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    Cowabunga

    4.7 (25 reviews)

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    2024 world champ - pizza
    Warren Z.

    Run, sprint, teleport--hell, even crawl if you have to--just get there for a slice of pizza that will absolutely wreck every other pizza experience you've ever had. I've eaten pizza across the globe, from the backstreets of Naples to the hyped-up joints of NYC, and let me tell you--Cowabungas is on another level. I literally DROVE AN HOUR just to have a slice, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. This is what NYC pizza claims to be but never actually delivers. That thin, crisp crust with the perfect char? Yeah, it's here. No floppy, soggy nonsense--just pure structure and bite. The sauce? Balanced like a damn symphony--not too acidic, not sickly sweet, just perfect. And that crust? A masterpiece--crispy on the outside, with just enough chew to keep you coming back for more. And let's talk toppings--because this place does not play. Unlike those corporate pizza chains that charge extra for Cup and Char pepperoni like it's some kind of luxury, Cowabungas gives it to you standard--as it should be everywhere. The fermented jalapeños? Unreal. My server told me the fermentation process mellows out the heat while keeping the flavor, and she was spot on. And then, just when you think it couldn't get better--a drizzle of hot honey comes in with that sweet-heat magic and ties everything together like a damn flavor explosion. I'm telling you--this is STELLAR pizza. If you're anywhere remotely close, make this an absolute must-stop. And don't forget--only the downtown location sells slices! Now, go. GO! And thank me later.

    Margherita pizza
    Reh L.

    so these guys won the world championship of pizza in a competition in vegas. well, their cheese winning slice was decent (it was like a floppier version of superpoint with better crust) BUT their marg was excellent, loved the big pieces of basil and pesto cream as well as the cheese finish. overall an elite slice but maybe a hair below badiali still. but it's close! these guys also use sourdough which makes the crust more unique.

    Cheese pizza
    Ritwika B.

    Traveled from Toronto to try their pizza and the hype is so worth it! They are the best cheese slice in the world award winner for a reason - the cheese slice was out of this world! Oh and their 1up slice? AMAZING. The honey with the truffle cheese hits all the right spot and makes you crave for more. I wish I could be there every weekend! The service is amazing too even though they're so busy.

    1up fries
    Nana T.

    Had the best pizza, They won best cheese slice in the world 2024 so I had to pay them a visit! We visited their sit in restaurant @cowabungaplus not to be confused with their takeout restaurant. The service was absolutely phenomenal and servers were super nice friendly and knowledgeable. We first tried their 1UP waffle fries ($12) and let me tell you they were one of the best i've ever had they were insanely crispy, the truffle parm dip was super tasty and the parm and vinegar salt on top added a nice salty kick. I asked for ketchup to add some zing to the starchy app and to my surprise the ketchup they provided was a sweet made in-house ketchup which was sooo tasty paired with the fries. Moving onto to the pizza, we got their Pepperoni + pizza medium size ($25) which came either lovely cup and char pepperonis, hot honey and pickled jalapeños. Let me tell you this was one of the best pizzas I've had! Made super fresh as I walked in I could see the pizza chefs prepping the dough, the pizza slice itself wasn't too thin but not too thick as well, it was crispy on the exterior and soft on the interior. The sauce was perfect and we got their garlic dip for an additional $1.99 which was a nice addition! I've tried good pizza in Toronto but this has to top them all with the better pizzas i've tried. A must visit if you are in Hamilton!!

    Large pepperoni pizza
    Jaime D.

    Stopped in Hamilton on our way back from Niagara and decided to try this place after hearing good things about it. Was no disappointed, and my wife said it was the best pizza she ever had. The sauce tasted amazing and the crust was perfectly crusty. Will visit again the next chance we get, although we'll make sure to visit the sit down location.

    Mild Pepperoni Pizza
    Lisa T.

    Newly opened pizza joint in Hamilton ON and the pizza is fantastic! We ordered their classic pepperoni pizza (I believe our pizza size was a large and it came with 8 slices). They come with two options: mild or spicy for the pepperoni and we chose mild. Their pizza slices are really big and the pizza itself is a crispy thin crust (my favourite!). I also absolutely love the pepperoni slices they used because the way it baked in the oven, made it extra crispy. This added texture and dimension to the pizza rather than it blending in with the soft texture of the cheese and pizza sauce. They make all their sauces in house and we got their creamy garlic. Forget the exact price we paid but their large pizzas came to a little over $20 after tax. Friendly staff and great customer service! Will definitely come back here again to try out other flavours. My sister also tried their margarita pizza and said it's her favourite! I was also interested in their truffle white sauce pizza too. One thing to keep in mind is to preorder your pizza in advance. They recently just opened so they don't really have a website up yet but hopefully soon to make ordering easier for customers and staff. You can call in to preorder or I believe you can also order through their Instagram account. Unfortunately, they're also just open Thursday-Sunday (closed Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday) but hopefully they can add on more opening hours to satisfy customers with pizza cravings!

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    4 days ago

    Best pizza in the Canada! Voted best plain cheese slice in all of North America (I think), and I could not agree more.

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    10 months ago

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    4 months ago

    Grabbed some slices for takeout, took them out and warmed them up at home. Fantastic! Next time, I will eat them there.

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    The pizzas deserve to be rated as the best North American pizzeria. They are so delicious.

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    2 years ago

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    7 months ago

    Best pizza slice in town. Highly recommend. Ambience was great and food was perfect for evening

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

    The most amazing pizza! We always ask for it well done. Love the cuppa pepperoni & the garlic dip! Yum!

