Basil Pizzeria

Better than Little Caesars… Crust was decent, sauce could be improved.

This is honestly the best pizzeria in Oakland. I’ve ordered from here several time before, but this last time I ordered was not worth the money. I ordered a veggie pizza with fried eggplant and caprese salad. I did not receive a caprese salad, I got a bed of arugula topped with slices of deli mozzarella and tomatoes soaked in balsamic. Would’ve been good if they used fresh mozzarella and basil… the pizza was ok but they didn’t fry the eggplant, I’ve ordered it before and it comes deep fried… for $ 3 extra I think they could’ve prepared it as I ordered. I will continue ordering from here if the restaurant actually prepares food as they say they’re going to make it? Otherwise why charge if you’re not gonna to give customers what they order.

This pizza actually is really good.

This is the best delivery pizza I’ve had in Oakland thus far. I really like the pizza with salame, sausage, goat cheese and red pepper. Just the right proportions of cheese, sauce, and toppings with a crust that is hearty enough to hold up, but has a bit of crispy texture. Reasonable prices and on time delivery. I was not impressed by the caprese salad, but when it comes to delivery, I’ll be coming back to Basil time and time again.

Really good pizza, price was right. Delivery driver was polite. Would order again 100%.

Their menu only has BBQ style Hawaiian pizza, but they were able to make it the traditional way for me. Would have been good if the bottom wasn’t burnt black. The buffalo wings were really good. Just the right amount of spice, pretty mild. They gave me blue cheese sauce by default, but had ranch by request.

Just stopped into this place with my 3 year old son for lunch and we got 2 slices of cheese pizza for $ 5…damn this place is bomb and the slices are huge. I think I just found my new pizza place and can’t wait to come back again! Couldn’t recommend this place anymore!

Order:
Veggie Calzone
Cost: $ 15
Atmosphere: take-​out
Food: very, very runny, no ricotta, pizza folded over, and very bland
Vegetarians: pass…
Service: okay; I think I was VERY overcharged…
Recommendation: will not be visiting again

Really good pizza and not a huge rip off compared to the rest of the pizza places in Oakland.

In Oakland for work and had a craving for pizza. This place was a block from my hotel and it was delicious. Had a slice, salad, and a drink for under $ 10. I recommend this place to anyone wanting a quick bite.

Came in close to closing time and the guys working were still happy to help me! The pizza was great and they even spotted me for some ranch dressing. This is a great addition to the neighbourhood!

Great pizza by the slice or whole. Not greasy and was flavorful. Nice folks and easy to find on corner.

This Pizzeria is the boom!!! I think is way better than any pizzeria around Oakland
they open late it looks like they have fresh salads and some other stuff
They also Have Catering service we will have them at the office for xmas party.

Let me start off by saying that I love pizza. And I love a good pizza combo even more. For a little over $ 6, you can get a slice of pepperoni, side salad and a can of soda. Pretty sure this will become my new go-​to spot when a craving hits.
The only downside is how greasy the slice is… even after using a handful of napkins to blot oil off the top, the grease still soaked through the (paper) plate & left a nice little pool on the table by the time I was done eating.

Cute little pizzeria in Downtown Oakland.
I found this place on a whim and really liked it. They had two deals going on, one was 2 pieces of pizza for $ 5 and I can’t really remember the other one.
Overall, service good, food fulfilling, affordable, and convenient location. Gotta love it!

Very lucky to have this place on our block! Ray continues to make great pies every single time. Also great place to watch sports!

Large and super yummy calzone. Interesting garlic sauce in it. Interesting in a good way!
Don’t go late at night — we saw three drug deals while waiting for our food to be ready!!!

