At Showtime Pizzeria in Aptos, it’s less about “lights, camera, action” and more about reasonably priced, delicious pizza and other Italian favorites.
They are open seven days a week from 11am-8:30pm (8pm on Sundays). Van Luna, who grew up in Aptos, started there as a silent partner 12 years ago and has been the primary owner for the last three. It’s a totally family-run business—Luna’s son, two uncles, two brothers, and two cousins all help him run the place. He recently spoke to GT about Showtime’s showstopping and savory menu.
What makes your pizzas distinctive, and what are a couple of your house specialties?
VAN LUNA: For one, our fresh produce and meats, all of which are bought locally. I also think what separates us is how fresh our dough is. We handmake it fresh once a day and sometimes twice a day. We’re known for our thin-crust New York-style pizza, but we also serve a deep dish. One really popular option is our pesto and ricotta cheese pizza. A lot of places only use pesto, but we get a lot of positive feedback from guests about the combination with the ricotta cheese. One of our most unique offerings is the chorizo, cilantro, jalapeño, and onion pizza. It’s kind of a pizza with a Mexican twist; people love that it’s something they’ve never had before. It’s definitely a crowd pleaser. Guests often come to our restaurant just to try it.
What are some of your best non-pizza items?
We make a great Corralitos sausage sandwich with locally sourced cheesy Bavarian jalapeño sausage. It comes with onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, and mozzarella cheese on a white roll from a local bakery. Our lasagna is also really delicious. It has a lot of fresh local produce—tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms. It comes with ground beef, ricotta cheese, and a layer of pesto. It’s a hearty portion; it’s layered pretty thick, and people really love the fresh taste. One of our house-specialty pasta dishes is our fettuccine with creamy pesto. Our pesto is pretty traditional but has a few secret family recipe ingredients added. The dish has a little cream, as well as artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and bacon, and guests can add chicken too, if they like.
7960 Soquel Dr. Suite E, Aptos. 831-662-3362, showtimepizzeria.com.
