Berkeleysider Neil Mishalov went by Gioia Pizzeria on Saturday and saw that the popular restaurant has gotten a quick serve restaurant license from Berkeley. The stools at the interior banquet, which were removed in late January, have returned, making it all that much easier to eat Gioia’s slices of formaggio, fungi, and other flavors.
Councilmember Laurie Capitelli stepped into the fray when it turned out that Gioia had been operating without the proper permits since its opening in 2004. (The issue prompted a significant response from readers when we reported it in early February with no less than 85 comments. This is, after all, Berkeleysiders’ favorite pizza joint in town.)
The restaurant actually hurt its own cause when it found out, for the owners applied for a much more difficult to obtain permit when all they needed to do was submit some standard paperwork to the Planning Department, said Capitelli. He helped sort things out.
“Many of you have e-mailed my office about the disappearance of the stools at Gioia on Hopkins,” Capitelli wrote his constituents on February 15. “I’m happy to say that zoning changes adopted by the Council last July (and seemingly unknown to Gioia advisors) DO allow for incidental, on-site seating. Our office straightened it out. Once the paperwork is finished, the stools will be back. Get out your napkins.”
Related:
No sitting to eat pizza at Berkeley’s Gioia, at least for now [02.07.12]
The best pizza in Berkeley? Our readers have decided [06.10.11]
Where do you get the best pizza in Berkeley? You tell us [06.03.11]
Interested in Berkeley restaurants? Looking for a good place for dinner? Check out Restaurants in the Berkeley Area, and read the story behind the guide.
