Greer's OC

It's already been a banner year for Angelina’s Pizzeria. It recenlty opened its second location at the Los Olivos Marketplace in Irvine, after opening in Dana Point in 2012--- and it was just nominated "Best Pizza" in the Golden Foodies - People's Choice Awards. It could serve some of the most authentic Pizza Napoletana in OC.

Owner Sandro Nardone left Atina, Italy to open a pizzeria, and along with the Angelina family, they source the best Italian ingredients, along with a hand built Stefano Ferrara wood-burning ovens—as premium as you can get. There’s no doubt the pizzas are some of the best in Orange County, and Angelina’s is a chic and intimate spot to go for excellent starters, salads, handmade pastas, from-scratch sauces and delicious desserts.

You can choose from 19 pizzas—both Pizze Bianche (white) and Le Rosse (red) pizzas. Favorites from the menu include Diavola (choice of mild or spicy Napoletana style salame, fior di latte mozzarella, San Marzano DOP pomodoro sauce and fresh basil (pepperoncini oil on spicy); Boscaiola with Napoletana style sausage, mushrooms, fior di latte mozzarella, fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil; and the Melanzane E Scamorze, with eggplant, smoked mozzarella di bufala, San Marzano DOP pomodoro sauce, extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil; and Capricciosa with artichokes, Gaeta olives, mushrooms, Prosciutto Di Parma, fior di latte mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil.

Other dishes we loved include the Ravioli Mimosa, house made ravioli stuffed with fresh ricotta cheese and spinach sauteed with baked ham in DOP San Marzano pomodoro sauce and cream; the Golosa salad with chopped Romaine hearts, red onion, tricolore bell peppers, artichoke hearts, pumpkin seeds, Fontina cheese and mustard lemon dressing; and the Di Biete salad with roasted purple organic beets, wild arugula, asiago, toasted walnuts and red wine and lemon vinaigrettes.

Save room for dessert! You won’t want to pass up on the Pizza Con Nutella, pizza topped with Nutella, pears and cinnamon, or banana and strawberries, with vanilla gelato; or Angelina’s Tiramisu.

Open 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
8573 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine. 949.536.5200.

Open 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
32860 Pacific Coast Highway in Dana Point. 949.429.1102.