Today I tried the infamous Belli Pizza…read more
Often described as "the best pizza in Vancouver" and "a very authentic NYC pizza joint." Since I've never been to New York City, I can't speak to the latter claim, but I do have some thoughts on the former.
Because Commercial Drive is one of the busier areas outside of downtown, I left early to find parking. I arrived about 10 minutes before my scheduled pickup time, so I was pleasantly surprised when I checked the app and saw my order was already ready.
I arrived, was helped promptly, and given my order. I had ordered a Coke, the Vesuvius Pizza, and the burnt scallion dip, coming to a total of $32.05 thanks to an Uber discount. Without it, it would have been a hefty $41.80.
When I was handed my order, I could already tell the pizza wasn't hot. You know when you pick up a pizza and the bottom of the box is almost too hot to hold? That wasn't the case here; the box was barely warm. On top of that, my Coke had been sitting on top of the food warmer. There was no condensation on the can, which made me suspect it hadn't been refrigerated.
When I got home, that suspicion was confirmed. The Coke was warm. yuck!
Unfortunately, my concerns about the pizza were confirmed as well as I opened the box to see a beautiful pizza (I'll give them that, presentation and portion size were pretty excellent), but it was cold. As in, room temperature.
Considering I arrived early and had only placed the order 20 minutes before arriving, this leads me to believe that either:
A. The pizza had accidentally been left out after being made and was only put into the heater a few moments before I arrived.
Or (the option I'm leaning towards),
B. They pre-make takeout pizzas in the morning and reheat them when ordered.
Unfortunately, it did not taste like it was freshly made. Even if it had been left on the counter for 20 minutes between being made and my arrival, I think it would have still retained some heat and tasted more recently made.
If this is the case, I totally understand doing so because it's a busy place. But then don't market yourself as a business that makes fresh pizza if you do not. And while reheating, ensure it's properly done.
Anyway... enough about that. How did it actually taste?
Coke:
I chucked some ice in a glass and my warm Coke turned cold (I know, pretty mind-blowing stuff).
Vesuvius Pizza:
Aside from the temperature and freshness, the pizza was quite good. I really liked how it felt like they were using very clean ingredients. There was almost no grease in the box, and after eating it I didn't have that clogged-up throat feeling you sometimes get from heavily processed or greasy food.
The toppings worked really well together, and the whipped ricotta on top was a really nice touch.
This pizza regularly costs $32, which fellow reviewers have complained about. But to be fair, an extra-large fast-food pizza typically costs around $30. It's still expensive, but I don't think they're scamming people at this price point, especially if you're splitting the bill with friends.
However, in my specific case, I think it's a bit ridiculous to charge that much and not ensure the pizza is warm and fresh, with the drink coming from the fridge.
6.5/10
Burnt Scallion Sauce:
A lot of Vancouver food reviewers stated that the sauce is a must, so I got some. However, I believe this was their way of saying you need the sauce in order to enjoy the crust because, unfortunately, the dough was quite dry and lacked any real flavour.
Not much else to say about the sauce. I could tell it was house-made, but oddly it tasted quite garlicky for a scallion-based sauce, to the point where I wondered if they had accidentally given me the garlic sauce. The green colour told me otherwise.
6/10
I give the place a 2/5.
I don't believe in fully judging a place off one impression, so I'll likely be back to dine in and see if my experience is improved.
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