11:30am By Dennis Dean | Upon entering the long, narrow space, your attention is drawn straight down the length of the dining room to a wood-fired pizza oven, glowing and alive at 600 degrees. You know immediately that this is where the magic happens.
Once seated, you sip your choice varietal or microbrew while only feet away a chef meticulously massages freshly risen dough.
What to order? The Salsiccia e Funghi (fennel sausage, cremini mushrooms, arugula, mozzarella) and Pistacchio Bianca (mortadella, stracciatella, pistachios, olive oil) pizzas are among the most popular. The menu tempts further with offerings of heirloom tomato caprese, a variety of cheeses and cured meats, and espresso-drenched scoops of gelato.
Within moments of ordering, a procession of farm-fresh and house-made ingredients are arranged into what will become a pizza unlike any outside of Naples, Italy. The sausage is handcrafted by Michael’s on Naples executive chef, David Coleman, and fragrant basil leaves are grown in the rooftop herb garden. Once all toppings are layered with a sense of generational wisdom, the soft, milky mozzarella, made fresh each morning, is stretched over a now decorated canvas of dough.
Slid into the oven for 90 seconds, the finished dish is delivered unsliced, in traditional Neapolitan style. It’s customary to eat from the inside, out, so you dive into the center with your knife and fork, saving the bubbly crust to soak up any left over sauce and toppings for your final bites.
Open since June, Michael’s Pizzeria has taken parent restaurant Michael’s on Naples’ unwavering commitment to excellent food and offers patrons a more casual dining experience. With all plates priced under $16 and an $8 lunch menu offered Monday through Thursday, the Pizzeria’s popularity continues to grow.
If you haven’t yet, owner, Long Beach restauranteur, and pizza aficionado, Michael Dene, invites you to drop by and “try pizza for the very first time.”
michaelspizzeria.com
5616 E. 2nd Street
Long Beach, CA 90803
Monday – Thursday 12:00pm – 3:00pm
Friday & Saturday 12:00pm – 11:00pm
Sunday 12:00pm – 10:00pm