Gugu’s Pizza & Pasta

Santa Clara, United States

3.7

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards
Free Wi-Fi

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 408-261-3661
Website:
www.guguspizzaandpasta.com
Address:
1998 Homestead Rd, Santa Clara, CA, 95050
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
1.4 miSanta Clara/University
1.4 miSanta Clara Caltrain Station
2.4 miShuttle to rental car center
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
Yes
Delivery
Yes
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Good For
Dinner
Parking
Street, Private Lot
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
No
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
Free
Has TV
Yes
Dogs Allowed
Yes
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
Yes

Today

Today –
Local time (Santa Clara) 3:44 PM Friday, November 29, 2024

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday –
Thursday –
Friday –
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

We specialize in pizza, pasta, sandwiches and salads. Our most famous pizza is our extremely spicy Habanero Hawaiian Pizza made with fresh finely diced habanero peppers. At GuGu’s we make our dough, sauces, salad dressing, cookies cannoli in house. We offer Dine-​in — Carry-​Out and Delivery. Restaurant is decorated with many vintage collectibles from Santa Clara. Also, come check out our Firecracker Bar. Covered with original antique fireworks and firecracker labels that go back to the early 1900s. If for any reason you are not completely satisfied please let me know, I will take care of you. My number is 408−261−3661. Thank you, Dennis Manochio

History

Established in 2009.

This restaurant has actually been in the works for several years. Starting in late 06 I started to search for a good location for my dream restaurant. I finally found it on the corner of Homestead and Scott in Santa Clara. This was a closed Papa Johns pizza and did not totally fit my needs. I had to do extensive remodeling and the whole process took me much longer than I expected. I stuck it out and after many sleepless nights and several months I finally opened March 7th 2009 complete with Neon Sign. If you haven’t been in to my place I hope you come by to check it out soon!

Meet the Business Owner

Dennis M.

Business Owner

My name is Dennis Manochio. I am the Chef/​owner of GuGu’s Pizza and Pasta. I am a native of the area and grew up in the wholesale food business. I am a professionally trained Chef and a graduate of the Professional Culinary Institute in Campbell, CA. I have always wanted to open a place like GuGu’s and have finally realized my dream after many hardships and struggles. By the way, GuGu is what I was called as a kid. It was my nickname and I hated it. So I thought it might be an original name for my restaurant! Anyway, I have a passion for all food and a love for people and I thank you for reading this.

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20 reviews of Gugu’s Pizza & Pasta

