Very important pizza news, everyone: Jon Darsky's first brick-and-mortar pizza restaurant, modeled after his hugely successful mobile operation of the same name, Del Popolo, will open to the public on Tuesday, November 17 at 855 Bush Street, just in time to mess with your pre-holiday diets.

The place has been about five years in the making, ever since Darsky left his duties as pizzaiolo in the kitchen at Flour + Water and initially aimed to open a restaurant in the Mission. He scrapped that plan in favor of launching the Del Popolo truck in 2012, which featured a tricked out shipping container aboard a flatbed, one wall made of glass, with a full-sized, wood-fired pizza oven from Naples on board.

Del Popolo's pizza has consistently appeared among the ranks of the city's best pizza ever since, and now finally Darsky is getting to give us a full restaurant experience, starters, wine, and all. The menu will feature six to ten starters and small plates daily, as well as a changing selection of five to seven pizzas with seasonal toppings.

“My hope," he says, "is to create and present an updated, California-ized version of the Italian-American pizzeria that many of us have enjoyed over the years." He adds that the dishes on the rotating menu "will offer comfort and accessibility while not necessarily feeling familiar."

Also notable, Darsky will use a natural fermentation process for all the pizza dough, and that attention to natural fermentation will extend to the beer and wine program as well. "Relying on factory-produced yeast leads to a degree of sameness throughout pizzerias and bakeries, which is something we want to avoid," says Darsky. "The same is true for our wine programs... Our choices will be driven by selections that are naturally fermented in ways that produce character." With that in mind, Del Popolo is partnering with Oakland’s Ordinaire Wine Shop & Wine Bar to help curate the beverage list.

And though the restaurant will primarily be for walk-ins, they're doing limited reservations for parties of four to six. Larger parties should email the manager at [email protected].

Del Popolo, the Restaurant

Opening Menu

Small Plates

Arugula & frisée with toasted almonds & pecorino $10
Yellow Finn potatoes with salsa rosa & green garlic $8
Broccoli roasted in the wood oven with black olives & bufala ricotta salata $11
Fuyu persimmon & chicories with pistachios, mint & yogurt $11
Fritto misto of rock cod & lemons with pickled winter squash & aioli $12
Monterey bay squid with chili, fennel & castelvetrano olives $12
Prosciutto di San Daniele with ricotta & pickled ramps $13
Pork rillettes with toast & an herb salad $12

Pizza

Marinara
Margherita
Kale, chanterelle mushroom, mascarpone & ricotta
Cauliflower, mozzarella, Calabrian chili & mint
Tomato sauce, montecato, capers & dried black olive
Spinach, mozzarella, housemade coppa & pecorino
Pizza Arrabiata

Del Popolo - 855 Bush Street between Mason and Taylor - 415.589.7940 - Open Tuesday - Thursday, and Sunday 5.30pm - 10pm; Friday - Saturday 5.30pm - 11pm. Closed Monday.

Previously: Del Popolo Pizza Truck Goes Brick And Mortar On Nob Hill