Dino Bugica spent more than ten years in Italy learning butchery and cucina povera before he opened Diavola in a brick storefront at 21021 Geyserville Avenue in July 2008. The room is narrow and loud, built around a wood-fired oven at the back and a salumi case he cures himself up front. Order the Diavola pizza, blistered dough under spicy Calabrian n'duja, arugula and Stracchino, with a board of his house-cured lardo alongside. Most plates run $18 to $24, and a full meal with wine lands around $25 to $45 a head.
The Kitchen
Bugica apprenticed with butchers and cooks across Italy who taught him to waste nothing, and he built Diavola as a salumeria first and a pizzeria second. He cures the salumi on site: finocchiona, soppressata, coppa, and the lardo he shaves onto hot pizza so it melts on the way to the table. That curing program is the thing that separates Diavola from every other pizza place in the county.
The wood oven runs hot enough to char a crust in about ninety seconds, which is why the Diavola pizza, topped with n'duja, arugula and Stracchino, arrives blistered and a little wild at the edges. Beyond pizza, Bugica roasts meats in the same oven and turns out handmade pasta and panini at lunch. Pizzas sit around $18 to $24, salumi boards a touch more, and dinner with a bottle from the Alexander Valley vineyards a few minutes north runs $25 to $45 a person. Diavola has held its corner of Geyserville Avenue since July 2008, outlasting flashier Sonoma County openings, and now carries a Michelin Guide listing for the work coming out of that oven.
The Room
Diavola is a single narrow brick space, twenty-odd tables packed close, the salumi case at the door and the oven glowing at the back. It is loud in the good way: conversation has to lift over the clatter, and on a Friday the small bar fills with locals waiting on a table. Lighting is warm and low, the floors are worn wood, and there is no dress code beyond whatever you wore to the tasting rooms that afternoon. Seating is tight and the tables are small. Come early or expect a wait, because Diavola takes only a few bookings and the regulars know it.
Best for Team Dinner
Book Diavola for a team dinner because the format does the work for you. The menu is built to share: salumi boards, a run of wood-fired pizzas down the middle of the table, roasted meats and a few pastas, so a group of eight orders wide and passes everything around. The noise level means nobody has to whisper through the work talk, and the Alexander Valley list keeps the bill sane for a crowd. Picture a long table of ten after a day in the Geyserville tasting rooms, three pizzas deep, a board of Bugica's coppa going around, and a magnum of Zinfandel from up the road. For more group rooms, see our Sonoma dining guide.
Not for a quiet conversation or a slow tasting-menu night. The room is loud, the tables sit close together, and the kitchen moves fast; this is a bustling pizzeria, not a hushed dining room.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Diavola worth it?
Yes, for the best wood-fired pizza and charcuterie in northern Sonoma County. Dino Bugica cures his own salumi on site and runs an oven hot enough to blister a crust in ninety seconds, which is why the Diavola pizza and the lardo boards have kept the room full since 2008. It is a casual, loud pizzeria rather than a special-occasion dining room, so come for the food and the energy, not for hush.
How hard is it to get a table at Diavola?
Moderately hard on weekend evenings. Diavola takes a limited number of reservations and holds back tables for walk-ins, so a Friday or Saturday at 7pm can mean a wait at the small bar. Weekday lunches and early evenings are easy. Book ahead if you have a group, and aim for before 6:30pm if you want to skip the line. See our Sonoma dining guide for nearby alternatives.
What should I order at Diavola?
Order the Diavola pizza, the namesake pie topped with spicy Calabrian n'duja, arugula and Stracchino, and a board of Bugica's house-cured salumi with the shaved lardo. Add a roasted meat from the wood oven if you are hungry, and a bottle from the Alexander Valley list. At lunch the panini and handmade pastas are the move. Most plates land between $18 and $24.
Is Diavola good for groups?
Yes. The shared format, the loud room and the wide menu make Diavola one of the better group tables in Sonoma County. A party of eight to ten can order salumi boards, a stack of pizzas, roasted meats and pasta and pass it all around. Reserve ahead for larger parties, since the room is small and books up on weekends. It suits a team dinner or a birthday far better than an intimate meal.