Nick and Aron’s

Whaaa?! This place is closed? I just discovered this place. I originally came in to have a salad but increased my order with a big bacon cheddar scone and a slice of pizza. The corn salad was fresh and simple. I could have used something a bit more to elevate the flavor, but no big complaints.
The bacon cheddar scone is absolutely dynamite. The exterior is crispy and crunchy but the interior is rich and crumbly. I would come back just for the scone. Based on the quality of the scone and everyone around me enjoying their gorgeous looking pizzas, I decided to get a slice of mushroom and spinach pizza. The pizza is great. It tastes like a bakers version of pizza. very bready, wholesome, and incredible texture.
I’m bummed this place is closed. This street seems to have so many failed businesses. Luckily there’s Nick’s Pizza in Oakland. I’ll see you guys there.

Really good fresh baked bread. The dough makes everything sooo good — and all the ingredients in their breads, pizza and pastries taste like they put lots of time into making each one. Best olive bread I ever had too.

delicious pizza. great vibe.
@Yelp. that’s all you need to know. let me post my review.

I give it 5 stars, as this is as close to NY pizza as your going to get. Born and raised in NY, I know what good pizza is… and this place is good.
Nick & Aaron’s have it all right, perfectly baked dough, melted cheese, and their tomato sauce is on point.
Also, I highly recommend their homemade chocolate chip cookies. They are DELICIOUS!

Hmm, did I miss something, I wasn’t blown away by this place. Maybe cause I only got a plain pepperoni pizza slice? It was one of the only slices available. I tried some of the corn salad with chicken. It was aight, tasted like something I could make at home. Service was good, but I just wasn’t that impressed. Would give it another try and get a fancier pizza topping maybe.

Man, after 9PM Nick and Aron’s is the mutha-​effin-​shizznit. If you show up after 9PM, each slice of pizza is only $ 2! TWO. BUCKS. I think after the several different slices of pizzas I’ve tried, their mushroom and (I think!) goat cheese is my favorite. The espresso drinks here are also delicious. If you spring for dessert (and want it to-​go), their chocolate mousse with salted caramel and whipped cream is awesome. They also give you a cute little glass jar!
I definitely need to visit at a regular hour other than breakfast and late hours, but I love this place. Thanks for being so close to my apartment!

First time here with my four year old. We loved the Tarte Flambéé! From the dough to the savory bacon to the sweet caremalized onions to the pop of goat cheese. FANTASTIC FLAVORS! The cinnamon roll with raisins was delicious also! The staff is super nice and pleasant! Must try! We will return.

Reasons why this is the best place on earth:
1.This is the best pizza I’ve ever had in my entire life. MY ENTIRE LIFE.
2. The toppings go from standard to unique and I have yet to be disappointed by a slice.
3. The pastries. The croissants are my favorite. Or maybe the cookies. Or the scone thingies. Whatever you get, you can’t go wrong.
4. The beverages are on point. Beer, coffee, wine, it’s all prime stuff. Plus they have a happy hour that makes imbibing all the better.
5. Great prices. Affordable prices. I can eat here prices.
6. It’s got an outdoor patio, amazing staff, and is my favorite pizza place in Oakland.
¹⁰⁄₁₀ would recommend.

This local spot is worth its weight in gold! You will not be disappointed.
Delicious pastries: almond croissant, pain au chocolate, bear claws, lemon scones, and my personal favorite, bacon and cheese scones.
Also, great pizza. Thin crust, variety of toppings, not too fancy, but definitely Bay Area quality.
Special shout out to the employee with the blue Warrior’s hat who rides BART from MacArthur late at night. You rock!

Tasty food and friendly service! Would love to see vegan-​friendly slices available — it hurts to pay $ 16 for a pizza for lunch. But otherwise it’s great. Glad to see three vegan specialty options on the menu.
Nice beer selection with three local choices on tap, and they serve Scarlet City espresso, too.
I’m looking forward to going back. Hopefully vegan slices become available.

