Featuring pizza in a blended style of homemade Italian meets Mexican, The Originals Pizza is led by head chef and co-owner Israel Arroyo. His path to pizza prominence began at 16, baking at home with his mom, his hobby evolving to passion as he fell in love with combining his Mexican food skillset with Italian-style pizza.
After owning two pizzerias in Mexico, he wanted a pizza joint here and made that dream a reality by opening The Originals in May 2025. Offering indoor/outdoor dining and take-out, Arroyo says his restaurant’s ambiance mixes Italian and Mexican vibes just like his pizzas, adding a modern touch and welcoming home-like feel.
The signature pie offering is the Mexican Style with a refried bean base instead of traditional tomato sauce, then topped with chorizo, red onion, jalapeño and cilantro. The Maui Munch is also mack-worthy, combining ham, pineapple, cherries and cream cheese and the Pacific Prawns is another outside-the-box offering. They also have more traditional pizzas, all utilizing a made-in-house daily Mexican-spiced dough that is thin and crisp. Non-pizza picks abound too, like pasta options of buffalo chicken alfredo, veggie primavera and spaghetti with meatballs, as well as calzones and salads.
Describe your inspo for opening The Originals.
ISRAEL ARROYO: Having tried pizza both in Mexico and here in America, I felt the need to introduce Mexican customers to Italian-style pizza, and that is why I opened pizzerias in Mexico. Down there, I felt like I was offering pizzas that no one else was, like pesto and spinach/artichoke. I got really good feedback from guests, and became inspired to then offer Mexican-style pizzas but in American instead, coming full circle. The experience I gained in Mexico really inspired me to come up with and offer unique pizzas here in America that blend Italian and Mexican styles and ingredients.
What has been the reaction to your food?
I have gotten really good feedback from our guests since we opened, with many customers raving, especially about the unique Mexican approach I have. They often comment on how much they enjoy our unique style pizzas that they can’t find anywhere else. And we are always open-minded, I love to listen to our customers and become inspired by their requests, and really love to try new things and push the boundaries of pizza.
2623 41st Avenue, Soquel, 831-888-6993
