No. 145, Thimbirigasyaya Road, Colombo 5.
Open 6 PM–11 PM
Giovanni's is a little Italian pizza place run by a chef who uses his own recipes, and serves fresh from a clay oven.
If you love pizza, you definitely should know Giovanni's. By pizza, I mean the authentic kind, not the stuffy bread-type kind. Anyway, they have been our go-to spot for some delicious pizza for as long as we can remember. And now, they have pasta too!
It's located on right opposite Moon River Chinese restaurant on Thimbirigasyaya Road.
Their menu has changed since our last visit with a few new meat additions and of course, the pasta. They have a separate menu for that so make sure you specifically ask for it, otherwise, they would just hand you the pizza menu.
The Spaghetti Bolognese (Rs. 1400) we got was superb! Just like with their pizza, they have not skimped on the meat. While it was cooked perfectly with the right amount of spiciness, and seasoning, there was enough minced beef bolognese to feed at least two hungry mouths. The spaghetti itself was homecooked and it was much better than the Spaghetti Bolognese we had at Romano for the same price. It was a delicious, hefty portion which was well worth the price.
They also have other options like Carbonara and a few different varieties of Risotto.
It would be sacrilege to go to Giovanni's and not get a pizza. We got one-half Sandeep (Rs. 1650), one of their newest additions to the menu and the other half of good old Margarita (Rs. 1000).
Sandeep was essentially a sausage pizza with lots of sausage pieces, cheese and veggies like onions, bell pepper, black olives on top. It was spicy, delicious and very cheesy.
The Margarita is still the best I have had and safe to say that their standards have not wavered at all. A margarita is as good as its simplicity and strong flavours, and this one delivered both. The tomato sauce was thick and mildly spicy with melted mozzarella on top, while the fresh basil gave it a really nice kick. The red, white and green really do remind you of the Italian flag, which was not a coincidence.
Their service is casual, friendly and efficient as always, especially considering that the place only seems to get more crowded by the hour.
The ambience is pretty much the beautifully bricked wall upstairs with wooden furniture and checkered tablecloths. They also have a more spacious area downstairs if you're bored to climb those tiny stairs.
Giovanni's is as good as we remembered, if not better. Definitely check out the pasta range, it's a nice addition and one that I hope that they'll keep up the good quality and standards.
The best pizza place in town now has a delicious pasta range too.
Since they first opened their doors a year ago, Giovanni’s has been our go-to spot for wood-fired pizzas. This time around, even in Dimuthu’s absence on the day, they still dished out the quality that we've come to expect.
Giovanni's is a little Italian pizza place run by a chef who uses his own recipes, and serves fresh from a clay oven.
සිංහල අහම්බෙන්.. පොඩි විස්කි කොටයක් හම්බවෙලා මේ ඒක බොන්න තැරි ගැහි ගැහි ඉන්නවා. ඔන්න ඒ අතරෙ එනවා කෝල් එකක් යාළුවෙක්ගෙන්.. “ඒහ්.. අඩේ මොකෝ කරන්නෙ. උඹ ගෙදර නේ ඉන්නෙ. බෑ කියන්නෙ නැතුව එන්න පුලුවන් නම් වැඩක් තියෙනවා කියන්නද?”
සිංහල Giovanni's කියන්නේ කට්ටියගේ ම පීසා දොළදුක් යවාගන්න පුළුවන් සුපිරිම තැනක්.
සිංහල වැඩේ කියන්නෙ එච්චර රස වෙලත් බියර් බෝතල් 3 ඉවර වෙද්දි වෙජි පීසා භාගයක් ඉතුරුයි කියන්නකො. එක අතකින් වෙරි මරගාතෙ කියවනව. අනිත් අතින් ඉස්මුරුත්තාවට එන්න ඔන්න මෙන්න. කොහෙට කියල කන්නද අප්පේ… මේ පීසා.
