Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria: Pizza, Pizza, Pizza

Foodology Disclaimer: I was invited to their media event to try out their food and hear more about the restaurant. I tried not to be biased and focused more on the taste of the food. All items are the same size as what you would normally receive.

Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria is a fast casual restaurant serving Neopolitan pizza. The have several locations in Alberta. They just opened their first location in BC on Commercial drive. They try to use similar ingredients as they would in Naples….except the difference is that they use a gas oven instead of a wooden oven.

Ange (FoodPunk), Sean (SeansAdventuresInFlavourTown), Tess, and I sat together at a table and decided to share a variety of items. We ate too much for our own good.

The kitchen is very open, so you can see the staff at work. There are tons of seats, so good for groups.

At first it is a bit confusing to figure out how to order. At your table, you will have a note pad and a pencil. You just write down your order, go up to the counter and complete your transaction.

It’s a little bit strange, but I guess that’s what makes it a “fast casual” restaurant. You can easily order to go or take your time eating at the restaurant.

Italian Spritz ($6.50) has prosecco, aperol with a splash of soda water. I liked it because it had a bold citrus taste.

Sangria ($9.50) is a fruit-based Italian wine punch with Grand Marnier and orange Italian soda. It tasted ok.

Prosciutto Wrapped Mozarella Balls (6 for $18) has fresh mozzarella wrapped with prosciutto in tomato sauce, fresh basil, and pecorino romano. I naturally liked it because it has meat and cheese. What was odd about the dish was the sauce was a bit cold.

It also comes with flatbread. It’s great just dunking this into the tomato sauce.

Famoso Salad ($13.50) has romaine lettuce, prosciutto crisps, carrots, cherry tomatoes, spicy sopressata, fire-roasted chicken, feta, and dijon-balsamic vinaigrette. It was a large salad and I liked it because it had a little bit of everything.

Funghi Tartufo ($14.50) has roasted white mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, white truffle oil, reggiano parmesan. This was my favorite pizza because I just love mushrooms and truffle oil. The people at my table had varying opinions on this pizza. It all comes down to personal tastes and what makes you drool.

The thing I didn’t like about the pizza was how super thin the pizza was in the center. With the toppings, it made the center a bit soggy and floppy.

Margherita Pizza ($11) has fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, pecorino romano, and extra virgin olive oil. Very simple, but packs a lot of amazing flavour from the tomatoes.

Prosciutto Arugula ($14.50) has prosciutto, arugula, and pecorino romano. I wasn’t a big fan of this pizza since there could have been a bit more arugula and the toppings didn’t stick too well to the pizza. The prosciutto was good by itself, but I didn’t like the overall item.

San Andreas ($14.50) is a California style pizza. It has Bianca sauce, fresh mozzarella, and chili-lime marinated roasted chicken. Then its topped with fresh avocado slices, diced roma tomatoes, diced onion, cilantro, and drizzled with light cream. It was definitely a busy pizza with lots of different ingredients. It kinda reminded me of a taco.

Affogato ($5) has a shot of espresso on top of a scoop of gelato. You can choose any of their gelato flavours but i stuck with vanilla since it just seemed right to pair it with espresso. I would have preferred the two items separately until it arrives to the table because my gelato melted quite quickly.

Dolce and Banana ($7) has oven-roasted bananas coated in caramelized brown sugar, crushed pecans, caramel sauce, vanilla bean gelato. I am not a fan of caramel because it sticks to your teeth, but if you love caramel and bananas, then you should get this. It’s a good dessert to share with other since it’s easily splitable.

Nutella Pizza ($8) is smothered in Nutella, folded into a calzone, then cut into strips. It’s a great sharable item as well. Since the crust is quite thin, you should be able to finish this with no issues. In our case, we couldn’t finish it because we ate SO much.

Tiramisu ($6) is imported from Milan, Italy. It has mascarpone cream on a sponge cake base, drenched with espresso, topped with mascarpone and dusted with cocoa. It was pretty standard and nothing too special about it.

Pineapple Panna Cotta ($4.50) is a sweet Italian custard made with pineapple and served with crushed pineapple and coconut shavings. It is one of their lighter desserts and I enjoyed it because it was a refreshing end to the meal. The pineapple in the custard didn’t stand out, but when you scoop up some of the custard with pineapples, it makes a good combination.

Overall, they have a large selection of items on their menu, but some items are a hit and miss. If you choose items that have your favorite items in there, you should have no problems at all. With so many pizza restaurants popping up in Vancouver, the competition is heating up!

Words of Wisdom: