Benchmark Pizzeria

We went tonight after many months, because of the live acoustic music. We had great food and great service. We ordered the Benchmark bread, carrot soup and farm stand salad for apps. Then the homemade sausage and rapini pizza, and the chorizo, green garlic and egg pizza. Both were great. The Strauss Creamery soft serve is a huge draw for my kids, so we ended with ice cream. I also had a delicious Rock Wall zin. This is an awesome neighborhood place.

I am highly gluten-​sensitive (not positively identified as celiac but the symptoms can send me to the ER) and do not eat ANY bread or Soy. However, once in a while I test my gluten-​sensitivity to see if it’s «still there». I have read that longer fermentation times for bread can help digestion for gluten-​sensitive folks (here’s a link to just one of the articles on this
) and Benchmark makes their own pizza crust with a longer fermentation time — 48 hours, I believe. I tried it. No symptoms. I have since tried other breads to see if I was perhaps ok to eat gluten again. Nope. Horrible disaster.
So far, this is the ONLY pizza I can have symptom free and that alone makes it a glorious find. We’ve now tried every single one of their pizzas as well as the other GF items on their menu. All deliciously satisfying. They always have nice wine pairings as well.
The setting is small and quaint with a neighborhood feel and I love that. The staff is friendly but stops short of pulling out the welcome wagon. They have started having music on Monday nights but I’ve yet to have a listen. Seems like it would be a nice addition.
The pricing is on the high side but given their commitment to good ingredients — and that I mind my budget anyway, it’s not extravagant unless you’re ordering to pig out. We typically stick to one appetizer, two drinks, one salad and one entrée and that is plenty for two people. I’ve also stopped in a few times for a pickup of their Margherita pizza — a steal at $ 11.
They lose one star for not having espresso to round out the meal. Also, as another reviewer noted, they can get a little eager to bus your table before you’re actually done.
Overall, it’s dynamite place where I can eat pizza again.

I walked in to order a pizza for take out and received very friendly, very prompt service. I was offered a drink while I waited and the women who brought me my pizza knew my name. On my walk out the guy at the front also remembered my name. It was a very welcoming experience! Oh and did I mention my salami pizza was out of this world good?! I would recommend this place for sure!

We visited here on the Sunday after Christmas, 2015. When we arrived there were two other tables with large groups. Our group numbered seven. We ordered at 6pm and were served our pizzas at 7pm! A few days later, we ordered a pizza from another place over the phone and it was delivered in 30 minutes. An hour is terrible! Furthermore, when we received the bill, we were «levied» a 20% tip. The waitress did no more work than if we were groups of four and three. Had I been informed beforehand that I was going to be «levied» a 20% tip without reference to the service, I would have walked out. The food was ok, but when one waits this long to be served, one wonders whether anything would taste good.

We live just up the hill and call for pick up all the time and it is usually ready in 10 – 15 min, super great folks that run it, sage pizza is epic

Very good service and very good food! I just wish they had some better prices on beer and other items like Little Star does. Or maybe a happy hour time like Oven and Shaker does in Portland. I would like to go more but its hard on my wallet.

Benchmark is my family’s favorite local restaurant. They are very kid friendly and the food is excellent. This is down the street for us, but worth traveling to if you are out of the area and want great wood fired pizza and Italian food with the freshest and best produce. They change the menu regularly so we always find new, delicious things to try.

Came by on a Monday for the first time. They had a fantastic guitar-​acoustic bass duo (George Cole) performing, a new addition to their Monday night offerings. A couple of friends have long raved about the pizza. In addition to excellent pizza, I also ordered the butternut squash soup, which was delicious.
Servers were very very friendly and attentive.

The first time I ate here, it was takeout. We found the pizza and calzone to be chewy and with so few toppings they were hardly worth a mention. With this in mind and hoping it was down to being takeout, The Man and I decided to come here for our first date night away from Baby Unilocal (it’s super close to my folks’ place).
Tuesday night at 630– there were several open tables and we were seated immediately… Only to wait as we were ignored by staff clearing tables for non existent customers. We weren’t even brought water for about 10 minutes after sitting and trying to grab anyone’s attention. The table next to us had a small child and ordered bread for him to eat while they waited– it seems their request was repeatedly forgotten as they were close to walking out.
Finally we ordered. We got a good Cesar salad and sone nice olives, but why do the olives come with plain almonds? Seems like an odd combo and a waste to boot considering the current drought situation.
Then our pizzas. They were a good size but again very doughy with sparse toppings. When the waiter came to ask if he could clear our plates, my husband was very clearly still eating — this is a big pet peeve of mine. We asked him to box the remainder and when he returned he brought the bill. Again, still eating here buddy. We had no chance to order another drink or coffee.
All in all, mediocre pizza and very poor service. Definitely not an experience we’ll repeat.

