This season is hectic and busy, the perfect time to grab a slice of pizza as you’re making a dash around town. Vancouver Foodster has just the event to take the pressure off meal planning, the 1st Vancouver Foodster Pizza Crawl is on now, until November 30th.
For the next two-weeks, 10 restaurants from all across Metro Vancouver are showcasing delicious pizza dishes for pizza -lovers to enjoy. Each restaurant has created a new pizza dish highlighting their unique flavours and styles. The pies will be featured on their menus over the two-week period for everyone to order and savour. Some of the restaurants will be offering whole pizza pies, while others will offer whole pizza pies and/or by-the-slice pizza for dine-in, takeout with some also available for delivery through the various apps.
On opening night of Vancouver Foodster’s Pizza Crawl a few of us were lucky enough to kick off the event with a select tasting from three, very tasty, participating restaurants.
Caffe Soccavo – 1321 Commercial Drive, Vancouver
In the former home of Cafe Abruzzo, the recently opened Caffe Soccavo pays homage to its former occupant while serving up an homage to Italian Grandmothers in the form of a slice of Boscaiola, a comforting white sauce-based pizza with mushrooms, pancetta, onions and cheese on a crispy baked bread crust. The Boscaiola is a “Gramma Pie”, a rustic home-style thick crust pizza, made in a sheet pan with simple flavours and toppings ‘just like Gramma used to make!’. From the family also behind Via Tevere Pizza and Straight outta Brooklyn Pizza I trust their Gramma’s family recipes are definitely worth sharing with all of us!
Pizza Rubato Napoletana – 561 W. Broadway, Vancouver
Just months old, Pizza Rubato Chef/Owner Ahmet brings forth the Figurati. From the Neapolitan regulated imported brick oven, comes an extra virgin olive oil-based pizza topped with red onions, fresh ricotta, and milky Fior di latte. Chili flakes, oregano and a drizzle of Mike’s Hot Honey – chili-infused spicy honey – round out the flavours. While you’re at Pizza Rubato check the drinks cooler too, for some delicious local alcohol-alternative drinks, Hai Tea Beverages; a healthy alternative to alcohol that tastes great and still finds ways to stimulate the senses, via a family-secret wellness tonic recipe, in three distinct, and very quenching, flavours; Hibiscus, Ginger and Mojito
Local Pizzaiolo – 1925 Cornwall Ave, Vancouver
Truly a hidden gem, with no visible street signage, caterer-turned-pizza parlour Local Pizzaiolo tucked into the side of the space it shares with Vera’s Burger Shack. For a pizza shop that’s only been open less that two months, Chef/Owners Luca and Carlo turn out an incredible number of hand-pulled crust pies for dine in, take out or delivery from their two small pizza ovens. The Sweet and Spicy, their entry into Pizza Crawl, is just one of Local Pizzaiolo’s unique and delicious pies, with a Butternut Squash Cream Base, Spicy Nduja Sausage, Pecorino, Gorgonzola Piccante, Basil and Mozzarella Cheese.
While we were lucky to stuff ourselves on this diverse trio of pizza perfection there are also 7 more pizzas being showcased on Vancouver Foodsters Pizza Crawl including:
Banh Mizza from Wild Flour Pizza Co: 2900 Bainbridge Avenue, #104, Burnaby
Bombetta from Pizzeria Spacca Napoli: 2801 St. Johns St, Port Moody
Pizza Catalana from Straight Brooklyn Pizza (Gastown): 114 Water St, Vancouver
The Mimosa from Straight Brooklyn Pizza (Robson): 350 Robson St, Vancouver
Salsiccia e Rapini from Straight Outta Brooklyn (Burnaby): 4073 Hastings Street, Burnaby
Surf and Smoke from Straight Outta Brooklyn (Kingsway): 701 Kingsway, Vancouver
Kind of a Big Dill from Straight Brooklyn Pizza (Granville Island): 1833 Anderson Street , Vancouver
Visit vancouverfoodster.com to read the details of each of the participating pizzas, and get out to taste any or all of the showcased pizzas in Vancouver Foodster’s Pizza Crawl. Remember to share your visits and mention @vanfoodster with #pizzacrawlyvr to be entered to win some great prizes from the participating restaurants including the Grand Prize of Free 10? pizza every week for a year at Pizza Rubato Napoletana. Check out the contests to see what you could be eligible to win, just for sharing your Pizza Crawl adventure!