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This page is a compilation of pizza-related comments made by members of the CCA mailing list, a not-for-profit neighborhood mailing list. The mailing list is run by the Campus Community Association, a neighborhood association for residents of the Naglee Park neighborhood just east of downtown San José.
The recommendations are in alphabetical order. Recommendations for restaurants near the neighborhood are first; recommendations for other pizza in the South Bay are listed at the bottom. If you have any comments you'd like to add, please E-mail me and I'll update the page as quickly as I can.
This page is broken into four sections: delivery available, local restaurants, chain restaurants, and out-of-area restaurants.
Click on the restaurant name to view the home page (if any). Click on the address for driving directions.
Fast & Fresh Pizza
1130 Lucretia Ave
298-0888
Delivery
Best known as that pizza joint that keeps leaving flyers on your front porch, Fast & Fresh is actually pretty good pizza. It's inexpensive, the drivers are friendly, and it usually shows up in less than half an hour. I can't recommend the "gourmet pizza", but the all meat and Hawaiian pizzas are just fine.
For best results, however, I strongly recommend turning on your oven when you order the pizza - try heating it up to at least 300° Fahrenheit. When the pizza arrives, put it in your oven for at least ten minutes - the pizzas are invariably not quite fully cooked when they leave the shop, so the extra finishing time should make for a much better pizza!
Grande
Pizzeria
150
E San Carlos
292-2840
Dine-in and take-out
"Very good pizza and pasta, IMHO"
- Tammy
"The salads are good too!"
- Charlene Shenk
"I have to say that Grande is the best around. The baked
lasagna is also great and on the days when the older Italian lady
(the mother of the 'next generation' that recently took over)
goes out to get chicken for the minestrone soup, it's
fantastic...although I actually now enjoy arguing with them on
the days that there is no chicken in the soup. What's the fun of
living downtown if you can't have the occasional Seinfeldesque
moment?"
- Brian Boyd
"I second Maureen's vote for Grande. Aside from a really good pizza,
they are friendly and seem to have unlimited tolerance for children. Plus, if
you sit at the bar while you wait for the pizza, you are sure to get into a
discussion with some of the regulars there."
- [address withheld]@aol.com
"The one time I ate here, I ordered a calzone-like thing that I
don't think is on their menu any longer and a pitcher of Coke. The Coke arrived
first; it was warm and tasted strongly of detergent. The waitress wasn't able to
fix the problem. Even worse, when the main dish arrived, it wasn't anything like
I expected it to be. Given that it was
anchovy and cheese-based, I expected it to be served hot;
however, what I got was a modified bread roll stuffed with
shredded cheese and cold, greasy anchovies. When I asked if that
was the way it was supposed to be served, I was told by the
waitress that yes, that's how it was meant to be. After the meal, I did ask a
woman who appeared to be the owner if that was really the case
(it tasted absolutely disgusting, but hey, I was hungry) and she
said, no... but she didn't offer a refund or apologize, choosing
instead to blame it on the waitress and cook ("they're new
hires, guess I have to train them some more"). One of the
most memorably bad meals I've had in San José."
- Christopher Pratt
Johnie's Pizza Delivery
484 E San Carlos St
297-5553
Delivery
"I like Johnies on San Carlos. It's a friendly neighborhood place; and their
pizza is real good, fast delivery, and most of all very inexpensive! A Large
with as many toppings as you want....plus a liter of coke is only like $12.50!!"
- Scott Hearron
Pizza A Go-Go
117
E San Carlos St
280-0707
Delivery: For online delivery, click here.
"The worst pizza I've ever had in San José. Similar to
soggy Kleenex with ketchup on top, but with less taste."
