Zelda's Pizza
28 ratings since posting on Tuesday, March 1, 2005|
in Sacramento
(submitted by
Luna
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Overall Rating   based on 28 ratings |
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Zeldas is not by any means a place to grab a quick slice or get a TGIFridays happy birthday serenade. This funky little place leaves in all the stops when it comes to decor. They've pretty much ignored any idea of updating anything in the building to the point of a funky charm enjoyed by many, but not all. I had walked past the place most of my life when I was invited there for dinner and immediately asked myself if I was really going to eat there upon entering the anachronism. It's a small place so expect a wait if you wish to dine in, there's a full bar to while away the time. The pizza is the best in Sacramento (Spinoccoli is my favorite). I think I'll get a group together sometime next week for a Zeldas night. - Richard , posted 02/13/09 |
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Zelda's is to die for pizza, especially the pepperoni/garlic. I usually have to buy an extra one to take home for snacks! - Unsubscribed , posted 09/04/07 |
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Anyone who bitches about the service at Zelda's doesn't get it. Regulars know how to deal with it and we don't come to get waited on, we come to eat great pizza. For years, some friends and I would gather there over Christmas and invite as many people as we could and take over the bar. We used to have that Chinese Fortune cookie factory on 10th make custom fortunes with things like "you will fall in love with a man" or somesuch nonsense and give them out to unsuspecting patrons. Love the place....and my brother owns Pieces. - Michael , posted 05/05/07 |
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I"ve been going there for over 20 years.... I like the waitresses too... and Zelda was a wonderful and sweet woman.... Call ahead 30 minutes: 447-1400 reserve your table... If you hate the place don't go there it's your right to complain: go for it: get it off your chests darling please I like when the waitresses are mean to me generally I tip them more when they give me really shitty service; I love it.... oh yea.... did I mention If you don't like it guess what? Don't go there HA!!! More room for me and less waiting around... Cheers mates... -  HORSECOW
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posted 02/10/07
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it's history, it's an institution, and for some it's the best pizza EVER! there are those & i count myself among them that do not appreciate or care for the Zelda's experience. god knows i've tried. years & years of trying, and sorry folks, i don't like the pizza. at all. i like thin crust, no, i LOVE thin crust, deliciously crisp, brick oven baked, and excuse me chicago, but i do, and i don't do chucky's. oh yes, i love love GOOD pizza. just not zeldas. i also love charm (strike!) ,cleanliness (ouch, double strike), & courtesy (oooh, strike 3!) and i'm out of there. - Unsubscribed , posted 01/09/07 |
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Anyone who understands the Zen of pizza knows that it's all about the crust. Everything else is just a topping to accentuate the crust. A great pizza crust is thin, but chewy. It is not, however, like Zelda's crust... which is crumbly. I swear it's made from Bisquick. This is an abomination. - DGC , posted 12/04/06 |
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I'm FROM Chicago, the home of deep dish pizza. When I was about 25, US magazine and USA Today decided to do a search for the best pizza in the USA. The magazine had a good sized staff, with one principal writer, and these were the results, albeit 23 some years ago: #1 ) Uno's ( Chicago, the ORIGINAL UNO ) #2)Gino's Pizza ( Chicago ) #3) a pizzeria in Philadelphia: sorry, I don't remember the name of it. #4) Mother Bears' Pizzeria ( Bloomington, IN ) I met Zelda over 29 years ago in Chicago when she worked for UNO's, and was head waitress, manager, and cook. This woman could multi-task before the word even existed. She not only waited on my fiancee and myself, but on 26 other tables that night, all at once. When you are in the restaurant business, you do what you are given for the night, period. My fiancee came from a famous family of gourmet importers and restauranteurs, and she and I were both amazed at how Zelda held it all together, let alone that the best pizza we'd ever had, even after living in New York City. It came out and was served by Zelda the same as it is in Zelda's today: enthuiastically and with almost as much zest as her spices. Guys, you're getting a piece of Chicago's greatest history here in food. RELAX ! Great things take time to make: the Grand Canyon, a Stradivarius violin, a zero national debt, and ZELDA'S PIZZA ! Basically, you don't go to Zelda's when you should be taking your kids to Chucky-Cheese's because you have the attention span of a fruit-fly, have boring friends who can't entertain you because neither of you have anything interesting to offer in life other than your own particular brand of foolishness, or you need a personal baby-sitter, or forgot to bring your Bible with you for sustenance to get your impatient self through the usual wait for your pizza to be served. They DON'T have a wide screen TV to watch, crayons or other antics, either, so bring good company and good cheer, and you are bound to have a wonderful time. If you need to call in ahead of time because you don't possess any human qualities even remotely resembling patience..........then save