Pizza Art

We started an art contest in the mid-1980s and have continued the tradition every few years or so since then. We now have over 300 pieces of Zachary’s pizza art from the past three decades! The winning artwork decorates the walls in all five of our restaurants. We love the art and the artists and are excited and honored to be able to share some of the art on our website!

Illustration of a red bridge and hills on a blue sky background. A bold red circle surrounds Zacharys Chicago Pizza in the center, with the phrase I left my heart at written above in cursive.

Kirstin Ineich

2012

I always like looking at the different posters created by Zachary’s patrons. When the opportunity came to create my own, I had just come back from San Francisco, and I knew I wanted to incorporate it into my piece. The Zachary’s logo integrates well with the Golden Gate Bridge, so, I chose to paint the iconic bridge. When I think of San Francisco, I always think of Tony Bennett’s “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” playing after a Giants’ home-game win at AT&T Park and the way it makes me feel. And, every time you eat at Zachary’s, you get the same feeling. So, I tied the whole thing together with the tagline “I left my heart at Zachary’s.”

A colorful painting features a Bigfoot holding a large white sign with a red crescent. Bigfoot walks beside a tree labeled Zacharys with a backdrop of a river, trees, and cloudy sky. Flowers and mushrooms decorate the foreground.

Todd Paoletti

2009

A childs drawing with a princess wearing a green crown, holding a pepperoni pizza slice. Text reads: Zacharys pizza I love you, I love you!!! Princesses love pepperoni pizza! Signed Eva Joseph, Age 4.

Eva Jaeger, 4 years old

2005

When I created this piece my family had moved from Berkeley to Manhattan for a year. When I look at this piece now it conjures up all the emotions of those moments: a longing for home and familiar things like Zachary’s, the excitement and adventure of being somewhere unknown and the joy of knowing that I’d be back to have some pizza soon. And of course, I was 4 and loved Princesses!

My inspiration for this piece was all the things I loved. Princesses, pink, big art and pizza. I actually didn’t really like Pepperoni (truth be known) but the alliteration was too good to pass up! The process I used for this piece was to draw it on a smaller piece of paper and then spread out on the floor, with all my markers tossed around, and the paper taped down. Shoes off and spread across the whole thing I sketched by pencil and then dried out just about every marker pen filling in the spaces. My brother, who was in 1st grade at the time, was also drawing next to me. His poster actually was awarded an Honorable Mention and I was happy to be creating our pieces together.

This may be the peak of my artistic recognition. Since that time the pieces I’ve created are much smaller and much more private, rarely venturing into public space. I like to express my creativity in crafts, writing, on the stage and on the soccer field. And my love for Princesses and pizza have also become a bit more subdued as I pursue higher ambitions than just being royalty. The thing I haven’t changed since then is a love for Zachary’s pizza. Just finished one a minute ago!

Colorful, whimsical illustration of people with pizzas on their heads. One holds a sign reading A pizza party in every box! The word Zacharys is featured prominently. A person cradles a cat with a slice of pizza, surrounded by stars and vibrant colors.

Party in a Box

2009

Lauren Ari

A vibrant abstract painting depicting a pizza restaurant with tables, chairs, and pizzas. Signs include Open, Pizza Specials, and We Make It U You Yum. The artwork uses bold yellow, red, and blue colors, with playful geometric shapes.

Ernst

1990’s

Artist Unknown

A handwritten note on lined paper reads: Dear Zachary, My heart beats for your Chicago style pizza. I wish I could be with you every day. Would you like to go out with me? There are checkboxes for Yes and No. Its signed love, Maia.

Maia VuMinnich, 9 years old

2011

Illustration of a bride and groom smiling and feeding each other pizza from a three-tiered stand labeled Zacharys. Text reads, Love is...3 tiers of Zacharys deep dish. A pizza slicer and roses are on the table.

