Today is national pizza day. Whether you want the latest trendy spot such as Folks Pizza in Costa Mesa, some intriguing new takes on flavors at Artisan in Fountain Valley, tried and true neighborhood places like Trenta Pizza and Cucina in Costa Mesa, or your favorite takeout pies near you, it feels like a great day for pizza.
Here’s what we said about 2145 in Costa Mesa when it opened nearly five years ago, and it’s still packing the house.
Santa Ana native Eduardo Salcedo is so passionate about pizza, he immersed himself in a hot spot for Neapolitan pizza culture. Not Naples, Italy, but Tokyo, Japan, where the artisan mindset finds joy in chasing pizza perfection. The pilgrimage was fruitful for the veteran Pizzeria Ortica pizzaiolo, yielding inspiration, investor-partners, and a promising site for a pizza eatery with a serene, less-is-more aesthetic. A vacant auto mechanic shop was converted into a welcoming corner where the scent of burning almond wood whets the appetite for finely crafted pies and imaginative toasts on house-baked shokupan, Japan’s beloved breakfast loaf. First-timers marvel at the understated digs that place the kitchen in the former oil-change bay and diners at the white marble bar or under umbrellas in a simple backyard patio. But it’s the seemingly rustic fare with sly refinement that begs return visits, with delectable options all day. For lunch, think bresaola and burrata salad with pickled fennel. Or hyper-tender octopus with diced potato, charred scallions, and squid-ink mayo. Daily happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m. offers delights such as lip-smacking Wagyu corndogs dunked in honey vinegar or fried dough with browned butter-spiked egg yolk for dipping. Pizzas include a divine margherita with crushed San Marzano tomatoes and fresh basil on a puffy crust with just the right char—a mere $14 during happy hour. Mascarpone-Gorgonzola-honey pizza is rich. Excellent balance makes it easy to devour an entire spicy salami pie with smoked mozza, green olives, and pickled chiles. Dessert? Horchata tiramisu is the sweet spot.
Here are a few stories about pizza Orange Coast has done recently, to whet your whistle!
- Beachwood Adds Pizzeria to Its Lineup
- 4 Great Spots for Detroit Pizzas in Orange County
- Best New Restaurants 2022: Bottega Angelina Stuns in Laguna Niguel
