Mama's Boy

Never knew this place existed until last night. I was walking with my son to get some chicken around the corner. I glanced in and saw slices ready to go and we tried it. We tried the pepperoni, mushroom and burrata. They were all so delicious, but the mushroom had a lemon tone and brightness that was such an amazing surprise. I love this place!As for service, warm and helpful. Fast service and comfortable vibe. As someone who has been going to Zachary's for years, I loved the freshness, lightness and quick service of Mama's Boy.

There's nothing wrong with being called a Mama's Boy, and with pizza as lovingly crafted as it is at Mama's Boy, it's a downright honor! Located on busy stretch of Grand Avenue in downtown Oakland alongside a number of small businesses both independently owned and franchises, Mama's Boy pizza comes from the duo of Ezra Berman and Miles Palliser, who also happen to own the wildly successful Athletic Club bars, which has two locations, including one right down the block on the corner of Grand Avenue and Webster Street. Mama's Boy represents a trend in recent years of serving pizza, whether it be New York-style or Detroit-style or any other style by the slice. Featuring a variety of toppings, some of which represent an only-in-California type aesthetic that when reheated in a traditional pizza oven makes for one scrumptious slice of pizza! I've had my eye on Mama's Boy ever since they opened at their location in what was once a location of Extreme Pizza, which made their layout already perfect for slinging the perfectly round and flat New York pizza pies and the perfectly rectangular and thick Grandma pizza pies. One brisk recent weeknight afternoon I finally found myself along Grand Avenue and decided to finally make my entrance to Mama's Boy. The menu at Mama's Boy is separated into categories including Apps, Salads, Pizza, More Pizza, Grandma Pies, Sides, Dessert, and Drinks. All a visitor needs to do is look in their glass case to see the pre-made pizza pies that are ready to be sold and reheated by the slice. Although they had a few nice looking New York-style slices such as Burrata and White Pizza, there was something about their Sausage Pizza, which was topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, sausage, calabrian chili, capers, and green onions, that was calling my name. They had four types of Grandma pizzas readily available and only one had meat on it, so I ordered their Pepperoni, which was topped with marinara, mozzarella, pepperoni and parmesan. My total bill was $13.79 before gratuity was added in, which indicates that prices have already increased in the short time that Mama's Boy has been open, which is to be expected considering the rising cost of ingredients, but still can be considered on the more reasonable side considering how much their competitors also charge these days.Luckily there is plenty of seating to wait for your pizza slices to be warmed up, as they have booth seating on both their first and second floors. It would take about five minutes for my order to be called out for my pizza to be picked up at their counter, and both were nicely warm to the touch of my thin paper plate which was able to catch all of the greasy oil seeping through from the crust of each slice. Although my goal was to feast on both slices, starting with their signature New York slice, there was something about their Grandma slice that was once again calling my name, and their Pepperoni Grandma was a feast for the eyes and taste buds. Perfectly seasoned with multiple pepperoni cups that were greasily delicious, I was only going to enjoy half of each slice, but it was so good that I couldn't resist finishing that pizza slice right then and there as it was intended. I was so full that I decided to take the New York-style sausage slice home with me for another day, and although they didn't really have the mechanism to take home slices of pizza as takeout beyond a huge box for a full pie, I managed to make due, as I was back on the nearby subway ready to enjoy my slice of pizza on another day, and image my surprise that a full day later the pizza was still as flavorful as it could have been on day one. I am so glad that Oakland has its own authentic homegrown pizza by the slice restaurant that specializes in a wide variety of toppings. I only wish I had more time to try them, which only will provide for additional visits to Mama's Boy in the months to come!

This is my go to spot for pizza! Centrally located in the heart of uptown and close to all bars! Their burrata pizza is drool worthy! I love that you can either buy a slice or a wholePizza. Their prices for a whole pie are a bit on the higher end, butttt it is a big pie. They also have happy hour - I believe it's during the week. I've had mamas boy catered to all my social events. Definitely will become a staple in Oakland!

I had their pepperoni and it was absolutely amazing. My second slice was their white pizza. This was also very tasty. Parking is a bit tough around here so it's definitely a place for the locals unless you get lucky. The staff was friendly but there were times when the cashier was doing other duties. I always frown upon this because there's no worse feeling that coming into a place and nobody is at the register. This happened 2 times while I sat to eat my food. Ambiance was okay, but nothing special. The food here really shines but everything else is just average.Parking 1/5Price 4/5Time to be served 4/5Time to be acknowledged 4/5Value 3/5Return value 2/5Seating 3/5Quality 3/5

Solid slice of pizza with ample seating! I would come back to try their other toppings since they sounded intriguing but the pepperoni slice was a solid slice of pizza. Food (4/5): Flavorful pepperoni pizza! The middle of the pizza crust was a tad floppy. I prefer my pizza to hold all the way through. The end crust was delicious though. I also got their homemade ranch which was fresh! Next I'll want to try their garlic pizza or their sausage pizza. One slice was $5.Service (4/5): Nothing too special. The person at the register took our order and pizza came out within a few minutes. Ambiance (4/5): Lots of seating upstairs! There was even a TV playing the national championship for college football. It was clean and you could bring a large group here.

What I especially love about Mama's Boy is how simple their menu is. They have ten options, with four being vegan. They offer classic choices like cheese and pepperoni. I saw the pepperoni pizza, and it was loaded with pepperoni--just the way it should be. However, I ordered the burrata pizza, and it was absolutely delicious. While it may not look like much in the picture, I can guarantee the flavor was amazing.All of their pizzas are thin-crust, which is my favorite. For a thin-crust pizza, it's usually on the drier side, but their pizzas are still packed with flavor. Their single slices are huge--one slice left me satisfied, and two would definitely fill me up. For a single slice, the price is only around $4-$5.50, which is a great deal. The restaurant itself is quite small, so there aren't many seating options. This pizzeria is definitely a great spot to order boxes of pizza for parties.

I would give 3.5stars if I could but that extra .5 star is for their burrata slice with hot honey. It was balanced well with the red sauce and basil. The sausage slice was too crispy to enjoy the toppings. The price tag and rankings had set a higher expectation for me, so maybe I wasn't really blown away. But I would be back again to try the garlic slice and order the burrata one again.

Pizza. Sports. Good service. Chill ambiance. We got to Mama's Boy just wanting a slice of pizza before a football game on a random Sunday. It turned out to be the highlight of the day. The gentleman at the front was personable, friendly, and brought a much needed fun vibe to the area. I was starting to thing Oakland was just a gentrified tuft of nerds yapping about Y Combinator and weird Kava Bars or whatever. Not this spot. This spot is cool. It's reminiscent of Pizzanista in Los Angeles. Here's the recipe: Get the burrata. Hell, get 2. Get way more garlic breads than you think you need. Pair it with a pitcher of Trumer.

I love Mama's Boy. The mushroom slice is so yummy. The lemon sauce they put on top is such a yummy twist. My all time fave, is the burrata slice! They top it with hot honey, which gives a great sweet heat kick. I discovered this spot sometime last year and I stop by every once in awhile. I've honestly never had a bad experience. They are super consistent with their pizza. The workers are always kind and patient. The area is always super clean and the vibe is chill! My only con is them giving the slices in paper bags. It is so inconvenient when I'm taking slices to go and it's just on a paper plate inside a paper bag. I'm sure the more slice you get, you'd get a box lol. One of my fav pizza spots in Oakland for sure!!!!

Awesome place. Me and my and wife enjoyed the food great service and recommendations as to what to get. An awesome family place you can definitely bring your kids they'll love it .