Lori and William Wallace

2015

My son, William (13 yrs old) and I are deeply grateful to Zachary’s for the joy it brings our lives. Not only the DELICIOUS gluten free pizza (thank you, thank you!), but also the connection it weaves through community. We have monitored the art contest for years and have waited for the opening where time and creative spark would coincide and bring us to this moment of participation. And here we are! The inspiration behind this piece was to weave in the theme of “shared love”. What better depiction of shared love than a wedding day and the site of a loving groom feeding his delighted bride a slice of Zachary’s deep dish?! Love IS Zachary’s Pizza xo

Slice

2012

Guillaume Ollivier

Cartoon image of Sir Zachary wearing a horned helmet, holding a sword against a green dragon breathing pizza flames. The background shows a purple hill and a castle. Text reads Sir Zachary conquers the Pizza Dragon.

Leo Gould, 11 years old

2009

Illustration of a person with exaggerated features eating a slice of cheesy pizza. The background features the text Zacharys Chicago Pizza. The person wears a green shirt and holds a pizza slice and a deep-dish pizza.

David Seiler

2001

A painting of a black and white dog sitting on a pink armchair, holding a slice of pizza in its mouth. The background is green with the text: Harrys a lucky dog he gets Zacharys!.

Lisa Hayle

2005

“I heard about Zachary’s Pizza through friends who also mentioned the awesome annual poster contest, which they had won in the past with an entry featuring their two adorable poodles. Soon after, I tasted the deep-dish yumminess for the first time…. I first saw Harry in 2002, while working briefly at the East Bay SPCA in Oakland. It was love at first sight.” – Lisa Hayle

A colorful artwork featuring a green scooter with a pepperoni pizza slice as a wheel. The background is yellow with vertical stripes in red and blue. Text reads, Not just a pizza... A lifestyle. A circled arrow points upwards.

Stew Ellington

2017

My painting was inspired by a dual love for Zachary’s deep-dish spinach-and-mushroom pizza and vintage Italian Vespa scooters. I thought it would be a good idea to connect the two by making the front wheel of the scooter a deep-dish pizza. I had a lot of fun using bright, primary colors to imitate the style of Italian Vespa ads from the 50s and 60s. It’s so awesome to take part in this community tradition! Thanks, Zachary’s!

Silhouettes of two men in a dramatic noir-style setting. One holds a steaming pizza at a doorway, while the other stands in a spotlight. Text reads Its in the Pie. The background suggests an urban night scene.

Pete Davis

2001

A retro-style poster featuring a person in a futuristic suit looking at a round pie on a yellow surface, with text reading Zacharys 81¢ and In The Oven. The background is a blend of green and yellow hues.

Lois Rosson

2015

Rianne Myers

2015

Picked Fresh Daily

2005

Kelly Lee Avery

A colorful painting features a pink background with a cat on a pizza atop a table. Speech bubbles say, cats live longer if they eat pizza, among other playful cat-related notes. A seated cat holds a drink. Text reads Pizza-Crazy Cats!.

Sophia Maria Brown

2017

Age 10

I fell in love with Zachary’s pizza the first time it touched the tip of my tongue. I loved doing the artwork and it was a bonus to win twice! I think everyone should participate. Love live Zachary’s!

Cartoon cat wearing sunglasses, sitting with a pizza slice as a bow tie. Speech bubble above says: Pizza on my mind, pizza on my face, Zacharys... always my favorite place! Background is a colorful abstract pattern.

Stephanie Kwan

2007

Colorful drawing featuring a large pizza labeled Zacharys in the center. Surrounded by playful animal figures, hearts, and phrases such as I love Zacharys Pizza! and It has cheese in it. A whimsical and fun design with vibrant colors.

Simone Gardner

2015

Painting of a dancer leaping in the air with a vibrant, swirling dress resembling a slice of pizza. Red and white pizza boxes with the name Zacharys are in the background, set against a blue backdrop.

Cindy Chan
.. we love Zachary’s Pizza; it’s the best, combined with the high energy of the staff and how everyone seems to be having a great time, it’s like a party that never stops.

2003