- Christopher Pratt
"I'd second your vote on what I've long referred to as
'Pizza a Gag Gag'. If you get it delivered, as I first
experienced from their shop on University Ave. in Palo Alto, it
arrives with wax paper covering a smooth, shellac-like surface of
congealed grease. Yum! :-P"
- Michele Musson
"Best California-Style Pizza"
- San
Jose Metro "Best of the Santa Clara Valley 1998
Readers Survey"
Pizz'a Chicago
115
W San Fernando St
283-9400
Dine-in; $1 for home delivery
"Our favorite is Pizz'a Chicago, which is downtown on the
corner of San Fernando & San Pedro. They have great specialty
pizzas."
- Cynthia Enderwick
"The #1 pizza joint for me and my wife is Pizz'a Chicago
on San Fernando and San Pedro. Not only is their pizza
excellent, but they are the only place I know of that offers soy
mozzarella cheese as an option (which is important for my
lactose-intolerant friends and family). Their pizza is of a
gourmet variety. I have been told by many that it is the
best pizza they've ever had."
- Rick Upton
"The best delivered pizza I've had in San José, Pizz'a Chicago
is good stuff. The only problem is that it can be fairly
expensive. Time was, coupons for PC were easy to find, but now
they're hard to come by. Still, at $22 or so a pie (delivered),
it's tempting - the barbecue chicken pizza is especially good."
- Christopher Pratt
Race Street Pizzeria
244
Race St
295-6588
Delivery
"Not exactly the best pizza I've ever eaten, but not the
worst, either. Thinks it's gourmet pizza, but it isn't. Warning:
my brother ordered from Race Street once, waited two hours, got
the wrong pizza delivered, and was not able to get the order
fixed. Your mileage may vary."
- Christopher Pratt
Willow Street
1072
Willow St
971-7080
Delivery available online - click here
"OK, a bit boring and pricey for what you get. Nice
dine-in experience however."
- Don Palermini
Willow Street is a successful restaurant with a few locations in the Bay Area, specializing in gourmet pizzas (roasted garlic and potato, for example).
House of Pizza
527
S Almaden Ave
292-6882
"I remain loyal to the House of Pizza on Almaden... among
other things, it's the only pizza in town that's cut in
squares. House of Pizza [has] a uniquely local ambience -- some of us fought to
save the House of Pizza from the bulldozer back in the 70s when they realigned
the boulevard -- we failed to save the funky old neighborhood bar/pizza parlor
but at least saved the institution itself. Their pizza is of the hearty variety
-- not gourmet with light crust...."
- Terry Christensen
Il Fornaio
302
S Market St
271-3350
OK, it's not really a pizza restaurant, although they do have a few pizzas on the menu (about $10; serves one). Gets my vote for the best value in upscale Italian food - and the dining room is wonderfully airy and elegant. There's also a bakery on-premises that sells bread, biscotti, etc.
Jakes of Willow Glen
1074
Lincoln Ave
287-7960
"I've heard good things about the new Jakes just north of
Willow on Lincoln in Willow Glen--allegedly kin to Jakes of
Saratoga which I haven't tried either."
- Don Palermini
La Pastaia
233
W Santa Clara St
286-8686
"Probably the best pizza you'll ever have. We've tried
most of the pizzerias mentioned - and like some better than
others, but La Pastaia comes out on top. Their pizzas are not the
pick your toppings sort; however, they do have several choices to
suit your mood. I don't think that they deliver either - the
atmosphere is part of the experience."
- Steve R
Nick's Pizza & Italian Restaurant
354
E Santa Clara St
286-9710
"The pesto pizza at Nick's Pizzeria is great. Also,
Robert is a terribly nice person and gives very attentive
service. I always enjoy the atmosphere when I go there; he has
his family around helping out with the business."
- Marianne Guntow
"My wife and I second the recommendation, although I
don't think we've had the pizza there. Usually we pick from the
entree/pasta menu. Try the gnocchi with pesto sauce!"
- Bob R. Kenyon
"We second the recommendation."
- Julie Suit
"Although I don't think the pizza is that great, I go to
Nick's sometimes because indeed Robert is a really nice
guy."
