Portland pair open “Pizza Luna,” a new eastside Tucson pizza concept

Now that Cup It Up has packed it up from the space at 1101 N. Wilmot Rd., #119, a pair of Portland entrepreneurs has taken over with their new pizza concept Pizza Luna.

Cup It Up’s aluminum-heavy interior is gone, replaced with warm woods, ambient lighting, and cute little potted cacti.

Co-owners and operators Tracy and Marc Frankel also run Lovejoy Bakers and Pizzicato Pizza in Portland with 18 locations. Their recent move to Tucson was originally intended to be semi-retirement, however.

“My wife is so mad at me,” Marc said in a press release. “But I can’t sit still.”

“We have created an institution with Pizzicato up in Portland,” Tracy said. “Marc decided to start a new brand so he could have more latitude with the menu and style of the pizzas.”

Pizza Luna describes their pizza as Neo Neapolitan, thin crust pies that combine baking science, curated ingredients, and honed technique. The dough is cold-fermented for three days and baked at a high temperature with a focus on local and premium ingredients. 12-inch pizzas start at $10.25, while 16-inch pizzas start at $17.

Toppings are unusually gourmet with options such as finocchiona, pancetta lardons, house-made cumin lamb and pork fennel sausages sausage, Humboldt Farm goat cheese, and fior de latte.

The menu also features pizzas by the slice at lunch, rotating appetizers, and seasonal salads.

As an introduction to the neighborhood, Pizza Luna will offer a lunch special that includes a plate-covering slice and salad for $8.25.

Grimaldi’s Pizzeria fans are also in luck — Pizza Luna hired two chefs from Tucson’s recently closed Grimaldi’s.

“My cousin lives right across the street from the original Grimaldi’s in Brooklyn,” Marc said in a press release. “I’ve been there many times and I knew these were the right guys for me.”

Pizza Luna is located at 1101 N. Wilmot Rd., #119. Operating hours are 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Monday, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday. For more information, call (520) 344-7637 or visit pizza-luna.com.