What better way to celebrate International Pizza Day than with some of the best slices in town? Lucky for you Team Yalla’s reviewed them all!
It’s almost International Pizaa Day and the perfect excuse to dive into endless slices! Luckily, Abu Dhabi is the perfect place to discover pizzas across all palates and price ranges.
Seven pizzas for lunch, evenly split six ways, can land you in a deliciously deep food coma. With plenty of slices to spare (and share!).
There’s nothing better than a barrage of pizzas on a summer afternoon. On review one summer afternoon were some of the more delightful pizza joints from different parts of the UAE capital, and Team Yalla had an absolute blast.
So which pizzas do we recommend when the cravings hit in Abu Dhabi? Keep scrolling and find out.
Four times the pizza fun at Pizza Di Rocco
Tradition and authentic Italian craftsmanship run through every slice of Pizza Di Rocco. The same rings through from a simple glance at their box, highlighting homemade sauce and nailing the branding, just like their pizzas, to perfection.
Anyone worth their dough seeking a bite of Naples, as it were, will find a haven with pizza boxes from here.
This award-winning homegrown brand, with entrepreneur Peter Samaha at the helm, has been a huge success in the capital since its inception at Salam Street.
Today, Pizza Di Rocco has branches far and wide but remains consistent in its ability to deliver sturdy dough topped with moreish tomato sauce and toppings far more diverse than your imagination could ever be.
Best part?
The crispy, authentic, artisanal pizzas are all handmade to order, using only the freshest and finest ingredients to bake the perfect pizza in a Neapolitan, hand-crafted cupola-style oven.
We sampled four unique pizzas:
Fattoria
Barbeque Brisket
Diavola
Burrata
Quattro Formaggi
Before dissecting the flavours, it’s worth noting that in a team as diverse as can be, there was something for everyone. From the caramelised onion notes on the Fattoria to the richness of the Barbeque Brisket, the palates of all ages were left satiated and then some.
Quattro Formaggi
Taking a closer look, this was exactly what you’d expect from a four-cheese pizza, i.e., rich, decadent and creamy. Nothing hits harder than a classic, and you can be sure this pizza is going to impress all ages.
Diavola
If you love a classic pizza, you’re going to love this one. With the freshest mozzarella and choicest Italian salami laden on a bed of their homemade tomato sauce, this pizza is the ultimate treat. It’s a surefire hit at kids’ parties, or even for a relaxing Sunday at home. Topped with a hint of oregano, each slice is a trip to the lanes of Italy for the palate.
Fattoria
Looking for something slightly more adventurous? We would definitely recommend this pizza, a serious hit among the team. Each bite offered a delightful contrast of sweet onion against the tartness of sundried tomatoes, with some crunchy pine nuts adding more texture.
While founder Peter Samaha may not have intended it, he sure did end up creating a brand just as delicious in-restaurant as it is from the comfort of your home. The consistent quality of each slice is also a reflection of the team and its longevity, ever evolving in flavour but delicious all the same.
Barbeque Brisket
Equally enticing, offered a smoky twist with just the right amount of sweetness, with the meat cooked to tender perfection.
Burrata
This delightful pizza won us over, with its combination of fresh ingredients and flavours that danced harmoniously on our palate. A delightful canvas of colours, it’s the perfect refreshing slice to have on a hot summer day.
What makes the pizzas unbeatable is perhaps the dedication from the word go. Sourcing ingredients from Italy, all the pizzas here use a traditional hand-tossed base, Italian herbs and culinary techniques passed down through generations.
The brand has gone the extra mile and created their own homemade quality ingredients that include Rocco’s tomato sauce, zesty salad dressings, caramelised onions, fresh basil pesto and a selection of flavoured herb and chilli oils.
Additionally, they also use authentic 100 per cent Fior di latte mozzarella which is made using 100 per cent cow’s milk and rennet – basically the green signal to keep gorging without guilt.
By attending pizza exhibitions, dining at suppliers’ homes and constantly experimenting with flavours, they’re able to stay relevant and beyond sumptuous even today, evidenced in these slices.
With on-time delivery and direct ordering convenience, Pizza Di Rocco provides an authentic Italian experience right at your door. The well-cooked and light crust means you’ll surprise yourself with how many slices you can devour without feeling too full or lethargic.
More pizza, more happiness!
For more information, visit pizzadirocco.com/
What We Ordered
- Size: One size
- Delivery: Direct order
- Price: AED 58 (Fattoria, Barbeque Brisket), AED 55 (Diavola, Quattro Formaggi)
An Alfredo bite at Sopranos
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The plain box in which the pizza arrived didn’t signal a promising start, although it did get delivered quite quickly!
Home of the metre-long pizza, one of the best aspects about Sopranos is their presence in areas like Mushrif and Mussafah, offering convenient access and coverage to major areas in Abu Dhabi.
