Campania Pizza opens second branch in Southlake with wood-burning oven

by Teresa Gubbins , Chad Jones

The oven is hot. Do not touch the oven.

SOUTHLAKE — Campania first opened in Dallas in August 2005, in a narrow storefront in the West Village, with just a few tables and a BYOB policy; but it stood out because it brought an authentic Italian-style pizza Dallas hadn't seen. The owners brought pizzaoli from Italy to show how it's done. Business was so good that the restaurant eventually expanded into the storefront next door.

In February 2008, Campania opened a second branch in Southlake. The techniques, ingredients, and recipes for the pizza haven't changed; there is still the "four seasons" pizza divided into four segments with four toppings, and so on. Like the original, this Southlake branch is built from raw materials imported from Italy, including the mosaic tile that lines the interior.

The similarities end there. This spinoff, situated in Southlake's hip Town Square complex, has exploded, with 6,000 square feet, a full bar, and rooftop patio. More importantly, it has a wood-burning oven that burns at 800 to 900 degrees, the ideal temperature for a pizza to bake quickly and achieve a crisp-yet-chewy crust.

The staff includes manager Maurizio Primo and co-owner Jay Jerrier, who became a disciple after enjoying the pizza at the original branch in Dallas.

The 3-minute video below sneaks into the kitchen where its eyelashes nearly get burned off by the wood-burning oven, and its stomach growls while watching a pizza being made.

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