GOOD Pizza in NW Calgary?

[jsfoodchat]

Since I moved from the South West , I just can't find good, local pizza.

I loved Sophies on 33rd (formerly Spiros on 17th SW)

The closest I can find to me now is:
1. Stavros (4th st and 41st Ave)
2. Capri Pizza and Steak House (16th Ave and Edmonton Trail)

Both of which are a long drive. - but worth it.

Anything closer to Country Hills and 14th vicinity?

I've tried (and hated)
- Panago
- Pizza Hut
- Tom's house of pizza
- Mothers pizza
- Western Pizza (not awful - the best of this bunch)
- Amici (gack!)
- Pizza 73 (fake cheese and all)

[Viro]

I can't believe no one has mentioned FATS yet, especially on their half price Mondays!!

[mtheam]

In my opinion, Demetri's Pizza in kensington (19st and Kensington Road) has the best pizza in the city. While they are closed on Sundays, during the other six days in the week they make extremely unique pizzas with a great crust. My personal favorite is the "Affair of the heart" with artichoke hearts(!), chicken breast, and tomatoes. It knocks my f*cking socks off every time.

Seriously, check them out.

[seemac70]

Agreed. Demetri's is very good. They're cooking there, not just heating. Cheese always well topped. All the crust gets eaten!

Great consistency, too. Takes an hour to get one delivered, but it's always been hot and fresh. (Just remember, when speaking to who I assume may be the mother of the operation, to be clear and concise with the address!)

[nutellaluvr]

I have to agree with many others, Matadors makes a great pizza. I grew up in Varsity and George (the owner) has been making us pizza since they opened in the 70's. I currently live in Panorama Hills and happily drive to Varsity. They have a new menu item, something like "New Traditional Greek", or something like that, we get it regularly (everyone in your party has to have some for all the roasted garlic). The Matadors Special and the #20 are also reliable standbys as is the El Greco. I have to admit that we drive home with the pizza, and yes, it may be a little cool 15/20 minutes later, but I still think it's worth it. And if you're really hungry you can show all the other rush hour traffic "look, I have a pizza and you don't" while you're munching at Shaganappi/John Laurie.

I too love Sophie's (so sad that Sophie left for WestJet, but her brother is still there), the Back Bacon Special is my total fave, but the "boys" tend to get a Dam Good Pizza. I think they just like the name!

If you're looking for somewhere close(r) to home, I have frequented Palermo's. It's just north of Country Hills and a couple of blocks east of Shoppers Drug Mart (by Harvest Hills Golf course). Sorry, I don't remember the address, just the general driving route. I haven't tried many different pizzas, when trying new spots I generally get a Vegetarian + pepperoni so I have some basis of comparison. Weird? probably. Anyway, the pizza was quite good, not Matadors, but wayyyy better than Dominos or (ik!) Papa John's. I'd give Palermo's a 7/10. I liked it better than Louie's (in Harvest Hills), but perhaps it was just my selection (will have to try their Special on thin crust now). Palermo's was recommended after a community event, and they have several booths (not fancy at all, we do takeout).

Good luck!

[maplesugar]

I haven't been since shortly after that place was renamed but Palermo is at 790 Coventry Drive NE, the southest corner ot Coventry Drive & Coventry Blvd. If you're coming from 14th St NW take C Hills Blvd east toward deerfoot and turn left at Coventry Blvd (the last light before the train bridge) and it's on your right in the strip mall with the gas station.

[darsin45]

I love Mona's Pizza...try the meat lovers. It's great for pick-up or delivery.

1107 48 Avenue Northwest
[phone]

[smyth39]

There is a new place called Avatar (sp?) off Crowchild and Kensington rd. Sorry no address.

[nonlinear]

hrm, i drive through that location twice a day, and haven't noticed it. where is it, exactly? tried a web search and that didn't help much, etither.

have you been there before? what style of pizza is it, and is it good?

thanks.

[truthserum]

Found an AvaTarA Pizza, http://www.avatarapizza.com/, but the website lists it as 3406 - 3rd Ave. NW, on Memorial Drive beside Lic's Ice Cream. Web page says it is 50% whole wheat crust, baked on a granite hearth rather than greasy pans. Anyone tried it?

