Fox Pizza Novato: What Replaced Dragon Cafe on Alameda del Prado

By Kyle Frazier, JD, CRS, CLHMS · Broker Associate, Compass · DRE #01405738 · Pointe Marin resident · October 28, 2026

When the family behind Dragon Cafe retired in 2025, they had one condition for whoever took over the room at 528 Alameda del Prado. Fox Pizza's owners told the Marin Independent Journal the family "wanted to turn it over to someone who would do something similar."

The people they found were a Corte Madera couple running weekend pizza pop-ups out of portable ovens, who reached them through Facebook. Fox Pizza opened in early August 2026. It is still a small, family-run neighborhood restaurant, and most of what makes it work comes from how small the room is.

What replaced Dragon Cafe on Alameda del Prado?

Fox Pizza replaced Dragon Cafe. The owners started with pop-ups after moving back to the Bay Area from San Diego, keeping their weekday jobs and spending weekends at breweries, farmers markets and private events. When the IJ first profiled them in early 2025, they said they hoped to open a restaurant within 18 months. Catering and pop-up demand grew enough that they went full time, and after a few spaces fell through, they connected with the retiring Dragon Cafe family.

• 2025: Dragon Cafe's owners retire after more than three decades on Alameda del Prado.
• January 2026: Fox Pizza takes over the former Dragon Cafe.
• February 2026: Renovation begins.
• Early August 2026: Fox Pizza opens on a Friday, right around the 18-month goal the owners set in early 2025.

Side note: I first wrote about this room in July, while it was still under construction, in what's opening in Novato this summer. This is the follow-up now that the doors are open.

How does a 20-seat pizzeria run out of 728 square feet?

The owners did not expand the space. They rebuilt it as a casual 20-seat pizzeria and put most of their planning into a kitchen of less than 300 square feet, about 40 percent of the 728-square-foot room. Every station does two jobs. The morning dough station becomes the expediting area during service, and the prep counter becomes the pizza line.

The equipment and the dough schedule follow from that.

• The oven: A three-deck Polin oven imported from Italy runs around 800 degrees in each deck, which lets a 20-seat room keep up with heavy takeout.
• The dough: During the pop-up years, the dough cold-fermented for four to five days in a commissary kitchen. On Alameda del Prado it runs on a same-day schedule, fermenting at room temperature for 28 to 30 hours. The owners describe the result as light, airy and easy to digest.
• The window: A dedicated pickup window handles online orders, so takeout never has to come through the 20 seats.

That is the same math buyers run on a smaller home. You don't get more square feet, so every foot has to do two jobs.

What's on the Fox Pizza menu?

Every pie is 14 inches, served whole and cut into eight pieces. The dough starts from a seven-year-old sourdough starter and organic 00 flour from Central Milling in Petaluma. The IJ described the style as a hybrid of New York and New Haven pizza.

• The base: Bianco DiNapoli organic tomatoes from Northern California, with a blend of high- and low-moisture mozzarella.
• The classics: Cheese, pepperoni, a hot pepperoni with house-pickled jalapeños and hot honey, and an Italian sausage pie with caramelized onions, Wild West Ferments chile paste, pickled goathorn peppers and shaved Parmesan.
• The signature pie: The Tie Dye, red sauce swirled with house-made pistachio pesto after the bake.
• Seasonal pies: These follow what local farms are harvesting. The roasted-corn pie with cotija and cilantro crema and the heirloom-tomato pie with burrata opened in August under different names. As of late October, the online menu lists them as Corn Fed and Cold Marg.
• Starters: Castelvetrano olives marinated with herbs and lemon zest, house focaccia with chilled tomato sauce or pesto, a kale and romaine Caesar with miso-lemon dressing, and an heirloom tomato burrata salad.
• Dessert: From Fire Swamp Provisions, a Novato bakery. The brown butter chocolate chip cookie is on the online menu, and the IJ also reported olive oil cake and celebration cakes at opening.
• To drink: About 12 low-intervention wines from California producers, plus ciders, Northern California beers and non-alcoholic options. The owners pitch the list as an easy first step into natural wine.

I've eaten here, and the pickled veggies and the hot pepperoni were amazing.

