For a slice in their hands with their feet in the sand, hungry Newport Beach-goers will soon be able to take a five-minute walk to 22nd Street Pizza. Located at 2200 West Oceanfront STE B Space, the eatery is currently under construction on the Balboa Peninsula and will open its doors in an estimated three months.
Previously, co-owner Jerry Marroquin operated North Shore Shave Ice out of the location on the corner of 22nd Street and West Ocean Street. Now, the Newport Beach restaurateur is adapting his business model to meet the snacking needs of the area.
“I have been running a shaved ice place in a location that the pizza place will be taking over. In the front of the building, a bigger shave ice cream place came in,” Marroquin told What Now Los Angeles. “So we thought, why not throw in a pizza place down there? There aren’t a lot of pizza places.”
Co-owners Marroquin and his wife, Laura, also operate Pipeline Snack Shop down the block at 2010 West Oceanfront, which serves burgers and frozen treats, like chocolate-coated bananas and soft-serve ice cream. The fare at 22nd Street Pizza will be different but, like Pipeline, will be produced quickly and efficiently. Using a conveyor belt system, pizza pies will be boxed and ready for a delivery driver or to take out in just ten to fifteen minutes, said Marroquin. For those looking to get out of the pizzeria and onto the beach even faster, pre-made slices will be on display and ready to go.
Available both in-house and to-go, thanks to restrictions loosened by California’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, will be a selection of wines and locally-sourced beers.
While many of 22nd Street’s pizza offerings will be typical—classic cheese and pepperoni pies—Marroquin said customers will have a wide range of topping options. Some specialty pies that have yet to be named, including a pizza topped with pepperoni and New Mexico green chili, will be on the menu. Also on the menu will be chicken wings in four or five different varieties and a number of salad bowls.
Topped with sweets like Nutella and fruit, Marroquin is devising a menu of dessert pizzas for the restaurant’s upcoming opening.
“I have some recipes,” said Marroquin. “It’s hard for me to test everything until we have a kitchen. We just broke ground on construction—it will be at least a couple of months.”
Marroquin hopes to test his recipes and open his doors within three months, before the beachfront influx of spring-breakers. Originally, according to the upcoming eatery’s Facebook page, the restauranteurs planned to open in January of 2021.
