Arinell Pizza

Wow, what a surprise!!! I was born and rise in Italy so I know how pizza should taste like. I wasn't looking for good pizza but I was just hungry that day. I got off the bus and I saw this "pizzeria". The pizza was pre-made and they just re-heat it, the moment that I saw it I was regretting having entered. Then I took a bite of the pizza. It was really good!!! The bottom was crispy, the tomato sauce wasn't overly sweet (why all the American's foods are sweet !?!?) and the cheese was nice. Overall a nice experience.

Great pizza. The Sicilian is delicious, and the New York style pizza here is the only thing that brings me back to Brooklyn. I get a slice for take out, fold it up, and eat it on the go.

Solid NY style pizza. Super crispy pizza with just enough cheese and sauce. We tried just a slice of cheese and it came out molten but was worth burning our mouths on the first bite. Shall return to try their pizza with other toppings.

Terrific place! Thank you, Scott, for the delicious pizza and memorable lunch :-) FOOD: The pizza crust is delicious. This NY style pizza is better than several pizzas I've tried in NYC because here they bake it just right. The crust is not burned/charred black, it's thin and crunchy but still foldable. Good balance of cheese and sauce. I got a full vegan pizza and the cheese did not stick to the mouth and overall tasty 👍 SERVICE: Maybe the best part. So friendly, welcoming, and accommodating. They greet you like you're a friend visiting after a while.

Great pizza, the staff is chill too. Love the music that they play. My go to is always the sicilian and the pepperoni, delicious 🤘🤘

Get the vegan pizza! It is super yummy! Love that crisp NY style, very authentic. The vegan pizza is good for everyone, not just vegans. It tastes perfect.

Small place, Great Pizza, lovely guy 🙃👍🏼 5 bucks a slice….

My favoriteeeeee pizza in Berkeley!

Raghav B

Terrific place! Thank you, Scott, for the delicious pizza and memorable lunch :-) FOOD: The pizza crust is delicious. This NY style pizza is better than several pizzas I've tried in NYC because here they bake it just right. The crust is not burned/charred black, it's thin and crunchy but still foldable. Good balance of cheese and sauce. I got a full vegan pizza and the cheese did not stick to the mouth and overall tasty 👍 SERVICE: Maybe the best part. So friendly, welcoming, and accommodating. They greet you like you're a friend visiting after a while.

Mike Beuke

Small place, Great Pizza, lovely guy 🙃👍🏼 5 bucks a slice….

Alexander Ortega

Great pizza, the staff is chill too. Love the music that they play. My go to is always the sicilian and the pepperoni, delicious 🤘🤘

Setu Upadhya

Get the vegan pizza! It is super yummy! Love that crisp NY style, very authentic. The vegan pizza is good for everyone, not just vegans. It tastes perfect.

The Best New York Pizza Experience, Hands Down! ​If you're looking for the authentic New York slice experience outside of the city, look no further—this place genuinely serves the best New York Pizza around. ​Right from the moment you walk in, the staff ensures a stellar experience. The customer service is great and courteous; they are quick, friendly, and truly make you feel appreciated. ​But the real star here is the pizza itself. They simply know how to make a truly tasty crust—the foundation is perfectly done, with the ideal balance of crispness and satisfying chew. This perfect base is paired with an outstanding, flavorful sauce that tastes homemade and has the ideal balance of tangy and sweet. Capping it all off is that yummy, high-quality cheese that melts perfectly and pulls just right. ​This isn't just good pizza; it's a fantastic overall dining experience that delivers on taste and hospitality. Go there, you absolutely won't be disappointed.

When I came to Berkeley the first time for a job interview, i literally followed my nose to find where the amazing pizza smells were coming from and it led me to Arinell's. I lived in New York for decades and this is hands-down the best NY-style pizza I have ever eaten outside of the state of New York. Fancy? No. Delicious? Very!

I'm incredibly biased. It's literally the first place I ever bought pizza with my own money, 50 years ago. To me, it's what thin crust New York-style pizza is supposed to taste like. A slice of cheese (ideally) or pepperoni (if you insist) straight out of the oven is excellent. If business is slow and the pizza's been out of the oven, they'll toss it back in the oven to warm it, but it will not be as good. You can also get a full pie fresh with whatever toppings you like, but for a slice with other toppings, they'll just take a slice of cheese add the topping and toss it back in the oven to warm. I recommend sticking with the basics for slices and the straight cheese is the best choice anyway.

I've been coming here for years - less often now that I don't live in Berkeley, but I picked up a pie a few weeks ago and it hit all the marks I wanted it to. Which is to say it was quite good and tasted the same as it did when I was in high school and college sat waiting for the bus(65/67) home right outside their doors. It's a real shame that the amount of actual "retail" space they have to work with was so negatively impacted by the construction of the building that is now on top of it,. but it seems they're making do!

