Award-winning LA pizzeria with neo-Neapolitan pies


























"Price: $$ Southern Naples and California cooking converge at this Michelin-recognized California import. Helmed by executive chef Daniele Uditi, the new River Oaks Shopping Center outpost offers Pizzana’s signature cacio e pepe pizza, with provoloncino di agerola, fior di latte, parmigiano crema, and cracked black pepper. Aside from pasta and salads, Houston diners are also treated to their city-specific dishes like its Tex-Mex pizza, which comes with spiced porchetta, roasted tomato chipotle salsa, parsley cilantro salsa verde, fior di latte, shaved serrano chile, and several Mexican spices. Must-try drink: Aperol slushies." - Brittany Britto Garley


"When on the hunt for pizza in River Oaks, this pizza place in the area delivers. The Los Angeles Michelin-recognized pizza restaurant opened its second Texas restaurant in Houston, bringing its beloved cacio e pepe pizza and a new rendition, especially for Space City. The Tex-Mex pizza features spiced porchetta, roasted tomato chipotle salsa, parsley cilantro salsa verde, fior di latte, shaved serrano chile, and several Mexican spices. Pair it with a glass of wine or one of its special cocktails, including its Ravello Ranch Water or a Negroni di Napoli, made with a rose-infused gin. Diners interested in recreating the experience at home can purchase chef Daniele’s slow-dough to-go ($5), along with Pizzana’s San Marzano tomato sauce ($3), and fior de latte for $10." - Marcy de Luna

"If you’re shopping in River Oaks and can’t think about anything but Neapolitan-style pizza, then go to Pizzana. The Los Angeles transplant with celebrity backing mostly makes satisfactory pizzas, like the $21 margherita with fresh mozzarella. But occasionally a pie arrives slightly under-baked with a knot of raw dough in the crust, a surprise no one gets excited about. Plus, the inside of the restaurant has all the charm of a recently closed mall kiosk. Either take a pizza to-go or drive a couple extra miles to Pizzaro’s Pizza Napoletana." - Chelsea Thomas

"Houston welcomed the Los Angeles favorite Pizzana into River Oaks Shopping Center. The brainchild of couple Candace and Charles Nelson, actor Chris O’Donnell and his wife and partner Caroline, and pizzaiolo Daniele Uditi, the Houston location boasts the beloved selection of pizza, pasta, and salads that made the restaurant a mainstay of California’s dining community. Consider the creste alla vodka, which is dusted with Calabrian chile, and don’t miss the pizzaiolo’s pizzas, which features Pizzana’s lauded two-day fermented “slow dough.”" - Brittany Britto Garley, Kayla Stewart


"While there are plenty of terrific pizzas to indulge in at Pizzana—the diavola, cacio e pepe, and bianca are worth exploration—I found the pasta menu, helmed by pizzaiolo Daniele Uditi, just as impressive. The vodka pasta was perfectly al dente; the San Marzano vodka sauce was somewhat thick and flavored with ingredients from Western Europe, which paired beautifully with the chewy creste de gallo noodles for an excellent texture and mouthfeel." - Kayla Stewart