සිංහල ජොවානිස් කියන්නෙ සාම්ප්රදායික ඉතාලි ක්රමේට ගොඩක් කිට්ටුවෙන් යන විදියට පීසා හදන තැනක් කියලයි ප්රසිද්ධ. මයිකල්ආන්ජලෝ, රොකෝස් වගේ පීසා කඩ පටන්ගන්නත් මුල් වුණු දිමුතු තමයි මේ කඬේ කරගෙන යන්නේ.
Address
No. 145, Thimbirigasyaya Road, Colombo 5.
Directions
It's just opposite Moon River Chinese restaurant on Thimbirigasyaya Road, near Sen Saal and Jawatte Road.
Contacts
Report InaccuracyOpen 6 PM–11 PM
Cuisine
Price Range
Dish Types
Ratings Breakdown
Delicacy
Delicacy Top is one of the best places around Badulla to…
River View Restaurant
Great place to booze with an unbelievable food deals
1/5
I had a lovely evening with my wife soured at the end by an immature, arrogant “owner.” Here’s the story;
My wife and I weren’t particularly hungry this evening so we opted for one pizza with half-an-half on the toppings (they have a non-cheese pizza which my wife likes but I find an abomination). Anyway, with the bill, I was surprised by the fact that they had charged us the higher priced pizza (which was mine @ 1700, but my wife’s being cheese-free was 1,100) so logic would have it that our half-an-half should have been priced at 1400 (which is the case at literally any pizza place in my experience). I asked the waiter about it later (after we had paid and were about to leave) but he simply said this is how they do it all the time (not helpful and not trying to be either - I regretted the tip I left him). I was not particularly bothered by any of this but I was still curious and felt I should ask the owner/manager if there was any rationale why I overpaid 300 bucks because it just didn’t make sense to me - and having come here several times in the past, I knew the place to have a friendly and helpful vibe. Boy was I wrong, and this is when my evening was essentially ruined.
I asked to speak to the owner if he was around and this guy who was perched on the front steps near the entrance said it was him. I was a bit sceptical coz he didn’t look like anyone in charge who I had been acquainted with in my past visits. Regardless, I didn’t question him on that but asked if there was any reason why he charged my half-an-half at the highest rate. (More as a matter of genuine inquisition than a complaint but he got defensive and quite rude from the start). He said that he did me a “favor” by doing half-an-half and that he won’t usually do it. I asked if there was a problem doing it but he said no (so what’s the favour?!!?) I told him that we like his pizza and he said if we like it, I shouldn’t complain (I wasn’t really complaining), then he said if I have a problem with the pricing or anything, just not to come and eat their pizza, and that they have enough people who come (he was right - the place was crowded, but it was a weekend night). I was disappointed by his attitude, but not entirely surprised. You see, when this was going on, there were no less than 10 other boys who worked there (including my waiter) surrounding us (did I mention that this “owner” was also a boy), so maybe he wanted to assert some dominance in front of his posse (who looked more like they were cutting classes and smoking for the first time with their parents’ money than they did running a restaurant).
The reason why I also keep using quotes on “owner” is I’m not sure if he really is the owner either. He did not have the mentality, attitude, temperament, charm, or maturity to own a pizza, let alone a pizza place. I don’t know if he was pretending to be the owner or whether he was put in charge by the actual owner, but he clearly had no place representing an establishment which my wife and I have enjoyed for many years.
When I told my wife (who was in the car during all this) what had happened, she too was surprised and confused, and we were both sad together. We both enjoyed the pizza here and the service in the past has been excellent. Whoever this guy was (owner or not) is essentially ruining its reputation. The crowds may come in now, and we may just be two customers they can afford to lose, but it only takes a few more of us to turn back and never return for the winds to shift.
5/5
What can I say , we just love the place for its chilled out ambiance. Pizza is great and one need not worry about the pizza being packed with toppings. Dimuthu and team are generous. Good wine (BYOB) and GREAT pizza . Not to mention excellent service. Dimuthu mentioned adding some starters to the menu which I am looking forward to.
