More than one year after opening its first location, Truly Pizza, the lauded pizzeria in Dana Point, will open its second location next year in Laguna Beach.
Founded by hospitality veteran Donna Baldwin and chefs John Arena, Chris Decker and Michael Vakneen, the second Truly Pizza will move into the former Number Three Restaurant space on Pacific Coast Highway, located next to Urth Cafe and across the street from the Laguna Art Museum.
The roughly 2,000-square foot restaurant will feature indoor seating and outdoor dining space.
Truly Pizza will once again tap Emmy Award-nominated designers Ted Berner and Dayna Lee of Los Angeles-based Powerstrip Studio, who created the look for Truly Pizza’s inaugural Dana Point location that boasts a white brick facade, a verdant exterior dining space strewn with faux lemon trees, and a sweeping staircase that leads diners to an open-air rooftop deck.
SEE ALSO: Laguna Beach’s Rebel Omakase wins its first Michelin star
“Bringing Truly Pizza to Laguna Beach feels like coming home,” said Truly Pizza co-founder Baldwin, a 20-year Laguna Beach resident, in a written statement. “We believe in creating a space where pizza brings people together, and our new location on PCH is the perfect place to make that happen.”
While still in the early stages of development, Truly Pizza plans its newest eatery sometime in the first half of 2025.
Since opening in June 2023 in Dana Point, Truly Pizza, along with a handful of neighboring restaurants, has helped turn the coastal enclave’s burgeoning Lantern Village neighborhood into a destination spot for the gastronomic sect.
SEE ALSO: This cheese pizza in Dana Point won top honors at an international pizza competition
Award-winning pizzaiolo Chris Decker‘s menu features a list of crispy, airy Neapolitan-inspired pizzas, in both circle and square formats, like crispy pepperoni (studded with cup and char pepperoni, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil and pecorino romano); umami mushroom (smoked mozzarella, marinated roasted mushrooms, toasted sesame oil, sesame seeds, green onion and bonito flakes); and sweet and spicy (fresh and aged mozzarella, soppressata, stracciatella, Mike’s hot honey and fresh basil), to name a few.
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Decker also offers seasonal pizzas, as well as sandwiches, salads (the spangola salad packed with arugula and radicchio is worth a trip alone), an impressive beer and wine menu and soft serve ice cream desserts.
In March of this year, Truly Pizza kitchen manager and chef Sergio Balderas took home top honors at the 2024 International Pizza Expo for his deceptively simple cheese pie.
Truly Pizza’s new arrival will help bolster Laguna Beach’s reputation as a go-to town for the culinary minded; on Aug. 5, Jordan Nakasone’s Rebel Omakase won the city’s first-ever Michelin star restaurant.
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