Hot Italian (pizza, salad, weekend brunch), Emeryville Public Market - any reports?

[hhc]

Read some reviews on Yelp, what do the Hounds think of Hot Italian in Emeryville?

Hot Italian
Public Market
5959 Shellmound St, Emeryville
510-922-1369
Website:
http://www.hotitalian.net/

[UglyPlate]

Replying to a year-old post...

Tried it. Really liked it. I had the same "Belluci" pie Robert Lauriston did. Mozzarella, fresh ricotta, sausage.

I didn't think the ricotta added much, but the pizza was still good. I liked the chili oil provided on the table.

This won't become my cornerstone pizza place, but I'll keep it in mind for the future--maybe after a movie at Bay Street.

[Robert Lauriston]

Out of curiosity, I tried the panino version of the #11 Ligabue (pesto, mozzarella, pinenuts,
Pecorino Romano, tomato, greens, $9 vs. $14 for the pizza). Seemed like basically the same as the pizza but folded over and presumably with less toppings, so maybe twice as much bread as a typical panino. Very tasty but I'll stick with the pizza.

[ML8000]

On a related note, how did the renovation/remodel of Emeryville Public Market turn out? I heard it was an improvement but not much more.

[Robert Lauriston]

The food court? Looks the same to me. They're still working on some other parts of the building.

[ML8000]

Thanks. I heard they made improvements to the food court. The only thing I noticed a few months back were better tables and seats.

[Robert Lauriston]

I tried an 01 Bellucci with housemade fennel sausage, mozzarella, and dollops of fresh ricotta cheese. A little chewier than Neapolitan style, a little thicker and not as crisp or dark as Roman, very Italian flavors, definitely similar to some pizzas I've had in more northern parts of Italy. Great addition to the neighborhood, worth a detour if you like pizza the way they do it in Italy, thought not as close to my own personal taste as Bao'Necci.

It's not in the food court, it's a separate space off the parking lot, next to Peet's. Large space.

[Melanie Wong]

Glad to hear that Hot Italian has translated well to Emeryville. Does this location sell bicycles as well?

[Robert Lauriston]

They have a few bicycles hanging up but I thought they were decoration. Somebody came in and asked if they would be showing some bicycle race, the answer was yes.

[Melanie Wong]

Haven't been to Emeryville yet, but here's my report on the Sacramento location for reference. It's good and does feel like being in Italy.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/797534