Pizzaiolo, Oakland CA

Pizzaiolo

Crusty Bread and Butter

Anson Mills Polenta with Gorgonzola

Margherita

Pluot, Brown Butter, and Walnut Crumb Tart with Crème Fraiche

Driving back from The French Laundry in heavy Friday traffic approaching the Bay Bridge I opted to wait out rush hour wandering Oakland and after checking out some local shops I made my way to Charlie Hallowell’s always busy Pizzaiolo on Telegraph. A Chez Panisse alum following Alice Water’s ethos of sourcing as locally and seasonally as possible it was really no surprise when I arrived to find a thirty minute wait for a single seat at the bar (an hour and fifteen for those desiring a table) and chatting with those waiting in line I was immediately struck by how passionately the clientele felt that this was the best pizza in the Bay Area, an assertion I’d find to be true approximately an hour later even though the bubbling, wet, and slightly charred Margherita wasn’t even the best thing I ate at the restaurant, that title instead belonging to an unassuming bowl of creamy polenta given an extra degree of dimension with a hefty dollop of rich, aged gorgonzola that was great on its own and moreso when scooped up with warm bread from the oven. Undoubtedly a place that the locals eat but also a ‘destination’ pizzeria where the $25 price of entry for Una’s Margherita can get you a $14 Marhgerita, $7 bowl of polenta, outstanding complimentary bread an BART fare with a few pennies left over Pizzaiolo is about as good as it gets for those willing to head out to Oakland and taking that travel into account I’d also suggest sticking around for dessert – a seasonal fruit tart kissed by the wood oven and topped with tangy crème Fraiche is never a bad choice.

http://www.pizzaiolooakland.com/