Nobody doughs it better?
Pro First class authentic pizza.
Con Very limited wine selection.
Pay
€€€
Per Person €25 approx. Two beers, shared starter, pizza, dessert. Gratis: aperitif micro-pizza, generous limoncello. El Tenedor bookings may be available.
Find
Website Here
Access Stepfree entry.
In Short
Hopes? Keep up the increasing standards of Madrid pizzerias.
Reality? The best pizza I've had in 21 years in Madrid.
First Impressions? Hipster coffee shop and pizza restaurant had a baby.
A USP? Calabrian pizza.
The food in three words? Italiano da vero!
Service! Excellent, but might be a risk being pushed if really busy.
Friend friendly? V-options easily doable.
Rating for dating? Yep. It's a bit bright, but it's a goer.
Tip? 10%. It was that good.
Change one thing? The mystery of the Black Pepper.
Going back? Yes.
Compare & Contrast
Nearby, Menomale and Pizza Massa
In Lavapies, see Primadonna.
In Pictures
On Google Images
What's the story?
An excellent pizza experience near Pl Bilbao.
No faffing. Gustami Italia's on our recommended list. There's going to be other pizza as good in this city, but if there's better I'll stand in Plaza Mayor and sing Volare wearing swimming trunks. Those who don't like gushing reviews (albeit with some minor points to mention), come back next week for something completely different.
So. Food.
Burrata is so on trend. if it could wear socks they'd not reach its ankles. If Gustami Italia's version was Christmas roast turkey, you'd say it came with all the trimmings; fresh tomato (better at room temp), sundried tomato, a bushel of rocket, a smidge of basil (more would be a bonus) and a tasty onion preserve. Crowning glory was an entire fresh flat focaccia dressed with garlic and oil. Easily enough for two, this could please four at a push. It's terrific and sets a standard you just hope they can keep up.
They do. We're talking superlative pizzas, and we might have to send out (to Deliverboo?) for extra vocab as our positive adjective well is likely to run dry.
Pizza Calabrese's simply topped with salame picante and 'nduja. And that'll 'ndo as it's delicious. Properly spicy, like an overtattooed La Liga defender, it gives you an instant kick. There's chilli oil if you want more, but you don't need it. Excellent.
Crudaiola's just as delicious, possibly better. All the topping flavours - ham, rocket and nicely acidic warmed parmigiano - are present, correct and fresh. If anything, it might be a little bit over-topped, but we're quibbling about too much flavour. We should shut up.
Critically, on both dishes, the fundamentals are spot on. Excellent mozarella doesn't overwhelm the tomato. There's enough rich tomato to consistently come through and contrast with other ingredients. The base is Italian thin. We're talking 2-3 mm. They're fresh, moist and moreish, not dry as too many Madrid pizzas turn out. Look, if I was in Italy on holiday, I'd think about going back the next day. You get the point. We wonder why there's no fresh black pepper, though. Is it not a Calabrian thing? We should have asked. We will, next time.
Struggling slightly having demolished two entire pizzas, curiosity and enthusiasm told common sense to get the bus home and we tried two desserts, entirely for the purpose of producing a thorough review. Passing on Nutella pizza because one of us wanted to get home under their own steam and the other was once frightened by the nutty stuff at a birthday party, a canollo and tiramisu were irresistible.
Both did the necessary. The generous tiramisu portion could have used a bit more booze-soaking to its sponge for more heat, but was creamy and felt right. The cannolo was a revelation. Artfully arranged like a crash-landed Martian cylinder in its own crater of cream, this was fresh and - for what it is - light enough for us to not want to stop when we finally had to.
Now, service. This really couldn't be much better. Not only did we get a choice of table, we were advised there was a big group due so it might get noisier. We didn't need to ask for the slightly scary music to be turned down, the server thought of it. We didn't just get offered a chupito, there was "more if you need it". There were stretches when we didn't see a server for a bit, suggesting two might be the minimum needed for a place this size, but the workrate of the staff is admirable and totally reliable.
Decor is...eclectic. A bit like walking into a vintage furniture showroom with a giant pizza oven in one corner as you walk through. Spacious enough though, and even with a group of 12 sitting opposite we weren't oppressed by noise.
Delicious food, friendly and thoughtful staff, good price/pizza ratio and a pleasant atmosphere. Pizza by the metre with three toppings is available and would be great for group sharing and they're more than happy to box things up for you to take away.
If many more places like Gustami Italia open, we'll be out of work.