- Brian Boyd
"We love Nick's Pizza, we like his pizza, his pasta dishes, etc. The
owner is a very interesting, unassuming, and friendly guy. I would recommend
giving him a try. Don't think that just because he doesn't answer his phone,
that they aren't there. IT is just him and his wife, and if they are busy making
their homemade ravioli, they just don't answer the phone."
- Julie and Dennis Suit
"I moved out here from the Boston about 20 years ago, where they have
great pizza. For a long time I thought I would never find a place that could get
the crust and the sauce right on the same pizza. About 15 years ago a friend
took me to Nicks. Although not gourmet pizza , it is in my opinion quite good
old world pizza. The proprietor is actually Roberto, son of Nick. The restaurant
has been around a long time and from what I have heard used to be one of the
restaurants to go to in downtown. I love supporting Nicks. You can get real
spumoni made by some old Italian man , and really good cannoli. Roberto closes
the restaurant every year for a few weeks to go visit family in Italy. The rest
of the food on the menu is good and reasonably priced. Again we are not talking
gourmet. I know this reply to your email is quite a bit after you put out the query,
we unfortunately don't keep up to date w/reading our e-mails."
- Sue Burnham
Pizza Jack's No. 2
849
W. San Carlos St.
292-7947
"Pizza Jack's is a combination Mexican and Italian place.
Their prices and pizza are good. Their cheese ravioli is really
really good. They have vegetarian dishes, which I am always glad
to find."
- Evelyn B. Fitzgerald
"Second runner up is Pizza Jack's. Jack's has a great
selection of pizza as well as wonderful Mexican food and a GREAT
bar. Not much ambiance but a fun family kind of place (big
screen TV)."
- Caroline Lynch
Tutuzzo's Italian Restaurant
1423
The Alameda
278-1646
"Tutuzzo's [is] a little place on the Alameda near the
Towne Theater. Fresh, yummy and unique, tending toward the bready
crust side. Good variety of toppings and they might even have
some lactose-free choices, although it would hardly be pizza
then. If you eat in, note the authentic red and white checked
plastic tablecloths."
-Don Palermini
Domino's
576
E Santa Clara St
298-3030
Delivery (for online delivery, click
here)
Little Caesars
1201
E Julian St
995-6895
Carryout
Papa John's
1360
The Alameda
971-7272
Delivery (for online delivery, click here)
Pizza Hut
190 E Santa Clara St
971-6800
Delivery (online delivery currently offline indefinitely)
Round Table Pizza
525
W Santa Clara St
999-5735
2351
McKee Rd
259-3940
No delivery available to the Naglee Park area from any store in San José, sadly.
The Garrett
1777
S Bascom Ave
Campbell
559-7930
Dine-in and take-out
Old-timers'll tell you that The Garrett just ain't the same since they moved to their present location, but the service is still really friendly, the pizza's hard to beat, and the selection of draught beer is good too. Large-screen TV if you want to watch sports; take-out is available if you don't.
Guido's Restaurant
1875
Bascom Ave, Campbell
377-7713
- Recommended by Leisa Fearing
Pronto Pizzeria
1324
S Mary Ave, Sunnyvale
730-8784
"If you don't mind travelling 10 miles, we suggest Pronto
Pizzeria in Sunnyvale (at Mary and Fremont) for great New York
style."
- Michele & Tom Clifton
Vito's Famous Pizza
1155
Reed Ave, Sunnyvale
246-8800
"We are in love with Vito's Pizzeria in Sunnyvale (NW
corner of Lawrence Exp & Reed). It is run by an genuine
Italian family from New York, and it is as close as you will ever
come to "real" pizza on this side of the Hudson
River."
- Howard Delman
This page is ©1998-2003,
Christopher Pratt. All rights reserved.
For more information on Naglee Park, visit the CCA Web site.
Last updated:
25 Feb 2003 00:17