Lanesplitter Pub & Pizza

Bar, Eatery

2033 San Pablo Avenue
Berkeley, California, 94702
United States

(510) 845-1652 | map
lanesplitterpizza.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.11
Reviews:
8
Ratings:
9
pDev:
3.16%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews.
 
Rated: 4 by frasergrove from California

May 20, 2016
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Reviewed by colonelforbin from California

4.15/5  rDev +1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Solid spot for pizza and beer. They have good vegan selections as well, especially for pizza (though it's not the greatest, it definitely hits the spot). Salads are very good, as are the calzone and breadsticks.

Not a huge place on the inside. Medium sized bar and about 8 or so tables inside. They have a very nice outdoor area with more community style tables. Service has always been friendly and acccommodating.

Selection is pretty good and price is borderline reasonable to a slight bit pricey. Pricing structure has four different tiers depending on the beers. They have Bear Republic, Anchor, Drake's, Iron Springs, Moonlight and other local brews on regularly, which is nice. I like the focus on local brewpubs, etc. with their choices. They also have a cask brew on most days, which is great.

Can get crowded at times, particularly in the evenings as it's not all that big but it does stay open pretty late (and serves food late as well). The bar is nice and has a TV that usually shows old movies (instead of sports like most bars), which while not always what I'd like (like to watch games sometimes) is different, for sure.

Worth a visit if you're in the neighborhood, not far from the freeway and open late, which is not the case for too many bars in Berkeley, particularly ones serving food as well.
Oct 20, 2011
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Reviewed by veinless from Ohio

4.38/5  rDev +6.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Been here a couple times now, and I have done nothing but enjoy the place each time I went. The atmosphere is very friendly and laidback. It doesn't get too crowded, there is usually a spot open at the bar, and the whole place has a feel of a hole-in-the-wall joint for regulars and the occasional stranger. Bar has space for about fifteen and there are about 10-15 tables otherwise. You walk in to see chefs twirling pizza dough casually and see that the bar is right next to this "kitchen". Pizza is just passed directly from the kitchen to the bar, where if the bar is full, people will simply pass your food down to you. People aren't too loud, and during happy hour it's nice and quiet, with occasional parents coming in with kids for the big slices. Art on the walls is cool, and the chalkboards are nice too.

Quality of selection is really good - you won't find anything bad on the tap-list. They always have at least one beer on cask, and have a rotating list of many, many locals. Moonlight, Drake's and Iron Hill seem to be their favorites, and they even have two house brews made specially for them by Drake's and Firestone Walker. Both are high quality beers, and both are the cheapest beers on the menu.

Service is great. The bartenders are casual, friendly, and always keep your glass/plate full. They also occasionally give out the free beer, even if in my case it was from them making a mistake with the bill. They know their beer to some extent, but I think its nice that the bartenders I had weren't really beer geeks, but just happened to enjoy beer a lot. I don't always want to talk about the nuttiness or creaminess of a beer, especially when I'm forking pizza into my mouth.

Selection is not as large as in bigger places, but it's still pretty diverse. They do a tier system, where each tier has a price and contains 1-3 beers. Near Victory Lane (the top), the beers get very affordable, as the pricing from the top down is 3.75, 4.25, 4.75. 5.25, with happy hour (M-F 3-6PM, weekends 11AM-6PM) knocking off a dollar off all beers. Cask ales run 5.75 a pint if I remember correctly. Pizza is 3.75 a slice if you're getting one topping on a thin slice, and they have a 7/10 split deal (two slices, each with a topping of your choice, plus a pint for 9.75-11.25 I think depending on the beer) that is awesome to get for lunch during happy hour. Great value in my opinion here.

The food is really good, though the pizza is so thin that it isn't always filling. It's really tasty though, and getting a slice of pepperoni just hits the spot with a pint of the house pale - I think I'm going to get this a couple times a week for lunch between classes. They also serves whole pies which are awesome (I got them delivered before - phenomenal) and sicilian slices as well of thick, deep dish pizza. Pasta, salads, etc. are also available. I haven't had everything, but I assume the pizza is the star of the show and everything else is decent at worst.

Overall this is an awesome place to drop by for a quick beer, hang around for a couple hours during an afternoon baseball game, or hit up for lunch on the go. Great establishment, and doesn't give the chain feel at all.
Apr 01, 2011
Photo of mjl21
Reviewed by mjl21 from California

3.95/5  rDev -3.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5
Gone here a few times for lunch so now the time has come for a BeerFly review.

Lanesplitter is located right on San Pablo Avenue and is right next to University Avenue. There is plenty of metered street parking and getting a close spot during the day has never been a problem. The space is quite comfortable. They have a fairly large bar and ample seating for groups. They have a fairly decent selection of taps and the current selections are posted above the bar on a chalkboard.

I have never eaten here for dinner and every time I have eaten here for lunch I opt for the 7/10 Split combo. This combo comes with 2 slices of pizza with one topping each and a pint of your choice. You have the option of going with the Sicilian square style or the more traditional Neapolitan style. I prefer the Neapolitan and find it to be a pretty good slice. The sausage used is very good. They also serve salads, calzones, and lasagna.

