Whenever I try a new food spot that is connected with a specific culture, I can’t help but compare it to my travel experiences. I try not to judge it too harshly, it’s hard to compare a lunch you eat while on vacation to one while you’re salty back home. Doppio Zero in Huntington Beach, CA was one of those places that brought me back to my travels in Italy, somewhat from the food but moreso because of the owner (who is from Rome)
There is something about this place that is indescribably Italian. It may have been the music playing, the style in which the “pizza by the slice” was presented, or the charm of the restaurants owner; either way I was reminded of the times I found myself in little pizza shops traveling through Italy. The smell of baked dough mixed with espresso was most definitely inviting and a welcome side dish to the scent of downtown H.B.’s salt water scent. There were plenty of restaurants to choose from, most being pretty generic, but there is a certain charm here that is unlike many pizza places I’ve been to. Almost all the pizza around here is baked in a circle, I assumed that it was how it was always done until I went to Italy; where the pizza take aways would serve slices by weight and cut into squares. Suffice it to say, because of Doppio Zero, my world expanded past the propaganda of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” & that accursed “liberal” media that kept pushing the agenda of round pizza.
If you ever decide to break the shackles of conventional thought and what “The Man” tells you, this would be a great place to grab a slice and enjoy the beach (you are no longer a slave to those damn round slice conspiracy theorists).
She was wrapping presents for her son on the side table and talked to me about her family. When I found out she was from Rome, she asked about my experiences there and I was quickly rushed back to the drunken nights I spent at “Campo Di Fiori” & the free concerts they used to have in the summer time at the Coliseum. You may find a blog post about that later, but until then, I would tell you to come to Doppio Zero and enjoy the pizza.
Try the sandwiches too, but get something that is a little more classically Italian in nature (like a meatball sandwich).
-Vy
221 Main St, Huntington Beach, CA 92648