Jury duty had me looking for lunch one fine day, and as I walked in a random direction, I found this place.
It has a lot of good potential, and although it has only been open for about a month according to the guy (owner?) who took my order both times I visited, I have very few quibbles to mention.
The first visit, I ordered a veggie sandwich, the verdure. I was surprised to discover that I have a limit for how much olive oil is too much — and this sandwich hit it. Not only was the bread pretty hard and kind of flavorless, the oversaturation of EVOO, with not enough (in my opinion) balsamic, totally ruined the experience. I ended up tossing the top half of the bread and eating the veggies, which were *also* soaked in olive oil, but with the abundance of fresh mozzarella and basil leaves, pretty tasty.
It seems like arugula salad comes with everything on the menu, and with the huge size of the sammiches, that is just way way too much food. With it already a touch on the spendy side, I would rather see smaller portions and a drop in prices.
My second visit, I knew to ask for no salad with my margherita pizza slice. This was a MUCH better choice — tasty, fresh and the perfect lunch size. I also tried a cannoli, but ended up quite disappointed as it was almost totally flavorless.
One more non-​food related complaint is the teeth-​jarring selection of music/​sportsball radio blaring out from a handful of speakers. Quieter is better, and maybe something a little less intrusive/​aggressive/​work-​inappropriate, at least during the slow hours. I did like the general décor, although watch out for the benches along the window. Splinters Happen!
All in all, this was a good find, and I do plan on coming back to check it out again as the owner and the menu get settled in.

Basil Pizzeria’s the latest tenant since the old standby, a coffee shop folded.
menu: pizza, neapolitan? thin crusted claimed
–lingering outside looking at menu. was offered free sample
–choose basic cheese, given warm/​heated pizza slice.
semi-​crunchy, not thin crust, tasted like bread, cheese not tasted.
–the toppings are irrelevant to me if the crust isn’t to my liking.
toppings:
–gave him $ 3 and menu back.
–when asked about pizza. informed him i didn’t like it for the stated reasons.
bland all around, not tasty at all, not really thin-​crusted.

Time: 12:37pm/64° cloudy
Purpose: Since last business parted ways, I was baffled as to what previous owner (s) would try and do. Word came in that they’re going in to the pizza business.
Ambiance: Ersatz rustic wall brick panels lots of splotchy paint dampen design. Place sits 16 mostly wooden box bench style and high back cahirs with one sidewalk table. One flatscreen tuned on infomercials with muted volume. Utensil/​condiment cart self help on everything. Open air fridge for self help beverages and cold items. Stand alone fridge for premade goods. Display with eight choices of pizzas. Overhead menu board with small inner back as prep/​baked area. Feels like somewhat cramp in with no ventilation. Convos should be spoken low tone as eavesdropping is rampant. Natural sun rays will heat your back if you’re facing 13^th St side.
Staff: Two guys about 40s one younger guy late 20s back of house. Warm friendly hello. Telling me their special of the day. Seems jumpy and edgy for a sale. Front guy was pretty cool and funny at times. Saying things to the other guy in the back. I’ve no problems with them.
Cleanliness: Grade A, remodel from previous place. Did a number of the layout and design. Motion detector sensers had painted on smudges, proves a security breach itself. It looks and feels like a pizzeria, nothing held back.
Eats/​Drinks: Slice of margherita $ 4. Crust was more enjoyable than the rest of the slice. Held a perfect crunch not too oily, it was that good, I would buy crust itself. Ingredients wise really sub standard for the price you pay. It was although someone at homemaking class put something together quickly just to get a grade for the day. Pepper flakes, rosemary, parmesan cheese didn’t improve taste. For some reason pizza slices are display on cafeteria plastic trays. Only one round pizza pan was seen on the premises. Slices are paper thin, but I understand Neapolitan style.
Main Features: Neapolitan style pizza, calzones.
Products/​Services: (See posted pictures). Uses locally grown produce when possible, catering. Grand opening special 2 cheese slices $ 6. No GF/​vegan options (not sure about foreseeable future).
Punch Lines: Minimal seating, average pizza, imaginable toppings, laid back, kitschy décor, light bites, zippy service, can’t go wrong, nothing out of the ordinary, shoe box size place, satisfactory, kept its standards, family run, street parking (easy, but lots of smash window pieces seen).
Tradeoffs: One of several places in downtown Oakland that sells pizzas. Only here they do away with oven Neapolitan style crust.
Final Thoughts: I’m not sure what to think of it yet. However, my east bay source Victor G. said place turns over at least once a year. This part of Oakland needs more than a thriving business. To me its one of those places you stop by for a bite then continue on your day. Really, there’s nothing to it, eat and go is the norm here.