Best pizza in town?
It’s a bold claim but Pizzilla is possibly one of my favourite places to pick up a pizza. Their takeout runs out of Rosario & Co’s, a coffee shop owned by the Dovercourt Eatery in Fareham on the main road leading into Gosport. There’s space to eat in and plenty of free parking but the majority of customers order a takeaway. If you do it via their website or app you get a hefty discount or you can use Deliveroo or JustEat. For us, it’s certainly worth the drive over from Portsmouth.
Neapolitan-style pizza
Their circles of doughy goodness are Neapolitan-style, a real trend right now, and on first bite it’s clear they only use the best ingredients. Each ball of dough is individually worked, proved and stretched and topped with quality produce. One thing that sets these pizzas apart is the oven in which they are baked. Different types of ovens produce different finishes, even the fuel (gas, electric, wood etc.) makes a difference. The oven at Pizzilla is a beast, a heavy investment but one that has clearly been worth it. You’ll see!
Pizzilla menu
The menu is inventive and features pizzas inspired by their own travels and experiences. There are your classics like pepperoni (The Double Trouble) and margarita (The Classico) and some unique topping combinations like the Queens of Fries (San Marzano tomato base, Fior di latte mozzarella topped with sliced hot dog pieces and topped with crispy French fries and finally finished with our special pink sauce) and the Peaks Pizza (San Marzano tomato base topped with fior di latte mozzarella, caramelised red onions, mini mountains of goats cheese, topped with wild rocket leaves and a balsamic drizzle.) inspired by a recent trip to Snowdonia.
Our favourites
Our favourites include the Truffle Shuffle (white pizza base, double fior di latte mozzarella! Topped with sliced mushrooms and our shredded ham. Finished with a drizzle of truffle oil.), the Peaks Pizza and Miss Piggy (smoked pulled pork, thinly sliced red onions, sweetcorn, San Marzano tomatoes, Fior Di Latte mozzarella and Grate Larder’s Cinnabar Rum BBQ sauce). There are a number of delicious sides to choose from too, like super garlicky bread, fiery tater tots and stringy mozzarella sticks.
Epic dips from Grate Larder
The food here does not need a dip, it’s flavoursome enough, but I am a sucker for a good dip and Pizzilla has some of my favourites, many of which are drizzled over the pizza as one of the toppings, The garlic dip certainly packs a punch and is made in-house whilst the insanely good Cinnabar Rum BBQ and Buffalo sauce comes from Grate Larder, creators of fine condiments. Behind Grate Larder is Grate Catering who specialise in high-welfare meat and fire cooking. Grate Catering also provide Pizzilla with some of the meat toppings so you know everything is fresh, local and of exceptional quality. If pizza and sides aren’t enough, you can treat yourself to some Biscoff churros. In fact, you must get the Biscoff churros because they are the absolute best and there’s always room for dessert, right?
The Dream Team
When I first heard that Paul, who had previously worked at Brasserie Blanc, was starting a new pizza venture and taking Italian Fulvio with him too I couldn’t help but feel a touch of sadness. I love Brasserie Blanc and the staff there are some of the best. Paul and Fulvio are exceptional front of house and I couldn’t help but feel that their unrivalled customer service skills were going to waste. After trying their pizza and seeing the boys doing their thing in the kitchen, I was proven wrong.
Customer service isn’t just frontward facing and Paul and Fulvio continue to please people in all aspects of their work. Let me share one example; a regular customer forgot one of her favourite ingredients when ordering her usual pizza online. Paul recognised the name so added a tub of the missing ingredient to her order. It’s little things like this that go a long way. After tasting their pizza it’s clear that they share the same passion for food as they do for hospitality.
Deals, Deals, Deals
Pizzilla are open Wednesday to Sunday evenings and offer several great value meal deals alongside their menu. If you order directly through them you can save on average about £3 per pizza which is huge! Ordering direct massively helps to support small local businesses. Pizzilla are currently trialling their own delivery service within a three-mile radius. Keep your eyes peeled for more information as this develops. Although Fareham isn’t far from Portsmouth, I am praying Pizzilla expand and comes to our neck of the woods with a sit-in Southsea restaurant. They certainly have the potential to do well here as Southsea’s food scene is booming with small independents. Their play-on-words marketing and fun branding certainly wouldn’t look out of place.
Next time you’re after an authentic, hearty pizza that doesn’t make you feel like you need to spend the rest of the evening on the sofa, then I highly recommend giving Pizzilla a try!
Photos by the Southsea Snapper.
H x
Ambience 7
Quality 9.5
Value 9
Service 9
Overall 9.5
Return? Yes!