Doppio Zero raises the artisanal pizza bar
Cupertino restaurant one of a handful with Naples seal of approval
A gigantic, blue-tiled oven dominates one corner of the open kitchen, a fiery orange glow emanating from its mouth. Cut, stacked wood fills a long rack, playing a textural design role. Large burlap bags, the kind that would hold flour, cover the walls. A framed message makes the mission here clear: Keep calm and eat pizza.
We’ve traveled the world in search of the best pizza, booking flights to pizza meccas just to eat the next great pie, so we had to check out Doppio Zero close to home.
The restaurant, which joined a growing list of Bay Area artisanal pizzerias in Mountain View in 2014, is certified Vero Pizza Napoletana (VPN), one of only 19 California pizzerias to hold this Neapolitan pizza stamp of approval. The imprimatur means strict ingredient and equipment requirements and quality levels have been met.
Master Pizzaiolos Alberto Sannino and Alfonso Liccione are certified pizza chefs. Alberto’s brother Angelo and Gianni Chiloiri — Doppio co-owners — brought their successful eatery to Cupertino’s Nineteen 800 mixed-use retail, restaurant and residential complex, just across Interstate 280 from the Apple Park campus, last August.
Doppio Zero means “double zero” in Italian, a nod to the Italian 00 flour required for true VPN pizza. The flour’s gluten content is higher than all-purpose flour, key to the chewy, crisp Neapolitan pizza crust. Pizzaiolos Sannino or Liccione man the Cupertino pizza station all night, sliding thin pies into the 900degree oven from Naples, and pulling out crisp, blistered pizzas in 90 seconds. The industrial-chic space features a bar at one end, the aforementioned open kitchen and a banquettelined wall. Ginormous wheel lights hang from the open rafter ceiling.
We were here for the pizza, of course, but there’s more to the menu. Chef Alessandro Ciaccia handles the non-pizza, Southern Italian fare. An oven roasting gave the Cavolfiore ($10), cauliflower studded with pine nuts, black currants and onion, an earthy and slightly sweet flavor. And the five potatogruyere Croquettes ($9) were crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside. After a dipping in a rich truffle cheese sauce, they melted in our mouths.
But you can’t visit Doppio Zero without eating at least one pizza. We had three. The classic Margherita ($14) is a must. A true Neapolitan Margherita has a few simple ingredients: dough, San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh basil and buffalo mozzarella. This version was right on the money: chewy, tangy and just a bit smoky and charred, meeting — and exceeding — our very high pizza bar.
We also loved the creamy burrata cheese, salty proscuitto di Parma and peppery arugula toppings on the Doppio Zero white pizza ($19). Pizza Napule’ ($18), a house specialty, is like a deep-fried calzone. The doughy pocket was stuffed with savory smoked mozzarella and ricotta cheese, spicy Italian sausage and tomato sauce. We would have preferred a crisper crust, but the flavors melded well.
Topping it all off was a bright, pretty Limoncello Cup ($9) — more of an adult parfait, really — limoncello gelato spiked with a bright jolt of limoncello.
While the dining room was packed on a Saturday night, service was attentive and fairly smooth, and we felt we’d been whisked away to Italy for the evening. Now, instead of boarding a plane when our pizza craving hits, we’ll just head straight for Doppio Zero.