As of late October 2026, the online menu lists pies from $20 for a classic cheese to $26 for the seasonal specials. Because the seasonal lineup moves with the farms, check the live menu at foxpizzamarin.com before you order.

How do you order Fox Pizza for pickup without the wait?

Fox Pizza is open Wednesday through Sunday, 4 to 8 p.m., and closed Monday and Tuesday. A few things to know before you go:

• Order early. They sell out, and the restaurant's own site says the small kitchen backs up between 5 and 7 p.m. To guarantee a pickup in that window, schedule the order that morning or the day before.
• Online orders close at 7:45 p.m. Orders run through Fox Pizza's Toast ordering page and come out of the pickup window. The restaurant's site also lists delivery as an option.
• No reservations. Large groups can email the restaurant ahead of time through its site.
• Whole pies only. No slices, and no gluten-free crust at this time.
• Phone: (415) 234-6051.

What else is on this block of Alameda del Prado?

Fox Pizza isn't the only business on this stretch working inside a room someone else built. Here are the addresses in order:

• 225 Alameda del Prado, Perry's Novato. The fourth Perry's opened in May 2022 in the former Wildfox space on the hill above Highway 101, with blue-and-white checked tablecloths and a dog-friendly patio.
• 504 Alameda del Prado, The Speakeasy and The Board Room. The Board Room opened next to The Speakeasy in the Del Prado Shopping Center in 2022. Diners know it for live piano on weekends, the escargot and the lamb shank, and it takes reservations.
• 528 Alameda del Prado, Fox Pizza. The former Dragon Cafe, open since early August 2026.
• 536 Alameda del Prado, Alondra's Flowers. A full-service florist.

Of the three restaurant addresses, two changed hands this decade without a teardown. Perry's moved into Wildfox's building, and Fox Pizza moved into Dragon Cafe's. The third grew by adding a room next to the business that was already there. In each case, the change happened inside an existing building.

Where can you eat nearby on Monday and Tuesday?

Fox Pizza's Wednesday-to-Sunday schedule means Monday and Tuesday dinners need another plan. Perry's, up the hill, and The Speakeasy and The Board Room, a few doors down, both list dinner service on Monday and Tuesday. Around the corner at Pacheco Plaza and along Ignacio Boulevard, you have more choices:

• Boca Pizzeria, 454 Ignacio Blvd
• Taki Japanese Restaurant, 452 Ignacio Blvd
• Active Culture, 464 Ignacio Blvd
• Mamita Cocina Mexicana, 340 Ignacio Blvd

Marin Coffee Roasters at 466 Ignacio Blvd covers the morning end of the day. Hours change, so confirm before you head out.

Why do these small rooms matter if you live nearby?

Here's what I know after twenty-plus years selling homes on this side of Novato: daily life runs on the places within a few minutes of home. 528 Alameda del Prado sits at the base of Pacheco Valle, whose homes are all reached from Alameda del Prado, and a short drive from Pointe Marin, Hamilton Field and Bel Marin Keys. A small independent room that stays a small independent room is one more reason to stay local on a Thursday night instead of driving to downtown Novato. (Hamilton has its own version of this story, in why its best tables are in the old Air Force hangars.)

The Dragon Cafe family wanted to hand the room to someone who would run it the way they had. After more than three decades of Dragon Cafe, 528 Alameda del Prado is again a small restaurant run by one family, with 20 seats and a pickup window.

Want to see the neighborhoods around it from the driver's seat? My driving tours of Pointe Marin and Bel Marin Keys are on YouTube, and the full set is in my video library.

Fox Pizza Novato FAQ

Where is Fox Pizza in Novato?

Fox Pizza is at 528 Alameda del Prado in the Del Prado Shopping Center, in the Ignacio area of south Novato (94949). It is the former Dragon Cafe space, around the corner from Pacheco Plaza on Ignacio Boulevard and at the base of Pacheco Valle. The restaurant's phone number is (415) 234-6051, and its website is foxpizzamarin.com.

What are Fox Pizza's hours?

Fox Pizza is open Wednesday through Sunday from 4 to 8 p.m. and closed Monday and Tuesday, according to the restaurant's website. Online ordering through its Toast page runs until 7:45 p.m. The hours have not changed since opening in August 2026, but check foxpizzamarin.com before a holiday in case the schedule shifts.

