MASSIMO’S NAPLES PIZZA E. VINO

By John Grossi

Photos by Monique Kuhlman

The sign on the window, just to the right of where Michael’s on Naples Ristorante once stood, says: Massimo’s Naples Pizza E Vino. Founded in 2026 by Massimo Aronne, the long-time GM and managing partner of Michael’s, the intimate 26-seat, elevated Italian pizzeria is Massimo’s first foray into owning his own restaurant.

If ever there was a place in Long Beach to try Neapolitan-style pizza, a style originated in Naples, Italy, it would be Massimo’s.

Born in the Italian city of Naples, Massimo began making this trademark pizza with its crispy crust and wet center at his parents’ restaurant by age 11. At the time, he never realized that decades later he would introduce Southern California to Neapolitan-style pizza at the iconic Michael’s restaurant in Naples, Long Beach, a neighborhood located half-way around the world named after his hometown.

His Own Restaurant: A Lifetime In The Making

Owner: Massimo Aronne

As a young boy, Massimo remembers going daily to his parents’ restaurant in Liguria, Italy, after school and helping wherever he was needed. He started by washing dishes, and when old enough, learning to skin fish. Eventually he began cooking and making pizzas. One fateful night, when he was a teen, Massimo’s mother needed his help in the “front of the house,” serving dishes. From that night forward, she never let Massimo go back to the kitchen; and the many patrons who met him as GM at Michael’s know why. His charming patience and engaging nature make each patron feel as if theirs is the only table in the restaurant. Massimo's gift, as he puts it, is that he "genuinely enjoys people."

After attending school for restaurant and hotel management, Massimo interned at the Grand Hotel San Remo, where he became a sommelier. He then traveled throughout Italy, France, Germany, and Switzerland, gaining experience in fine hotels and restaurants. Eventually, he moved to New York City where he managed several notable restaurants, including Pappardella, a celebrity hotspot on the Upper West Side. There, as GM, he routinely attended A-Listers like Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Judy Dench, Dustin Hoffman, and many more. When Massimo married in 2006, he and his wife agreed they would have to leave NYC to start a family. On a trip visiting friends out west, they found themselves strolling the Naples peninsula. The beautiful sunny March weather, in contrast to the freezing temperatures they had just left in NYC, convinced them that Long Beach would be the perfect place for them to settle down. In 2007, they moved to Long Beach, where their daughter was born and Massimo was hired by Michael Dene to help create, open, and manage Dene’s vision of bringing a world class Italian Ristorante to Long Beach.  

Within two years, Michael’s on Naples was rated the best restaurant in the nation by Zagat, which led to an onslaught of celebrity visits similar to what Massimo was accustomed to in NYC. Everyone from Al Gore to Jeff Bezos dined at Michael’s to experience the new and trendy Neapolitan cuisine, the farm-to-table fine dining and the incredible wine list that Massimo had curated.

The Michael’s Restaurant Group, owned by Michael Dene and managed by Massimo Aronne, grew steadily over the course of a decade with concepts like Michael’s Pizzeria, Working Class Kitchen, and Chianina Steakhouse, until the COVID pandemic landscape changed their course. Their flagship concept Michael’s on Naples remained a popular destination until Michael Dene was ready to retire and sold it to a different restaurant group in 2025.

Massimo’s Naples

Today, on 2nd Street in Naples (Long Beach) near San Remo Drive, the Naples (Italy) native and San Remo-trained sommelier, Massimo serves Naples-style pizza (along with a small menu of appetizers, salads, pastas, calzones, and desserts) paired with Italian wines. For the first time since he was a boy, Massimo is cooking in the “back of the house” during the day, before opening the small restaurant’s doors at 4pm and welcoming customers in the “front of the house” just like he has for decades. Massimo’s story has come more full-circle than a Naples Canal! Though he’s still getting used to seeing his own name on the restaurant, Massimo’s handprints have been shaping Long Beach’s food and wine culture since 2007.

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Massimo's Naples

5616 East 2nd Street | Long Beach, CA 90803

(562) 306-5121 | massimosnaples.com

(Reservations strongly encouraged)