Been looking for a Ny style slice shop since moving. This place is as good, if not better than any NYC spot

I crave this pizza place- bummed SF location is gone though- straightforward, hot, and tasty- oh, fast too!

Amazing pizza, still same pizza from 7 years ago when I last went. Employees are very friendly. Their cheese slice is amazing.

Lindsay Myers

When I came to Berkeley the first time for a job interview, i literally followed my nose to find where the amazing pizza smells were coming from and it led me to Arinell's. I lived in New York for decades and this is hands-down the best NY-style pizza I have ever eaten outside of the state of New York. Fancy? No. Delicious? Very!

Ron K

The Best New York Pizza Experience, Hands Down! ​If you're looking for the authentic New York slice experience outside of the city, look no further—this place genuinely serves the best New York Pizza around. ​Right from the moment you walk in, the staff ensures a stellar experience. The customer service is great and courteous; they are quick, friendly, and truly make you feel appreciated. ​But the real star here is the pizza itself. They simply know how to make a truly tasty crust—the foundation is perfectly done, with the ideal balance of crispness and satisfying chew. This perfect base is paired with an outstanding, flavorful sauce that tastes homemade and has the ideal balance of tangy and sweet. Capping it all off is that yummy, high-quality cheese that melts perfectly and pulls just right. ​This isn't just good pizza; it's a fantastic overall dining experience that delivers on taste and hospitality. Go there, you absolutely won't be disappointed.

Domenico Perrella

I'm incredibly biased. It's literally the first place I ever bought pizza with my own money, 50 years ago. To me, it's what thin crust New York-style pizza is supposed to taste like. A slice of cheese (ideally) or pepperoni (if you insist) straight out of the oven is excellent. If business is slow and the pizza's been out of the oven, they'll toss it back in the oven to warm it, but it will not be as good. You can also get a full pie fresh with whatever toppings you like, but for a slice with other toppings, they'll just take a slice of cheese add the topping and toss it back in the oven to warm. I recommend sticking with the basics for slices and the straight cheese is the best choice anyway.

Patrick Sasaki

I crave this pizza place- bummed SF location is gone though- straightforward, hot, and tasty- oh, fast too!

abdallah A

Amazing pizza, still same pizza from 7 years ago when I last went. Employees are very friendly. Their cheese slice is amazing.

eyespliced

I've been coming here for years - less often now that I don't live in Berkeley, but I picked up a pie a few weeks ago and it hit all the marks I wanted it to. Which is to say it was quite good and tasted the same as it did when I was in high school and college sat waiting for the bus(65/67) home right outside their doors. It's a real shame that the amount of actual "retail" space they have to work with was so negatively impacted by the construction of the building that is now on top of it,. but it seems they're making do!

Excellent NY pizza, only gripe is that crust could use a bit more salt, but toppings, sauce, and mozzerella are spot on for NY pizza. Very well cooked, good chew and crunch. If you're sick of pathetic west coast "pizza" this is a great alternative.

Arinells pizza hits the spot. I don't think of it as an equivalent to Joe's pizza in NYC but love to grab a mushroom or pepperoni slice and then cover it with jalepenos. It is the perfect thickness for eating and folding and has all the right ratios of dough to sauce to cheese. I do however call it the best tasting cardboard I've ever had in my life, because it has a little bit of that frozen pizza cardboard taste... But sometimes that's what you want.

Definitely good, quick and easy. They finally accept credit cards now for a .50 cent fee too. Only thing is it's small and the metal bench is not that great but most small pizza shops don't even have seating, so good on Arinell.

Really good New York style pizza. Don't bother with the toppings. They put them on the cheese slice before reheating it. Seating could be an issue if you have a bigger group

As someone who grew up in NY/NJ, this is the BEST pizza that I’ve had in California! Anytime I’m in Berkeley I’ll always grab a plain slice and a piece of Sicilian with pepperoni (hopefully a corner piece!). Now if they would only carry Jamaican Beef patties, it would be a dream come true! A little on the pricey side, but California. 🤷‍♂️

I've been coming here pretty much my whole life. It will always be a favorite. Whenever I'm not feeling good and can't eat much, I can eat this pizza. I will say make sure all your slices are the same size. Im not sure if theure being told to do this, but lately they've been giving smaller slices. This last time, I ordered 3 slices, and one of them looked like a kids slice compared to the others. They are known for the taste and size, and if I'm paying the same price, I need the same size. I definitely recommend them, and I'll always be back as long as I get the correct size slices 😊.

Great, regular, nothing fancy pizza. The NY-style thin and Sicilian-style thick slices are heated to order. The vegan slice is the same price as the regular slice. Although there isn't tons of "cheese" on it, it's really good and satisfying.