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Place rating: 4
Santa Clara, CA
I really miss this place, it was a few blocks away and the food was great. That jalapeño spicy marina sauce was the business.
Place rating: 5
Fremont, CA
Looks like it closed down. Bought a Groupon for this place last month and was planning to use it this week but got an email from the Groupon customer service saying that the business is closed down and we can give you a refund.
Its sad to see such an amazing place closed down.
Will miss it!
Place rating: 3
San Jose, CA
I had the chance to have some pizza from here. I guess I wish I had tried their pasta, because their pizza is just ok.
This place was convenient and close by, so take out was pretty easy. They allowed also for two toppings on one pizza so that was good. I tried the spicy hawaiian one as well as the BBQ chicken. Both were just ok, flavors were alright and dough was nothing special.
Overall, I can’t say it was the best pizza ever, but it also wasn’t too bad.
Place rating: 3
Milpitas, CA
Rating: 3.5 stars
Pizza: We ordered half spicy Hawaiian and half combo. If you want a pizza that makes you cry, then order the spicy Hawaiian. I like to eat spicy, but the pockets of habenero peppers kicks your butt! The dough was okay since it wasn’t crispy and didn’t have much flavor. The pizza could have been cooked a couple minutes longer.
Pasta: I ordered the spicy shrimp firecracker pasta which was really good. It came with a cream sauce and had jalapenos in the sauce. After eating the pizza, the pasta cooked my palette. The garlic bread was good.
Pine nut cookies: Amazing! We received samples of the cookies and they were so good. The marzipan cookie was cooked perfect. YUM.
Décor: The place is small and holds about 20 people. If you decide to dine-​in, you can read one of the many books lined up against the windows and walls. There is a section to play games, but I don’t know if all the pieces are there.
Parking: Street parking available. There is a small lot around the corner.
We used an Amazon Local coupon for $ 30 for $ 15 worth of food. It seems like this place is using all avenues with coupons such as Unilocal,Groupon, Amazon Local, etc.
Cash only.
Place rating: 2
Sunnyvale, CA
I have to agree with previous Unilocaler «Ryan O». I’m sorry, but usually when a place has a 4 star average, Unilocalers usually never disappoint but this place should not be higher than a 3 and here is why…
I ordered a large pepperoni, mushrooms and olives pizza. It was a complete grease fest. Yes I know it’s pizza but excessive grease to the point where it’s dripping is not appetizing.
Two, like Ryan O mentioned, you could tell they don’t use fresh ingredients or at least high quality ingredients. More like canned olives and cheap pepperoni and mushrooms from a local Safeway. Now I can’t prove this obviously but the pie I ate was maybe 1 step higher than a boboli pizza I make at home.
Three, there is just way too much cheese in comparison to sauce and toppings. Some people love cheesy pizzas but the ratios once again was way off.
I don’t want to sound like a snob but this place must be successful due to it’s location possibly? I dunno.
Go to JT Mchart’s in Cupertino, then re-​try this place and let me know if a 4 – 5 star rating will hold up after eating Mchart’s. Just my 2 cents.
Place rating: 2
Sunnyvale, CA
This restaurant should be named: No, No GuGu!
We arrive and:
Hi, we’d like to order your New Seafood Pasta!: «Sorry’ we don’t have than any more».
Unilocal says you take credit cards: «Sorry, we don’t take credit cards any more’
I’d like a beer, Unilocal says you have beer to go with my no longer available Seafood Pasta. «No we don’t have beer any more’, How about a glass of wine? «No»
Can I get a root beer at least? «No, the soda machine does not work; only Coke and Diet Coke»
What do you have? «We have pizza and pasta» Seafood Pasta? «No, just regular pasta; No beer, No wine, No seafood, No root beer. Pizza. Pizza, Pasta, and Diet Coke».
This is not going well.
Well, then I guess we’d better have a pizza, a pasta (not seafood) and a Diet coke.
(UGH! THE GIRL WHO TOOK OUR MONEY IS NOW MAKING OUR PIZZA. GOD I HOPE SHE WASHED HER HANDS FIRST. WANNA BET?)
PIZZA 5⁄10 Nothing special and looks nothing like the pictures on Unilocal (see picture: thin, flat and taste like frozen) So I guess «No pizza» either.
PASTA; 5⁄10 I wouldn’t order it again. Hey, «No Food!»
I start taking pictures. Suddenly the «No-​No Girl» shows up with 2 free ‘pine nut cookies! Finally 10⁄10. actually a marzipan cookie. Crisp, sweet, excellent.
Maybe we need more desert! 12 cookies $ 10.00, unfortunately the ones we buy are soft and somehow less interesting (but still good maybe 7 or 8⁄10.
Perhaps the Cannoli? «NO» The filling in the cannoli is sour and the shells hard, not crisp and have a very odd flavor.
DINNER: «No good» ‘won’t be back’, except, perhaps for the expensive (soft cookies)
P. S. This place is tiny and feels like you are sitting in the waiting area at Domino’s
Really, just somehow unwelcoming. Tiny and unwelcoming; it might seat 10 people if you squeeze, but you won’t have to: «No People».
Enjoy!
Place rating: 4
Santa Clara, CA
We came to try their famed Habanero Hawaiian pizza. Plus it was only a 5min bike ride from our house.
I’m not the biggest fan of pineapple so we got a large half combo and half spicy hawaiian. It took a little whole to come out but thats what you get at a joint that does everything fresh.
