Lucia’s Brings Neapolitan Pizza to Downtown Berkeley

Berkeley is getting a much-needed Neapolitan pizza infusion today, with the opening of Lucia’s, a pizzeria focused on that bubbly, doughy crust.

Lucia’s

Authenticity is top focus here, with owners Steve Dumain, Alessandro Uccelli, and their significant others developing the menu with help from an Italian pizzaiolo and a Stefano Ferrara oven shipped in from Naples (the same one Del Popolo uses at its Nob Hill brick-and-mortar). The pies use double-zero flour, as is typical for Neapolitan versions, and there are also ones with a healthy twist, using live sprouted grain dough, a method that appeals to the gluten-averse population.

Beyond pizza, the menu focuses on dishes sourced from the restaurant’s own Oakland garden plot and local farmers and purveyors, such as a cacio e pepe zeppole, shishito peppers with calabrian chile yogurt sauce, several salads, a local cheese board, and local buffalo milk gelato soft serve. Drinks spotlight Italian and Californian wines and local beer. You can see the full menu below.

Dumain designed the 75-seat space, which goes for a “subtle, but special” Brooklyn vibe, he told Eater. The concrete walls, colorful, mismatched furniture and exposed brick all lend to that aesthetic.

Lucia’s is now open daily starting at 5 p.m., until “as late this town is willing to stay out.” Daytime hours will start in January.

• Authentic Neapolitan Pizzeria to Boost Berkeley’s Pizza Scene [ESF]
• Lucia’s Pizzeria [Official Site]