Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

New York water in Coronado pizza

Village Pizzeria ships in New York water for pies made in Coronado

The New Yorker Pizza with water from New York City.
The New Yorker Pizza with water from New York City.
Place

Village Pizzeria

1206 Orange Avenue, 4, Coronado

“It’s a huge expense financially and environmentally it’s a disaster, but nine out of 10 people prefer it,” says David Spatafore, owner of two Village Pizzerias in Coronado.

The “it” he is referring to, is the decision to make all the pizzas using only water that he’s had shipped from New York, something he’s been doing shortly after opening the first pizzeria on Orange Avenue in 2002.

“The whole thing started when I was talking with the kitchen manager and two other employees about the pizza, bialys and bagels from New York,” says Spatafore, a lifelong resident of Coronado. “They said the baked goods were better there because of the water.”

David Spatafore, owner of two Village Pizzerias in Coronado, has 3,000 gallons of New York water shipped to him every year.

In order to — pardon the pun — test the waters, Spatafore asked an employee with relatives in New York to send out some water from the Big Apple for a taste test.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“We did a blind taste test and nine out of 10 people picked the pizza made with New York water,” Spatafore says. “I don’t know how to explain the difference. Maybe it had an earthier crust, with more crunch.”

In an effort to make more dough, Spatafore started having gallons of water shipped to him from New York.

Since the opening of the second Village Pizzeria in Ferry Landing in 2007, Spatafore estimates he purchases more than 3,000 gallons of New York City water per year. It breaks down to about 48 gallons a week during the slower months and up to 90 gallons a week during the peak summer season.

Garlic knots made with New York water

“The shipping is quite a nightmare and is ridiculously expensive,” Spatafore admits “We’ve arranged for the water to be uploaded from New York to Ontario by train for storage, and we receive shipments as needed.”

Whether its the water or the real estate, Village Pizzeria’s pies aren’t cheap. Prices range from $9.99 10-inch cheese pizza up to $49.99 for a 28-inch pie with multiple ingredients.

But, to paraphrase Cervantes, the proof of the pizza may be in the eating.

Pizza is a subjective thing, but Village Pizzeria does have a nicely crispy crust that goes especially well with their roasted veggie pizza called The Hippie, and the New Yorker, a delicious blend of salami, sausage, red pepper and garlic.

The dough is also used to great effect in the garlic knots and the Zeppoli, which is deep-fried pieces of dough covered with powdered sugar and served with caramel and chocolate sauces for dipping.

Because Coronado gets a decent chunk of San Diego’s tourist dollar, it could be argued that Spatafore is making the pizzas better than is necessary.

Of course, make that argument to Spatafore at your own risk.

“The biggest insult anyone could make to me is to call it a tourist trap,” he says. “There are tourists here, but they’re the whipped cream of Coronado. You can’t build a business on them alone.”

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Melissa Etheridge, The Imaginary Amazon

Events April 1-April 3, 2024
The New Yorker Pizza with water from New York City.
The New Yorker Pizza with water from New York City.
Place

Village Pizzeria

1206 Orange Avenue, 4, Coronado

“It’s a huge expense financially and environmentally it’s a disaster, but nine out of 10 people prefer it,” says David Spatafore, owner of two Village Pizzerias in Coronado.

The “it” he is referring to, is the decision to make all the pizzas using only water that he’s had shipped from New York, something he’s been doing shortly after opening the first pizzeria on Orange Avenue in 2002.

“The whole thing started when I was talking with the kitchen manager and two other employees about the pizza, bialys and bagels from New York,” says Spatafore, a lifelong resident of Coronado. “They said the baked goods were better there because of the water.”

David Spatafore, owner of two Village Pizzerias in Coronado, has 3,000 gallons of New York water shipped to him every year.

In order to — pardon the pun — test the waters, Spatafore asked an employee with relatives in New York to send out some water from the Big Apple for a taste test.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“We did a blind taste test and nine out of 10 people picked the pizza made with New York water,” Spatafore says. “I don’t know how to explain the difference. Maybe it had an earthier crust, with more crunch.”

In an effort to make more dough, Spatafore started having gallons of water shipped to him from New York.

Since the opening of the second Village Pizzeria in Ferry Landing in 2007, Spatafore estimates he purchases more than 3,000 gallons of New York City water per year. It breaks down to about 48 gallons a week during the slower months and up to 90 gallons a week during the peak summer season.

Garlic knots made with New York water

“The shipping is quite a nightmare and is ridiculously expensive,” Spatafore admits “We’ve arranged for the water to be uploaded from New York to Ontario by train for storage, and we receive shipments as needed.”

Whether its the water or the real estate, Village Pizzeria’s pies aren’t cheap. Prices range from $9.99 10-inch cheese pizza up to $49.99 for a 28-inch pie with multiple ingredients.

But, to paraphrase Cervantes, the proof of the pizza may be in the eating.

Pizza is a subjective thing, but Village Pizzeria does have a nicely crispy crust that goes especially well with their roasted veggie pizza called The Hippie, and the New Yorker, a delicious blend of salami, sausage, red pepper and garlic.

The dough is also used to great effect in the garlic knots and the Zeppoli, which is deep-fried pieces of dough covered with powdered sugar and served with caramel and chocolate sauces for dipping.

Because Coronado gets a decent chunk of San Diego’s tourist dollar, it could be argued that Spatafore is making the pizzas better than is necessary.

Of course, make that argument to Spatafore at your own risk.

“The biggest insult anyone could make to me is to call it a tourist trap,” he says. “There are tourists here, but they’re the whipped cream of Coronado. You can’t build a business on them alone.”

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Melissa Etheridge, The Imaginary Amazon

Events April 1-April 3, 2024
Next Article

Top Websites To Buy Instagram Likes + Bonus Tip!

Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.