Very nice addition to the neighborhood. Comfortably minimal with thoughtful and helpful employees.
At lunch we tried a salad of mixed greens, goat cheese, and dates dressed with a lemon vinaigrette. The interplay of the dates and citrusy dressing was quite nice, even if it won’t change the way you think about salads. They also had a Caesar and a mixed greens salad on offer.
Our pizza was a triumph! A thin sourdough crust hosted caramelized onions, roasted cauliflower, feta, cilantro and an assertive harissa. This is beautifully conceived and executed and could well become the signature pizza here. Outstanding. I saw a spinach and mushroom pie that looked terrific, and am intrigued by the so-​called «midnight special» — a pepperoni and mushroom pie accompanied by ranch dipping sauce.
The pizza seems likely to steal the show, but after five there appears to be roast chicken, meat balls, clams and other entrees on offer. Also worth noting that pastries and coffee and wifi are available during the AM hours.
The pizza universe has expanded and deepened considerably over the last five years or so, and there is now an impressive amount of really good pizza available in the East Bay. Even so, to judge from that harissa cauliflower pie Nick and Aron’s seems instantly to belong in the top tier.
Looking forward to my next visit, perhaps for only a slice or two. Forgot to say you don’t need to buy a whole pie. But you’ll probably want to!

Well, came here on a whim, but I was definitely hungry and their date and hazelnut salad was the biz!!!
Being on a diet and trying to watch what I eat was definitely hard as I wanted to taste their pizza and pastries. But I decided to go with the salad and was happy I did.
The staff was very friendly and the service was quick.

Delicious bacon cheddar scone and latte for breakfast.
Slice of tangy Marissa pizza on sourdough for lunch.
Roast chicken and a Cesar salad for dinner.
Addictively good chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Oakland style pizza at it’s best! I would eat here every meal if I could.

Stopped by Nick and Aron’s the other night for dinner, a few days after they opened. I absolutely loved the pizza but the rest of the dishes were hit and miss.
The polenta was underseasoned while the mushrooms and tomatoes were perfectly executed. The dish could have been more rich (buttery) and salty. The salad was also «meh» and included very thinly sliced dates (most of which were hidden on the bottom) and a very light hazelnut vinaigrette; the goat cheese was very good, but my personal preference would be to have a bit more on the salad overall.
The asparagus pizza was delicious. The sourdough crust was tangy, slightly sweet, and perfectly crispy throughout. It was easy to grab a slice and fold it in half, without the typical «soggy middle» I experience at most Bay Area pizza places. The pizza itself was full of fresh asparagus, shallots (a bit bland) and a lemon vinaigrette which did not overpower the pizza, but rather enhanced the herbed ricotta. I would order this again in a heartbeat.
For dessert, I opted for the Strawberry Shortcake but was very disappointed. The dish was cold, so cold in fact it tasted and felt like it came right out of the fridge, including the biscuit, which was more like a cornbread than buttermilk. Friends had the mousse which was very tasty but the caramel in my opinion was overly sweet.
Now, onto the service. Around 6:30 pm the place really started to fill. The staff was hustling from table to table, almost tripping over each other, but remained friendly and calm. Our sharing plates were forgotten, twice. There was certainly some confusion on whether we were supposed to order at the counter or if it was table service. This could easily be fixed by rearranging the space to have more of a host’s station, right now it’s in front of the ordering counter. I suspect the service will improve, which is why I’m giving them an optimistic four stars instead of three.
Like most pizza places, stick to the pizza. The other dishes were okay, but the pizza, in my opinion, is worth going out of your way for.
Things to note:
They are still pending their liquor license and should have a selection of «local beer and wine» within the next few months.
Brunch will hopefully be served within coming months as well.

NIck and Aron’s had ready made pizza slices and pastries to go,
eats: kale and sausage pizza (3.5)
–nice crunchy crust, thic crust, no bread like taste
–white cheese topping tasty with the sausage, kale not tasted much.
–pizza taste better than the other branch.
brew: McClaughlin coffee (1.75)
so smooth, not harsh, one of my favs,
crumbs:
–home made pastries in the house too
–roast city beans used to make expressos.