Top notch pizzeria/​italian restaurant.
East Bay residents, especially Kensington and El Cerrito are very lucky to have this place so close by.
I highly recomend the Fried Sage pizza, but really the crust is so good that I’m sure every pizza on the menu is awesome.
If you are not into pizza they have amazing salads and pasta dishes.
My wife and I had the bolognese and the tomato salad. So good…
Service was great and even the music was nice.

I have been admiring this place from afar for quite some time. Living in NY I was curious about this pizzeria that sprouted in my home town 3000 miles away. Tonight I finally got to visit and boy was this NY Pizza eating fanatic blown away! Not only was the quality of the ingredients top notch, the menu was creative and the mix of flavors mouthwatering.
The atmosphere was cozy and casual which makes it a perfect family spot but also charming for some vino (or beer on tap) and great food for a date night with your honey or besties. For all you East Bay and SF folks don’t miss making a trip to Kensington to dine at Benchmark pizzeria for some top notch delicious food!

Yesterday I ordered to go-​pizza, polenta and meatballs and ceaser salad. Price $ 49.00.
Caeser salad– they forgot to put anchovies on it; so I opened a can at home and Doctored the $ 14.00 salad. Pizza was not fully cooked– my friend who went in for me to pick it up asked if she could have some extra parmesan.
Reply: we have to charge you for this because it is I’m–
ported parmesan. (Nice way of making one comfortable in their business.) Pizza was half cooked-​If we were to cook it more, we should have been told. Salad was an abomination for $ 14.00. Neighbors and friends — these people are trying to soak you financially with their prices and un– savory meals. the only thing worth eating was the polenta with meatballs.
I order from Munchery, Caviar etc and have a very good handle of what is worthy in food and what is not. Benchmark is a rip off; I felt this way when 2 of us at their last year; but thought they had improved and was willing to try again with a pretty simple uncomplicated order.
Those who like their attitude and cold pizza and unadorned $ 14.00 romaine lettuce they call Caeser without anchovies should continue to go there; We are not ever going to be customers again and give them very poor reviews.

$ 40 date night! We had 1 salad, 1 pizza, 1 lasagna, and 1 dessert… all for $ 40 before tip, and with some leftovers. This is breaking news, people! Benchmark is not only gourmet and inventive, but casual and special-​feeling at the same time. The perfect tucked-​away date night spot in Kensington. And so affordable. We are hooked!
If you like Pizziaolo /​Boot & Shoe /​chewy wood-​fired pizza crust, Benchmark should be on your list. They are known for their «farm to oven» pizzas, with creative seasonal toppings and perfectly charred sourdough crust. But they also excel in housemade pastas, Chez Panisse-​worthy veggie dishes, and the perfect soft serve sundae for dessert. Loved the fried sage pizza, yellow watermelon & pickled cucumber salad, and veggie lasagna. All winners.
Half liters of wine on tap are offered (along with glasses, of course), which is brilliant for dinner for 2. There’s local beers and Cheerwine, too.
Benchmark is pizza for the people. You can feel their love for the local community in their service, quality, and pricing. Instant fan, right here!

My sister wanted some ambiance to go with dinner, so we headed over to Benchmark Pizzeria.
We started with the Benchmark Bread, which is made in-​house, as is their butter. The bread was nice and crusty, and the butter was creamy. I thought the portion size was extremely paltry. We received only three slices of bread with some butter for $ 3.
My mother ordered the Anchovy & Castelvetrano Olive pizza. For some reason it cooled significantly before it reached our table. The pizza was just very warm, not searing hot fresh out of the oven. It also looked very different compared to our first visit. There were lots and lots of green olives on top, which none of us remembered from before. $ 14.
The Salami & Calabrian Chile pizza was for me and my sister. We noticed the anchovy pizza did not have much cheese on it. We wanted something cheesy, so this was our choice. This pizza came piping hot right out of the oven. The salami was great, and the crust was chewy. $ 17.
But the highlight of my meal was the Linguine with Manila Clams. The pasta was outstanding. I could really taste the garlic in the sauce, and the pasta was cooked perfectly. The good news was that they did not skimp on the clams, we received a generous portion. The bad news was that the clams were pretty good, but not fantastic. The staff was also nice enough to provide a plate for our empty shells. $ 17
Service was very good. It’s just a little pricey to have dinner at Benchmark. Then again, you are in Kensington.

