Pizza 22 cm

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

The Real Thing

Pizza 22 cm sets out to make one thing, and make it properly: authentic Neapolitan pizza. Across three locations in Saint Petersburg — on Zhukovskogo, Bolshaya Konyushennaya, and Lva Tolstogo — the pizzeria holds to the traditions of Naples with a seriousness that has earned it recognition from Gambero Rosso, one of Italy's most respected food guides.

Dough as a Daily Craft

The foundation of every pizza here is the dough, and the team treats it as a genuinely creative process. Each morning, the head pizzaiolo reads the temperature and humidity in the room and adjusts the flour and yeast quantities accordingly — no two batches are quite identical. The flour itself is Italian type "00", milled from soft wheat with high protein and starch content, chosen specifically because it supports the long, slow fermentation that Neapolitan pizza demands.

The dough rests for a minimum of 24 hours before it ever sees a topping. During that time, enzymes break down proteins and starches, carbon dioxide from fermentation aerates the structure, and the result is a base that is lighter, less caloric, and easier to digest than a rushed dough could ever be. When shaping, the pizzaiolo works entirely by hand — pressing the gas from the centre toward the edge so that the cornicione, the characteristic puffy border, rises properly in the oven.

The recipe itself follows Neapolitan law: flour, water, salt and yeast only. No sugar, no fat, no eggs, no additives.

Wood Fire, No Exceptions

Neapolitan tradition requires a wood-fired oven and a live flame, and Pizza 22 cm does not compromise on this. The oven sustains the extreme temperatures that Neapolitan pizza needs, with hot air circulating from floor to ceiling for fast, even cooking that produces a slightly charred, blistered crust — soft within, structured at the edge.

Recognised Quality

The Gambero Rosso award places Pizza 22 cm among a small number of pizzerias outside Italy acknowledged by the guide for the integrity of their product. For a restaurant committed to replicating the pizza of Naples on the streets of Saint Petersburg, that recognition is a meaningful measure of how closely the kitchen holds to its principles. Delivery is also available for those who want the experience at home.