Rob M.'s Profile

If just on the food I'd give them 4-5 stars.  My wife and I love their pizza, massive amounts of cheese and great flavor to it.  Wonderful pizza.  But ... the quality of the food is not simply the only factor in determining whether you like a place.  And the problem is that we often order delivery and they continually screw it up.  The drivers are slow, they got lost, they hire people who can't read maps (they even told me once when I called to complain that the guy doing delivery was "sort of a retard" - their words).  Now we live in an apartment with a buzzer system and while it's not as easy as a house you'd think after 2-3 trips they'd get it.  All the other restaurants we order delivery from figure it out, why not North Beach?  I can almost count on them to be 1/2 hour late minimum, and they can definitely be later.  And this is a shame because they have really great pizza and I'd rather order from them than the big chains.  I'd order from Amici's but they have a $25 minimum and often I don't want all that food.  So, if you order, be prepared as you might wait awhile.  Otherwise, go get it yourself or eat it there.  Their restaurant is cramped but the staff seemed efficient and the place was clean.  Definitely still a favorite, just not a spur of the moment meal.

Dining out in California is often an unremittingly casual experience.  You can see waiters in tuxxes and patrons in flip-flops and 20-year old, torn Billabong T-Shirts.  Being a native here I tend towards casual dress but when I walk into Downtown, I want to wear a suit.  And it's not an intimidation thing, they don't make me feel bad for showing up in jeans but it's like dressing up for that special date even when the venue isn't that dressy, for some people or places you just want to look your best.  Downtown is a beautiful restaurant with an awesome bar and menu.  They have a great selection of whiskeys and vodkas and a great wine list.  Later in the evenings they often have live music playing in the background.  Prices are not cheap but I haven't felt gouged here with the exception of being charged $4.50 for bar nuts.  But the drinks and entree prices are all reasonably standard for the type of place you're at.  This is a great place to go after you've seen a show at the Berkeley Rep or if you're just looking for a nice place in downtown Berkeley.

Ahhhh the BBC, not bad pub gurb and decent beers.  Feels a bit forced though, a little too self concious.  I've found other pubs that are simply there and cozy and comfortable and so far I've never really unwound here.  More like a theme restaurant/bar as opposed to an actual place that you'd just hang in, which is what a pub is supposed to be right?