Ambrogio15

Ambrogio15 is an authentic Milanese pizzeria that recently opened in North Pacific Beach. Ambrogio is the name of a patron saint of Milan while the number 15 represents the pizza diameter. We were invited to attend their soft opening weekend.

The restaurant is tastefully decorated in Milano style, and even the lights and pizza oven were imported from Italy! In combination with the food, that's an amazing show of pride and love of your hometown. The three main waiters were actually the three owners, Giacomo Pizzigoni, Andrea Burrone and Luca Salvi. By interacting with the customers, they were able to answer questions, provide recommendations, and receive direct feedback.

There's a large selection of pizzas, foccia, salads, meats, cheeses, specialty wines and a few craft beers. You'll see these letters DOP by some items which means it's authentic, i.e. you can't label something unless it is from a particular region or area. These are specially imported items! 

The foccia section had two styles available, a thicker version with toppings or a thinner crunchier stuffed version, so we decided to try one of both. The first to come out was the Nuvola Gamberetti e Burrata, basically a two inch focaccia bread topped with perfectly poached shrimp and unadultered burrata! Even though the toasty bread had a nice bite and firmness, it still felt too carby with this ingredient combo. We'd recommend sharing when ordering the thick bread style.

Next was the Scrocchiarella Vegetariana and seriously, the crust was GOLD. We especially loved the way it was perfectly salted with a little bit of crunch! This vegetarian option contained fresh zucchini, tomatoes and eggplant but we're sure the meat one would be just as excellent! Simple and light, we could imagine this as a sandwich appetizer! This one disappeared very quickly.

Of course, we couldn't leave without trying one of the Milano style pizzas. This one was the Hannibal Lector, the meatiest item on the list.

Closeup shot! The thin crust was well salted plus had enough substance to hold up the abundance of toppings. Our favorite part was the surprising kick of the spicy salami and that tasty thin imported prosciutto. The only downside was the overall saltiness due to the meats.

We could see the oven action through the open serving window! That's some thick bread!

We also shared a bottle of white wine, a lesser known variety chosen by Giacoma himself. This Ruanello Bianco was refreshing with a fruity taste that was easy on the palate.

The tiramisu was ordered as our standard Italian dessert. Served in a cup, this was more airy and whipped and we dug into the bottom for the treasure trove of expresso chocolate.

We also wanted something different so went with the Cioccolatina. This chocolate cake is Giacomo's own recipe and he seemed really proud. This cake was delicious and we decided it paired really well with the previous item!

Ambrogio15 has a 45 person max capacity and was filled up completely by the time we finished our meal. The noise level is decent where you can still hear your table well but not the table next to you due to ambient sounds. The only confusing part was the parking lot, which is shared with some neighboring businesses that had reserved spots. Most likely, you would need to find street parking. Foodwise, the prices are a little higher but there are some real gems to be found here! Jinxi and San Diego Food also visited for their soft opening.

Disclaimer: We were invited to dine here and our meal was complimentary. We were not otherwise compensated and all opinions stated are our own.