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    3 years ago

    Easy to drive past. This location doesn't have seating unfortunately, just take your order to go. The crust is fabulous and holds up well.

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Pizza way over priced for what you get. Have had better sauces and crust. Parking also an issue. Overall experience not very good.

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    Review Highlights - Cowabunga

    Moving onto to the pizza, we got their Pepperoni + pizza medium size ($25) which came either lovely cup and char pepperonis, hot honey and pickled jalapeños.

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    Flora Hamilton

    Flora Hamilton

    4.8
    (9 reviews)
    1.3 km

    Incredible flavours and a unique style offered at this little pizzeria…read more "Roman" style pizza is served here, which is similar to a my grandma pie or a thinner, crispier Sicilian. You can taste the quality of the ingredients here, and everything prepared has a real home-made feel to it, as if your Italian friend's Nona just took some pies out of the oven for you guys. It's incredibly delicious, and you won't be able to stop eating it. The biggest standout for me here is their sauce, which has such a strong tomato flavour while still being delicate and balanced. It's honestly one of the best sauces I've ever had. I highly recommend trying their margherita, as it's the best way to try their sauce and dough. With so many great pizza shops in Hamilton, Flora definitely stands out, not only by offering a different style of pizza than the rest but also by focusing on fresh, quality ingredients with a real homemade touch. Highly, highly recommend!

    Hamilton is filled with fantastic local pizza joints, so when I heard that Flora was the *best*…read morepizza in town, I had to check them out. Nestled on a side-street off busy James St N as you travel up the mountain, you'll find Flora on the ground floor of a older residential-looking building. The first thing you'll notice walking inside is actually how small this place is - the pizza ovens and prep area take up most of the space. But there's something incredibly charming about that because you have high hopes that if they dedicate that much space to food prep, it's gotta be good. Happy to report that their pizza lives up to the hype! Pizza is baked in a sheet-pan with a semi-thick crust that's soft yet crispy at the edges. Crust is on the thicker side relative to some Italian restaurants and pizza chains, but the composition of the dough makes it work because it has a bite but not too tough/thick where it gives your mouth a workout. I also loved their fresh tomato sauce. It balanced so well with the cheese and toppings, giving the pizza a nice freshness so that it didn't feel as heavy. My only critique was that I wanted more basil on my pizza (I love me some basil!)

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    Pepperoni pizza and garlic chili oil
    Pepperoni pizza and garlic chili oil
    Flora Hamilton
    Margherita & pepperoni pizza slices

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    Margherita & pepperoni pizza slices
    Shorty's Pizza

    Shorty's Pizza

    3.8
    (29 reviews)
    3.8 km

    Each of the two pizzas we tried, Hawaiian and veggie delight were spectacular. Unique sauces just…read morethe right balance of toppings and the crust was delicious. We will definitely be coming back. The people here are extremely friendly. The atmosphere is great A true traditional diner complete with music checkered floors and bar stools. Ambience is charming.

    The one pizza place I will go out of my way for!!! Took my friends here and ordered for pickup…read more Over the phone, they really greeted us with warmth and kindness, even personalized it by repeating my friend's name back to her a few times. We ordered the 18" spicy sausage pizza which is their larger size, and it was enough for 4 of us to have 2 slices each. We all collectively agreed that it fed us contently but because of how good it tasted- we could go for another slice or two each! Theyve also got a handful of dipping sauces available, and we got two garlic dill dips, not too much dill, and paired perfectly with the spicy sausage! Walking up to the pizza shop itself, you could smell the wafts of pizza from around the corner. The restaurant inside has a decent amount of tables if you want to dine-in, though most do takeout. Because we were taking it back to campus to eat it, it wasn't as fresh as we'd hoped for but you could still taste how GOOD IT WAS! Will still be one of my top reco's for hammy food! If you are a fan of the NY style pizza, definitely need to stop by.

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    Pepperoni
    Pepperoni
    NY cheese
    NY cheese
    Mural at Shorty's Pizza

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    Mural at Shorty's Pizza
    Cowabunga

    Cowabunga

    4.3
    (27 reviews)
    2.3 km

    I heard this place won an award for the best cheese slice so of course I had to visit. I ordered…read moretheir pepperoni plus which comes with pepperoni, jalepenos, and hot honey. This pizza blew me away! They make their own sourdough crust which was delicious, I think sourdough pizza was what I was missing in my life! I'm a huge fan of a sweet & salty combo so the hot honey was amazing great touch that elevated the whole pizza.

    This is seriously some of the best pizza (if not, my favorite) I've ever tried. The slices are…read moreMASSIVE & full of flavor. The 1up is their most popular pizza that sells out as soon as a fresh pie comes out. It's an elevated white pizza featuring flavors of truffle, fior de latte, and honey, and it all works SO well without overpowering each other. The crust is genuinely next level, it's so flaky on the outside and perfectly airy on the inside-- not bland or dense & has a bit of a fermented taste (kind of like sourdough/poolish) Reminded me exactly of how I remember Brooklyn NY pizza tasting when I visited. I also tried their pepperoni which was generously topped and not too greasy. The atmosphere of this restaurant is really artsy and unpretentious, they have some old school arcade games at the back and plenty of market-style seating available for small and large groups. Honestly words can't describe how delicious these pizzas are, it's an experience you definitely need to try yourself. I've never written a review so fast during the 3 years I've been on Yelp and I hope that says a lot. 10/10 spot highly recommend.

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    Cowabunga
    Cowabunga
    Cowabunga

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    Cowabunga - pizza - Updated June 2026

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