Pizzeria da Laura

Pizzeria da Laura has everything the last place I went to for pizza didn't have - like the ability to place phone orders and reservations. Moving from NY to the Bay Area has made me a little bit of a cynic when it comes to food - especially pizza. When I moved here, I heard all the stories of all the great local pizza joints like Zachary's and Cheeseboard - none of which lived up to their hype. Fortunately, there seems to be a new age of pizza coming up in the bay, like Laura's. I'm happy to say that Laura's will be added to my list of great Bay Area pizza places.BB

Second visit, and we absolutely love it. The host who seated us was mildly rude. His core message was we had to be out in 75 minutes (we had a reservation). No welcome, or thanks for visiting, or virtually anything else. Being a host might not be his best career plan. We sat downstairs this time. We like downstairs as you can watch the process. In contrast to the host, our server was exceptional. He was our server last time as well. Great menu insights, responsive, friendly. They have excellent reasonably priced wine choices, and the pizza is phenomenal. The Detroit crust may be life-changing. Street parking is tough so park in a nearby public garage. Outstanding place!

We arrived as a party of 6 with a 7:00 PM reservation. We called ahead to inform them we were running late, and they assured us we had a 15-minute grace period, which we completely understood. We were aware of the inconvenience, especially on a busy Saturday night, but there's a way to communicate with guests that doesn't make them feel rushed or uncomfortable.One member of our party arrived early to explain our situation. It's important to note that we have someone in a wheelchair, so it takes a little longer for them to get out of the car. When we explained this to the host, she was not only dismissive but also rude, rushing us and speaking in a belittling tone. She informed us that if the rest of the party wasn't there by 7:25 PM, she would give our table away. While we acknowledged our lateness, we felt her approach was unnecessarily harsh.Upon our arrival, the host didn't acknowledge the remaining members of our party and immediately asked if everyone was there. When I explained that someone was just getting out of the car, she interrupted me. She then told us she couldn't personally seat us because her leg was broken, which we understood, but we were sent upstairs where our table wasn't even ready.At this point, we were already frustrated, especially after being told that we had to be finished by 8:30 PM, which made us feel rushed. My brother specifically chose this restaurant to celebrate his birthday because he had enjoyed it before, but this experience has led us to decide that we will never return.We ended up going to Red Tomato Pizza where the service was amazing and so was the pizza!

From the moment you walk in, you're greeted by the friendliest staff, which sets the tone for a great experience. It's the perfect spot in the heart of Berkeley, with a great atmosphere on both floors. And the pizza? Some of the best I've ever had. The Ray J Detroit with its crispy parmesan crust was incredible--definitely worth ordering extra for leftovers (which were just as good the next day).Our waiter was so friendly and attentive, always making sure we were doing okay. The 40-minute drive was totally worth it, and we'll definitely be back. The drink options were great too--we really enjoyed the Zinfandel and the hibiscus margarita. Looking forward to our next visit!

It was a Saturday evening and we felt like having some Italian food. I remember reading about this place and how the main Chef Laura is a pizza champion. It happened to be right near our parking spot, so we decided to give this place a try. It was a busy evening, but we were seated right away, but under one condition... we finish quickly because they have a reservation in about an hour. That's plenty of time in our head. But of course it depends on how quickly they can take our order and bring out our food. The place is a bit small. The tables were spaced just enough to not be next to each other. But that's the Bay Area for you I guess. Now on to the food. We ordered:Arancini: I found this a nice delicious appetizer. The flavor was good and the cheese was oozing out when split. I recommend this as an appetizerZucca: This pasta dish was just Ok. I had high hopes with this one. Unfortunately it didn't live up to our expectation. We've had pastas with butternut squash sauce at other places, and there seems to be something missing with this Zucca dish. I would not get this againSouthern Charm Pizza: This was an interesting pizza. I really enjoyed their crust. It's light and not oily. It kind of threw me off at first, but in a good way. I liked the flavor of the pizza and the chicken. I kind of wish there was some sort of sauce but what do I know. Chef Laura is the champion here haha. Would I come here again? There's so many pizza places in Berkeley. I might come here again, but maybe after I try the other places. I can at least now say I've tried this place out.

Came in on a Sunday night (12/2024) and we left IMPRESSED! Got parking right away, came in and immediately got seated. We ordered the arugula salad and a Detroit style ray j. I thought we wouldn't finish the arugula salad but we sure did it was so simple and so flavorful! Our pizza came and honestly I was inspecting this beautiful thing pretty hard. I noticed that the cheese was melted and crunchy on the edges and I secretly died inside it was amazing. Can't wait to come back and try so many more pizzas!

Heading back from San Francisco and was in the mood for some Pizza. Luckily, we came across Pizzeria Da Laura! Stopped in on a Sunday night and it was pretty busy however, they were able to seat us immediately. The location is very spacious with seating outside, upstairs and on the main floor. They also had heaters if you decided to eat outside. They had TVs throughout playing all the sports which I loved. The menu was filled with a ton of options to choose from, we ordered an arugula salad along with the Ray Jay, "Detroit" style. The food was so delicious and I cannot wait to go back to try it again.

It has been a personal struggle to visit one of the heavily contested contenders for best slice in Berkeley because I always seem to find myself here on either a Monday or Tuesday. Ended up being their last customer on a Wednesday evening an hour before their posted closing due to what they considered a slower night - something I'd watch out for if you're looking to enjoy a late night bite.As with all businesses in downtown Berkeley, you're better off walking here rather than trying to find parking when the sun's out. They have a cute little foyer for to-go orders where we placed ours for a small (12in) NY-style Ray J (33$+tip) that funnels into their charmingly expansive dining area.After about 15 minutes of strolling around aimlessly, we were presented with a less NY-style, more loaded Neapolitan pie. The center crust was thick and noticeably chewy, and although it was topped with a (un)healthy smattering of both thick and thin pepperoni, goopy cheese clumps, and large pieces of basil, it was all coated in a glistening and indistinguishable layer of grease and garlic honey that dripped off each slice somewhat off-puttingly. The flavor profile was nothing too different from some of the self-proclaimed gourmet pizza places I've tried with one element that puts this parlor at a 4.5/5 for me: the crust. Pizzeria de Laura has achieved an mouthwateringly unparalleled level of crunch that sits right between "too much dough in my mouth" and "I'm eating baked air bubbles," a feat I previously thought impossible. All things considered, I don't feel that this one meal would be enough to convert me to a de Laura loyalist, especially at its price point. However, I would most certainly be open to trying a different pie next time to see if I can be proselytized.

Laura doesn't play when it comes to pizza. My friend raves about this pizza place so we came right at opening to check it out. Staff was very friendly and attentive. We ordered a Detroit style Ray J and the crust was crispy from the cheese. The burrata is creamy and fluffy, the basil fresh and aromatic, the pepperoni slices chewy and crispy, and the honey drizzle is the icing on the pizza. I'm salivating writing this review. My friend and I demolished this in ten minutes, very few words were spoken as we ate... I will be back for more soon. Everyone say thank you, Laura!

Loved our recent takeout order and definitely want to come back and try more pizzas. We ordered the grandma style ray j and also arancini and meatballs. Everything was delicious. I would love to try the other pizza styles they offer too but I liked how the grandma was kinda pan style and bit like a less dense Detroit.