Pro First class authentic pizza.
Con Very limited wine selection.
Pay
€€€
Per Person €25 approx. Two beers, shared starter, pizza, dessert. Gratis: aperitif micro-pizza, generous limoncello. El Tenedor bookings may be available.
Find
Website Here
Access Stepfree entry.
In Short
Hopes? Keep up the increasing standards of Madrid pizzerias.
Reality? The best pizza I've had in 21 years in Madrid.
First Impressions? Hipster coffee shop and pizza restaurant had a baby.
A USP? Calabrian pizza.
The food in three words? Italiano da vero!
Service! Excellent, but might be a risk being pushed if really busy.
Friend friendly? V-options easily doable.
Rating for dating? Yep. It's a bit bright, but it's a goer.
Tip? 10%. It was that good.
Change one thing? The mystery of the Black Pepper.
Going back? Yes.
Compare & Contrast
Nearby, Menomale and Pizza Massa
In Lavapies, see Primadonna.
In Pictures
On Google Images
What's the story?
An excellent pizza experience near Pl Bilbao.
No faffing. Gustami Italia's on our recommended list. There's going to be other pizza as good in this city, but if there's better I'll stand in Plaza Mayor and sing Volare wearing swimming trunks. Those who don't like gushing reviews (albeit with some minor points to mention), come back next week for something completely different.
So. Food.
Burrata is so on trend. if it could wear socks they'd not reach its ankles. If Gustami Italia's version was Christmas roast turkey, you'd say it came with all the trimmings; fresh tomato (better at room temp), sundried tomato, a bushel of rocket, a smidge of basil (more would be a bonus) and a tasty onion preserve. Crowning glory was an entire fresh flat focaccia dressed with garlic and oil. Easily enough for two, this could please four at a push. It's terrific and sets a standard you just hope they can keep up.
They do. We're talking superlative pizzas, and we might have to send out (to Deliverboo?) for extra vocab as our positive adjective well is likely to run dry.
Pizza Calabrese's simply topped with salame picante and 'nduja. And that'll 'ndo as it's delicious. Properly spicy, like an overtattooed La Liga defender, it gives you an instant kick. There's chilli oil if you want more, but you don't need it. Excellent.
Crudaiola's just as delicious, possibly better. All the topping flavours - ham, rocket and nicely acidic warmed parmigiano - are present, correct and fresh. If anything, it might be a little bit over-topped, but we're quibbling about too much flavour. We should shut up.
Critically, on both dishes, the fundamentals are spot on. Excellent mozarella doesn't overwhelm the tomato. There's enough rich tomato to consistently come through and contrast with other ingredients. The base is Italian thin. We're talking 2-3 mm. They're fresh, moist and moreish, not dry as too many Madrid pizzas turn out. Look, if I was in Italy on holiday, I'd think about going back the next day. You get the point. We wonder why there's no fresh black pepper, though. Is it not a Calabrian thing? We should have asked. We will, next time.
Struggling slightly having demolished two entire pizzas, curiosity and enthusiasm told common sense to get the bus home and we tried two desserts, entirely for the purpose of producing a thorough review. Passing on Nutella pizza because one of us wanted to get home under their own steam and the other was once frightened by the nutty stuff at a birthday party, a canollo and tiramisu were irresistible.
Both did the necessary. The generous tiramisu portion could have used a bit more booze-soaking to its sponge for more heat, but was creamy and felt right. The cannolo was a revelation. Artfully arranged like a crash-landed Martian cylinder in its own crater of cream, this was fresh and - for what it is - light enough for us to not want to stop when we finally had to.
Now, service. This really couldn't be much better. Not only did we get a choice of table, we were advised there was a big group due so it might get noisier. We didn't need to ask for the slightly scary music to be turned down, the server thought of it. We didn't just get offered a chupito, there was "more if you need it". There were stretches when we didn't see a server for a bit, suggesting two might be the minimum needed for a place this size, but the workrate of the staff is admirable and totally reliable.
Decor is...eclectic. A bit like walking into a vintage furniture showroom with a giant pizza oven in one corner as you walk through. Spacious enough though, and even with a group of 12 sitting opposite we weren't oppressed by noise.
Delicious food, friendly and thoughtful staff, good price/pizza ratio and a pleasant atmosphere. Pizza by the metre with three toppings is available and would be great for group sharing and they're more than happy to box things up for you to take away.
If many more places like Gustami Italia open, we'll be out of work.
