A night out in Halifax – with pizza!
Haligonians love their pizza, but we’ve become accustomed to budget pizza shops that cater to hungry students, busy families, the post-bar crowd and people in pajamas. Salvatore’s and Tomavino’s have been quietly leading the gourmet pizza front for years but now a brave new Halifax craves local ingredients, authenticity, artisanal technique and a good wine pairing!
Salvatore's Pizzaiolo Trattoria
5541 Young St, Halifax, NS B3K 1Z7This award-winning pizza has been around for more than 20 years and has been featured on the Food Network’s show You Gotta Eat Here. Made from the original recipe of Salvatore Rinaldo, this pizza is sort of a New York/Italian hybrid painstakingly crafted with quality ingredients and specific techniques. It is suggested that you try the Original first: A thin crust reminiscent of a margherita. The newly expanded dining room ensures a proper dining experience, with a selection of local beer and wine on hand.
Piatto Pizzeria Enoteca
5144 Morris St, Halifax, NS B3J 1B1St. John’s-based Piatto is the first VPN certified pizzeria in Atlantic Canada. That means they are adhering to a strict code in making traditional Neapolitan pizzas. From the flour used to the imported San Marzano tomatoes, all of the ingredients and techniques are meant to ensure quality and authenticity. After 90 seconds in a 900°F wood-fired oven, these pizzas have the distinctive black blisters of a good Neapolitan pie. Piatto makes the best margherita pizza in town. They also have a Pizza of the Week, chosen from customer submissions!
Morris East
5212 Morris St, Halifax, NS B3J 1B4Morris East appeared on the Food Network’s You Gotta Eat Here, and they recently took a third place finish at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. They specialize in creative pizzas made with seasonal local ingredients and cooked in a wood fired oven. There are pizza lunch specials (w/ salad or soup) and a Build Your Own Pizza option. The dinner menu is slightly elaborated with the presence of mussels, calamari and charcuterie, while the brunch menu involves breakfast pizzas and wood-fired skillet breakfast dishes. There is a house draught, an efficient wine list and well-executed cocktails.
Bramoso Gourmet Pizzeria
6169 Quinpool Rd, Halifax, NS B3L 4P6Bramoso is sort of a hybrid, as they serve wings, nachos and garlic fingers (typical Halifax pizza shop fare) alongside artisanal, farm-to-table brick oven pizza. Local ingredients are sourced from a whole roster of partners and there are lots of veggelicious pizza options that you can order with house-made vegan cheese and a gluten-free crust, if you wish. The dining room is very casual, but licensed, offering a mix of local and imported beer and wines. Bramoso also delivers, and has a stall at the Seaport Market where their breakfast pizza reigns supreme!
Mother's Pizza
5710 Young St, Halifax, NS B3K 1Z8It was bold to move into the same neighbourhood as the much adored Salvatore’s, but Mother’s offers their own unique pizza experience that residents have welcomed with open arms. Mother’s specializes in thin crust pizzas in both 9” and 16” sizes. They also have garlic fingers (which they call “garlies”) that are so good you’ll quickly forget that there’s no donair sauce for dipping. Fresh, local ingredients are used on both classic and creative pizzas – from plain pepperoni to the White Pizza with chorizo, walnuts, arugula and balsamic reduction.
Ristorante a Mano
1477 Lower Water St, Halifax, NS B3J 3Z4Ristorante aMano is the most affordable of the Bertossi Group restaurants (Bicycle Thief, il Mercato, La Frasca), but you can expect the same lively ambiance and Italian flare. The pizzas are made with San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, Italian meats and fresh veggies. aMano strays from the popular Neapolitan style, using a machine to roll their dough and spiking their sauce with dry and fresh herbs. The crust is very thin and crisp, with flavourful sauce. You can sit at the pizza bar and watch the pizzas being lovingly made. For dessert, don’t pass on the handmade gelato creations!
Tomavino's Pizzeria & Ristorante
172-1113 Marginal Rd, Halifax, NS B3H 4P7Tomavino’s bridges the gap between gourmet and conventional pizza, with both classic and gourmet varieties that hold up well to the trials of delivery – which is good, because Tomavino’s dining room will be closed temporarily while the site of their location is redeveloped. In the meantime, you can order from their temporary Blowers Street location for take-out/delivery. From the Tomavino’s Combo, with delicious homemade meatballs to the Bel Cibo, with prosciutto and arugula – you’ll be sure to find a tantalizing combination of great appeal.
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