About Izza Pizzeria

Owners of Izza Pizzeria, Jim and Ann Niederhauser, have brought the art of traditional Neapolitan style thin-crust pizza to San Clemente, California. A wood-burning oven cooks the pizzas with a thin crust, like they do in Naples, Italy (thus Neapolitan, which means from/of Naples).

Quality ingredients are key to making great-tasting Neapolitan pizza. The strict standards require using only soft-grain flour, fresh yeast, water and sea salt for the dough, Italian San Marzano plum tomatoes, all natural bufala di mozzarella or fior di latte, extra-virgin olive oil and fresh basil. The dough must be hand-formed, dabbed with a light tomato sauce and be quickly baked in a wood fire oven.

In addition to serving authentic Italian cuisine, providing great customer service is a priority for the owners. With all of Jim's past restaurant experience, his main priority for the pizzeria is customer satisfaction.

"The service on both visits was fabulous; attentive without being intrusive. One of the owners was there on both of our visits and came to our table to ask about our meal and to share her excitement about Izza. Again, I love to see that pride and enthusiasm."
— Julie Payne, OC Register

What is Neapolitan Pizza?

The Italian government formally recognized Neapolitan pizza as an artisan traditional food worthy of preservation and granted it D.O.C. (Denomination di Origin Controllata) status in 1998. This recognition specifies the legally permitted ingredients and methods used in the preparation necessary to produce authentic Neapolitan pizza. The strict standards require using only soft-grain flour, fresh yeast, water and sea salt for the dough, Italian San Marzano plum tomatoes, all natural bufala di mozzarella or fior di latte, extra-virgin olive oil and fresh basil. Neapolitan pizzas must be hand stretched on a marble or stainless steel surface and cooked in a wood-burning oven at a temperature of 800° F.

The Verace Pizza Napoletana Association (VPN) was established to protect and promote authentic Neapolitan pizza and defend its Neapolitan origins and traditions. We abide by these strict requirements to serve authentic Neapolitan style pizza.

For more information, visit the association web site at www.verapizzanapoletana.org.