The wife thought the Habanero Hawaiian wasn’t too hot… until she bite into a pepper. Overall the pizza was good, the pineapples were refreshing, and the peppers were pretty spicy but not toooo spicy.
The combo was just like ever other combo pizza just done well. Not too much cheese, and even amount of toppings.
We did find something unpleasant in one of the cheese and pepper shakers but when I mentioned it to them they immediately apologized and offered use another free large pizza on the house. It was too generous of an offer and we were biking home so we said a small would do.
The service was awesome and we will be coming back
Place rating: 5
Milpitas, CA
My wife & I really love this place because its got a great atmosphere and the owner & staff area always happy!
Our two fave pizzas — the combo and the habanero hawaiian! I’ve been to many pizza places and this is the only place that’s got the habanero! good good stuff!
For the adventurous types — there’s plenty of hot sauces to choose from to keep your mouth burning with different levels of «fire!»
This place is about 20 minutes from where we live but we usually make the trek once every few months to satisfy the pizza craving!
Place rating: 5
San Jose, CA
I met a friend here for dinner when we were craving pasta. My first impression: a small, cute, and homey family-​owned business, where I was greeted by a friendly cashier the moment I walked in the door.
We split the spinach & cheese ravioli (called «Queen Ann Round Ravioli») and a small Greek pizza.
— Ravioli: 7 large pieces served over marinara sauce w/​4 small pieces of garlic bread and a side house salad. I’ve been craving marinara sauce lately (no idea why) and this TOTALLY satisfied my craving. The ravioli were moist (not dry as some spinach ravioli can be), and the garlic bread was simple, buttery, and not overly garlicky. The side salad (we ordered w/​Italian dressing) was plentiful with vegetable toppings, and it was made with a good dark-​green lettuce rather than the tasteless iceberg that many places use. Props to you, Gugu’s!
— Greek pizza: artichoke hearts, spinach, kalamata olives, onions, mozzarella and feta. Plenty of toppings, perfect crust/​sauce/​cheese, perfectly cooked. Couldn’t ask for better.
At the end of the meal, the waitress/​cashier gave us each a free pine nut cookie. Delicious! Very light, soft and moist with a sweet honey flavor. Loved it!
Overall — good Italian food, amazing service and a great experience. The $ 10 for $ 20 Unilocal deal didn’t hurt either! :) I’ll definitely come back, and I’ll try the cannoli this time — they look amazing!
Place rating: 3
San Jose, CA
We went to Gugus because we saw a deal on Unilocal.It is a hole in the wall kind of place which has enough choices for both pastas and pizzas. The food was ok, not bad but nothing to go back for.
We ordered two pasta dishes and they were both eatable,
We did not try the pizzas so cant comment about them.
Place rating: 4
Santa Clara, CA
I really love GuGu’s Pizza. We moved into the area about a year ago, and I started my quest to find good pizza. It took me a couple months, but I finally stumbled on GuGu’s, and I’m rarely disappointed.
I did have a pizza from GuGu’s a couple weeks ago, and the sauce tasted a bit different than it normally does. I’m not going to count that against them, because it was a one time thing, and this place has delivered (literally and figuratively) time and time again.
Getcha some!
Place rating: 4
San Jose, CA
Mmm pasta…
The service was friendly the second I walked in the door. Everyone who was working said hello and asked if I had any questions about the menu but I knew I wanted pasta already. My meal included a house salad and it was soooooo fresh. I’m not a crazy fan on salads but this was great quality. I even saw the manager walk across the street to the organic produce store to pick up some ingredients. It is great to know small businesses support each other. I do not remember the name of what I ordered but the pasta was yummy and I will be back!
Place rating: 3
Santa Clara, CA
Ordered take out:
Pesto pizza: bland
Jerk chicken pizza: nice little kick to it. Good flavor.
Tortellini: super small portion, way too oily.
Place rating: 4
Mountain View, CA
I had the chicken pesto pizza and it was quite good. Thin, cheesy, not very oily, and a little crispy. The 10 incher was just about right since I was eating at a leisurely pace, but otherwise it might not be enough to fill you up. The service was also very good — the waitress was very amiable and didn’t rush me out even though I was staying after the closing time.
The only thing I’m kind of sad about is not experiencing those pine nut cookies that everyone’s talking about! Bummer, cause I love good cookies.
Place rating: 5
Lakewood, CA
It’s not good when you sit down at an Italian place and realize that you are all out of lactaid. (Oh, the joys of being lactose-​intolerant.) But it IS good when the food turns out to be so yummy that you devour it anyway!
Fettuccine Ala Carbonara — the alfredo sauce is sooo goood. Not overly heavy or too watery. Deliciousssness. This is what the perfect fettuccine tastes like in my mind.
The sample of ravioli was yummy as well. Will be getting that next time when I return armed with a box of lactaid.
Oh, and like everyone has mentioned, customer service is great!
Place rating: 4
Sunnyvale, CA
Bought a livingsocial deal for this place using their niffty online ordering system.
Parking is a bit hard since they one a busy street corner but there is some street parking and a lot they share I believe out back.
