Established in 2002, locally owned and family operated Village Pizzeria offers an authentic slice of New York City in the heart of beautiful Coronado, California. Using only the freshest ingredients, Village Pizzeria prides itself on going to great lengths to preserve the integrity of the iconic New York pie – right down to importing authentic New York water to replicate the perfect thin crust dough.
"We don't want to sell New York style, we want to sell authentic New York pizza in Coronado,“ says Spatafore. It may seem a tad obsessive to truck in water in 1-gallon jugs all the way from New York, but the end result is worth every penny.
With two locations on the island, the first on Orange Avenue and a second Bayside near the ferry landing, Village Pizzeria began experimenting with the differences in water nearly a decade ago after Spatafore sparked up a causal conversation with two of his New York born and bred Village Pizzeria employees.
It has been said that the secret to true New York-style pizza is the water. Celebrated chefs like Mario Batali, who creates his own mineral-water composites to replicate water found in Italy, recognize the importance of obtaining H2O from the right source, and in an article from Wired Magazine, Chris Loss, a food scientist with the Culinary Institute of America, went on to explain that, “water binds the dough's few ingredients. Nearly every chemical reaction that produces flavor occurs in water. So, naturally, the minerals and chemicals in it will affect every aspect of the way something tastes."
Through countless blind taste tests, David found that the pies with dough made of New York water trumped the dough created with the normal filtered water found here in San Diego. “It’s hard to put your finger exactly on why one is better than the other,” says David. “Maybe it’s the crispness or the earthiness from the minerals found in New York water….or maybe it’s all bunk, but our taste test results were conclusive, and I can’t deny that there is something about New York water that just makes the dough taste better!”
Today, Village Pizzeria ships in an average of over 3,000 gallons of New York City water a year – that’s 48 gallons a week during the slower months and around 90 gallons a week during summer. “The shipping is quite a nightmare and is ridiculously expensive,” says Spatafore. “We’ve arranged for the water to be uploaded from New York to Ontario by train for storage, and we receive shipments as needed. We’ve done some calculating regarding the cost of using the water, and determined that $10,000 is the premium that we pay to use the NYC H20 annually."
Authentic dough, combined with the freshest possible ingredients and the charismatic attitude that keeps regulars coming back for more – there’s no doubt that Spatafore’s passion for pizza has paid off, as the Village Pizzerias continue as a “must-have” for San Diego locals and visitors alike.
ABOUT VILLAGE PIZZERIA
Established in 2002, Coronado’s locally owned and family operated Village Pizzeria offers an authentic slice of New York City in the heart of beautiful Coronado, California. Located just a block away from the Pacific Ocean, the restaurant’s original Orange Avenue location provides cozy interior dining and ample outdoor seating, allowing guests to enjoy the coastal vibe of the area. Village Pizzeria’s second location opened in 2007, just steps away from the bay, boasting a spacious event-ready patio perfect for any family gathering. With nearly 20 pizzas to choose from, Village Pizzeria also delivers a healthy, tailor-made spin on old-school New York pizzeria offerings. Touting four different crust options for each pizza—original New York-style crust, thin crust, Sicilian style, and gluten free—as well as a variety of specialty pizzas such as “The Billy Goat” a white pie with fresh spinach, roasted red peppers, onions, sun dried tomatoes, basil, balsamic vinaigrette and goat cheese, as well as “The Islander” with Canadian bacon, pineapple, onions and bell peppers. In addition, the restaurant’s menu features a variety of made-to-order salads, pastas, calzones, hoagies and desserts.
The original Village Pizzeria is located at 1206 Orange Avenue and Village Pizzeria Bayside is at 1201 First Street. For more information, visitwww.
