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Childhood friends Greg Poulios and Mark Louie have opened their long-awaited California-Italian restaurant, Creekwood, in South Berkeley. The restaurant, located in a transformed bike shop, has been in the works for nearly five years, and it’s hard to visit the chic, 1,700-square-foot eatery without pumping your fist in the air for these guys, who’ve been friends — wait for it — since preschool. Judging by the noise level and packed tables on a recent weeknight, the neighborhood is happy about it, too. Here’s how our first visit went.
THE VIBE: Fun and loud. Creekwood is located on a strip of Sacramento Street without many dining options, so the excitement over fresh, farm-to-table pizzas and pastas is palpable. The restaurant’s design is minimalist and understated, with old-growth reclaimed Douglas fir, Holophane lamps and custom ironwork. Service is warm and friendly. When an Italian rosato was too fruity for our taste, our server happily swapped it out for a glass of crisp Soave.
THE FOOD: Hearty, seasonal and ingredient-driven. The menu is divided into appetizers ($12-$14), pizzas ($16-$18), pastas ($17-$19), entrees ($24-$38) and sides ($7). Poulios and Louie worked together at Zuppa in San Francisco, and executive chef Liam Bonner is also a Zuppa alum. As such, the Neapolitan-style pizzas are solid, especially the Speck ($17), which is topped with smoked prosciutto, artichokes, Gaeta olives, pecorino and a gooey egg yolk perfect for dipping your crust in.
Rigatoni ($19) is a must. This one is toothsome and slightly spicy, with fennel seed, savory pork ragu and delightful, tiny tiles of broccoli rabe stems. The most elevated and memorable dish was a Grilled Monterey Squid ($14) appetizer, lovingly braised to the perfect tenderness and served alongside new potatoes punched up with flavorful mustard greens and Gaeta olive aioli.
The only thing missing at Creekwood is cocktails, but liquor licenses are cost prohibitive these days. Low-ABV cocktails made with Italian aperitifs would complement the menu perfectly.
DON’T MISS: Seasonal desserts, like the vanilla buttermilk panna cotta ($8) with Bosc pear and pomegranate, or carrot cake ($8) with candied ginger and cardamom gelato.
PERFECT FOR…A meet-up with friends, pretending you live in this neighborhood so you can stuff yourself with pasta and Italian wine, or sharing a really good pizza with your bestie or beau.
Details: Open from 5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday at 3121 Sacramento St., Berkeley; www.creekwoodrestaurant.com
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