We live in a world where most pizza and pasta shops tend to have names like Louie’s and Little Joe’s. The names are old school Italian-American, which is why L’antica Pizzeria Da Michele in Long Beach stands out.
Just saying the name defines Da Michele as a proper taste of the old country. It exudes a place to go for a genuine taste of an Italian backstreet pizza. Da Michele exudes the old country come to America — and it succeeds. Step through the door, and you leave Belmont Shore for a land where pizzas are taken seriously. There’s no pineapple pizza on the menu. That’s for over here, not over there.
The authenticity of L’antica begins with its name, which does not follow in the form of a Mario’s and a Domenico’s. This is a pizza chain with roots that go back to 1870, when it was founded by Michele Conduro in Naples.
The original location has been described as a “sacred temple of pizza.” And for the past century and a half, it’s spread from Naples to New York, Santa Barbara, Hollywood and, most recently, to Belmont Shore, where it sits in a spacious location at the western edge of 2nd Street, just at the cusp of the Shore and Long Beach proper.
Meatballs with tomato sauce at L’antica Pizzeria Da Michele in Long Beach (Photo by Merrill Shindler)
Zucchini flowers at L’antica Pizzeria Da Michele in Long Beach (Photo by Merrill Shindler)
This emblem is part of the decor at L’antica Pizzeria Da Michele in Long Beach. (Photo by Merrill Shindler)
The pizza oven at L’antica Pizzeria Da Michele in Long Beach is a work of art — and also turns out some pretty tasty pizzas, says restaurant critic Merrill Shindler. (Photo by Merrill Shindler)
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Meatballs with tomato sauce at L’antica Pizzeria Da Michele in Long Beach (Photo by Merrill Shindler)
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Pizza is actually a small part of the menu, though undeniably a dominant one; there’s hardly a table in the space that isn’t consuming a pie. In a city of SoCal-style pies running amuck at Spago and California Pizza Kitchen, and pies with sweet fruit toppings most everywhere, L’antica is admirably old school. There are just eight pies — all available in one size, with not a topping here that would lift an eyebrow over there. This is not the land of anchovies and pineapple.
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Instead, the cheese runs to pecorino, parmigiano, fior di latte and burrata. Added to that is tomato, basil, oregano, garlic, arugula, prosciutto, black olives, ham, artichokes and mushrooms. For those of us accustomed to pizzas that push the edge with peanut butter, figs, green peas and pickled jalapeños, french fries and kale, these classics come as a breath of simplicity. L’antica makes old school turn into new school all over again.
And though the pizzas may dominate the menu, they’re far from all there is. The appetizers are an essential part of the L’antica experience. The menu features some of the best fritto misto in town — a plate of properly crispy calamari, shrimp, zucchini and sliced fennel with a middling zippy arrabbiata sauce. There are irresistible tempura-battered zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta cheese, with a side of roasted tomatoes and burrata cheese. Mozzarella arrives covered with breadcrumbs, oregano and pecorino and fried till crispy. The meatballs are a meal in and of themselves. Take them home for later.
House-made spaghetti with its topping of pecorino cheese and black pepper — cacio e pepe — can be amended with truffles for $25 extra. But I’d rather spend the money on french fries with shaved black truffles and parmigiano, which seems like an indulgence on top of an indulgence.
The menu also features entrées of salmon and asparagus, branzino alla griglia, chicken scaloppina with lemon, and a steak with green peppercorn sauce. Tempting. But I’d rather give my attention to the pizzas, which are about as good as any in town.
There’s also, for the record, a lunch and brunch menu served daily, running to salads, a breakfast croissant, avocado toast, spaghetti carbonara, spaghetti la limone, and two eggs any style with bacon or sausage.
The lunchtime sandwich of prosciutto and burrata on housemade focaccia is hard to resist. But then, when I come to one of the landmarks of pizza, with roots stretching back 155 years, my sense of history demands some crust. Perhaps the arugula and prosciutto with double fior di latte cheese. Or the original Margherita, with tomato, fior di latte, pecorino and basil.
I can’t imagine our world without pizza. L’antica reminds us of its roots.
Merrill Shindler is a Los Angeles-based freelance dining critic. Email mreats@aol.com.
L’antica Pizzeria Da Michele
Rating: 3 stars
Address: 4621 E. 2nd St., Long Beach (Belmont Shore)
Information: 562-248-2320; https://damicheleusa.com/belmontshore
Cuisine: The Long Beach branch of a mini-chain of deeply authentic pizza and pasta houses, lifted straight off the streets of Naples, understated and exceptional, with its other outlets in New York, Santa Barbara and Hollywood.
When: Lunch and dinner, every day
Prices: About $60 per person; reservations important
On the menu: 6 Appetizers ($18-$24), 3 Salads ($21), 5 Pastas ($25-$34), 4 Main ($34-$48), 8 Pizzas ($21-$35), 6 Sides ($8-$25); Lunch/brunch: 5 Salads ($16-$18), 6 Entrées (including egg dishes; $12-$28), 3 Panini ($18)
Credit cards: MC, V
What the stars mean: 4 (World class! Worth a trip from anywhere!), 3 (Most excellent, even exceptional. Worth a trip from anywhere in Southern California.), 2 (A good place to go for a meal. Worth a trip from anywhere in the neighborhood.) 1 (If you’re hungry, and it’s nearby, but don’t get stuck in traffic going.) 0 (Honestly, not worth writing about.)
Dining and Cooking