This 54-Year-Old Neighborhood Pizzeria Favorite Has The Best Slice In CA, Food Network Says

ALAMEDA COUNTY, CA — Among pizza lovers, New York or Chicago get all the glory, but in California, the best of the best is to be found in the Bay Area, specifically in a quirky pizzeria that has been a neighborhood staple for half a century.

According to the Food Network’s 50 Best Pizza Slices By State 2025, the Cheese Board Collective in Berkeley has the best pizza in California.

With an impeccable selection of pizzas, cheeses, and baked goods, the Food Network said, "it’s no wonder that this worker-owned collective has long been considered a cornerstone of Berkeley’s artisan-focused Gourmet Ghetto area."

Located on Shattuck Avenue, the Cheese Board opened as a small cheese store and bakery in 1967.
Before long, according to restaurant lore, workers began combining dough and cheese for their own lunches. "We’d grab some extra sourdough baguette dough, pick our favorite cheeses from the counter, and toss on veggies from the market next door to make pizzas just for us."

In 1985, the collective branched out by serving a single type of vegetarian pizza to customers after hours on Fridays. "Each night, we’d make one fresh, unique pizza with veggies, specialty cheeses from the Cheese Board, and a thin, sourdough crust."

Generations of families made Cheese Board pizza a weekly dinner ritual.

Over time, the business grew in size and in the number of items offered to customers.

Pizza options change daily with on-the-spot variations, many of which reflect the style of California cuisine defined by neighbors like the acclaimed restaurant Chez Panisse opened in 1971 by Alice Waters.

The Food Network celebrated favorites like heirloom tomato with Montalban cheese, fresh corn with pasilla chile and feta, peach and blue cheese, and wild mushrooms with French chevre.

"Much of what we have done has come about by chance, by following our passion for food and with the support of our community," according to the collective's website.

The Cheese Board moved from its first storefront around the corner from the current home on the 1500 block of Shattuck Avenue. The pizzeria is two doors down from the cheese store and bakery, which has an espresso bar, almost 400 cheeses, and freshly baked breads and pastries.

The Cheese Board had loftier goals beyond serving slices to the community. In 1971, founders and employees created a worker-owned business with the bigger objective of creating a truly democratic society.

"The belief that every voice is central has sustained us over the years. We have never wavered from the original vision of a democratic workplace," according to the website. "This commitment has made it possible to constantly reinvent ourselves, while remaining faithful to our political vision, and our belief in good, honest food."

The Cheese Board pizzeria, 1512 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, is open Tuesday through Saturday.

The bakery, 1504 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, is open Monday-Saturday.

See the website for a complete list of hours or call 510-549-3183.

See Food Network’s 50 Best Pizza Slices By State 2025 here.