North Beach Pizza is preparing to open at 2072 University Avenue, on the street where the chain previously operated a Berkeley location. The storefront was formerly Bobby G’s, which has been vacant since closing indefinitely in April. North Beach Pizza Berkeley expects to open within the next few weeks, if all goes well, Berkeleyside reported.
Berkeleyside reported that Gustavo Ramirez, who helps run the Berkeley operation, confirmed the move to 2072 University Avenue. Ramirez is the son of the restaurant’s owner, who shares his name. The family signed a lease for the former Bobby G’s site this month and is preparing it for opening, according to Berkeleyside.
North Beach Pizza began in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood in 1982, founded by Brazilian native and Bay Area businessman Altamir Souza. Souza opened a second location nearby in 1986, then added three more in San Francisco before the brand expanded to San Mateo, Daly City, Half Moon Bay and Berkeley, according to Berkeleyside’s reporting. Ramirez’s family now owns seven of the chain’s remaining restaurants, while Souza retains one in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset neighborhood.
Berkeley’s Earlier North Beach Pizza Location Was on University Avenue
North Beach Pizza’s Berkeley outpost spent many years at 1598 University Avenue before relocating to 2420 Shattuck Avenue after the land at its old address was sold to developers, as Berkeleyside reported. The chain’s website says, “In 2023, we moved to 2420 Shattuck Ave and have had a good run since, but we are very excited to be moving closer to our original roots on University Ave,” according to North Beach Pizza. The company has also posted that a “NEW Location Coming October on University Ave!”
A Large Nearby Student Population
UC Berkeley had 33,122 undergraduates in Fall 2025, according to the university’s Office of Planning and Analysis. That figure offers a sense of the potential customer base around University Avenue, though enrollment alone does not show how many students will visit any particular business.
University Avenue Vacancy
The City of Berkeley’s 2024 economic dashboard reports that ground-floor commercial vacancy along University Avenue fell from 17.7% in 2023 to 7.7% in 2024. That is a corridor-wide measure, not a figure for the former Bobby G’s storefront, according to the City of Berkeley Office of Economic Development.
The Berkeley location plans to keep its existing menu, Berkeleyside reported. Items include pepperoni pizza, cheese stromboli, crispy chicken parmigiana and the Alcatraz pizza, topped with chicken, gorgonzola, red onions, buffalo sauce and ranch. North Beach Pizza describes its broader menu as including thin-crust and Chicago-style deep-dish pizzas, pastas, hot sandwiches, calzones and entrées. Its website lists locations in San Francisco, Daly City and Half Moon Bay.
What Happened to Bobby G’s
Bobby G’s opened in late December 2006 as a small pizzeria owned by Berkeley native Robert Gaustad, who sold the business to brothers Karan and Randeep Rekhi in 2016, according to Berkeleyside. The restaurant closed its Berkeley location in April after a former employee filed a lawsuit and amid reported managerial issues, including delayed payments. The former social media coordinator’s Alameda County Superior Court suit alleged wage violations and sought $180,000 in damages from Game & Co., Inc. and shareholders Gurpreet Kaur and Gurmukh “Jay” Bansel Singh, Berkeleyside reported. In the months after the closure, the storefront at 2072 University Avenue remained dark, with a “Now Leasing” sign out front.
