A perfect slice of pizza is equivalent to a slice of heaven. The gooey-cheese floating happily on a thin-crust base with well-cooked, saucy meat or veggies have the potential to trigger instant happy hormones. There is no European dish that has managed to make its way to the heart and soul of foodies across the globe like the pizza. The city has quite a few places serving delicious pizza varieties. We list a few that should not be missed!
The Farm, Semmancherry, OMR
If you are looking to dine out over the weekend with family, this place is your best bet. It is an oasis of green in the very-concrete IT corridor. The place houses cows, buffaloes, turkeys and other animals and thus, produces their own dairy products, including about nine varieties of cheese. They also grow organic vegetables in the premises. The restaurant in the premises of The Farm serves about 34 varieties of wood-fired pizza including the likes of cheese and pineapple; mushroom, jalapeno and corn; achari paneer, corn and green chillies; chicken pepperoni, ham and pineapple and butter-garlic prawns, farm-fresh sautéed spinach, garlic and onions. The fresh produce and the pure ingredients add a special dimension to the pizzas and are a hit among young and old alike.
The Padrino, Mylapore
This new Italian eatery has a casual diner like ambience and is pretty much full even on weekdays and with a good reason. Named after ‘The Godfather’, the place offers a nice mix of authentic Italian, Mexican and American dishes. However, the talking point of the menu is that the place offers 30 inch (largest in the city) option of their hand-tossed pizza varieties, which is ideal for families and large groups. Some of the favourite toppings include Peri Peri Veg Pizza, Exotic Naples Pizza, Devil’s Barbeque Chicken Pizza and Mighty Smoked Grilled Pizza.
Tuscana Pizzeria, Nungambakkam, Adyar and ECR
This is probably one of the oldest players in town and manages to be in top form till date. Tuscana is a classic wood fired pizzeria which has a warm feel to it. It was started by Vipin Sachdev around 2004 and offers thin crust pizza with four different bases- classic refined wheat, whole wheat, multigrain and gluten- free bases. There are more than 40 varieties of pizzas including vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. Some of the popular ones are Al funghi, Rosso Piccante, Caramellizzato, Chicken Mediterrane, Bolognese and Diavola.
Superstar Pizza, Besant Nagar
This is also a new kid on the block and as the name suggests is a wholehearted tribute to Thalaivar. The Rajinikanth-themed pizza place offers some absolutely innovative and fresh dough pizza with some desi spunk added to it. To add to that, Rajini fans can expect some cool posters, wire art of the actor’s face and a grand red wall painted with the star’s punch dialogues. The pizzas also have names bearing connection to Rajini’s film or famous dialogue. Chandramukhi is a spicy pizza with schezwan sauce, jalapenos, bell pepper and chillies; Kabali has Malaysia’s favourite chicken satay, onion and chilli as toppings and Mullum Malarum is mint chutney pizza with grilled fish, corn, broccoli and chilli. If you love food and films, then it doesn’t get better than this!
Little Italy, Besant Nagar, Nungambakkam, Anna Nagar West and ECR
They started our journey from Pune as La Pizzeria at a time when very few people in India knew the taste and authenticity of Italian cuisine and eventually came to Chennai in 2004. It has since then managed to capture the pure vegetarian segment of the city and churns out some delicious pizza varieties. They have more than 30 varieties of vegetarian pizza and even offer Jain variety on request. The Pizza Alla Vodka, Pizza Mellino and Sicilia can be vouched for at the eatery.
Ox and Tomato, Alwarpet and Chetpet
Restaurateur Sandesh Reddy of the popular Sandy’s Chocolate Laboratory, The Old Madras Baking Company and Go Go Ramen seldom gets it wrong when it comes to understanding the palate of the city. Little wonder then that his New York- style pizzeria Ox and Tomato also features on this list. The place has great salads and sandwiches but their star item is the pizza. The reasonably-priced eatery offers delicious options like Artichoke Verdura, Primavera, Pepperoni and Meatball calzone.
Bella Ciao, Thiruvanmiyur beach
Bella Ciao, opened in 1998 by Italian chef, Ciro Cattaneo was the first stand-alone eatery to offer authentic Italian food to Chennaiites. It is an open-air, al fresco restaurant near the beautiful Thiruvanmiyur beach. The garden is a lovely bungalow transformed into a lounge and restaurant, with a separate air-conditioned area as well. And of course, the place offers some of the most authentic and delicious pizzas in town. Interestingly, they give all their pizzas with fresh mozzarella topping. The favourites from the menu include the 4 stagioni, Carnivora, Chicken Trio, Gamberi, 4 formaggi and Veg Calzone.
