June’s Pizza, a no-frills concept by Craig Murli, got its start by slinging dough out of a shipping container in Oakland, California during the pandemic. In 2021, the cult-favorite pop-up—which famously serves only two pizzas, a margarita and daily special—was forced to close after a failure to file proper permits. Alex Spatzier architects helped revive the long-awaited return of the restaurant, and in true Murli style, it’s unconventional.

Located in an industrial building in West Oakland, the brick-and-mortar location lightens an otherwise cold, heavy building with warm materials, skylights, and a sparse build-out. Where the design is centralized is where the magic happens: the kitchen.

The architects reimagine the kitchen as both a factory line and a stage making the kitchen’s work—from fermenting dough and rolling it out to topping and cooking it—the central stage of the pizza place. Set beneath the ceiling’s exposed rafters and pipes, the kitchen and counter run along the length of the space where the architects’ interventions are located. Like a pavilion within the building, the open kitchen’s tiled walls and glossy canopy swoop out to reveal the cooks at work.

All seating points toward this white box, namely at the plywood counter. From this neutral base, the yellow-tiled oven lies at the heart, merging the industrial style with warmth and color. The burst of color draws the eye to the true heart of the kitchen process, the brick oven, and what the guests at June’s Pizza have been lining up outside to try.