First Bite: Napizza Now Open in Little Italy

Petite, and Napizza is the new kid on a street already packed with pizzaiolos shoving dough into blazing ovens. But this Little Italy order-at-the-register pizzeria sets itself apart.

First, their dough is additive free. With its brown-and-cream décor inside and a patio deck for people-watching, Napizza is also Green Restaurant certified. (Hurray for recycling slash water-and-energy scrimping!)

Tourists get big bowls of leafy greens here. And locals stop in after their Pilates classes for crispy squares of pizzas--Look in the display case, they’re sold by the slice ($3 to $5.75), which is the very definition of pizza al taglio. The crust is presented in the Roman style: slinky thin. (Whole $29 to $42)

The staff wears T-shirts saying “simple” and “locally grown”--So no surprise that Napizza sources from locals like Suzie’s Farm for its Veggy Me pizza. That’s wild arugula in the $8.75 organic chicken salad panini.

But let’s get effusive for Napizza’s organic salad bar: I didn’t attempt a build-your-own (I rarely do). I got the Superfood Me-a spring lettuce mix with Swiss chard, quinoa, walnuts, creamy avocado, flavorful Blue Lake green beans, sprouts and apples. It’s a week’s worth of vegetables loaded onto a deep boat. This tasty vitamin and crunchy refreshment bowl was crafted by Napizza’s nutritionist, I’m told.

I added a $3 sliver of salmon fillet to that lightly dressed salad (extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar), and found my favorite drink of the summer: all-natural, unfiltered Ginger Ale by Bruce Cost. This food-and-fizz pairing has daily meal potential.

Discover more local foodie stories in our San Diego restaurants blog

Read Keli Dailey’s full story and more on utsandiego.com

Source: DiscoverSD