The beer selection is pretty good. It seems as if they had a falling out with Russian River as the last few times I have been there I have been told they no longer have their beer. The pricing is a little screwy for pints. The beers are divided into 4 groups and range in price from $3.75 to $5.25 for a pint. When I was there the cheapy pint was for a Red Tail; the next least expensive were Sudwerk Hefe and Rubicon Amber; the next tier included BR Racer 5, Red Rocket, and Iron Springs Kolsch; the expensive pints were Liberty, Moonlight Twist of Fate and Death and Taxes, and SN Wet Hop Harvest. They also had Marin Hefe as a guest tap and the cask of the day was Marin IPA.

The service at the bar has always been very good and the food and beer is brought very fast.

This is a great fueling station if you are in western Berkeley and headed over to see Ed at Ledger's. I like this location better than the Oakland Temescal branch.
Jun 10, 2009
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Reviewed by bcm119 from California

4.2/5  rDev +2.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
A quality joint all around. Excellent pizza- on par with the more hyped Cheese Board pizza in my opinion, but I'm from New York and like thin crust pizza. The beer selection is medium sized, maybe 15 taps, but its a very well chosen and interesting selection-- arguably better than the Albatross down the street. The atmosphere is just a relaxed locals hangout. It sometimes makes me feel like I'm back in Oregon rather than the bustling Bay Area, which is a good thing. The fact that this place is usually quieter and easier to hear one another talk, along with the inclusion of several beers from Moonlight, Bear Republic, Drakes, A-Valley and a rotating cask make this my favorite place for beer in Berkeley.
Mar 11, 2008
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Reviewed by Natural510 from Ohio

3.93/5  rDev -4.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
Lanesplitter may not have the best selection (California bitter ale, not much else), and the food may be limited (pizza & calzone, both vegan & non-vegan options), but it is alot of fun.
Lots of cool (non-Harley) motorcycle memorabilia on the walls & ceiling, including a couple of actual bikes. Stickers, memos & random writing on the wall behind the bar. A chalkboard full of pre-paid beers friends buy for friends upon their next visit. A very neighborhoody type of establishment.
I usually went here for the vegan calzone (certainly one-of-a-kind). Not being a huge fan of bitters (Drake's, Bear Republic & the like), I didn't usually come for the beer. But most hop-heads will love it. The bartenders & cooks are always friendly.
And best of all, they have a rotating cask!
Definitely worth a stop on any pub crawl; stop in for a pizza & a pint before heading over to the Albatross.
Feb 22, 2008
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Reviewed by Georgiabeer from Georgia

4.05/5  rDev -1.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
Great little hole in the wall pizza place with a fantastic little beer selection. Inside are a small bar with enough seating for 10 or so, some tables, and even a small patio out back. This place is almost at the corner of San Pablo and University, so parking is a little rough but easy to drive by here on your way somewhere else. Well chosen selection of beers included one Russian River tap, a few from Moonlight, and taps from Bear Republic, Drakes, Mendocino, Anchor, Anderson Valley, and Ironsprings. Small and forgettable bottled list. The servers were efficient and friendly, but the pizza was nothing special. They do have slices, though, so its easy to pop in for a slice and a brew. Cheap, too. Not a bad spot for a qquick one, especially in the afternoons when the Albatross down the street is closed.
May 11, 2007
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Reviewed by DaPeculierDane from Wisconsin

4.15/5  rDev +1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Being just four blocks from my primary destination (the Albatross) made Lanesplitter a convenient stop for me and after just a few minutes it became one of my favorite bars in the Bay Area. Beer list consists of 14 taps and 12 bottles. Every single one of them is good. Tap list included Russian River Damnation, Moon Light Twist of Fate, Bear Republic Racer 5, Hop Rod, Big Bear Stout, and stuff from Drake’s, Speakeasy, North Coast, Sierra Nevada, Anderson Valley, and New Belgium. Service is a little bit punk rock, very friendly, and prompt. Food is cheap and good. I had a slice of pizza and a huge salad with lots of ingredients, i.e., chick peas, sprouts, etc… for only $4.25. Pizza was more or less New York style with a super thin crust. Atmosphere feels like a big city pizzeria up front with a little neighborhood bar in back decorated in a motorcycle theme. Beer is served in pints for either $3.75 or $4.25 or in half pints for $2.50 or $3.00. There is a happy hour when beers are a bit cheaper. Hit this place and Albatross up together. They're both great bars and worth the walk/cab ride from Down Town Berkeley.
May 19, 2006
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Reviewed by Troyone from California

4.15/5  rDev +1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3
An interesting pub bar, kind of grungy, almost like a pizza place. Has a couple of TV's (rough) and Lanesplitter paraphenalia, some for sale. Has a nice patio out back with heater lamps.

Hardwood bar like a miniature bowling lane and the stools were stainless steel with spinning padded seats. The restroom was clean. The pizza kitchen is in the open when one walks in. Some tap nozzles are stainless steel and others are brass.

Service is prompt and considerate.

Has mainly Micro stuff on tap with European options and bottles also has one handpump. The handpump was Pliny the Elder and was good.

The pizza had a lot of hope with the guy hand working the dough as one walks in. Very thin crust, tomato paste, and cheese then the toppings and real mozzarella spotted on top. The bartender gave me two for the price of one.

Good value.
May 08, 2005
Lanesplitter Pub & Pizza in Berkeley, CA
Place rating: 4.11 out of 5 with 9 ratings