Nosh readers cast their votes in December, and the results of the 2024 Nosh Awards are in. Here is the complete lineup of 2024 award announcements. Congratulations to all of the winners!
2024 nosh Awards
The 2024 Nosh Award winner for best new restaurant had a head start on the competition.
June’s Pizza takes home the trophy after its rebirth in West Oakland in September after the original (much celebrated and unpermitted) location was shut down in 2021.
“So happy to have this celebration of pizza and community back in the Town,” commented one voter. “June’s was a warm embrace during some dark times in the pandemic and I am so glad they have found a space that feels like an ode to the art and operation of making delicious pizza.”
Craig Murli and his team at June’s make just two pizzas each day, a margherita and a seasonal special, both made with a signature sourdough crust that’s good enough to eat on its own.
“One of — if not the — best margherita pizzas I’ve ever had,” one voter commented, joining numerous other voters who said June’s was their favorite pizza in the universe.
June’s Pizza
2408 Mandela Pkwy, Oakland; junespizza.com
Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 4 p.m. to midnight
Continuing a common thread with all of our 2024 award winners, the voters commended June’s almost equally for its mouth-watering pizzas and its friendly and well-trained staff.
“The pizza and ingredients are so fresh!!,” one voter commented. “… They do pizza and do pizza well. The staff and owner are super friendly. They strive to unite the community with supporting local vendors, artists, and chefs.”
Murli built a devoted following for his pizzas during his brief run in 2021, and the foundation for June’s success remains the pedestal-worthy pies.
“The idea is if you keep painting and adding things, eventually a painting will just turn gray. And we put so much emphasis on our dough, from the flour we use to where we stretch it out, the way we cook it inside a wood-fired oven,” Murli told Nosh earlier this year. “From there, all it takes is some beautiful ingredients and put them on that dough and just not disappoint.”
By focusing on what made the first version of June’s a success, the new restaurant has done anything but disappoint.
“Best damn pizza dough in the bay,” another voter wrote. “Quite possibly the best pizza I’ve ever had in my entire life. Great pizza, great vibes, and everyone that works there is super sweet and fun.”
June’s received some stiff competition in the best new restaurant category from fellow nominees Lulu, Tanzie’s, Taqueria La Venganza, Mr. Liu’s Noodle House and Three.One Four Pizza.
