Napa Valley is known around the world for its wine.
But good wine tastes even better with good food, and downtown Napa seems to have magnetic qualities when it comes to attracting good chefs. Wander around this walkable city, and it won’t take long to realize downtown Napa knows how to eat well.
And with Ca’Momi Osteria's authentic Italian, life just got even tastier.
Ca'Momi Osteria's certified authentic Neapolitan pizza — Photo courtesy of Ca'Momi Osteria
Located on First Street in the heart of downtown Napa, Ca’Momi Osteria has made itself comfortable in its new home, a 125-year-old building that has served the neighborhood through the years as a blacksmith, 5 & 10 and wine tasting room.
The renovated space relied heavily on local artisans, who turned to rustic reclaimed wood and distressed repurposed steel to create its new look. With just under 100 indoor seats, the restaurant is warm and inviting.
Ca’Momi Osteria serves what it calls “heartcrafted,” authentic, traditional Italian cuisine. The menu is divided into Italian courses many diners will find recognizable: Antipasti, Primi, Pizze, Zuppe, Secondi, Contorni and Pane.
Using regional Italian recipes, known ingredients combine to create dishes new to diners. House-pulled burrata is a regular on a number of Napa restaurant menus, but at Ca’Momi Osteria, along with being served with schiacciata all’olio or Tuscan flat bread, it’s accompanied by wood-oven roasted vegetables.
The Osteria is a creation of the same team that ran Ca’Momi Enoteca, an Italian-style wine bar in Napa’s Oxbow Public Market.
The eatery has a strict organic policy. Ca’Momi Osteria farms two gardens, almost three acres of land on the west side of Napa, along with a plot near Oxbow Public Market. Additional ingredients include California-grown organic fruits and vegetables, locally sourced meats and authentic products from Italy.
The detailed, but still easy-to-read menu, offers a number of gluten-free and vegetarian dishes and, in many cases, indicates the region where the recipes originate.
Pizza has a starring role at Ca’Momi Osteria. The open-style pizza kitchen means you can watch as pizza magic is made using an Acunto Napoli wood-burning oven imported from Italy. On the menu, there are more than a dozen possibilities to choose from.
Using a handmade organic crust; organic San Marzano D.O.P. crushed tomatoes; and house-pulled, organic Fior di Latte mozzarella, the pizzas cook for 90 seconds in a 900-degree wood-burning oven. The pizzas are VPN (Verace Pizza Napoletana) and APN (Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani) certified Napoletana pizza, which is a wordy way of saying Ca’Momi Osteria makes authentic and delicious pizza.
In keeping with tradition, you won’t find condiments like chili flakes and parmesan on the pizza. There are also no non-alcoholic American beverages, or sodas, on the menu. But with a nice selection of local and Italian wine, beer and cocktails, the chances of missing anything are deliciously slim.
Open daily, Ca’Momi Osteria is the perfect spot for lunch or dinner, after wandering and wine tasting in downtown Napa. Late night service is available on Friday and Saturday until at least midnight. Walk-in diners are welcome, but reservations aren’t a bad idea.
Parking in nearby free city lots is easy, and watching the sunset from the nearby Napa River will inspire you to plan another Napa Valley getaway.