Anna’s Pizza Joint in Belmont Shore has officially opened, making it the newest addition to Long Beach’s wildly growing pizza game. (And fresh on the heels of East Long Beach’s newest restaurant, Mooney’s Pizza Tavern, over near Los Alamitos.)
When it comes to Long Beach, pizza shops tend to carry stories with them. It can be 4th Horseman’s metal and craft beer roots. Or Pizza Parlor’s search for the perfect dough in a side of town lacking local options. Or how Due Fiori’s pizza is really an extension of a pizza lover’s pop-up a la Chef Waldo Stout…
For Curtis Fullerton, the opening of Anna’s Pizza Joint in Belmont Shore is the culmination of a vision that began two decades ago. And, like many Long Beach stories, it begins near the ocean.
Anna’s Pizza Joint stems from the dream of oceanside slices.
Curtis traces the idea back roughly 20 years, when a visit to the rightfully lauded Pizza Port in San Diego sparked something.
“I went there and thought, ‘I want to open a pizza concept,’” Curtis said. “Growing up as a surfer kid here in SoCal, I always wanted something with a beachy vibe.”
At the time, the idea was little more than a dream. Curtis would go on to build Anna’s Joint in Downtown Long Beach, but the idea of a pizza-focused concept never left his mind. That opportunity finally arrived when the Belmont Shore space that would become Anna’s Pizza Joint unexpectedly opened up—or, as Curtis says, “fell into his lap.”
The bones of a restaurant were already there: counters, service areas, equipment. Rather than starting from scratch, Fullerton focused on what he jokingly calls “heavy lipstick”—refreshing the space while building the elements needed for a pizza operation.
That meant installing a pizza oven, building out a dough room, and preparing to make dough entirely in-house.
From Las Vegas to Long Beach: How Chef Adam Crisafulli became the culinary heart of Anna’s Pizza Joint
To bring the pizza program to life, Curtis partnered with Chef Adam Crisafulli. The gregarious, afable, loving San Pedro native has a culinary background that shares an unexpected connection with Curtis’s own: Both attended the same culinary school in San Francisco, graduating just a year apart.
For Chef Adam, the kitchen isn’t just a workplace. It’s the culmination of decades in the culinary world—from Las Vegas hotels to corporate restaurant groups—all now distilled into something much more personal: a neighborhood pizza shop.
“This is home, this is my heart,” Chef Adam said, pointing to a table where an array of pizzas, chicken cutlet sandwiches, farro salad, caprese salad, and cold-cut stuffed in between garlic bread slices. “I’ve got a lot of multi-unit experience but this? This is the fun stuff. Still, every day is a learning experience. I can’t nor will I forget that.”
35 recipes later, a dough arrives…
The pies at Anna’s Pizza Joint are genuinely solid. Marvellously crispy. Terrifically thin. And that shows through its history: Chef Adam estimates he and the team tested roughly 35 different dough variations before landing on the final recipe.
The result is a hybrid dough built from multiple flours: high-gluten flour for stretch and structure. Caputo flour for softness. Fine-milled semolina for crispness. The dough also includes a small amount of sourdough starter, adding complexity without making the crust overtly sour. The result is a dough that is used on everything from pizza to sandwiches to garlic knots.
The same goes for the tomatoes for their sauce. After eight varieties—including Bianco—they landed on Alta Cucina, a brand that picks across a less extensive part of the year to give what Chef Adam calls a richer, more concentrated flavor.
“I’m big on salty, sweet, acidic flavor balances,” Chef Adam said. “Crunchy, soft—you want everything in one bite.”
This shows up in the wonderful “Vespa” sandwich, a mortadella-and-soppresata layered wonder is stuffed with Parmesan pâté, roasted peppers, toasted pistachios for crunch, and pepperoncini for brightness.
And do not skip their wine program…
While the food may grab your attention at Anna’s Pizza Joint, the wine program quietly reveals another layer of intention behind the space. Thanks to general manager and beverage director Steve Williams, the space has a wine list designed to welcome every kind of drinker—whether they’re a seasoned collector reaching for a Barolo or a younger guest exploring natural and orange wines.
For Steve, the goal isn’t simply stocking bottles. It’s creating an experience that pairs thoughtfully with the food.
“I want people to know there’s a lot of effort behind it,” Steve said. “It might feel casual, but it’s very intentional… Our house Chianti [from Lucignano] is incredible with anything with red sauce. And I know our Barolo [from Fratelli Revello at $76 per bottle] is an expensive bottle, and people might think I am pitching it for just that, but it would be amazing the vodka sauce, pesto, and nduja pizza [known as ‘Da Green Bird’].”
It is wonderfully reminiscent of how Massimo Aronne handled pizza and wine pairings at Michael’s on Naples—which he now happily does at his much-loved spot, Massimo’s. In other words, it is awesome.
Pizza that speaks Long Beach thanks to local collaborations and community roots
Curtis and Chef Adam are also leaning into Long Beach partnerships, keen on the idea that teamwork makes the dream work. Their house beer? From Long Beach Beer Lab, same as their downtown market.
Their frozen custard? From Long Beach’s own Seaside Creamery, an underrated gem of a space (that happens to be opening a second location in the former Hug Life space on 4th Street by CoffeeDrunk).
The artwork, where surfboards are fronted with a mini-mural? They’re by Long Beach artist Jeff McMillian, whom you might know for everything from local art shows to collaborations with Long Beach Walls to work for RVCA and other major brands.
A look into the food of Anna’s Pizza Joint…
With everything made in-house—from the chili oil on the table to the pesto to the stellar vodka sauce—Anna’s Pizza Joint is all about straightforwardness and quality.
Caprese: campari tomato | burrata | balsamic drizzle | fresh basil | EVOO | garlic pizza bread
Loaded Antipasto Farro: baby arugula | fresh mozzarella | castelvetrano olives | celery root | farro | soppressata pepperoni | toasted pepitas | shaved fennel | herbed vinaigrette
Jus Wing It: choice of garlic lemon pepper | garlic buffalo hot honey | gochujang honey butter [pictured] | chipotle adobo | choice of blue cheese or ranch
Crispy Chicken Cutlet: mozzarella | provolone | vodka sauce | micro basil
Vespa: mortadella | soppressata | parmesan pâté | roasted peppers | toasted pistachios | basil | EVOO
Meatball Sub: house-made meatball | marinara | mozzarella | provolone blend
Da’ Green Bird: vodka sauce | mozzarella | provolone | nduja | shaved parm | pesto drizzle
Truffle Shuffle: roasted mushrooms | braised kale | mozzarella | provolone blend | creamy onion garlic sauce | truffle oil drizzle | crispy speck
Ricky Roni: cup ’n char pepperoni | mozzarella | provolone | red sauce | hot honey | whipped ricotta
Surf Ranch: mozzarella | provolone | red sauce | house-pickled jalapeño | bacon | roasted chicken | buttermilk ranch spiral | grated parm | green onion
Anna’s Joint is located at 5315 E. 2nd St.