Service is very nice and friendly and my pizza was ready for me when I got there.
I got the jalapeño pizza but it wasn’t spicy at all since there wasn’t any jalapenos really. Not sure if it was because it was toward the end of day on a weekday? My friend bought a whole bunch of other stuff off the menu and everything was pretty yums and good size.
I recommend!
Place rating: 3
Santa Clara, CA
We were looking for a local pizza spot and ended up here after checking out their Unilocal deal. The place is small and a bit rustic with ol’ skool books and games you can check out while you’re waiting for your food. The whole place maybe sits about 20 people on a good day. They have a good variety of hot sauces so if that’s you’re thing, you’re in luck.
What we swallowed:
GREEK SALAD: The salad was fresh and bountiful for three people. While waiting for our pizza I was glad to see they wash their lettuce instead of taking it directly from the bag (applause).
GARLIC BREAD — HALF WITH CHEESE: These were nice and garlicy, your basic rolls of bread with buttery garlicy goodness (but not too over-​buttery).
QUEEN ANNE RAVIOLI SAMPLE: With your Unilocal check-​in, you get an option to choose from the regular or spinash Queen Anne Ravioli and we each got one round ravioli. I got the spinach and I thought it was sauce was decent but at the same time, the ravioli kinda tasted like those ones you can get at Costco in the frozen section.
VEGETARIAN PIZZA PERSONAL PIZZA: They definitely don’t scrimp on the veggies, however, I like my veggies cut a bit smaller if on top of a pizza. I felt like I was eating a salad dumped on my pizza, not to mention, those big chunks of veggies didn’t really break down under the heat. What little veggies DID break down ended up a complete soaking mess of gooey crust underneath my pizza. Much to my dismay when my friends bit into their pizzas and you can hear the ultra crispy crunch of their dough while mine stayed limp like a 100-​year-​old man fiendin’ for some viagara. Waaah waaah waaah. Boo!
The Unilocal deal is nice but I’m not sure if we’ll be back.
Place rating: 4
Silicon Valley
One of my friends had been telling me about how good Gugu’s Pizza is. When the Groupon came out I immediately picked one up. I’m over 30 minutes away so it’s hard to make it out that way for a quick bite.
Finally decided to check it out and Called in Togo order at 11am when the opened. Gentleman who answered the phone was very friendly and enthusiastic. Repeated my order to verify. Gave est of 25 – 30 min. Arrived 20 min later and pizza was just coming out of the oven.
Juan the cashier handled my transaction and helped me to my car with the pies since I had the kids with me. I like how cheese and peppers were already placed in the pizza boxes. Juan was great! Very friendly and professional and even helped me take the pies to the car (had two kids with me)
The pizzas were delicious! Very generous on the toppings. There was an abundance of red, green, and yellow peppers on the combo! Yum! The meat lovers was tasty with lots of fresh ingredients. You could tell they put a lot of effort and care into their food.
I was in a rush and forgot to get some pine nut cookies. :-(I know I’ll be back soon so I’ll be sure to order a dozen!
Place rating: 2
San Jose, CA
This is not a review for the pizza. I’m sure the pizza is good to some. My fiancé said it was okay, nothing too special, but my review is about the other menu items.
My fiancé and I went here because we heard all the hype. Interesting new pizza place?! Had to try it even though I don’t eat pizza. My fiancé is a pizza fanatic so he was excited.
He ordered half Pesto and half Margarita. I ordered the Penne house pasta, which came with a side salad.
First off, the side salad is pretty big. It could be a meal on its own for those health nuts. The thing that ruined it for me though was the Italian dressing that came with it. It was SUPER sour! and I mean sour! I poured it all over and stopped eating it five bites in. I just couldn’t take it anymore. It’s homemade I believe.
Moving on to the pasta, again the portion was big. I loved the garlic bread that came with it, but the sauce was lacking. I’m not sure what it was, but it was just bleh. Like the taste kept on building up in my mouth and eventually became this bitter taste. I had to stop eating it too. In short, I didn’t take any of it to go. I was so disappointed.
One last thing that really ticked me off was that this place is not equally hospitable to all their customers. We came in around 8 — 8:30, probably the last customers of the night. There were two other groups eating in there before us. I noticed that the Asian girl who worked there went to both tables at different times and offered them a free pine nut cookie. I was excited because it looked like we were going to get one too. Nope, did not happen. She offered it to the other tables, but not to us even though she was helping us with the check. I was totally bummed. Really?! Were we not important enough to get a sample? They really need to learn that every single customer counts especially during this day and age when Unilocal allows every person to have an opinion.
Place rating: 4
Denver, CO
Appreciate a business owner that takes care of his customers. I received a very nice pm from the owner the same night. Nothing bitter or angry just pure making sure I’m happy next time I visit kind of pm.
So with that I upped his biz one star = 4. With a mental note to say hi to him when I visit Gugu’s again.
No hard feelings all around. Just pizza love!
See you soon Gugu’s!