I have always liked this place since we started coming here. I just think this place is super cute and In a nice part of kensington. It also has a nice ambiance. BTW I have to give them a shoutout for the great rock music selection. I felt like I was at a party. Good service, in fact I am superbly happy with the service we received tonight. Everybody was so friendly. I felt like I was a royal. Ok… Enough of that, I would like to get into food now because that is the whole point of reviewing a restaurant.
The pizza is to die for. I would highly recommend the fried sage pizza. The Cesar salad is also a delicious starter. It is big. All the staff are really nice and helpful. It’s amazing! They also have a kids menu if u want to bring kids. I looked at the kids menu and I just had to try something from it. Since I am so young at heart. I tried the pasta with butter and Parmesan and spaghetti. It was delicious. But not as good as the pizza obviously.
Alright for desert I got the benchmark sundae without pistachios and with butter scotch. It was to die for. Unfourtuonatly with the big dinner I had I could not finish it, so of course my dad who’s like a goat (he eats anything) finished it.
So overall my time here tonight to sum it up perfectly was AWESOME!!! I would definetly recommend this place to anyone in the area. I guarantee that you will have a great time too ;)
THANK YOU BENCHMARK! :)

At here today for the first time and I was very impressed. Food was fresh and very tasty. Service was excellent. This is a small family restaurant but the quality of the food is first rate.
Started with the Caesar salad. Excellent… never had better! Then a sausage and pepper pizza. It was so good! The crust was light and fluffy; the toppings were plentiful and very tasty. Just the right balance of sauce toppings and cheese. Had a glass of Sangiovese that complimented everything. Dessert we had a soft serve sundae with butterscotch and nuts.
I really like Benchmark. For all the complaining out there: you get what you pay for. If you want Dominoes Pizza prices, you should go there.
I’ll definitely be back!

Wow. Amazing pizza and terrible service. Add to the mix, pricey. ($ 30 for 4oz of soup and an individual pizza, no drinks or tip.)
I am (was) a regular until this evening the owner insulted me for being concerned about the lack of tomato flavor on my pizza. I had expressly asked the person who took my order if that pizza was «tomato-​ey» and he said, «yes, VERY!». I took him at his word. When the pizza arrived it was a white pizza with 7 small (tiny) pieces of dried tomato on it. Definitely not a tomato-​ey pizza. It was a white pizza with a few bites of dried tomato.
When I brought this up, one of the owners (Melissa) said that she stood by the description and didn’t seem to care what I thought. She then said that she didn’t need customers like me, and dismissed me entirely. Well, that was enough for me! I will save myself $ 30 once or twice a week, and a lot of calories. Too bad.
I lived in SF for 15 years and not once have I had such a poor experience at a restaurant, which says a lot.

We had Caesar salad, corn and jalapeños pizza and lighting with sand dabs. The linguini was superb. Unless you don’t like garlic (I love it), this dish is as good as it gets. I rate the pizza and Caesar salad to be very good but not great. The next time I plan to try the fried sage pizza which get superlative ratings from other reviewers.
The service was excellent. The place was very pleasant if a bit loud.
I strongly recommend this restaurant. This was our first time here and we’ll be back often. In the El Cerrito/​Albany area, this may have the best food (albeit from a limited menu).

The fried sage pizza easily wins as the best pizza I have had in a while. It almost tastes like they have lemon zest in the sauce since it is just bursting with flavor. The panchetta and green onion pizza is also pretty good.
The only thing they can improve upon is their desserts since the soft serve ice cream was pretty melted and they just put a sugar cone on top of it in a glass versus letting me have my childish moment and eating it directly in the cone.

OMG i love this place! The pizza is amazing. The place can be packed so make sure you do a reservation. Parking is not the best so come early to circle around looking for a spot. The service is great ! The staff come around to make sure everyone is good and enjoying the meal. a must try if you’re in the area.