Five days after opening, Sonoma Pizza Co. already was one of the most popular spots in west Sonoma County, and for good reason.
The open, airy restaurant in downtown Forestville brings much-needed casual, family-friendly dining to the sleepy town and its surroundings, and the pizza is excellent. It’s been a work in progress for more than a year, but it opened in early June with wood-fired and traditionally baked pizzas dressed with traditional and not-so-traditional toppings.
All pizzas run around 12 inches, meaning you’ll likely want two. Traditional Neapolitan-style wood-oven pizzas keep it super-simple with Margherita ($21) that has just San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, olive oil and sea salt. Make it “extra” with a bit of buffalo mozzarella on top ($23), or get back to basics with the plain marinara ($18) that’s nothing but tomatoes, garlic and Calabrian chile, sea salt and olive oil. These blistery pizzas barely kiss the ovens for 90 seconds but get a nice little char.
The signature pizzas are made with long-fermented dough and cooked in pizza ovens for a puffy crust and thin bottom. The thin crusts mean the toppings stay light, letting flavors shine through instead of gloopy pan-slides of destruction, even with more loaded pizzas, like the Mushroom Mycopia ($23) topped with St. Jorge cream, mushrooms, mozzarella, cheese, spring onions and chimichurri.
We also love that dips are part of the pizza party, with homemade ranch, green goddess, almond tahini, onion and sour cream or chile oil ready to douse your slice with. You also can grab some tasty tapas before the main course. The Burrata & Beets ($18) is a stunner with soft, creamy burrata, roasted beets, tart strawberries, pistachios, puffed barley and a honey-sumac vinaigrette. It’s a beauty.
Overall, it’s worth a trip to Forestville for this breezy, modern restaurant. Vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options are available. Reservations are highly recommended. Open 4 – 9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. 6615 Front St., Forestville, 707-820-1031, sonomapizzaco.com