New York style slices in downtown Berkeley. They're cheap, large, greasy, and floppy as the best NYC slices are. They come out from the oven piping hot, and can be topped with the usual options. There's even a vegan pizza for those who want their slices without animal products.

Kristin Bass

New York style slices in downtown Berkeley. They're cheap, large, greasy, and floppy as the best NYC slices are. They come out from the oven piping hot, and can be topped with the usual options. There's even a vegan pizza for those who want their slices without animal products.

I visited for the first time today (Sat. 7/17) The pizza is delicious. True NY style and enjoyed every bite. 3 stars for overall experience... The young kid taking the order unfortunately lacked in customer service & manners. Plainly put, he has a mouth on him. He makes smart comments, & cursed a couple times to a paying customer. Maybe he wanted to "sound cool&tough". This is the kind of service that will ruin a 1st time visit, an establishment's persona & not have returning customers, regardless how good the pizza is. There will always be a good or better place for a NY style pizza, especially with customer service.

Mid pizza. slice was small for 5 bucks. From NYC so I had some expectations going in but I don't think they were unreasonable. Pizza should have been baked hotter and for less time as the crust was blonde on the bottom and the cheese had released a lot of grease. they used too much sauce, and the crust was weirdly light and not chewy or substantial. This made the slice impossible to pick up, especially when coupled with the excessive sauce. Don't bother.

i dont think dis is safe around the pizza😬

Door open. Sign said “closed.” Employer Ignored us. I asked in English and Spanish, with a smile, if they were closed. No answer. Pizza slices looked meh. Will try again, but…memories of my youth :-(

Not sure why $5 cheese slice and $2.50 can of soda comes out to over $14 after tax, you think I got ripped off? I miss the SF Arinell’s. $5 out the door for this same order. The guy was nice but something went wrong there and I let it slide after I confronted him.

It's a decent pizza, though can't really stand against pizza i used to enjoy in Brooklyn. Plus, $3.25 per slice is a bit too much. P.S. The floor is a great reference for Terminator 2. Also, all that neon light style is amazing.

Californify

It's a decent pizza, though can't really stand against pizza i used to enjoy in Brooklyn. Plus, $3.25 per slice is a bit too much. P.S. The floor is a great reference for Terminator 2. Also, all that neon light style is amazing.

steven ramirez

i dont think dis is safe around the pizza😬

Amazing pizza, but the extra toppings were applied sloppy and didn't cook very well. Best not to waste money on it. Also got tricked by a promotions "Fine Print" paying more than what was promised. Pizzas great but that trick didn't rub me the right way.

Patricia Gutierrez Salazar

Amazing pizza, but the extra toppings were applied sloppy and didn't cook very well. Best not to waste money on it. Also got tricked by a promotions "Fine Print" paying more than what was promised. Pizzas great but that trick didn't rub me the right way.

G “Willie” P

What happened to this place??? Used to be the best and now they closed SF (where the staff were horrific, but sucked it up for the pizza) and now Berkeley is horrible. Maybe the slice I got was old but a whole pizza is now $42+ dollars??? Please!! Too much competition for better pizza in Berkeley. You guys are losing the race big time and keep upping the prices - even the prices on the sign are cheaper than what they charges me -“oh we have not updated the sign!” Hahahaha ridiculous place !

Honestly between 1 and 2 stars, but I'll go with 2 because I've been coming here so often for consistently good pizza. My most recent visit was genuinely horrible. We came in an hour before closing and the guy behind the counter had stopped making pizza, but didn't tell us until half of us had ordered and paid. After generally being kind of rude, he gave us our food, and some of my friends were served Sicilian slices with cold sauce. When they asked to heat it up, he said he had turned off the ovens so he couldn't do that (now 45 minutes before closing with the doors still open). One of my friends went to clarify something and he got super aggressive, and then said "if you guys could hurry it up that'd be great, I want to leave" (now 40 minutes before closing with the doors wide open). Have not been back since, which is a shame because it's the best slice within walking distance of campus. Would recommend the Mission joint over this one any day, I've had zero problems at that one.

Not like I remember, and definitely not up to par. $5.73 for a plain, lousy slice. No no no.

My wife and I have been eating pizza at Arinell's since 1979. My mother use to buy me a slice of pizza when I was a kid while we were waiting for the shuttle to take us to UC Berkeley. For this reason, I use to ask my mom if I could go to school with her, just to get a slice of pizza. Come to find out, my wife use to eat here when she was a kid as well. It was her favorite place to eat pizza. The bad news is, the prices have gotten out of control. It's five dollars for one slice of pizza and $36 dollars for a large cheese pizza. We enjoyed going there so much, that all four of our kids have become fans. Every time we went, we purchased two large pies. I'm sorry to say, $36 is a bit much and my wife and I sadly agree that we will no longer eat at Arinell. It saddens me to say that, being it held a special place in my heart because of the memories I have going with my mother, who is no longer with me😪. In any case, thank you for the wonderful years I've shared with my mother and family.

