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Jake’s of Saratoga has won our Best Bay Area Pizza contest against A Slice of New York, 54 percent to 46 percent.
One month ago, we asked readers to nominate their favorite Bay Area pizzerias and launch our bracket-style competition, which you voted down to the Sizzling 16, the Elite 8, a Final 4 and then these top two pizza spots.
It was very close — just a few hundred votes — but the family-friendly pizzeria with locations in Saratoga, Willow Glen and Sunnyvale has triumphed over the beloved employee-owned, thin-crust, hole-in-the-wall on Stevens Creek Boulevard. A Slice of New York has a second location in Sunnyvale, too.
Jake’s is best known for fluffy, brick-oven pizzas — pepperoni is a best-seller, according to general manager Paul Burke — but also serves hot grilled sandwiches and burgers. Burke became aware of the pizza contest on Tuesday and began rallying his employees and customers.
“We rallied our close customers, friends and family and were checking to see how we were doing,” he says. “We’re definitely excited and honored.”
The Saratoga restaurant opened in 1981 and is owned by the Tougas family, which also owned The Oasis in Menlo Park, the perennial Stanford hangout that shuttered in March after 60 years. Today, the family owns a total of five restaurants, including The Garrett Campbell and The Garrett Station in Los Gatos.
A Slice of New York co-founder and general manager Kirk Vartan reacted to the news graciously.
“We’re happy to be included in a contest like this,” Vartan said. “It was fun to participate and watch people getting engaged. A big thank you to all the fans who voted for us.”
