The Flour + Water Hospitality Group is expanding into the East Bay with the opening of Flour + Water Pizza Shop on January 22 in Oakland’s Northlake District. The eatery will be its first East Bay restaurant, located on the corner of 24th and Harrison Street.
Flour + Water Chefs Introduce Their West Coast Pizza Style in Oakland
The concept of West Coast pizza came from co-chefs Thomas McNaughton and Ryan Pollnow in Flour + Water Pizzeria in the North Beach neighborhood. The restaurant opened in June 2023 and has since earned multiple industry accolades. The Oakland location will be the second standalone eatery of the Flour + Water team. Working with chef de cuisine Elliott Armstrong, McNaughton and Pollnow blend influences from Neapolitan and New York-style pizza. This emerging West Coast style focuses on conscious sourcing, slow-fermented dough, and pizzas baked longer at lower temperatures, often in electric deck ovens.
The new location has a centralized dough production, which is made of organic grains from Central Milling and a poolish pre-ferment. The dough is kept to cold-ferment for many days before it is stretched and topped.
Restaurant to Offer Dough, Slices, and Oakland Specials
The pizzas at Flour + Water Pizza Shop are baked in PizzaMaster electric deck ovens, resulting in a slightly charred crust with a firm structure. Some of the highlights include Burrata with garlic, oregano, chili, lemon oil, and Sicilian dried tomatoes; The Conrad with taleggio, fresh mozzarella, mushrooms, kale, red onion, and roasted garlic; and the Cacio e Pepe white pie with pecorino crema.
The restaurant also offers Sicilian-style, gluten-free, square-crust pizza for a pie and rotating ‘Big Slice’ square option for guests who wish to take the food on the go. Besides pizza, the restaurant offers salads and antipasti like Ricotta Meatballs, Mozz Sticks, and The Chop.
The team has also crafted Oakland-exclusive dry-fried chicken wings as a nod to the neighborhood. The wings are seasoned with Oaktown Spice Co.’s Grand Lake Shake and green sauce inspired by the East Bay. In addition to drinks, the spot offers Double8 Dairy soft-serve in flavors like salted caramel and Fior di latte with customizable toppings.
The beverage program is created by director Sam Bogue, which includes beer, non-alcoholic sections, and wine. Some of the highlights are Lambrusco Slushie, a frozen take on Italian wine, and “Dough Boy” Kölsch, brewed with Oakland’s Temescal Brewing.
Eatery Design Puts the Kitchen Front and Center
Partnering with architect Gavin Knowles of Knowles Architect and construction company Cookline, the Flour+ Water Pizza Shop spans 2,000 square feet. The layout features a 14-seat communal table at the center and 19 counter seats along the floor-to-ceiling windows. The restaurant also offers patio seating with two-top tables along 24th and Harrison.
The interior is decked in green accent walls, another with pizza boxes on display, and an abstract mural of dough in motion. The eatery uses climate-friendly materials like recycled brick tiles from East Bay, which are made from recycled paper and resins. They are used in dining counters, the communal table, and retail counters.
With its Oakland opening, Flour + Water Pizza Shop brings its acclaimed West Coast pizza style to the East Bay, combining thoughtful design and sustainable materials.