What replaced Dragon Cafe on Alameda del Prado?

Fox Pizza replaced Dragon Cafe at 528 Alameda del Prado. The family that ran Dragon Cafe retired in 2025 after more than three decades. Fox Pizza, a sourdough pizza pop-up from a Corte Madera couple, took over the space in January 2026, began renovating in February and opened in early August 2026 as a 20-seat neighborhood pizzeria with a pickup window.

Does Fox Pizza take reservations?

No. Fox Pizza does not take reservations at this time, according to its website. The dining room has about 20 seats, so most weeknight visits are walk-in. For a large group or party, the restaurant asks you to email ahead so it can plan, and it lists that contact on its site. Takeout through the pickup window is the most reliable option on busy nights.

Does Fox Pizza sell slices or gluten-free pizza?

Fox Pizza serves whole 14-inch sourdough pies only, cut into eight pieces, with no slices. Its website says it does not offer gluten-free pizza at this time. Every pie starts from the same naturally leavened dough, so the crust is the constant and the toppings change. Salads and starters such as the Caesar and marinated olives round out the menu.

How do I avoid a long wait for a Fox Pizza pickup order?

Order early, because they sell out. Fox Pizza's own site says its small kitchen backs up during prime dinner hours, and that the way to guarantee a pickup between 5 and 7 p.m. is to schedule the order that morning or the day before. Orders go through the restaurant's Toast page and come out of a dedicated pickup window, so takeout customers skip the dining room.

What style of pizza does Fox Pizza make?

Fox Pizza makes a sourdough hybrid of New York and New Haven styles, as the Marin Independent Journal described it. The dough uses a seven-year-old starter and organic 00 flour from Central Milling in Petaluma, then ferments at room temperature for 28 to 30 hours. Pies bake in a three-deck Italian Polin oven that runs around 800 degrees per deck.

How much does a pizza cost at Fox Pizza?

As of late October 2026, Fox Pizza's online menu lists 14-inch pies from $20 for a classic cheese to $26 for seasonal specials such as the corn and heirloom-tomato pies. The pepperoni and the signature Tie Dye are $22. A kale Caesar is $13 and the brown butter chocolate chip cookie is $6. Prices can change, so check the live menu before ordering.

Is Fox Pizza open on Halloween 2026?

Halloween falls on Saturday, October 31, 2026, which is inside Fox Pizza's regular Wednesday-to-Sunday schedule of 4 to 8 p.m. With 20 seats and heavy takeout demand, the simplest plan for dinner before trick-or-treating is to schedule a pickup that morning or the day before. Check foxpizzamarin.com or the restaurant's Instagram for any holiday changes.

Where can I eat near Fox Pizza on Monday or Tuesday?

Perry's Novato at 225 Alameda del Prado and The Speakeasy and The Board Room at 504 Alameda del Prado both list dinner service on Mondays and Tuesdays. Around the corner on Ignacio Boulevard, Boca Pizzeria, Taki Japanese Restaurant, Active Culture and Mamita Cocina Mexicana give you more options. Confirm hours directly, since they change.

Does Fox Pizza serve wine and beer?

Yes. Fox Pizza pours a list of about 12 low-intervention wines from California producers, along with ciders, Northern California beers and non-alcoholic options. The owners have described the list as an easy introduction to natural wine for people who expect it to taste funky. You can order a glass while you wait for a pie to go.

Does Fox Pizza deliver?

Yes. Fox Pizza's website says customers can order online for pickup or delivery, or call the restaurant for pickup. Its own Toast ordering page is set up for pickup and takes orders until 7:45 p.m. on service nights, so check the website for the current delivery option. For pickup, orders come out of a dedicated window on Alameda del Prado, which keeps takeout traffic out of the 20-seat dining room.

Which Novato neighborhoods are closest to Fox Pizza?

Fox Pizza sits at the base of Pacheco Valle, whose homes are reached from Alameda del Prado, and a few minutes' drive from Pointe Marin, Hamilton Field and Bel Marin Keys on the 94949 side of Novato. The rest of the Ignacio area is close by too. My neighborhood guides cover each of these areas street by street.