I was hoping for better food. Unfortunately, we opted to come for lunch one Saturday. Pizza was cooked by Nick in the kitchen while Aron took a break with his laptop at a table. No hello. No thank you for stopping in — nada from Aron. He was on his laptop writing checks. Is this really what you want restaurant patrons to see?
I ordered a goat cheese pizza with bacon & carmelized onions, but the counter gal advised that they were out of carmelized onions. As a result, I couldn’t order the two pizzas with this ingredient. Are you serious? You’re out of onions — or just carmelized onions? Gimme a break — I carmelized onions on my stove top this morning making scrambled eggs! It took five minutes, but these guys are cooks? Who runs out of onions in a restaurant or carmelized onions when two of five pizzas include this ingredient? Were in Oakland, fellas, not Montréal, Canada.
The gal at the counter suggested that we order pizza by the slice, so we ordered a pepperoni, a spinach/​mushroom, and a mozzarella w/​scallions. What the web site doesn’t indicate is that the pizzas are thin crust. This information matters. For me, the spinach/​mushroom was better because it came with garlic which gave it some kick. The other slice was forgettable. It’s too bad the restaurant doesn’t include chili pepper flakes on the table as many places do. That would have made a difference for my first slice. My other half had the pepperoni and said it wasn’t bad, but certainly wasn’t to die for delicious.
I’m very sorry we didn’t arrive for dinner as the restaurant has table service then and they serve baked chicken, herb polenta, mussels w/​garlic in white wine, etc. My recommendation is to skip lunch at this restaurant and come for dinner instead. There’s a wider variety of food offered, and hopefully they’ll have onions on hand, so they can offer all pizzas on the menu!

Nick’s pastries make the return! For those who were fans of his amazing baking skills (pastries at Nick’s Pizza on Shattuck), note that you can get them here! (They went away at Nick’s Pizza.)
I have to admit, I think Barkada is a tough thing to replace. It was perfect and the food was stellar. But Nick’s is giving them a good run, with the same, unchanged space, and a fresh and tasty menu.
You can get the super-​delicious Nick’s pizza, but there are other things here like roasted root veggies, a polenta dish, and salads.
Note: No liquor license yet – booze-​free dining for another 2 – 3 months. Also note: No brunch yet (but they’ll kill it when they start – this ‘hood is still sorely lacking).
And one final note: It’s LOUD in here! Maybe a good thing there’s no booze. I came on a weeknight, and the place was lively and busy but not full, but DAMN SO LOUD. They would do well to make solutions for this.

Time: 1:37pm/63°F sunny
Purpose: Schedule meeting with new client a few blocks away. Before that was going to take place, I scan notes of area. N&A’s pop up have over an hour before 3pm arrives.
Ambiance: This place replaces Barkada now closed for good. Basically everything here is left untouched. By the looks of it N&A may have taken the furniture leading up to the now defunct Barkada. Two tables out front for sidewalk seating gone are the water bowl for furbabys. Same wooden bench seating front to back with about ten tables in front. Two tables for larger than four in a party with high bright red backless stools. Rows of bulb lights encased in wire whisk left over previously. Counter register with sneeze guard holding in wire baskets full of baked goods, dishes, cakes pedestal. End of counter sits the LaMarzocco two chamber espresso machine and water glass bottles with tumblers. Inner back partition window were you can get a peek of the happenings inside. Back patio adds a nice addition when weather gets warmer. Certainly kids/​family friendly here. Place is not stuffy at all high ceiling fans expedite the smell away for good.
Staff: Two girls about late 20s very hip and outspoken type. When I ask about how the pizzas are sold, since there wasn’t any slice prices posted. Both of them wanted to tell me, but one back off. Upbeat engaging showing willingness to work and express their knowledge of product line. Tells me about daily specials as well as their upcoming project.
Cleanliness: Grade A, same as previous business same result, pass. Tables during lunch time has debris left over not wipe down thus resulting me to DIY method.
Eats/​Drinks: Slice of kale & sausage $ 3.75, oat+pear scone $ 2.50. Had a bottle of juice from earlier went with that to wash it down. Pizza slice well made in presentation, taste, ingredients. Met all three criteria from MPOV. What’s most important for me to enjoy any type is the crust itself. Must not be soggy or over char to the point of black bottom. This slice delivers it all, with drool worthy ‘eat me’ kind of look. There wasn’t no oil pond on top while ingredients are as fresh as possible. Oat+pear scone was good and tasty with chunks of pears embedded throughout not concentrating in one area. This scone wasn’t crumbling when touch or so dry that it needs to be soften up. Can taste real butter and oats use. Base on the taste it as close as Arizmendi version and I’m not kidding.
Main Features: Daily pizza specials and strawberry shortcake.
Products/​Services: Oakland style pizzas classic-​cheese, pepperoni, spinach and mushroom, olive and herb. Specialty pizzas-​tarte flambée, sausage & kale, asparagus, Harrisa, vegan spinach and mushroom, vegan Harrisa. From the oven– manila clams, roast chicken, herbed polenta, stuffing, roasted root veggies, rainbow chard. Salads, pastries, desserts, cold/​hot beverages. Pizza by the slice or whole. Drip coffee by McLaughlin and espresso drinks from Scarlet City Roasting Company/​Tea by Republic of Tea. A 20% of gratuity automatically added for party of 6 or more. Local beer/​wine soon to come.
Punch Lines: Takes over previous business, untouched furniture, minimal remodeling needed, close-​together tables, drool worthy, easy night out, dinner prix fixe, imaginable toppings, calm vibe, kitschy décor, lively atmosphere, nothing out of the ordinary, casual and delicious, worth the wait, California influenced, twist on traditional favorites, constantly changing menu, industrial interior, crowd pleasing, street parking, Korean shops restaurants/​cafes.
Tradeoffs: Unlike Nick’s Pizza on Shattuck that closes early in the day. The new temescal location will be open all day keeping the doors open from morning opening to closing time. Meaning pizza from opening till closing.
Final Thoughts: I have always been a fan of Nick’s Pizza on Shattuck. With this new location opening all day, I guess I could stop by every now and then hit up some daily specials on the go. Looks like there’s no shortage of food creations on the menu. They’ve daily and weekly specials so, if you don’t know? Pick up the phone give them a call to find out. Finally a place that makes a perfect crust to my liking. Anyways its a new place ready to take on the hungriest people, with an appetite for good local eats. Give it a shot and see if anything suits you.

