Today is the opening for Austin’s newest food truck: Neapolitan Express Pizza. First opened in New York City to rave reviews in 2013, the Austin location is its first venture outside NYC.
The mobile pizzeria is notable not only for their delicious pizzas, but also because their trucks are powered with renewable energy (natural gas). In Austin, Clean Energy Fuels Corp. — the largest producer, marketer, and distributor of natural gas as a vehicle fuel in North America — will provide its Redeem™ brand of RNG to power the trucks. RNG is methane that is naturally generated by the decomposition of organic waste. From an environmental standpoint, fueling each truck with RNG is the equivalent of removing 200 vehicles emitting harmful greenhouse gases off the road.
Last night I got to try out their authentic Neapolitan pizza, which uses only organic, non-GMO ingredients including Caputo 00 flour imported from Italy and San Marzano tomatoes. There are also vegan options using Daiya cheese, and a pizza with a gluten-free crust. Nea pizzas are made-to-order on their unique electric ovens, which reach 900 degrees with zero emissions. The combination of highly trained pizza makers and technological innovation gives customers a tasty, authentic pizza in 60 seconds.
So what was my verdict? Two thumbs up. I chowed down on the Margherita, and my favorite part about it was the sauce. It was incredibly fresh, and the rich, ripe taste of the tomatoes came through loud and clear. The other I tried was the A Diavolo, which features spicy Sopressata Salami and Mike’s Hot Honey, along with your choice of traditional or Italian jalapenos. Even without the peppers, the pie was definitely very spicy. All the ingredients are very high quality, and I really loved the crust: perfect New York style, soft but not soggy and crispy on the crust edges.
And oh, yeah, don’t miss their dessert pizza. It uses the same wonderful crust, with Nutella and sliced almonds inside, topped with powdered sugar. Addictive.
Oh, yeah, and they’re open until 3 a.m. on the weekends, so it’s the perfect spot to get your late-night munchie fix.
“Austin is a natural fit to be the next home of Neapolitan Express. Our concept is simple: good food made by a good, socially conscious, forward-thinking company. We are excited to bring this great city the best authentic Neapolitan pizza they have ever tasted,” said Chris Abbruzzese, partner at Neapolitan Express.
Open seven days a week, Neapolitan Express’ two trucks will be located in downtown Austin at Third and Congress and at Fifth and Colorado. Both locations will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Wednesday, and from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. For more information on Neapolitan Express, please visit neapolitanexpress.com or follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @neaexpress.
