Pizzeria Sapori

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

From Naples to Newport Beach

On Bayside Drive in Newport Beach, Pizzeria Sapori makes a straightforward claim: to get a more genuine Neapolitan pizza experience, you'd have to board a flight to Naples. It's a bold statement, but one backed by the kind of detail that separates serious pizzerias from casual ones — and recognized in 2022 with a two-slice rating from Gambero Rosso, Italy's most authoritative food guide.

Every ingredient is imported from Italy, right down to the wood-burning oven. San Marzano DOP tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala campana DOP, Castelvetrano olives from Sicily, prosciutto di Parma — the sourcing is deliberate and unapologetic.

The Dough Is the Point

What sets Pizzeria Sapori apart starts before any topping is applied. The dough undergoes a 72-hour fermentation process, giving the yeast time to fully mature. The result is a lighter, more digestible crust — one that won't leave you bloated or reaching for water. More unusually, each batch is made with a mother dough drawn from an 80-year-old yeast strain. That living culture, carried forward batch by batch, produces a crust that is soft yet crispy, thin yet slightly chewy — the hallmark of a proper Neapolitan pie.

True to tradition, pizzas are served whole to preserve their structure and prevent sogginess, with a high, slightly charred border — the cornicione — that signals the real thing.

What to Order

The menu is focused and honest. The Margherita DOP — San Marzano tomato sauce, imported buffalo mozzarella, basil — is the purist's choice. The Bufalina adds prosciutto di Parma and arugula to that bufala base. The Tartufo, with truffle cream, prosciutto, mushrooms and mozzarella on a white base, takes things in a richer direction. A classic Marinara, with no cheese at all, shows confidence in the fundamentals.

Starters include homemade meatballs with tomato sauce, focaccia baked in the wood-burning oven with rosemary and sea salt, and a Burrata & Prosciutto with shaved Parma ham and arugula. The wine list is extensive, spanning Italian DOP bottles alongside California selections.

The Space

The restaurant has both indoor dining and a patio, and regulars return for both the food and the atmosphere. Catering, private parties, and delivery are all available, and a sister restaurant — Sapori Ristorante — sits next door for those wanting a broader Italian menu.