The wood-fired pizzas promise a medley of flavour explosions, and the generously topped pizza definitely won points.
We kept it simple and ordered an Alfredo, which was pretty textbook. Crisp if a little hard base, the sauce-to-base ratio was decent too, and a pretty good pick for parties at the price point.
If we had to have one gripe, the strictly okay-to-good nature of the pizza was perhaps what stood in the way of letting it be a great slice to keep going back for. That being said, this is definitely one to watch out for during midnight craving sessions, or for some movie-time at home with your loved ones!
For more information, visit sopranos.pizza
What We Ordered
- Size: Large
- Delivery: Direct order
- Price: AED 66
Chicken Barbeque bliss at Vapiano
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Fast delivery through direct ordering made Vapiano a strong contender in our exploration.
Since opening its doors in 2002, the brand has now grown to become a household name across the world, which speaks for itself.
Even as pasta remains at the heart of all they do, Vapiano excels in delivering quality pizzas with a great balance of flavours, with just the right smack of seasoning, and ingredients so fresh you’d think they were picked up from the farms just then.
It’s amazing how the high quality you get at the restaurant comes through in the Chicken Barbeque pizza we ordered. It turned out to be one of their bestsellers, and rightfully so, considering that it delivers that exact bang of succulent meat, sweet and sour sticky sauce, all nestled on a generously topped dough.
While the delivery had turned the base a little soggy from having to shoulder all the decadent toppings, it still delivered a great bite. Though the delivery fee was slightly higher, Vapiano compensated with a discount, resulting in a budget-friendly treat.
For more information, visit vapiano.com/
What We Ordered
- Size: One size
- Delivery: Direct order
- Price: AED 55
A Diavolo experience at Pizza Express
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A familiar face for UK residents, Pizza Express is a classic favourite among all pizza lovers.
Delivered on time with the all too familiar logo on the box, the Diavolo was a treat in every sense of the word. The medium-sized pie packed a punch with its fiery flavours, leaving us craving more with every bite.
Despite a higher delivery fee, the generous discount and swift delivery through Talabat made it a worthwhile indulgence. Would recommend!
For more information, visit pizzaexpress.ae/abu-dhabi
What We Ordered
- Size: Medium
- Delivery: Talabat
- Price: AED 62
Pepperoni punch at Papa John’s
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Who doesn’t love pepperoni on pizza?
Originating from Indiana, USA, Papa John’s is a brand now synonymous with simplicity and satisfaction.
We went with a failsafe best-seller, the Pepperoni Pizza. One bite into it yields a burst of the signature, vine-ripened tomato sauce in your mouth. Combined with fresh, sturdy dough, Italian-style cheese, and high-quality appropriately salty and meaty pepperoni, each slice will have you slinking back into the comfy depths of your couch.
The box containing this treat might be an exceptionally commercial one, but it does the job in telling you exactly what you’re in for. While this may not be the best pizza you’ve ever had, it’s certainly far from the worst.
Perfect for a Friday night in!
For more information, visit papajohns.ae/
What We Ordered
- Size: Medium
- Delivery: Talabat
- Price: AED 46
Veggie delight at Pinza
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The only vegetarian pizza on the list, the Pinza box came with high expectations. While delivery was certainly the slowest of the lot we sampled, the cute little note on top of the box definitely made up for the wait.
What’s unique about the packaging and pizza itself is the shape, a square as opposed to the traditional circle. Not a pizza, not a flatbread, they pride themselves on being a wholesome and guilt-free answer to the modern pizza lovers’ cravings.
And wholesome is right, considering every last inch of every slice was heavily topped with finely cut vegetables, which could appeal to some, but didn’t do the trick for us in this case.
While we wished the pizza had more cheese and sauce, it was a filling bite and quite fresh. Perfect for sharing, if you have some vegetarian friends coming around, this could be just the thing for them!
For more information, visit pinza.com/
What We Ordered
- Size: Medium
- Delivery: Talabat
- Price: AED 42
Lartufo and Funghi love at Larte
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Who can resist the siren call of truffles, creamy white sauce, and deliciously earthy mushrooms on a generously sauced base?
That’s definitely what we were expecting from the Lartufo and Funghi pizza at Larte.
The most expensive outing of the day, the classy plain white design of the box did get our hopes up and mouths salivating. Larte promises a dining affair combining the best of contemporary Italian design, culinary creativity, and artistic expression – all wrapped up in a trattoria-style restaurant.
The pizza was generously topped with truffles but was wanting for more mushrooms. And while dining at the outlet has always yielded a good time and great taste, the flavours unfortunately suffered a bit possibly owing to travel time. Perhaps with a little more sauce, the slices would’ve been able to ‘rise’ to the occasion.
That being said, it was definitely one of the more unique flavours we sampled on the day, and we’ll definitely be ordering more!
For more information, visit larte.ae/
What We Ordered
- Size: One size
- Delivery: Talabat
- Price: AED 104
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