[rosetown]

You had a comma behind the website URL - correct webpage below:
http://www.avatarapizza.com/

Did it replace Serious Pizza? It was beside Lic's.

Chowhound link:

-----
Avatara Pizza Ltd.
3406 3 Ave NW, Calgary, AB T2N 0M2, Canada

[nonlinear]

wow, the theme is... weird... to say the least.

the one review i can find on the web is an obvious shill (check join dates, also how the user name is composed of the same cap and lowercase letter combos that the website has): http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/15/143657...

[rosetown]

Thanks, this quote, "While this location has had pizza before this new business has an expansive menu", confirms to me that it is the Serious Pizza location. I suspect they've re-branded and are attempting to cash in on the Avatar movie craze. I live in Martindale, so chances are that I'll never eat there. It's for others to say whether the pudding is good. :)

[The Gut]

We tried AvaTarA last night. The crust was thin and chewy but soft no grease and partially whole wheat, quite good. Everyone was happy. The hawaiian had some dry spice on it but nothing that bothered the kids.

We tried the thai chicken, quite good. I didn't think it resembled a red Thai curry but my wife did.

I don't know what it was but the heavy meat one was quite good. I usually go for the veggie heavy myself, but the meaty one was my favorite of the bunch.

The greek was very good also, green olives instead of black. So that would either be a bonus or a "what the mullet?" I would think for most.

Over all I'd give it an 8.5/10 I just feel it beats a regular 8 but didn't quite hit a 9.

[MeXx]

Matadors. One of the few things I miss after moving back to Toronto (that and P&S).

http://www.matadorpizza.com/

Probably 9/10 tables order pizza, and that doesn't include take-out.

[beggsy]

I agree with MeXx. We had been ordering mainly from Mattuci's in Silver Springs and had Matador tonight. It was fantastic pizza. Perfectly cooked crust and nice tangy sauce. I had forgotten how good their pizza was.

[nonlinear]

matador is certainly one of the best in the city.

[AriaDream]

I like Papa John's, actually. But that's just me. :) Nick's doesn't deliver to all of the NW, they wouldn't come anywhere near me.

[vanderb]

Along the lines of Gondola (ie: no dining room) I highly recommend Demetris on Kensington Rd and 19th Street NW. It is much further away, but still in the NW. Their herbal tomato and artichoke heart and exploded garlic pizzas are outstanding IMHO.

Now that I'm living in India I miss them terribly... there's nothing like it here. I'll have to make my own.

[katidyd]

I just moved into WH and live a stone's throw from Demetris. I wondered about it and now I will definitely be trying it soon. Thanks for the rec.

[nonlinear]

nicks does have a pretty strong reputation, but i've always found the pizza to be quite "meh." don't really see what the fuss is about. it's not necessarily "bad," but for me it just doesn't stand out. Nick's son Tim, on the other hand, does a fine job with his pies. they are thin crust, whole wheat i think, and he premakes them and then freezes them. but they turn out exceptionally well fortfrozen pizza. in the summer you can find him giving out samples (cooked on a bbq) at the local farmers markets. http://www.timsgourmetpizza.com/

[TSAW]

Agreed, Nicks is 'meh'. Not super duper, not bad either. Just ok. As left overs it's pretty decent. Not a gloppy wet mess that some leftover pizza become.

[wasJSFoodChat]

Thanks to all for the great responses! Will report back after Pizza night.

[John Manzo]

What do you order from Nick's? A gombarda or the one with REAL KALAMATA OLIVES, feta and artichoke hearts is one of the best pizzas I've ever tasted.

[katidyd]

give the "Euphoria" a try. No red sauce...just garlic butter, roasted red peppers, onions, tomatoes and feta. I added artichokes once...really tasty and not as heavy as many others. also I really like the onion chips...but you get a better size order when you order in rather than delivery.

[slingshotz]

I'd second Nicks. Very good.

[tex_in_yyc]

Nicks across from McMahon stadium might be the best of the NW pizza joints.

