Sal's Pizzeria appears to be plotting a second Mission Viejo outpost, with a proposed restaurant project identified at 27680 Marguerite Parkway, Suite A. No opening date has been confirmed for the new site, and little else about it has been made public so far.
A Filing Points to Marguerite Parkway
The proposed location surfaced in an Orange County plan-review filing that identifies a Sal's Pizzeria restaurant project at that Marguerite Parkway address, according to WhatNow. The project is described as moving through the county's review process, though the report does not specify where that process currently stands or offer a timeline for construction. Orange County's Food Facility Plan Check & Construction program reviews plans for all new and remodeled food facilities in the county to make sure they are built to applicable requirements, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency.
Beyond the address itself, the report notes there is no confirmed opening date or further detail available yet for the Marguerite Parkway project. It is also not yet clear whether the new site will offer the same pickup, delivery, catering and online ordering options that the company's existing locations provide.
A Family Pizzeria With Roots in a Father-in-Law's Recipe
Sal's Pizzeria was founded by Matt Darienzo, who named the business after his father-in-law, Sal, whose pizza he reportedly loved so much that it inspired the venture. Per the company's website, Sal had distributed Italian food products for more than 50 years before the pizzeria carrying his name came along. The chain has grown from there, and according to its own site, the company has also opened a third location in the District at Tustin.
At the core of the menu are three principal pizza styles: New York, Sicilian and Grandma. The New York-style pies come with thin crusts, per the company, while the Sicilian pies carry thicker crusts made with traditional red sauce. The Grandma pie is where accounts diverge a bit: the company describes it as a thick crust finished with a secret sauce rather than classic pizza sauce, while WhatNow describes it as a square-cut pie with a medium crust and sauce placed over the cheese. Either way, the pie reportedly also comes with breadcrumbs and onions as part of the build.
Scratch Dough and a Menu Beyond the Pizza Box
The pizzeria's approach centers on made-from-scratch dough that proofs overnight, along with sauces made in-house using California tomatoes and fresh ingredients, per the company's own description of its process. The menu stretches well past pizza, too, with pasta, sandwiches, salads, garlic knots and other Italian dishes rounding things out. Catering services and online ordering are also listed among the offerings, and the company's existing locations offer pickup and delivery.
Mission Viejo already has a taste of what Sal's does: the existing location on the second floor of the Kaleidoscope Mall, next to the Regal Edwards theater, has specialized in New York- and Sicilian-style pizza since opening its doors there in October 2020. A Foothill Ranch location that was up and running by July 2019 also served the Grandma pie alongside thin-crust slices, according to OC Weekly, which listed that shop's hours as opening daily at 11 a.m. with closing times ranging from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. depending on the day. For now, Mission Viejo pizza fans will have to wait for more word on when, or in what form, the Marguerite Parkway location opens its doors.
