Sal Maniaci, the owner and chef of Sapori Ristorante has served the flavors of Italy to Newport Beach for over 25 years. Earlier this year he decided to take his Italian roots to wood-fired Neapolitan pizza with the opening of Pizzeria Sapori. Located adjacent to Sapori Ristorante, Pizzeria Sapori features traditional Italian Neapolitan-style pizza baked in a wood-fired oven imported from Naples.

What to Expect? “Simplicity. Authentic Neapolitan pizza uses very few ingredients and light toppings. You won’t see us adding “extra cheese” here. Your pizza is not burned. Charring is normal and this is a key feature of Neapolitan pizza. Your pie will be a bit charred with a high border “cornicione” or “frame” of the pizza. It won’t come sliced. True Neapolitan pizza is served whole to prevent sogginess and to maintain the integrity of the dough we spend a lot of TLC making for you. But if you’d like it sliced, no problem – just ask.”

The bread for the ample Panini (lunch only) comes from the dough used for the pizza and is baked-to-order in the wood-burning oven. One of the house signatures is the Siciliano. It’s grilled eggplant, mozzarella, tomato, pesto, pecorino cheese and extra-virgin olive oil.

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