Berkeley Pizza Opens in North Park, Gives Away Slices With Craft Beer

Berkeley Pizza touches down in North Park today, opening on 30th Street in a former upholstery store that's been transformed by owner Danny Palacios into a 49-seat eatery crafted in copper wainscoting and planks from a fallen local pine tree.

Palacios first founded Berkeley Pizza in 2009, when he launched a pop-up at the Little Italy farmer's market (his wife Angela still runs their booth at the Mercato); Berkeley specializes in hefty stuffed pizzas, a double-crust deep dish pie filled with meat, vegetables and cheese and topped with tomato sauce.

Spurred by the pizza's popularity, which has since scored on several local publictions' "best of" lists, Palacios opened his first brick-and-mortar in the Gaslamp in 2011, a small storefront with 12 craft beer taps.

Berkeley's new shop on 30th Street's craft beer corridor boasts 36 beer taps and an expanded menu that includes a handful of salads. For the next month, the restaurant will be offering a free slice of pizza with any craft beer purchase.

Operating hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday; delivery service should kick in next week.

Palacios told Eater that while they're currently focused on this restaurant, a third Berkeley Pizza is definitely on the menu.