Pizza from Pizzaround is seriously just a good life choice. You’ve had Pizza Hut, Dominos, Napoli, and all of those other chain stores that serve up the same predictable Pizza crust on the same predictably odd Pizza flavour combinations (with corn, of course) in Taiwan. But what do you do when you want a Pizza that has an authentic crust, authentic flavour, fresh ingredients, and scores top points across the board? You go to Pizzaround, that’s what you do!
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What is Pizzaround?
Pizzaround is a small pizzeria located on Yanji Street in Taipei. It serves up thin bases, airy crusts, with pizzas that are deliciously fresh and authentic.
How is Pizzaround better than other pizzas in Taipei?
Not only do pizzaround serve up pizzas that are super fresh, but they are also with responsibly sourced ingredients, and they’re not greasy or stodgy like many others that can be from chain restaurants in Taipei. There’s a curated feel to their food that you don’t get from the production line takeaways out there.
So it was a Friday night, and everyone knows that Friday nights are made to be takeaway nights. Dominos and Pizza Hut were not going to cut it this time around, though, so in stepped Pizzaround with the goods. You should use this website link to order ahead of time so that your food is ready for you if you’re looking to take out. But, they also have a few tables inside, if eating in is your thing.
Our order
As soon as you open the beautifully designed boxes, the smell just jumps out at you. The charring around the crust is wonderfully rustic, the toppings are liberally applied, and the whole thing just looks like a piece of art. What is not to get excited about right here? The amazing thing about these, too, is that they don’t get soggy in the box and they don’t slide around due to the crinkled pad that they sit on. How many times have you gotten your food home/had it delivered, and it’s all just smushed over to one side? Yep, not here.
芝麻葉生火腿 Prosciutto
I find the peppery freshness of rocket/arugula difficult to come by in Taiwan. In the UK it’s on just about every sandwich and it lurks in almost every salad with its pop of freshness that adds a wonderful flavour dimension. But, for some reason, it’s not particularly popular in Taiwan. Anyway, right here it sits pride of place atop this incredible creation. Doesn’t that pop of green just make it a little more appealing to the eye, too?
The fresh tomatoes pop with sun blushed flavour and the prosciutto is as you would hope it to be – salty and flavorful. But, the real winner here is the epic crust that manages to simultaneously stay juicy yet not go soggy. The chewy airiness of the outer crust is impressive on so many levels, with the thin base managing to hold the weight of the sauce and flavour combination really nicely.
番茄鯷魚 Tomato & Anchovy
Tomato and anchovy is a flavour combination that was just made to bring a pizza to life. As the anchovy cooks it just melts into that tomato sauce that sits atop the base and adds such a depth of flavour that brings this umami flavour out. The olives, tomato and basil leaves add wonderful fresh flavours that compliment eachother beautifully, marrying together flavours, base, and crust that can rival any other store in Taipei.
Sometimes when you get takeout like this, you find the crust, base, and even the box to be all soggy and mushy. Not here. Maybe you even half expect it to be all cold and stale. Not here. This is one of my favourite spots in the city when Friday evening rolls around again, for all of these reasons, and more. But, if you’re not in the area, yet find yourself craving a decent slice, head over to my next recommendation below…
Margherita
After a recent visit, I figured it was about time to update this post with more of my favourites. Pizza in Taipei is oftentimes entirely forgotten about simply because places like Dominos and Pizza Hut are littered on every corner, and then there’s Costco for a familiar taste of ‘home’ for many Americans (‘home’ is the assumption that you enjoy a randomly mixed topping on your pizza that just has Taiwanese vibes throughout, when you’re expecting something more American).
This Margherita at Pizzaround is a great example of simple Italian-style pizza done really well. The fresh flecks of mozzarella are evident in clumps on the top of the pizza, interspersed with punches of basil. How good does that crust look, though? Some may say burnt, but I say it’s been flame-licked with extra flavour. Cooked in the special pizza oven on-site, this pizza is a triumph for everything pizza stands for – simple, humble, and delicious.
Bresaola (Seasonal Special)
Originating from Northern Italy, Bresaola is beef cured with spices such as salt, pepper, nutmeg, and other warm spices. Cured for around 3 months, this cured meat has a classically deep, rich, sometimes sweet flavour that comes through due to the curing process and spices cured with. Oftentimes sliced paper-thin and served with rocket (arugala), Bresaola is an unsung hero of Northern Italian cuisine, but we should shout about it more.
On top of this pizza, served with pine nuts and dressed in a tangy sauce, there were smiles on all faces as we bit down into it. The crust is the perfect crust that Pizzaround has come to be known for, but the flavour combination here is rich, decadent, delicious, and really interesting. All of the Bresaola flavours come through really nicely, and I would definitely recommend you to check it out.
Prosciutto
Nothing hits the spot like a beautifully cooked pizza dressed with fresh tomato, thinly cut prosciutto, rocket (arugala), shavings of cheese, and a generous glug of olive oil.
This prosciutto pizza offering at Pizzaround is well worth ordering. Simple, colourful, flavours in abundance, I have nothing more to say that should require convincing you.
Other Pizza in Taipei to Take Try
However, if those airy charred crusts aren’t your thing, then you should also check out Pizza has a face up in the Dadaocheng area of Taipei. Both of these spots tie for first place in terms of my Friday cravings, to be honest. The main difference is the crust, here, but also the cheese used is quite different, too. Pizzaround tend to focus on more of a saucy base with a mild scattering of cheese, whereas Pizza has a face tend to go for more cheese on their saucy base. Both are amazing, so why choose between them? I say, get both, and just be happy.
After you have finished your amazing food right here on Yanji street, you should absolutely go and check out Double V ice cream across the road. They have daily and weekly specials that will surprise you at every turn. You can also do a bit of try-before-you-buy, which is always ideal for those who struggle to commit to a flavour that they might be unsure on.
My recommendation would be on anything they do that is fruit based or has honey on it. Their honey flavours are mega, and their fruit based ice creams are seriously fresh flavoured and punchy. The best flavour I have had here was their yuzu flavour.
The bottom line
Is it really THAT good? Yes. It is. Go there, tag me in your pictures, and declare me the oracle. It’s THAT good.
If you have to choose one topping, what would it be? Tomato & Anchovy. There was just something extra to it in terms of freshness. But if I get a handful of that rocket/arugula up in there I’d be even happier.