out well. Service is casual. Eating area is low rent but that's fine for a casual lunch shop. Price is great-- 2 slices pepperoni and a bottle of Coke, $7. Hard to beat that. -
Review from schelly y.
Santa Clara, CA
3/1/2011
I thought the crust was a bit thick and doughy. We ordered half stromboli and half bbq chicken. They are generous with toppings here. Stromboli was good but the bbq chicken was a bit sweet for my taste. They add pineapples to their bbq chicken pizzas.
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Review from Kristy H.
3/29/2011 1 photo
This place is perfect if you need to grab a quick bite and can't/don't want to wait in line somewhere popular. Look out for the cheap daily deals to the right of the register. Slices are big and not too greasy. Kind of like a doughy-er authentic NY pizza that keeps it's shape and form, but nowhere near as thick as Chicago style. If you came with people who like either NY or Chicago style and not the other, I'm pretty certain everyone would leave satisfied without complaints. It is what it is. Cheap, yummy, fast pizza.
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Review from C W.
San Jose, CA
12/18/2006
I'd agree that it's not really a true NY style pizza, but they still make the one of the best pizzas I've had in the Bay Area.
I think their best bet is the cheese and it tastes better when you buy the whole pie. The by the slice pizzas are fine things. When bought as a pie, excellent dough taste and plenty of good pizza sauce. -
Review from pat t.
Millbrae, CA
5/14/2008
Like others transplanted to the Bay Area, I was underwhelmed by the pizza in the area (and I'm from Boston --- I can't imagine what a New Yorker goes through). I still don't really understand this since generally the food and selection is so good in these parts. But still, Californians, as a rule can't seem to do pizza.
Ramona's is an exception. This is a pizza place. I believe they might serve other food, but I don't really know. I'll probably never know, but that's okay. They've got pizzas out behind the counter, pizzas waiting for the oven, a giant pizza oven, and different special pizzas each day of the week. Pizza. Drinks are self-serve from the cooler, and the tableware is paper. You're not going to come here for anything but the pizza.
And the pizza is great. My favorite is the mushroom (Thursday's special I think?) Anyway its covered in mushrooms. Jam packed with mushrooms. Slices are generous, and re-heated on demand. Beware, that while other foodstuffs might be second-rate if re-heated, this is not so with good pizza. You want pizza reheated. -
Review from Aaron M.
11/6/2009
Super Yum! Got a ton of different kinds of pizza here, and the winners were:
- GREEK even though it is vegetarian it was mega awesome
- STROMBOLI - three kinds of meat plus shrooms - yum!
Also liked shrooms & pineapple, and the sausage and pepperoni pizzas were both hits... black olives were less popular, as was the "Ramona special" which was kind of a kitchen sink. Get the stromboli and the greek and call it a night! -
Review from Ian K.
Palo Alto, CA
4/10/2010
"Sweet, Hot Meat"
Truly awesome pies, and the sandwiches are great too. Family style place, and a great contrast from all the crap out there. By far my favorite pizza place in the bay area. The service is good, they have a TV usually playing sports, and they also have a pretty decent beverage selection. I always go with my personal favorite pizza; pepperoni, pineapple and jalapenos, I call it "Sweet Heat" -
Review from Greg S.
San Francisco, CA
7/2/2008
Ate dinner there last night. Thin crust pizza. Ordered tomato and italian sausage. Excellent pizza, and great location for me; it's right next to the California Avenue Caltrain. My friend met me there after I got off the train.
TV was on while we waited, loud enough that my friend and I were having to talk loudly over it. Asked them to turn it off, which they happily did.
Seemed like it took a while, but I was starving (like always), so it probably was about normal. When the pizza came out there was lots of cheese, and looked like oily. Realized the oil was actually also juice from the tomatoes.
Good pizza! Sausage was decently flavorful (3.5 on a 5 point scale), cheese was good. As is my constant complaint with thin crust, the tomato sauce wasn't as thick as I'd like. (I say that about nearly every pizza place up here, though.)
Decent size; we (2 guys) ordered a medium and finished it off. I might have eaten one more slice, but it was definitely good enough.
I'll be coming back. And they deliver after 5pm (though I didn't ask if they deliver to Stanford campus, oops)! -
Review from Lupe T.
