Honest to Goodness
My quest to find the greatest pizza in Dublin began in Honest to Goodness, tucked away on Dame Avenue. The peaceful seclusion means you can almost walk right by without noticing it’s even there. This bright and friendly café offers an extensive menu that extends far beyond the realm of pizza – but who in their right mind would choose something else over pizza? Feeling adventurous, I decided to go for some toppings with a twist; mozzarella, gorgonzola and egg. It was a risky decision that left me wary of what was to come.
When it arrived, however, all doubt melted away as I was greeted with a white wonderland on crust. It takes a certain calibre to pull off a fried egg on top of pizza but against all odds, Honest to Goodness succeeded. The gorgonzola was tasteful without being overpowering, and the base was thin and crispy. The total bill for a 12” was €12 between two, and I definitely feel that it was money well spent.
4/5
The Buttery
With that, my pizza binging had truly begun. The next stop on my list was Trinity’s own Buttery. Unfortunately, my experience here was unenlightening. For €5, you can buy half a pizza and half a plate of chips. If you’re looking for a lot of food for little money, this is certainly worthy mentioning. The quality of the pizza may heed room for improvement, however. It can often be a case of hit and miss.
I would be willing to look past the significant lack of crispness in the pizza’s base if it wasn’t for the second and unforgivable crime committed against pizza; a notable lack of cheese. In the future, I’ll be willing to make the venture outside campus for better pizza. That being said, for €5 you won’t leave The Buttery hungry.
2/5
Ristorante Romano
Mildly disillusioned with the all-powerful lure of pizza, I continued my quest. This brought me to Capel St, a bit of a walk from campus but well worth the visit. Walking into the quaint little restaurant, it was as though Romano’s had cut off a section of Italy and dropped it into inner city Dublin. The waiters conversed in Italian and there were flowers on every table.
They offer a €7.50 lunch menu with a selection of unpronounceable but delicious sounding pasta dishes and 9” pizzas. I opted for the Vegetariana; topped with mozzarella, olives, onions, peppers and mushrooms, with a garnish of rocket. My faith in pizza was well and truly restored. No more need be said.
4.5/5
Ray’s
It wouldn’t be worth writing a Trinity’s students guide to pizza without mentioning Ray’s in Temple Bar. A five-minute walk from campus, this is the perfect escape for anyone craving a treat following that particularly stressful and hunger-inducing assignment. I chose the €9.95 deal consisting of a drink and a 12” pizza with two toppings, in this case half ham and half spinach – don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it.
The toppings were dancing with freshness and the cheese was the perfect amount of stringy. For an affordable €3.50 you can buy by one of their generously sized New York-style slices, appropriately presented on a paper plate. Busiest in the late hours of the night, you should be able to catch them at a quiet time during daylight.
4/5
Dublin Pizza Company
Choosing the best pizza in Dublin, as I’m sure you can understand, is no easy feat and so it is with due solemnity that I place this prestigious title with Dublin Pizza Company. Located on Aungier Street, the walk from College is worth it for this literal slice of heaven. More similar to a hatch in the wall as opposed to an actual restaurant, this tiny takeaway allows you to watch as your pizza is brought into being and cooked in a woodfire oven right in front of you.
With an array of Italian-style pizzas, a lunch menu, and even a vegan option to choose from, I was impressed from the outset. Reverting back to basics, I ordered a margherita pizza for €9, and oh, was it worth it. The pizza-making experts at Dublin Pizza Company are worthy recipients of the crown, with the entire experience perfectly summed up as positively mouth-watering.
5/5
