Being the only Auckland pizzeria to have the official nod from the VPN (pretty much the authority on pizza from the home of pizza, Naples), I was chuffed when I heard Dantes was opening on the right side of the bridge in Takapuna's snazzy new lane, Fortieth & Hurstmere.
Since then, I've been a couple of times and it's every bit as good as their Ponsonby location. Super fresh, simple toppings on elastic, preservative-free thin crusts cooked in a suuuuuuuper hot wood-fired oven. As far as pizzas go, they are relatively expensive but you pay for the quality and the skill with which they are made.
I normally just stick to the pizza w prosciutto but the other day I branched out and tried their pizzette lunch special ($13), which I think is best described as a pizza burrito - a mini woodfired pizza, topped with lettuce & tomato and wrapped. It was pretty delicious although I'm not sold on the addition of lettuce. It wilted with the heat of the pizza/burrito and didn't really add anything to the flavour.
I still haven't eaten in at the Takapuna store although they do have more seating then their Ponsonby store and also, table service. read more