5/5
Giovanni's lived up to its name and the hype! The best wood fire pizzas I've had hands down. Tried out most of the pizzerias around Colombo including Wijaya beach at Una (one of the best as well)
These guys serves proper thin crust elegant pizzas bursting with flavor , generous toppings and topped of with fresh basil. Hope they will continue the same standard and service in future. A must visit for all pizza fans!
5/5
Everything was EXCELLENT as usual… Food, Service, staff & even that cozy place…
undoubtedly Giovanni's is the best place in town for pizzas.
yesterday was my 3rd visit this year looking forward for more of that Italian Delicacy…
4/5
This is my first review on Yamu. I decided to become a reviewer as I find most reviews on this site to be, frankly speaking, crap! Most seem to be witten by people with the culinary expertise of a Bubalus bubalis.
On to the review as they say… Giovannis is probably the best place in town for pizzas. They have best pizza base of all the pizzas that I have tried in town (and I have pretty much tried all the pizza places). Whilst they do have a selection of toppings, I would recommend the Pizza Margherita. It's simple, fresh and with a tomato sauce this good, why bother with other toppings? For those carnivores out there, try the All Meat pizza. Generous and chunky blocks of meat on that lovely base.
In summary, excellent pizza at very affordable prices.
My 2 kids were yelling for Pizza by 5pm, checked YAMU to see if there is a new Pizza place. first thing on the page I saw was Giovanni's. Called the number and Dimuthu answered with a great customer service tone and said he will be opening in 20 minutes. Not your usual restaurant location but was easy to find as it was opposite moon river. Parking was hard as it was peak hour traffic on a weekday so managed to park on a parking lot further down the road.
Dimuthu with his pleasant smile was dedicated to give us his best. Within no time the cheese and sausage and another mushroom and chicken pizza was on the table. The gourmet pizzas were great! as it was a cool rainy day the pizzas tasted so hearty and full of gourmet taste with a sri lankan touch. It was a small cozy atmosphere and most importantly with great tasting pizza and great customer service. Dimuth all the best for your startup. Hope to visit again soon.
Yamu, How the eff'n way do you find these hidden gems?!?!?!?!!!?! Thank you!! Will visit Dumuthus place today!! Thanks Yamu!! Keep it UP!!
It's pretty much a one-man show, with Dimuthu making pizzas in a clay oven right there next to your table. There's a small bistro kind of feel to the place and the
After reading YAMU's reveiw we tried their pizza(Vegetarian) for the first time last evening. AWESOME is the word !!!
Best pizza i ever had….!!!gret !! It s pizza to remember for long time….good luck dimu…!!!
Great authentic Italian pizzas, Dimuthu was more than happy to personaise our order and help with what ever we needed, in the end we let him do what he does best with little direction and was very very happy with the amazing pizzas that he created and quickly arrived. Currently the best pizza in Colombo!
Sorry to say this … But it seems like the man behind the counter who was making the pizza needs to know how to talk to the customer . And if does as he has got lots of positive comment then why did he behave so negatively ?
Around 7 pm yesterday I went with my kids to order the pizza . Mr Pizza Guy who was busy kneading the dough and taking orders too seemed friendly . So we ordered for one vegetarian and one margarita pizza .
15 minutes were passed and I saw he was making our vegetarian pizza …
So I went to ask him don't you use gloves when you are putting the filling especially when you are making a vegetarian pizza . He said " sometimes " .
So I said why not today and this Mr friendly Pizza guy got so upset and in his loud voice said that " this is my place and I don't need any suggestion , it happens like this in Italy … " and said " he will cancel my order . "
I told him I already paid and I would like to get what I ordered . And he goes NO ! This is my pizza and I don't want to give you . (really … !!! )
What happened to this friendly guy ??? Doesn't he know he needs to be polite to his customers and remember the phrase " customers is always right. "
I was shocked with his unpleasant behavior . And left the place disheartened .
@SP I think i was there the day you're talking of and you seem to have amended the story a little bit.
