Where the style comes from
Neapolitan pizza comes from Naples, in southern Italy, where it grew up as quick, affordable food baked in very hot wood-burning ovens. The classic versions are famously simple. The marinara is tomato, garlic, oregano and olive oil. The Margherita adds fresh mozzarella and basil.
What makes the style recognizable is less about toppings and more about the crust and the bake.
The dough
Neapolitan-style dough is soft and stretched by hand rather than rolled, which keeps air in the rim. The result is a thin, tender center and a raised edge (the cornicione in Italian) that puffs up in the heat.
At Franka, every pizza starts with handcrafted dough that is hand-stretched right in front of you, so you can watch your pizza take shape before it goes into the fire. To us, honest food means no shortcuts, and dough is where shortcuts show first.
The fire
A wood-fired oven gets far hotter than a home oven, and the floor, the dome and the open flame all cook the pizza at once. The heat sets the crust fast and leaves leopard spots, the small charred blisters on the rim. It also gives that light, smoky wood-fired flavor that a gas or electric deck oven does not.
Because the fire is so hot, the pizza is ready fast. At Franka, a pizza is typically ready about 5 to 10 minutes after you order it.
The toppings
In the Neapolitan tradition, less is more. A thin layer of tomato, fresh mozzarella and a few well-chosen ingredients let the crust stay light and the center stay soft. Load on too much and the middle turns soggy.
Our Margherita is the purest example on our menu: san marzano tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. We also use the wood fire for pizzas the Neapolitans never imagined, like the Thai Chicken with peanut sauce and the Butter Chicken with our signature sauce. The method stays the same; the toppings reflect our kitchen.
How to eat it
A Neapolitan-style pizza is softer in the middle than a cracker-thin or tavern-cut pie, and that is intended. Eat it fresh from the oven, when the rim is crisp and the center is tender. Fold a slice if you like, or use a knife and fork the way it is often eaten in Naples.
Our pizzas come in two sizes, 10" for one and 14" to share, with gluten-free crust available for $2 more (we are not a gluten-free kitchen). When you dine in, you can change or add toppings on any pizza.
Common questions about the style
Is a soft center undercooked? No. The middle of a Neapolitan-style pizza is meant to be tender while the rim is crisp and airy; the short, very hot bake is what creates that contrast. If you prefer more crunch, eat it right away while the crust is at its best.
Why do some spots look charred? Those dark blisters on the rim are a sign of a real wood fire. They add a toasty, slightly smoky flavor and are part of what people mean when they talk about "wood-fired flavor."
Does Neapolitan mean only Margherita? Not at all. The tradition defines the dough and the bake; the toppings can change. That is why our menu runs from Cheese and Pepperoni to Pancetta with thyme cream, Truffle Mushroom with local wild mushrooms, and a Taco Pizza.
Try it yourself
Order a Margherita and one creative pizza side by side and taste the difference the fire makes. You will find us at 12695 University Ave Suite 100 in Clive, on the west side of the Des Moines metro, with lunch from 11am every day and dinner until 9pm Monday through Saturday (7pm Sunday). Browse every pie on our wood-fired pizza page.