Famed NYC pizzaiolo Anthony Mangieri shocked the foodie world last summer when he closed his cult East Village shop Una Pizza Napoletana (where plain pies fetched $21) and announced he was heading to San Francisco. The Buzz recently caught up with the laser-focused Mangieri, just as he’s about to reopen a 2.0 version of Una Pizza Napoletana in SoMa, to talk about everything from making the perfect pizza dough to mountain biking.

Zagat Buzz: Much has been made of your decision to leave New York City. With so much said about the rivalry between New York and San Francisco, what motivated you to move to SF?

Anthony Mangieri: Mountain biking. Seriously, I love the outdoors. San Francisco is the coolest city I’ve ever seen. I can enjoy the best burritos and coffee in town one minute, and then in 10 minutes, be in the Marin Headlands.

ZB: The field for Neapolitan pizza is getting awfully crowded in the Bay Area. How are your pies at Una Pizza Napoletana going to stack up against the new competitors?

AM: Well, I’ve been meaning to come out here for a long time. I guess you could say that the timing took too long. But, look, I started this whole wacky frenzy [about Neapolitan pizza]. All those other guys know that. Everyone who’s planning on opening a Neapolitan pizzeria has been to my place in NYC to check it out. I’ve tried the pizza at some of the new places out here. It’s all good and it’s all different. But I’ve been making pizza since I was 15 years old. I started Una Pizza Napoletana in 1996 when no one else was doing it. I’m not doing this because it’s trendy or to make money.

ZB: What’s the secret to your pizza?

AM: Nobody makes dough like I do. It’s just flour – it’s got no yeast in it. I make a starter the day before, and then I let it rise naturally. That builds a depth of flavor that’s key. It’s kind of like a sourdough in that respect. Once I make it, I keep it going for about two days, never in a refrigerator. The other factor is knowing how to work the oven. Each pizza cooks in about 60 seconds. I’m using the same oven that I had in NYC, which was handmade and shipped from Naples. It comes from the town where my wife’s grandmother lived. That’s pretty cool. This time around, I had the guys in Italy tile the front for me.

[Watch a video of Mangieri making one of his pizzas from start to finish.]

ZB: We hear that you’re the only person who gets to make the pizza, that you can make three at a time and that you won’t be serving anything other than four kinds of pizza (white, pizza sauce, pizza and cheese, and filetti with cherry tomatoes). Would offering a little antipasti or salad kill you?

AM: Look, I mostly only eat veggies. I drink tons of juice. Sure, I could throw together a salad and charge a lot of money for it. I could have a bar that serves drinks. I’d probably make more money too. But it’s just not what it’s all about. I’m not a chef, I’m a pizza maker. People come in to eat pizza. It’s always been about that. I really want to stick with the plan. I’m not trying to make people angry. I don’t want to have customers starving while they wait – I understand that. I want to be able to give customer good service. Giovanni Pagano from Esca is putting together a nice wine list of small producers from Campagna. And we’ll be offering Californian beer – because it’s just better out here. People can have their table for as long as they like. I’ve always been just about making the pizza.

ZB: Ok, so the menu sounds a little stark. What’s the space going to be like?

AM: It’s going to have a similar style as the New York one did but more airy. The ceilings are 22 feet high, and there are two skylights. The storefront has huge 20-ft.-tall windows with a huge double door. It’s kind of a combination of industrial and European. There will be lots of white ceramic tile, a marble counter and a cool metal railing. It’ll be walk-in only and have about 32 seats.

ZB: What else appeals to you about San Francisco?

AM: I love the access to the outdoors. Also I love that this town seems to support independent folks just doing their own thing. Business-wise, you still see a lot of cool, very personal ventures thriving, like old picture-framers in the Mission and all those original movie theaters in Marin. You don’t see that anywhere else anymore.

ZB: Eat anywhere good lately?

AM: Well, my wife’s from Italy so when I’m not working, we like to just cook at home. But in San Francisco, I like Delfina, A16. I love everything at Fish (in Sausalito.) And I eat a lot of burritos out.

Una Pizza Napoletana; 210 11th St.; 415-861-3444; slated to open September 8; Wednesday–Saturday, 5–10 or 11 PM.

– Meesha Halm