It was a very busy day it seemed the place was packed as usual. You didn't sound the most kind when you made that comment of Dimuthu not wearing gloves when he did your pizza. Dimuthu is a VERY friendly guy and so are the others who work there. Dimuthu has personalized so many of our orders and i have even seen and heard Muslims come buy from him and request for care with utensils which he gladly abides to.
We're all human and I think we should maybe respect one another specially a chef who does a hellava lot of work and generally does and amazing job at it.
Unbiased opinion
This place is amazing…
Dimuthu is so humble and a hard worker…the pizza is pretty darn fabulous. I will come back and totally recommend it! He doesn't accept cards yet…Yamu you may need to change that in your review.
Visited today, when entering it was a warm welcome from Demuthu who is owning as well as do the pizza cooking the and very friendly service till the last second. Enjoyed freshly prepared supper tasty pizzas. Altogether awesome dining experience. Highly recommended for couples and small gang of friends. If you are going on a peak time (Friday/weekend) better make a reservation and go.
It's lovely to have these little bistro style eateries open up as opposed to impersonal big restaurants and chains. It's good to see the owner - Dimuthu involved with the customers and looking into their requirements, getting their feedback and comments.
We thoroughly enyoyed our experience at Giovanni's. Since this review they have opened up a little space upstairs with several tables. Even with the airconditoning and a fan on as well as the windows open the little area was a little warmer than I would have liked. But the atmosphere of happy customers was great. (The gaggle of v. loud teenage girls was a little difficult on the ears. Still, who hasn't been that age at one point) We hope Dimuthu gets a chance to expand and still keep the charm of the personalized service.
The pizza - half margarita half pepperoni - was very good. The toppings were generous. Highly recommend the margarita with the fresh basil. The food came to the table fast considering the place was super busy.
Will definitely be eating from Giovanni's again.
The best place to go for if you want to try some authentic pizza! The flavors have remarkable depth and they are very generous in their toppings. We tried a customized pizza with two different toppings one with bacon and cheese and the other half with spicy chicken and it was fantastic! But i must say our favorite was the bacon and cheese, it was cheesy with a very big layer of bacon which was amazing and bursting with flavor. We recommend this place to anyone who wants to try something authentic and delicious!
So I hope this place isnt going into the good old days book of being ordinary as the toppings get lesser with each visit. The guests that took us remarked very disappointingly that the last few times they came the bacon cheese pizza had a lot more bacon…
A lot less bacon now on pizzas as I think Dimuthu has figured out that he will go broke if he puts that much chunky bacon on a pizza…maybe, but we do hope not! For all the reviewers who raved about the amount of bacon we went for this very reason but were let down yall.
Another of what we ordered - spicy chicken was incredibly salty and he admitted it was, however we paid the full price as we finished it anyhow…the last guy to join the dinner who had no choice ate most of it…
Service wise its a small team so patience is required and not slow as you'd think. Dimuthu himself is on point at times and getting reviews which is great to see. Don't be slow to order. Ambiance upstairs is it - super.
On that note we probably wont make a special trip here unless someone organizes a night out in which case we will definitely mention regarding salt and bacon as well…
Consistency is king!
Enjoyed the spicy chicken pizza but it could do with a lil more cheese, it was a bit dry…pizza should have had more cheese. Hope to try the other pizzas soon
I am pretty skeptical of Pizza outside Brooklyn. It's all about the water and we got the best water ;) But this guy got it going on! Good value, very tasty and no fluff. I am not into fancy pizza shops. I am not into paying big money for a pizza.This is what I call a Chowhound find. I hope he stays consistent and never tells me I'm the 51st pie. Four stars for Giovanni's.
Checked out Giovanni's yesterday with my husband.
It was the best pizza we have ever tried!! Made us question what we have been calling pizza for this long. LOL
Although the spicy chicken was not really spicy, i'm not complaining. It's a FEAST for our taste buds!!
Thank you Dimuthu!!
