Rose Pizzeria

I didn't really want to like this place. The needing of a reservation and an odd reminder for the confirmation to be mindful of your time eating. Plus parking could be tricky. All the hassle for "just pizza."The dining area was a bit cramped. The outside patio looked more low key and intimate. Staff was friendly and helpful though. We couldn't decide and got 3 pizzas: Alpine Gold (potato lovers), She Wolf (burrata, capers, garlic), and pep and basil (pepperoni and basil). All were really good with their own unique flavors. Slices were big and 6 slices per pizza, and ingredients didn't fall apart. The bread was nice and chewy. The waitress made it fit on the tiny table I'd definitely come again. Easily one of the top pizzas of the east bay.

I came here on a Friday night with my friend and we were told that it was a two hour wait before we would be seated! And so we left and made a reservation in our car for the following Friday.I have been meaning to try all the pizza spots in Berkeley, and after hearing this was in New York Times's best pizza spots, Rose Pizzeria moved to the top of my list. We were immediately seated after showing our reservation, and waited about ten minutes before our server introduced herself. The place is incredibly small inside, but there is a patio outside with more seating, overall intimate vibes. We ordered the pizzas on the Special Menu: L.A. Friend's and Spicy Fig. They were delicious. I have tried so many pizza slices from so many different places, but these flavors were so decadent, yet not heavy. L.A. Friend's is a white sauce pizza with sausage, cabbage, green onion, mozzarella, and this tangy, spicy sauce called chojang. I loved the texture of the cabbage with this pizza, and the sausage tasted much better than the conventional sausage on combo pizza. The sauce reminded me of sriracha, and it added such a nice spice and pop to the overall flavor. The Spicy Fig pizza was equally as delicious! Having a sweeter pizza complemented our palettes so well. The fig was gooey and with the thin, crispier crust, the pizza had such a nice bite. The arugula complimented well with the cheese and fig as well, and the spice was very mild. I did not regret ordering these pizzas whatsoever! Both with such great textures, crusts, and flavors, I enjoyed every bite.Unfortunately our pizza got cold fairly quickly, so I asked our server if we could heat it up again. She said she could not bring the pizza back to the kitchen, which was a little upsetting. Having the pizzas warm tasted significantly better than when it cooled, and 3/4 of our meal was cold essentially. Although I love the pizzas, I would definitely get the dishes to-go next time so that I can heat it up again at home. Regardless, we had a great time overall!

Berkeley is not short on great pizza options, so I was curious to know what made Rose Pizzeria a standout in the city. Dining in is a solid experience that I recommend for everyone. The staff is great, the space is cozy, and it feels like popping into a small Italian restaurant in New York. The pies are all pretty solid. All the ingredients were fresh, the combination of flavors all made sense and they make sure the classics can stand out on their own.

One of my goals for 2025 is to eat more pizza and Chinese food. Rose was first since the Amex Gold has a $50 Resy Credit here twice a year so figured to get it done with first.This restaurant is really small inside, it can seat maybe 20 people max but they have a heated patio I didn't see to accommodate more. They run a really lean operation with two people handling the whole room and walk-ins service. They probably should add one more since we were done with our pizza and waited about 15 minutes for someone to check on us, but hey, they are busy and turning the table quicker is up to them. Even if it looks empty, prepare to wait 30+ minutes for a table since empty tables are likely for a reservationThe pizza here is good - we ordered the She Wolf and a special that was hot honey, figs, and arugula as well as the spicy caesar salad. The She Wolf was really good, burrata, capers, olives, which begs the questions as to why are we not using burrata on more pizzas in the world. Some questions have no answers. The dough on these pizzas is really toothsome, you really have to work to bite it. We added anchovies since they're really pushing those on their pies and even the caesar salad. The Hot Fig special was also very good, again more arugula on pizza is better for the world. Arugula and burrata on a pizza? Sign me up immediately. This pizza was also very good and toothsome, the figs and the hot honey was maybe a little too much sweetness for me but to each their own.Took some exception to the caesar salad, I like a strong dressing and it needed a bit more oomph, perhaps adding anchovies was the move but not for $4. It's a really popular item and you'll see it at all the tables around you, the breadcrumbs were a miss for me and they add no crunch and counter to the salad that I wanted.Overall, pretty good spot, but my pizza journey in 2025 is going on a tough Dave Portnoy scale.