Palo Alto, CA
3/27/2009
Pizza's better than the other places, but it's still a pizza place. And more expensive than Domino's but you get something that tastes like halfway decent pizza. Worth it, in my opinion.
Garlic pizza is a good choice. -
Review from Ari A.
Palo Alto, CA
9/29/2009
I'm so bummed to have moved away from this joint. A quick slice of pizza at lunch hour was the best. Mario the cute pizza boy was always welcoming and sweet. Their pizza is simple... i hate the kind of pizza that has 17 topics and feels mushy before it even gets in your mouth.
miss you ramona :( -
Review from Journey B.
Palo Alto, CA
7/22/2009
Greek pizza- I know it sounds weird..but it is DELICIOUS!
Quick spot to grab a bite if your in a bit of a hurry, and not in the mood for a $10 lunch like most other places near CA Avenue. Nice, convenient spot and friendly staff. You can walk in and buy pizza by the slice or of course call in the order. Would definitely recommend the greek pizza!
update---they even have good sandwiches..they're huge..but delicious..try their chicken pesto! -
Review from R S.
Palo Alto, CA
11/13/2009
Good pizza. Good price. Good people.
I happen to really love their calzones.
And to the review below, they DO in fact deliver -- after 5pm. -
Review from Tim H.
Palo Alto, CA
4/6/2010
I've been going to Ramona's for over 25 years! New owner gets what it takes to run a successful. Good Food! Great Employee Attitude!, Fair Prices! I hope I get to eat here for another 25 years!
Tim H., Palo Alto -
Review from Matthew K.
Palo Alto, CA
7/12/2010
Pretty.....Pretty......Pretty.....Good. Excellent pizza place with good prices, friendly staff, flat screen tv, and most importantly damn good pies.
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Review from Alison M.
Palo Alto, CA
8/21/2011
I'm from Chicago but prefer thin crust pizza. Ramona's bbq chicken pizza is really good and the crust is not thin but a nice substitute. You taste the toppings more than the crust and that's just the way I like it. Delivery price is same as take out. Service is good. Definitely recommend.
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Review from Ulysses K.
Palo Alto, CA
12/17/2010
Great Food, Great People, Great Location. With the best ingredients, there is no competition.
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Review from Jason M.
Mountain View, CA
8/12/2009
Good pizza for a quick lunch on California Street. The inside area can get pretty warm though as they lack air conditioning (watch out for hot summer days). Cost ends up being around 8-10 bucks for 2 slices of pizza and a soda. I am always torn between ordering 2 or 3 slices since it is thin slice and 2 slices leaves me hungry a couple of hours later. 3 slices, however, means I am porking it.
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Review from Peter S.
San Francisco, CA
7/26/2005
When I lived in the South Bay, I was constantly depressed due to the dirth of good pizza....until I found Ramona's though. This place has the best pizza in the area. It smells so damn good, and it tastes delicious. Hard to imagine, but good pizza can be found in the South Bay.
Listed in: Top Pizza in Bay Area
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Review from H M.
San Jose, CA
6/25/2006
This is the first time Yelp has really let me down. I guess the Californian expectations for good pizza are not the same as mine. This place claims "NY Style" pizza; it's anything but that.
I ordered 2 slices of pepperoni. The crust was more like foccacia bread than pizza crust. Too spongy and thick. If I can pick it up with one hand without it flopping around, it ain't NY style.
The sauce was basically tomato sauce out of can with some spcies thrown in it. Bland.
Cheese: way too much. It was caked on, almost as thick as the crust. If I wanted cheesy-bread, I'd have ordered it. The cheese should be speckled with golden-brown spots. This was thick and white like a geisha's makeup.
Pepperoni: where the hell's the grease? True NY style pepperoni pizza should be so damn greasy that you've got to use a few napkins to blot off all that grease before eating it. This thing had about 5 slices each of something that barely resembled pepperoni. My guess is it was fat-free organic pepperoni or something.
The whole damn thing was undercooked.
It's a sad state of affairs for pizza in this area when Costco's pizza can beat most places.
If you know what real NY style pizza is, you'll be disappointed. -
Review from Michelle C.
San Jose, CA
7/19/2007
meh. Nothing to write home about. I mean, it was tasty enough, just not spectacular. Ordered the combination pizza and a Hawaiian. The combination needed more sauce.. or tomatoes or SOMETHING. It was also cooked a WEE bit too long, making the crust nearly unpleasant to chew.