We were already fans of Nick’s pizza from going to, well, Nick’s Pizza, and this new addition to the Nick restaurant empire (ok… forgive the hyperbole) is fucking awesome.
We came in tonight for a much needed break from paper writing (me), and for some much needed dinner (david and me). The staff is funny and sweet, and a bit zany, and all in the best ways. I chatted with one server about our fascination with cheeses that smell like feet (I’m stoked that vegan cheese is finally delving into the «stinky cheese» arena) and our shared irrational fear of lighting induced seizures. We also got not one, but three fist bumps from another server. Ok, on to the food.
We really liked the roasted root vegetable dish. It was simple and good, and for me it was in an almost nostalgic way for my gramma’s roasted root vegetables (which may be a figment of my imagination). What I mean to say is they were homey, and warm, and seasoned just right, and we didn’t even have to ask for salt. Yay.
The vegan Harissa pizza was a solid choice. There is something magical in the combination of slightly sweet, slightly spicy harissa mixed with the roasted to buttery perfection onions and the roasted caulifower that hits all the right notes for me, taste wise. The crust though… THE FUCKING CRUST: it is a thing of beauty. Toothy, substantial, and just a teensy bit sour… it is a best in town (and I love those other fancy pants pizza places too).
So to Nick, Aron, and their delightful staff: HIGH FIVES FOR DAYS!
**** I have a horrific headache, and this may not be the best review I’ve written, but seriously… this place is lovely. Go there. Yeah!

My husband and I have been customers of Nick’s Pizza (on Shattuck south of Alcatraz) for a couple of years now, and are super excited about this new restaurant.
I am most excited about:
— awesome pizzas with seasonal ingredients (like at Nick’s Pizza, but with a really nice place to sit and eat)
— an expanded menu with sandwiches, salads, and more desserts (ok, I maybe stalked their website waiting for them to open the new restaurant)
— delicious bread with more varieties than previously available at Nick’s — just ate some walnut peppercorn levain, and it’s SO good
— espresso drinks — I had a gibraltar this morning and it was strait-​up delicious (har har)
— the return of Aron’s pastries! He used to offer them at Nick’s pizza in the morning, but I think their kitchen was just too crowded to keep them going. I tried the lemon scone & roasted strawberry scone (both super delicious) this morning, and I was happy to see some other familiar pastries that I’ve missed lately, especially the fougasse. I will definitely be returning to try everything.
Sorry to be a totally fangirl, but I’ve just been really wanting a local, not overpriced restaurant that serves the type of healthy, often vegetarian seasonal food my husband & I cook at home but don’t always have the time and energy to make. I think this is it!