Welcome to the ultimate weeklong pizza party. Starting Jan. 8, select pizzerias across Napa, Sonoma and Marin will participate in the culinary collaboration known as North Bay Pizza Week.
After pizza was more or less invented in Naples as a sauced-up flatbread, it took the globe by storm when American GIs returned from World War II, bringing a fondness for pizza that led to a Cambrian explosion of different forms we know now—from traditional Neapolitan styles to thin crust in New York, Detroit squares, sheet pans and deep dish variants in Chicago, to name a few.
Then there’s California-style pizza, which features a thin, chewy crust and unconventional toppings that embrace the concept of fresh, local ingredients in a creative twist on pizza that’s unique to the state. Which brings us back to the topic at hand: North Bay Pizza Week.
I decided to get a headstart on the tri-county pizza party by visiting San Anselmo’s Creekside Pizza & Taproom a week early to get the inside, um, slice.
Pat Townley, the owner of Creekside Pizza & Taproom, was kind enough to give me a tour of his establishment ahead of Pizza Week. However, I imagine that for him, every week is pizza week. During my behind-the-scenes peek at Creekside, I learned that there is much more to the establishment’s success than the obvious outstanding pizza, beer and ambiance.
My behind-the-scenes peek at Creekside demonstrated how even the most perfect pizza is simply a catalyst, an artistic centerpiece for something much bigger than the pie itself.
Pizza, I realized, is the vessel that serves as a reason to gather together. Pizzerias are an integral, irreplaceable neighborhood fixture, a central hub where locals gather and commune over a shared pie. At the risk of sounding cheesy (or maybe saucy), pizza is community. That’s what North Bay Pizza Week celebrates. Of course, it helps that it tastes amazing, too.
Pie Chart
Visit NorthBayPizzaWeek.com and @restoweeks on Instagram for specials, updates and additions.
Amici’s East Coast Pizzeria
1242 Fourth St., San Rafael. 415.455.9777. amicis.com
Ausiello’s Homeslice
5755 Mountain Hawk Dr., Santa Rosa. 707.595.3923. ausielloshomeslice.com
The Bird
4776 Sonoma Hwy., Santa Rosa. 707.542.0861. thebirdrestaurant.com
Campanella
7365 Healdsburg Ave., Sebastopol. 707.910.3030. campanellasoco.com
Cibo Rustico Pizzeria
1305 Cleveland Ave., Santa Rosa. 707.623.9906. ciborustico.com
Creekside Pizza & Taproom
638 San Anselmo Ave. San Anselmo. 415.785-4450. creeksidesa.com
Diavola Pizzeria
21021 Geyserville Ave., Geyserville. 707.814.0111. diavolapizzeria.com
Domino’s Pizza
1561 Farmers Ln., Santa Rosa. 707.578.6161. dominos.com
Downtown Barbecue
610 3rd St., Santa Rosa. 707.843.4830. downtownbarbecue.co
Fogbelt Brewing Company Healdsburg
410 Hudson St., Healdsburg. 707.473.8532. fogbeltbrewing.com
Forge Pizza
155 Gasser Dr., Ste. B, Napa. 925.927.3394. theforgepizza.com
Fox Pizza
158 Crescent Rd., Corte Madera. 925.212.3466. foxpizzamarin.com
Gabacool Provisions
4927 Sonoma Hwy., Santa Rosa. 845.800.3552. gabacoolprovisions.com
Homerun Pizza & Sports Bar
484 Larkfield Center, Santa Rosa. 707.527.6600. homerunpizzalarkfield.com
KIN
740 McClelland Dr., Windsor. 707.837.7546. kinwindsor.com
L’Oro di Napoli
629 4th St., Santa Rosa. 707.541.6394. lorodinapolisantarosa.com
Mama J’s
10101 Main St., Penngrove. 707.664.1515. eatatmamajs.com
Mary’s Pizza Shack
101 Golf Course Dr., Rohnert Park. 707.585.3500
3084 Marlow Rd., Santa Rosa. 707.573.1100
535 Summerfield Rd., Santa Rosa. 707.538.1888
Palisades Eatery
1414 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga. 707.942.9300. palisadeseatery.com
PizzaLeah
9240 Old Redwood Hwy. #116, Windsor. 707.620.0551. pizzaleah.com
Psychic Pie
980 Gravenstein Hwy. S, Sebastopol. 707.827.6032. psychicpie.com
Red Boy Pizza
459 Entrada Dr., Novato. 415.382.7711.
2042B 4th St., San Rafael. (415) 258-0420.
Rocco’s Pizza
711 E. Blithedale Ave., Mill Valley. 415.388-4444. roccospizzamillvalley.com
Salt & Stone
9900 Sonoma Hwy., Kenwood. 707.833.6326. saltstonekenwood.com
Slow Co. Pizza
8197 La Plaza, Cotati. 707.796.5124. slowcopizza.com
Sonoma Pizza Co.
6615 Front St., Forestville. 707.820.1031. sonomapizzaco.com
Stonework Pizza & Tap
615 E. Washington St., Petaluma. 707.981.7360. stoneworkpizza.com
The Red Grape
529 First St. W, Sonoma. 707.996.4103. theredgrape.com
The Village Italian Restaurant
1200 Grant Ave., Novato. 415.898.2234. thevillageitalianrestaurant.com
VJB Cellars
60 Shaw Ave., Kenwood. 707.833.2300. vjbcellars.com