And thank you YAMU for finding jewels like this. Keep it up!
We had two large pies with sausage,onions and mushrooms. A little crushed red pepper and basil on top. Excellent! Dimuthu saved the day. Best pizza I have found yet in Sri Lanka.
Food is awesome… Place is super cozy… wouldn't mind there being more variety in terms of beef and chicken cos for pork lovers there's enough and more but for a person such as myself there were not enough variety in terms of meat… This place is too cool and brilliant to criticize but please introduce more toppings…
Very friendly person. Good service and it is personalized. (although they got one of my instructions wrong.). Pizza is not that tasty, mediocre at the best. 1. The quality of the cheese is questionable. Is it really mozzarella or Grana… 2. Under seasoned toppings. The size of the pizza is good.
GRANA?????!!!!! ARE YOU OFF YOUR HEAD. YOU THINK THAT CHEAPEY WOULD USE GRANA. IT'S KOTMALE PROCESSED MOZZARELLA….
went there few weeks back, had the worst experience i ever had in a while…the chicken pizza i ordered came in semi cooked state the vegeis were raw couldn't even finish a single slice…just threw 1,500 into the garbage…
Me and two of my friends came to grab a pizza. The place is very cozy and the people were really nice. And the pizza. Oh my. It was awesome. Definitely coming back. Coming back soon.
Giovanni's one of the best places for pizza i enjoy. its so homely and friendly staff
the site out on the 1st floor is fantastic.
my hang out is Giova's the best place
keep it up man
Everything about Giovanni's is just PERFECT!
Love the pizza,love the staff and Dimuthu and love the location!and TBH the pizza is quite big and it's real worth the price!
I have read the comments and it does seem that his Pizza tastes great, as I had the opportunity to taste one, however I find it disgusted that the owner Dimuthu would go into such 3rd class way of treating his customers, whatever said and done, above all is that customers are always right, weather Dimuthu was having a hard day for someone to leave the premises disheartened is not a good ideology and I highly disregard his behavior, he should never resort to that sort of language specially among his Children, why am I bringing this up? Because I saw the same scenario happen to another customer elsewhere and I found it thuggery and unsatisfactory for anyone who is offering services to act in such a way. Great Food, Great Customer service, and one bad day can ruin your reputation as there is always one watching you.
Giovanni's is an AWSM place to be and we enjoyed their pizza ALOT…
Thanks again for the TESTY PIZZAS…
Don't ever buy coke Giovanni's, always take your own drinks or bottled water when you go there, because they charge Rs. 200/- for the 100/- rupee coke bottle. Once we ask for the reason they say "You have to ask from our boss" modern way of replying to customer FAQ's. Food was good but keep in mind not to buy any beverages from this highly expensive Giovanni hut.
His pizzas are awesome, yet for those of you who are going gaga over his toppings, I'm sure you don't mind a little forehead sweat, probably bits of faecal matter from those gloveless hands and oh oh oh and guess what I got?? Curly armpit hair!!!! My pizza is in a dumpster, didnt bother go make a scene.
Lol the fact that u didn't go and atleast tell them that was in ur pizza goes to show that u don't care about ur food :) this review just sounds like u have a natural hate towards dimuthu :) and if that's the case u should have literally gotten a pizza from "a dumpster"
Apart from the pizzas being out of this world, the staff is super friendly and dining at giovannis makes you feel like you've been invited out to dinner :) so welcoming and comfortable… :)
HI
Just Love His Pizzas ! The 4 cheese just melts over down to the plate! He Dimu is kind affable and funny. But his Pizzas are a serious business. His passion for making them is obvious and if you get a chance to see him perform he and his dough are one. The quality had not diminished even by a degree. The ambiance is special coz he makes everyone feel special. Its like you are going to your grandmas where you know you are always lovingly welcomed and you know she will give you whatever you want. I for one never eat any other pizzas but his. And when we travel we still compare his pizzas to the ones abroad and Giovanis come out tops!
