A new restaurant that captures the flavors of Southern Italy is now part of Campbell’s bustling downtown district scene.

Doppio Zero, located at 220 E. Campbell Ave. in the heart of downtown, recently opened its doors, offering homemade pasta and wood-fired Neapolitan pizza. The restaurant includes a full bar and indoor and outdoor seating for customers to enjoy dishes, ranging from a nectarine arugula salad to ravioli, under verdant plants and warm lighting.

Angelo Sannino, originally from Naples and co-owner of the restaurant, opened the first Doppio Zero location in Mountain View in 2014. Since then, he and his partner have expanded to five restaurants with other locations in San Francisco, San Carlos, Concord and now, Campbell.

Sannino was drawn to historic downtown Campbell because of its lively atmosphere and mix of retail and restaurants. He signed a 10-year lease, with a five-year extension option. He hopes to introduce Southern Italian dishes to the small West Valley city, including his favorite, marechiaro — a homemade squid ink pasta with jumbo scallops and clams swimming in a light, spicy tomato sauce.

“The key of our restaurant is high-quality ingredients. Mostly all are imported from Italy,” he told San José Spotlight. “(Also) the touch of love for each dish that we make, we do our best to provide this.”

The Italian fare offered at Doppio Zero is a far cry from the location’s predecessor, the quirky candy store chain Rocket Fizz Soda. The candy shop was there for 10 years. It closed in 2021, leaving the storefront on the corner of East Campbell Avenue and South Second Street vacant for roughly three years.

The restaurant adds to Campbell’s recently adopted economic development plan by filling what City Manager Brian Loventhal called a noticeable vacancy. The city has a roughly 7% retail vacancy rate, according to 2023 data.

Additionally, the 4,400 square-foot restaurant could help bring in more sales tax revenue while Campbell fixes a nearly $4 million shortfall. 

Loventhal said new businesses coming into Campbell showcase its downtown’s pull in comparison to neighboring cities. There are roughly 23 restaurants and 27 service and retail businesses in the historic downtown, he said.

“I think people are attracted to the vibrancy (of) downtown, the draw of the population and the customers it brings to those businesses,” Loventhal told San José Spotlight.

Martha de Ojeda, a Campbell native lunching at the restaurant, ordered two dishes: spinach ravioli stuffed with ricotta and portobello mushrooms in a truffle cream sauce and the Doppio Zero pizza topped with burrata and shaved parmesan reggiano cheese, prosciutto and arugula.

She said the restaurant is a welcome addition to downtown and she’ll likely return.

“Rocket Fizz was a very nice, novelty thing to have, (but) Campbell is very much a social, food-driven space and I think adding another option is great,” she told San José Spotlight.

Contact Annalise Freimarck at [email protected] or follow @annalise_ellen on X, formerly known as Twitter.