Mercer Island gets a new pizzeria this summer when Mioposto will open their fourth location in 10 years. It’s the first location on the Eastside, where they will be serving their wood-fired pies daily.

The classic Italian-style pizzas at Mioposto are reason enough to get excited about the opening. Rather than following Vera Pizza Napoletana (VPN) certification guidelines like some other pizzerias, such as Tutta Bella, Mioposto utilizes Italian philosophy in that they source only local and domestic olive oils, tomatoes and other ingredients, served simple and fresh. As owner Jeremy Hardy said, the goal here is “getting out of the way and letting the ingredients self-present.”

Mioposto’s offerings aren’t limited to pizza, however. Here, the wood oven doesn’t only inspire the food, it defines it, and that doesn’t mean they only offer heavy meals. The Tuscan and southern Italian influenced menu also includes side dishes on the lighter side with offerings like roasted chickpeas, wood-fired zucchini, and calamari in Puttanesca sauce.

We can count on the same stellar beverage program, barrel-aged cocktails and smoky creations like the Fire and Ice, a Woodinville Rye cocktail with smoked sweet vermouth ice cube that makes for a modern twist on a Manhattan. They’ll also be pouring their proprietary limoncello, which is literally house-made, the result of countless hours of scraping lemons and experimenting with flavor and texture.

“Chief Food Officer” and owner Tiah Hardy said she’s most excited about this location’s weekend brunch, especially in such a family-friendly setting. They’ll hit the ground running serving Caffe Vita espresso starting at 10am, just in time for a leisurely cappuccino or breakfast pizza.

So, what’s different about this location? For one, Mioposto Mercer Island will be the first in a new building. Rather than keeping the 1920s feel of their other pizzerias, the team enlisted local architect Graham Baba, who also worked on Chophouse Row, Westward, and Revel, for “a nod more toward mid-century modern.” Jeremy said they plan to maintain the intimate feel: “When we grow up, we want to be a little restaurant.”

The space will encompass 2,300 square feet overall, with interior seating of 60 people and a small space for visitors to comfortably wait when needed. Along with the new space, Mioposto promises 20 seats of outdoor dining, with the possibility of a fireplace for cooler months.

The new space will present new challenges in the kitchen, as well. Though the same oven is used in each location, Tiah explained, “each oven has a personality of its own” and behaves slightly differently according to its environment. For this, they’ll enlist “Oven Whisperer” Jayme Carranza, who serves as Executive Chef and tests the recipes in each location and makes adjustments according to unique temperature and timing needs.

The Mioposto team actually set their sights on Mercer Island eight years ago when deciding where to open their second location, and they are thrilled to finally open their fourth here. As Jeremy said, they “feel really thankful and really excited to become part of the community.”

Mioposto on Mercer Island will be located at 2601 76th Ave SE. To learn more about Mioposto, visit: www.miopostopizza.com

Photos by Sarah Flotard: www.sarahflotard.com