Possible Pizza Heavyweights: Introducing Emilia's Pizzeria

Berkeley: Pizza guru Adam Kuban does the lord's work and files a fascinating preview (and Q&A) on Slice, blowing the lid off Emilia's Pizzeria on Berkeley's Shattuck Avenue. The pizza joint is the brainchild of one Keith Freilich, who was most recently at Flour + Water, and before that, Pizzaiolo, Grimaldi's, and um, Pizza Hut. Now, Emilia's still isn't due for a few weeks, but following a friends and family preview, Mr. Kuban already has some bold declarations for the place:

Take it away, Slice:

If the pies I sampled are any indication of future quality, Emilia's is a dead ringer for any of New York's legendary coal-oven pizzerias. And if you've never eaten at any of those joints, you'll merely find undeniably great pizza there ... I think that Bay Area pizza- and food-lovers will have yet another great pizzeria to freak out about.

The Shattuck space itself is a closet: just two tables in the "dining" room, with three seats each. In other words, take-out is probably going to be the main show here (delivery also a possibility though). The main attraction, though, is the gas oven in the back, which goes way beyond 800 degrees and allegedly produces a mean replica of New York's hot coal oven pizzas.
· First Look: Some Great Pizza at Emilia's Pizzeria in Berkeley, California [Slice]

2995 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley CA 94705