[TSAW]

I've been having nothing but problems with Nicks NW delivery. I really like the pizza but my last 4 orders have all been wrong! On one occasion my vegetarian guest was forced to pick salami off the 'mushroom and tomato' pizza. Then last weekend was the final straw when delivery was again not at all what I ordered, I sent it back and asked them to re-make and delivery what I ordered. They were cool about it and said ok but when the second order came, it too was wrong, not at all what was written on the order form! I was so frustrated and hungry so I just kept it and picked off the toppings I hate, because it had now been over two hours from ordering time. I was offered a credit for my troubles, but after being on hold for about 10 mins so they could supposedly take my information for a credit (huh? don't they already have that info?), I just hung up. I was too hungry to care! I've always made them aware of their mistakes and my dissapointment but nothing changes. I think I will be going elsewhere.

Can anyone suggest a similar pizza that is delivered in the NW, closer to 14th Street? I've tried Capri, I would say it's not the same kind of pie as Nick's. I don't believe Madador delivers. And I have no interest in Pizza 73, Pizza Hut, Little Ceasars... Any tips would be appreciated.

[piano boy]

Pangea has been improving over the last few months with some changes in crust and sauce. Went from average to very good in my books. On Northmount across from St. Francis.

Pretty sure they do delivery. 403-289-7775

[katidyd]

I've occasionally had a few problems with Nick's as well...and I haven't ordered from them for quite awhile now as a result. To dine in is another matter...never a problem,
I tried Bob's pizza this past weekend. One of the pizzas was perfect...the other one - the bottom of the crust was so burnt it was horrific.
My safe and secure "go to" recently has been Rio.

[Shazam]

Try Varsity. My go-to these days is Mitillini's, which I find is very close to Nick's style except way less greasy. I freakin' love Varsity though.

[nonlinear]

sounds like you're looking for calgarian greek bar pizza. i think your best options relatively nearby are Stavro's and Marissa's (formerly Vlassi's - 5006 Centre Street Ne). i'm not a huge fan of either, since i'm not a fan of greek pie, and also because both of these use inferior ingredients IMO. but i think you'll be hard pressed to find a better greek pie in the NW.

that said, i think there are few other options teh NW. i highly recommend Matador (4625 Varsity Drive), which i consider a cross between american-style and greek bar pie. what makes this pizza stand out is the quality of ingredients... A+. they have a lounge and a dining room, so it's a nice place to sit down and enjoy your food. do a search on chowhound or beyond.ca for more specific details on the pie. there is also a gondola pizza at 1330 Northmount Dr. N.W. - an excellent midwestern-style thin crust, but perhaps not what you are looking for... however, they do NOT have a dining room, so you need to either find a nice park (nosehill?) to eat at, or endure a long drive home (which will swiftly degrade the quality of your pie). you might also try Rea's (formerly Sandro's), but this is a more neopolitan pie, complete with craphole service, etc... otherwise, i think you're pretty much stuck with the chains and crappy 2-for-1 shops in the NW.

EDIT: i've also heard many good things about Al's Pizza (735 Ranchlands Blvd. NW - http://www.alspizza.ca/), but i've never been there. i understand that this is typical calgarian greek bar pie, and is pretty good. on the other hand, i read a recent comment on beyond.ca saying that the only reason it's known is because it's near a high school... (take that for what you want). but it's probablly worth trying. if you do, please let us know :)

[Jetgirly]

I have eaten Al's Pizza about a half-dozen times; it's not amazing but it's certainly better than most of the big chains.

[23skidoo]

We ordered Rea's (pickup) last night, and that is some worthy pizza! To give you an idea of the style, soft medium-thin crust with some char (no cornmeal or grease on the bottom). The cheese was nicely browned.

We had the Dom Special (capicollo, shrip, mushroom) and Pizza Alla Paesana minus sausage (tomato, garlic, oregano, olive). 3 slices of the medium will fill you up, and 4 will leave you feeling stuffed.

Someone at Urbanspoon was nice enough to scan the pizza menu (most of it, anyway): http://www.urbanspoon.com/u/menu/1490...
I wanted to take a paper menu home, but they'd run out. Next time...

-----
Rea's Italian Cucina
431 41 Ave NE, Calgary, AB T2E, CA

[Office Broccoli]

I like Varsity Pizza. The crust is crisp and a bit oily. They top it with a lot of cheese.

http://www.varsitypizza.ca/

[Merry113]

We like Louie's Pizza http://foodpages.ca/LouisClassic - We get the Louie's Special on thin crust. Very yummy!