The service is great & the food is even better !Wowowow I lovedddd this place & enjoy that they have a bunch of vegan options . The wine & the pizza were stellar & I already can't wait to come back to this place !We made a reservation , which I highly recommend doing , so we were seated right away .You can't go wrong w any of the wine selections . We ordered two vegan pizzas & added the honey & chili peppers they have on the table -- 10/10 recommend adding to your pizza .They also have a really cute patio area in the back , but it was too cold when we went to enjoy the outdoor space .They have one gender neutral bathroom that was pretty well kept .

We basically went in right at opening for lunch and got seated right away. A charming little place along the street, so we decided to give it a try since we were craving high quality pizza. We got the "old faithful" pizza as per the waiter's recommendation, and it tasted great. We personally loved the tomato sauce and fennel sausages on it. Would love to come back and try the other ones.

CLASSIC PEPPERONIEzzo pepperoni, pickled jalapeño, sicilian oregano, tomato, mozzarella & pecorino - On special $22.00 TIRAMISUA big slab of classic tiramisu, lady fingers, whipped mascarpone cream, coffee soak, cocoa powder & sea salt. $12.00Birra Moretti I don't remember : )An amazing dining experience and the best pepperoni pizza I've ever had full stop - Priceless!My second time here and much more of an intimate experience because I was by myself killing some time before I met friends at the Freight and Salvage.My pizza was cooked perfectly - just the way I like it with some of the edges of the nickel sized pepperoni's a bit charged and bursting with flavor. The sauce, obviously an old family recipe had been cooking for hours and had a deep rich flavor. And the crust- ohh the crust held up well to the tomato sauce and had a chewy and crisp texture.The kind young lady who was serving me was confident I could finish the Tiramisu no matter how full I was. She was right.Matt says if you find yourself headed to downtown Berkeley either for a Cal event or to the Freight and Salvage, be sure to make reservations in advance and feast on some of the best pizza in the Bay Area. It's a small space and fills up fastI can hardly wait to go back.

This place has one of the best Caesar salads that I have ever had! I absolutely lovvveee Caesar salads so when I find a spot with good salad, it makes the experience so much better. The pizza was also some of the best I have had in the Bay Area, I loved how thing and flakey the crust was, yet the pizza itself was super flavorful. The service was great too, friendly staff and lots of seating. The ambiance was nice, we sat by the window in a cute nook.

My sister and I ordered the She Wolf and Alpine pizzas, and we split an Italian blood orange soda.The blood orange soda - a must if you like blood orange. It was still too sweet for me, but lovely when diluted with some water. It also came out with cups of the GOOD ice. IYKYKThe She Wolf - disappointing. It did have a nice tomato flavor, but the capers and olives made everything too briny/salty/unbalanced. I wish they had at least chopped up the olives to more evenly sprinkle them around. The Alpine - very tasty and surprising! It's a bit heavy to eat ONLY this flavor, if you were only going to order one pizza. Service was great: the waitresses and hostesses were very nice and pointed me to the hand washing station when I asked if they had hand sanitizer (they did but were running low). I was paying with Berkeley Bucks and couldn't figure out how to tip, and they said just to tip them next time! The pizzas also came out very fast and were piping hot. The bathroom was clean and functional. The space is a little small, but they did their best with it. The patio was closed for a private event, but it looks very cute. I would definitely return to try their other pizzas.

She Wolf pizza: It comes with Tomato Sauce, Garlic Confit, Olives, Capers, oregano and of course Burrata, but no traditional mozzarella. To get the most flavor in every bite, I folded each slice with a dollop of burrata in the middle. Yum!Spicy Caesar salad: Big pieces of lettuce with lots of their spicy Caesar dressing. They offer anchovies on the salad, and we got them on the side. My friend loved them. I liked the salad on it's own, but the spice before the pizza wasn't my style as it turned out. The outdoor back area was comfortable on a warm day. The staff was super nice.