Went to Giovanni's for the first time and we were pretty impressed. Being on holiday in Sri lanka it was refreshing to see good generous food and great customer service (since it is so hard to come by in this wonderful country of ours). The pizza was delicious and filling and the chocolate biscuit pudding we got to try was quite decadent. Kinda had dessert before the pizza but it all works out well either way. Good job quaint little Giovanni's.
went to Giovanni's for the first time last week. had the most terrible pizza I've ever eaten. Chicken on the pizza was raw & the bacon was practically swimming in oil. the pizza was not crispy at all and it felt like biting into a leather… both pizzas and the garlic bread were way too salty. Thoroughly disappointing … we wished we ordered pizzas from PIzza hut or Dominoes instead. ( atleast they wouldn't be so disappointing as the expectations would have been much less ) we would never visit this place again … and will not recommend it either. Only positive thing was that the staff were very friendly & helpful
If you like thin crust pizza, this is the place to be. Very generous with the toppings as well
Hands down these guys make some of the best pizzas in town. Prices are increasing a bit but nothing to complain about you get premium stuff.
These are some of my favs- bacon pizza(some good bacon on the pizza), chicken kachitori(I prolly butchered the name), spicy chicken.
But please you guys need to stop charging high prices for a bottle of water! Some days I actually bring water from outside. True story :)
Hey guys…this place is definitely not Halal,they serve pork!you guys should probably remove them from the Halal list…it was kind of embarassing walking up to them asking if they serve pork and then make an exit at that!
i'm a regular customer at Giovanni's and they have one of the best pizza in Srilanka!! It's a nice place, very friendly owner and quite nice atmosphere. my favorites are all meat lover and beacon n cheese pizza. what i really appreciate is the amount of the topping that they put on pizzas, unlike other places they put generous amount of topping :D sadly now the prices are increasing :( and the mot important note is to never buy soft drinks or water from this place because it is just a rip off!! they charge 200 bucks for a small EGB bottle which is a total rip off :O
I went there yesterday April 03. I ordered a 1/2/1/2 Parma Ham / Spicy Chicken. Cost 2000 bucks. The ham one was OK, but the chicken one had bones, gristle and tendons in it. It basically ruined the experience. I think they should pay much more attention to the quality of the meat, making sure they get rid of any bones, gristle and tendons. I will give this place 3 out of 5 stars.
PS: You can bring booze here. They don't charge any corkage.
Omg I must admit this is so far the best pizza in town. Not exaggerating but it really is… We just went there after seeing the reviews and we knew it had to be good with all the good ratings but didn't expect it to be this good… Pizza was just super good… Customer service was excellent… Absolutely love this place… Will surely come back
To all those complaining of the price of soft drinks: C'mon guys its a dine in, you get glasses to pour them on too. You will pay 250 bucks for a bottled 50 rupee coke at the cinamas drinking off the straw, but you complain at getting a 500ml bottle with glasses.
To all those requesting more non-pork pizzas: Good news!! Dimuthu has added WTF! and Sandeep to the menu. WTF is a mix of meat except pork and get is extra spicy for green chilies. Sandeep is a home made sausage pizza, which I didnt have yet, but Ill bet its gonna be good. Will update ya'll when I dig in to it next time.
Last night was our first time at Giovanni's… A must visit place for die hard pizza fans.
Amazing service. Even though small pizza's were not available, since it was our first time they prepared us one since we requested… They clearly knew that first impression is always the best impression. Im definitely visiting this place again, mainly for their salvage pizza.
EPIC! Best pizza around. Giovanni's is the standard that all others must now live up to in Sri Lanka. Love the intimate roadside feel and the friendliness of the staff…reminds me of what you'd find in NYC or the north end. Their all meat is the real deal!
