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This Saturday, Pizzeria Otto will open its new location at 7122 SE Foster Road, a project that was announced back in April. At 2,350 square feet, the new space will be more than twice the size of the original, and will have a similar menu of soft crust Neapolitan pizzas, salads, seasonal roasted vegetables, and Italian wines, plus a few new items.
While the pizzeria is joining others in the quickly growing neighborhood, it’s entirely distinct from the Detroit style squares coming out of Assembly Brewing or the crispy Pacific Northwest slices at Atlas Pizza. Chef Sam Reed and owner Clark Hale visited Naples to truly understand its iconic soft crust style of pizza, with Reed studying under famed pizzaiolo Enzo Coccia. Otto’s Neapolitan pies come with an array of toppings including smoked ham, soppressata, and wild mushrooms, and the Foster location will bring over the famed $6 happy hour margherita pizza, served from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and again after 8 p.m. until close. The new location will have beer and wine with an emphasis on seriously fun Italian wines, including biodynamic, organic, and small producer wines at affordable prices.
What’s new to the menu is panuozzo, a style of pizza from Gragnano, just north of Naples. Bakers throw naked pizza dough into the searing hot wood-fired oven and allow it to puff up like a pita pocket. It then gets sliced in half and stuffed with all matter of ingredients, though the classic style is arugula, pecorino, and prosciutto with a drizzle of lemon juice. The fillings get warmed a bit from the steam of the freshly cooked pizza dough, but otherwise stay fresh. Diners can expect that style as well as a few others still being developed.
The Foster building is brand new, with more modern aesthetics than the original location, but the team worked to maintain the familiar rustic warmth — two walls are entirely glass windows, while the others are wood and tile, and pizzas are cooked directly in front of diners at the bar in an exposed kitchen. The room comfortably sits more than 80 in its booths, bar, and free-standing tables, which means more room for large groups.
For the first week, hours will only be from 5 to 9 p.m., but after that it will start its lunch (and daytime happy hour service), starting at 11 a.m. daily.