Zelda's and the rest of the world your grief, order it to go, and take it back to your home....or lair. The rest of us have lives and can entertain ourselves while enjoying the wonderful smells and watching other pizzas being delivered. They are there to produce a masterpiece, and if you are nice to them, they follow the golden rule. To make a deep dish pizza, in Zeldas' way AND in Chicago, it takes anywhere from 40 to 60 minutes ( depending upon the restaurant and how busy the place is, at that moment). This is not your typical 10 minute wait for a pizza that we'd call"Vomitoes", neither it is a quick fix for the impatient pizza junkie. In Chicago, she had people waiting for her for two HOURS to enjoy her best efforts: the place was almost always packed. She began there in UNO's, and left to open her own pizzaria here in Sacramento. When I arrived here, I had my first pizza by recommendation of a friend. I was in shock that I knew I'd found an old friend. I could tell JUST BY THE TASTE. I asked to speak to the owner; I came to her and asked her if she was from Chicago; and then we recounted how we remembered her from there: but HER pizza was 10 times better than UNO's, with a better sauce and crust ! She made a few very crucial changes to the crust, adding cornmeal to the bottom to make it very crunchy while still being a deep dish (no small feat ) and came up with a way to make a better pizza than either Uno's, Due's, OR Gino's, and I have eaten at all three. Greatness can never be rushed. The servers are a very busy staff, and I watch them all the time. Don't bother Zelda with your SMALL details. She's busy making MY pizza in the kitchen or taking care of some other fine detail. GIVE ENCOURAGEMENT AND THANKS INSTEAD. When she left Chicago and came to Sacramento, the people of Sacramento got one of OUR local goddesses. Meanwhile, ZELDA'S IS, without question, one of the best in the world. She passes Uno's, and now it's only #1) Zelda's, #2) Mother Bears', and #3) Tiny's Pizzaria in Martinsville, Indiana. These are spicy sauces she prepares, so be ready. If it bothers you, eating one piece is enough for a meal........but who can stop there ? ZELDA, I LOVE YOU ! - rick , posted 11/14/06 |
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I haven't eaten there in about 5 years due to the absolute worst service I've ever had. The pizza is so-so but I'm sure it was directly magnified by the service. Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty much an opportunivore, so I'll eat just about anything and it takes a bunch for me to feel the way that I do about that place. I don't think I'll ever go back. - Unsubscribed , posted 09/26/06 |
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This is the best pizza in Sacramento and quite possibly the west coast. Nothing compares and this will win any "which pizza is best" debate bar none. - Jennifer , posted 08/15/06 |
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Zelda's was introduced to me by my sister, we HAVE to go and get the pepperoni/garlic pizza..it's the best I've ever had. Side salad to compliment the meal and you're good to go. If you don't take home a doggie bag you'll be back for more!!!! - Unsubscribed , posted 04/21/06 |
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Ive been going to Zeldas since 91. I love it, i crave it, nothing like it. My problem iwth it is, SEVERE tummy aches afterwards. Not for the weak stomachs But I still go back!!!! - Samsa , posted 03/15/06 |
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Service was sub par, we had to wait nearly 40 minutes to be seated, and the pizza wasn't that great - Patrick (Mek) , posted 02/20/06 |
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i have been going to zelda's since i was teeny and have always loved it. - melanie , posted 02/17/06 |
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Definitely the best pizza, and definitely rude service, but it is so worth it! - Anne , posted 02/16/06 |
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Ohhhh, I wish I had some Zelda's right now! Mmm, Garlic . . . - Tracy , posted 02/12/06 |
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The pizza at Zelda's is serviceable, though nothing to write home about. However, their cramped seating and rude staff are legendary. - Unsubscribed , posted 12/30/05 |
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I have ben drinking at their bar since I was 18 so it has fond memories for me. Where else can you go get great food, drinks and see people who have worked there for 15+ years!? I LOVE it! - Unsubscribed , posted 12/05/05 |
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If you like a cracker crust, deep dish pizza, with a lot of sauce, some fresh ingredients, and some not so fresh, then I guess you could consider it good pizza. If you happen to be a deep dish connoisseur, and know of the bay area's Zachary's pizza, in comparison Zeldas is half as good. - Julie , posted 11/13/05 |
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excellent - Irish beastie THE... , posted 08/12/05 |
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Best pizza on the west coast, unless you like thin dried out garbage. The staff knows they are the best in town, so know what you are going to order and bring cash, because, yeah, they are rude- it is part of the charm. - silence , posted 07/28/05 |
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rude service and bad pizza. Piece's Pizza is like a block away, where they are friendly and the pizza is always good. - Unsubscribed , posted 07/03/05 |
Zelda's Pizza was recommended for:
- Tribe: Sacramento
- Tribe: UNMATA