One strange observation… Always there seems to be a couple of guys hanging around the place. Kind of make one feel uncomfortable.
had 2 pizzas from Giovanni's for the first time 2 days back. they've got the dough wrong. it is consistent with naan or a hard type of bread which is not authentic Italian pizza dough. however the other ingredients are good and tastes fresh. the young guys at the front desk (and literally on the street) are very helpful and adds good energy to the small shop. will also try Domenico's soon to see the difference.
hands down the best pizza I have ever tasted… superb… I came back after 2 years, and it's still the same taste and quality…
Hands down, best pizza joint in SL, and have the best customer service I have experienced in SL.
The place is absolutely fantastic! The people are committed on one thing" Service "" unfortunately this is what even the 5 star hotels in Colombo just try and do lip service. I ordered a pizza today and didn't have a means to pick up the order. The owner delivered the pizza to my door step since the delivery guy was out sick… This is their commitment… I only hope they can expand all over the island but still try and keep the same promise and service standards…
Had a pizza with my family 2 days ago. Magaritha pizza was awsome. Service was exceptional. The only problum was parking. I will recommend this place for everyone
5/5
AdamG
One of the best pizza joints in Colombo. Love their Four Cheese. I have been to Giovanni's a few times. I can say that they have maintained their high standards over the years. Staff is friendly as usual. It's good that they have more room to dine in now.
1/5
Phillybuster
I had a lovely evening with my wife soured at the end by an immature, arrogant “owner.” Here’s the story;
My wife and I weren’t particularly hungry this evening so we opted for one pizza with half-an-half on the toppings (they have a non-cheese pizza which my wife likes but I find an abomination). Anyway, with the bill, I was surprised by the fact that they had charged us the higher priced pizza (which was mine @ 1700, but my wife’s being cheese-free was 1,100) so logic would have it that our half-an-half should have been priced at 1400 (which is the case at literally any pizza place in my experience). I asked the waiter about it later (after we had paid and were about to leave) but he simply said this is how they do it all the time (not helpful and not trying to be either - I regretted the tip I left him). I was not particularly bothered by any of this but I was still curious and felt I should ask the owner/manager if there was any rationale why I overpaid 300 bucks because it just didn’t make sense to me - and having come here several times in the past, I knew the place to have a friendly and helpful vibe. Boy was I wrong, and this is when my evening was essentially ruined.
I asked to speak to the owner if he was around and this guy who was perched on the front steps near the entrance said it was him. I was a bit sceptical coz he didn’t look like anyone in charge who I had been acquainted with in my past visits. Regardless, I didn’t question him on that but asked if there was any reason why he charged my half-an-half at the highest rate. (More as a matter of genuine inquisition than a complaint but he got defensive and quite rude from the start). He said that he did me a “favor” by doing half-an-half and that he won’t usually do it. I asked if there was a problem doing it but he said no (so what’s the favour?!!?) I told him that we like his pizza and he said if we like it, I shouldn’t complain (I wasn’t really complaining), then he said if I have a problem with the pricing or anything, just not to come and eat their pizza, and that they have enough people who come (he was right - the place was crowded, but it was a weekend night). I was disappointed by his attitude, but not entirely surprised. You see, when this was going on, there were no less than 10 other boys who worked there (including my waiter) surrounding us (did I mention that this “owner” was also a boy), so maybe he wanted to assert some dominance in front of his posse (who looked more like they were cutting classes and smoking for the first time with their parents’ money than they did running a restaurant).
The reason why I also keep using quotes on “owner” is I’m not sure if he really is the owner either. He did not have the mentality, attitude, temperament, charm, or maturity to own a pizza, let alone a pizza place. I don’t know if he was pretending to be the owner or whether he was put in charge by the actual owner, but he clearly had no place representing an establishment which my wife and I have enjoyed for many years.
When I told my wife (who was in the car during all this) what had happened, she too was surprised and confused, and we were both sad together. We both enjoyed the pizza here and the service in the past has been excellent. Whoever this guy was (owner or not) is essentially ruining its reputation. The crowds may come in now, and we may just be two customers they can afford to lose, but it only takes a few more of us to turn back and never return for the winds to shift.
5/5
lankangirl
one of the best pizzas in town!