Sadly, they really skimped on the vegan cheese on mine. My pizza had very little surface area covered by cheese—quite different than the photos of real cheese pizza up there. I recommend maybe saying something beforehand to figure out what you can expect or asking for extra cheese.

I really wanted to like this place as the service was amazing, but unfortunately the pizza wasn’t great. It looked really old and was extremely oily when it came out. I know they don’t use as much salt as other places, but there was barely any flavor. $6.31 for a pepperoni slice, not bad.

Really not great. It said it opened at 12 noon... We were there at 12:05 and it was still closed. Waited until they opened a few minutes later. Tried to order right away because my toddler was hungry. Was told we don't have any pizza ready and to wait. We should have left at that point. Pizza was ok but I wouldn't go back again. They take cash only!

Stephanie Lau

I really wanted to like this place as the service was amazing, but unfortunately the pizza wasn’t great. It looked really old and was extremely oily when it came out. I know they don’t use as much salt as other places, but there was barely any flavor. $6.31 for a pepperoni slice, not bad.

Allison Wright

Really not great. It said it opened at 12 noon... We were there at 12:05 and it was still closed. Waited until they opened a few minutes later. Tried to order right away because my toddler was hungry. Was told we don't have any pizza ready and to wait. We should have left at that point. Pizza was ok but I wouldn't go back again. They take cash only!

Went today for a pepperoni slice. there were 2-3 trays of pizza sitting there. Out the oven, the slice was very hard and stale. The two guys were talking loud and unprofessional,cursing at times. Most of the tables were dirty.. instead of cleaning up,they was just sitting there gossiping. Can't say they was rude to me but they radiate a indifferent vibe.. never going back. Waste of $5

Was loudly yelled and cussed at because they forgot to call me to pick up the pizza. Arinell Pizza is mediocre pizza served with terribly rude customer service. Take it from these reviews: - “There was a bug -- a live bug -- in my daughter's drink and they not only denied it, despite it being right in their faces, but were completely rude about it.” - Out the oven, the slice was very hard and stale. The two guys were talking loud and unprofessional,cursing at times. Most of the tables were dirty… - Unprofessional service it's guaranteed they'll burn your pizza - “…the pizza that was out looks like it been there a long time.” - “Cashier literally screamed and cussed at us for refusing to pay before we received the pizza. I've never experienced such horrible service. Will not be returning anytime soon.”

There was a bug -- a live bug -- in my daughter's drink and they not only denied it, despite it being right in their faces, but were completely rude about it. I used to like this place, but never ever again going back. You should definitely not go. Unless you want bugs in your food.

Nitin Nazeer

Was loudly yelled and cussed at because they forgot to call me to pick up the pizza. Arinell Pizza is mediocre pizza served with terribly rude customer service. Take it from these reviews: - “There was a bug -- a live bug -- in my daughter's drink and they not only denied it, despite it being right in their faces, but were completely rude about it.” - Out the oven, the slice was very hard and stale. The two guys were talking loud and unprofessional,cursing at times. Most of the tables were dirty… - Unprofessional service it's guaranteed they'll burn your pizza - “…the pizza that was out looks like it been there a long time.” - “Cashier literally screamed and cussed at us for refusing to pay before we received the pizza. I've never experienced such horrible service. Will not be returning anytime soon.”

Marc Ettlinger

There was a bug -- a live bug -- in my daughter's drink and they not only denied it, despite it being right in their faces, but were completely rude about it. I used to like this place, but never ever again going back. You should definitely not go. Unless you want bugs in your food.

All good things must come to an end. The owner sold the place, it’s $12.00 for two cardboard slices of pizza, almost no sauce at all, place feels like a shell of its former self. That’s life I guess. What’s terrible is that for $12.00 I got nothing essentially, an entire Sicilian pizza is $50.00 - yea you read that right. no substance in the pizza flavor. I used to go to this place as a kid and during the years after. Arinell has fallen and I will never set foot inside again. Sad story but a common one in the Bay Area.

N W

All good things must come to an end. The owner sold the place, it’s $12.00 for two cardboard slices of pizza, almost no sauce at all, place feels like a shell of its former self. That’s life I guess. What’s terrible is that for $12.00 I got nothing essentially, an entire Sicilian pizza is $50.00 - yea you read that right. no substance in the pizza flavor. I used to go to this place as a kid and during the years after. Arinell has fallen and I will never set foot inside again. Sad story but a common one in the Bay Area.