Guantonios Wood Fired — Restaurant in Lodi

Guantonios IS Lodi's premier dining experience.

It isn't just that the food is consistently excellent, with an ever evolving menu that highlights seasonal, local produce. Nor is it just the ever-present, attentive service that accompanies your experience, or the unassuming appearance of the restaurant and the general atmosphere therein.

It is the ceaseless execution of all those things in tandem on a daily basis which nudges this restaurant out beyond the pack. But there is something even further which makes Guantonios a truly rare and transcendent gem: it is secretly fine dining, with all the performative stuffiness and pretense stripped away. There are No Reservations (literally), they are only open 4 days a week, and the cozy space tucked on the edge of the surrounding neighborhoods has limited seating, but the wait is worth it.

Pizza is seldom thought of as fine dining, but it would be hard to call this pizza anything else. A beautiful thin crust with good stretch and chew, perfect for folding if you so please, is given a nice contrast by the occasional charred spots on the bottom. The bitterness imbued by the wood fired brick oven is a core part of the kaleidoscope of flavors the pizza here has.

In terms of seasonality, the recent spate of stone fruit dishes has really put a bow on the blissful essence of summer for myself. The Stone Fruit Caesar was a perfectly unexpected marriage of tart and tangy dressing with subtly sweet chunks of fruit. This was (of course) followed by the Mortadella and Nectarine pizza. In truth, I'm a sucker for pistachios, but I do believe this pizza has put to rest the argument over fruit as a topping: it belongs.

There are also numerous menu staples which are hard to break away from once you've had them, but I would urge you to try something seasonal when you can; nothing here seems to ever miss the mark.

Ultimately, Guantonios isn't trying to compete with anything or anyone else, and it isn't concerned with being anything but itself, and that IS really where the magic... is. This understated genuineness that bleeds through everything is truly a breath of...

GuanTonio’s is not your average neighborhood pizzeria. It’s the kind of place where tradition flirts with invention, and the result is something truly special — especially in the summer. From the moment you sit down and glance at the menu, it’s clear that this is a place where ingredients are treated with reverence and creativity runs high. Let’s talk about that wine list. It’s refreshingly eclectic — the kind of curation that invites you to stray from your usual picks. Expect a global roster of bottles that pair surprisingly well with wood-fired crusts and seasonal toppings. From crisp orange wines to funky reds and coastal whites, the selection is both playful and serious, perfect for both oenophiles and the simply wine-curious. Now, the food — where summer truly sings. One standout: the Mortadella Pizza with Peaches. It’s a revelation. Thin-sliced mortadella (tender and delicate), fresh summer peaches (sweet and juicy), red onion, molten fresh mozzarella, and a final flourish of crushed pistachio — all atop a blistered, slightly chewy crust. It’s balanced, unexpected, and wildly satisfying. Sweet, salty, creamy, crunchy — it hits every note. Salads here are not filler. They’re bright, seasonal, and textural. Think bitter greens with citrus, or heirloom tomatoes dressed just enough to let their summer ripeness shine. Perfect counterpoints to the richness of the pizzas. And the cannolis? Don’t leave without one (or three). Crispy shells, luxuriously smooth ricotta filling, and just the right kiss of sweetness — they might just steal the show if you’re not careful. GuanTonio’s is what happens when a modern kitchen respects its roots but isn’t afraid to push the boundaries. If you’re looking for something that tastes like summer but feels entirely fresh, this...

This is the best pizza west of Naples, Italy. As of right now they are open 5-8 pm from Wednesday - Saturday. That is only 12 hours a week.

What they are doing is giving you the very best quality they can. It’s quality not quantity. Do you really want to go to a place that cranks out 100’s of pizzas or lovingly makes just a few!

I am a foodie that will make a recipe 25-50 different ways until I reach Nirvana - a state of perfect happiness. I have studied the style of pizza making that Guantonio’s does with a starter yeast and it’s not easy to do. It is also very labor intensive and time consuming.

He doesn’t even use a commercial mixer. Instead he goes old school and kneads each individual pizza dough by hand. That my friends is the very best way to do it. You see the blender will over activate the enzymes and you will have a bland pizza. But if you use a starter yeast and knead it by hand the enzymes eat themselves until the dough is perfect in three days. This three day germination rate makes an awesome pizza. If you can’t instantly tell the quality you’ve been eating delivery pizza for way too long.

They should charge double the price for their pizza. The owner is a true artist. He should brand his pizza crust with a hot iron that has his signature on it….. so he can “sign” his works of art.

The owners are kind and personable. The wait staff are courteous, knowledgeable, and accommodating. If you traveling California for interesting places to see or do than you must stop and enjoy their pizza. You won’t be...