Sarah Douglas selects six of the best island ovens.
Every region of Italy has its own style of pizza, sometimes they will differ from town to town. In Bali we have a whole host of reasons to love pizza – and they offer as much variety as the old country. Here’s the best.
Da Maria, Petitenget
The cool cats are still lining up for Da Maria’s pizzas, pastas and cocktails. The music is hip and the pizza chefs are very good looking. Apart from that, their street cred is solid. The pizza is inspired by Naples, which is the home of their two pizza chefs, with a little bit of Milanese cool thrown in. The dough is fermented overnight and the state-of-the-art ovens have these bubbling beauties out in 90 seconds. Perfect every time. Sydney-based restaurateur Maurice Terzini has perfected these pizzas across a few destination restaurants including Luigi’s in Batu Bolong. The dough is really what sets these ones apart, slightly thicker than a traditional Milanese pizza, the tang of the fermentation adds to the flavour and the toppings range from traditional to deluxe. In the spirit of authentic Italian pizzas, these are never overloaded but they are satisfying, delicious and yes, sexy.
Tel: +62 361 9348523 www.damariabali.com Yak Map T.3
Pizza Fabbrica, Batu Bolong
In Italian, fabbrica means factory and Pizza Fabbrica has sliced out a little corner of Batu Bolong with its industrial chic building. Aside from that, this is no slave to culinary fashion. La Fabbrica is owned by Luigi, a native of Puglia, who has helped his Dad run Pronto pizza in Legian for the last seven years. The pizza of Puglia is a thin crust pizza and the toppings are traditional, although there is still room for a vegan pizza. Creamy fresh burrata, prosciutto crudo and a few spicy options are guaranteed to keep everyone happy. The margarita is a must for the purists, with a beautiful sauce, cheese just right, the pizza slightly blackened in parts and the right amount of chew. Overlooking the green belt, it’s a pretty restaurant that has a real family feel and the host is buzzing around making sure everyone is happy.
Tel: +62 81999330880 www.pizzafabbrica.com Yak Map L.1
Opera Mongio, Berawa
Run by a husband and wife team, Opera Mongio is an Italian influenced bistro. Husband Mario prides himself on his pizza dough while his Russian wife, Anastasia, loves to experiment with various toppings. The pizza is thin and rectangular and incredibly moorish. Toppings range from the traditional margarita, which is fabulous, to interesting varieties like the house-cured pancetta with pickled fennel, a delicious white pizza with mixed mushrooms, mozzarella, feta and watercress, and a potato pizza that is a definite hybrid but equally good. The thin pizzas mean that it’s easy to mix them up and share a few. From traditional roots, there are some delicious and fresh ideas emerging from Opera Mongio’s beautiful little kitchen. With a tropical-style terrace outside and a French bistro-inspired interior, this is a roadside gem in Berawa.
Tel: +62 81239429077 www.operamongio.com Yak Map L.1
La Baracca, Kerobokan, Uluwatu, Batu Bolong
From humble beginnings, La Baracca has spread its wings and flown. With three locations, and a rumoured fourth on the way, you’re rarely far away from a La Baracca experience. The pizzas tend towards the bubbling, wood-fired, hearty variety, perfect for feeding a hungry crowd. Nothing delicate about them, they are rustic and full of great flavours. Vegans have come to love their pizza, made with love to satisfy those on a plant-based diet, with vegan cheese and a choice of vegetable toppings. The pastas are delicious, the sandwiches with their home-made bread are really good as well. It’s affordable and always good fun. However, if you have come for the pizza, you won’t be disappointed. Baracca in Italian means shed, and the rustic interiors are welcoming and sweet, the hospitality is generous and there’s always a buzz. The go-jeks lined up outside are a good indication that this is also a great takeaway. Now in Kerobokan, Uluwatu and Batu Bolong.
Tel: +62 361 738373/4715283 www.labaraccabali.com Yak Map L.1
Dumbo, Ubud
Ubud’s latest pizza joint, Dumbo, comes with high ideals and a great story. Jono opened his first eatery at Zuchini café in Oberoi Road, from there he took his healthy approach to freshness to Berawa with Green Ginger and then up the hill to open The Elephant in Ubud. Dumbo is his latest culinary adventure and although we’ve only had a tantalising test, it’s enough to know this will be a hit. With views across the valley at the back and a wood fired pizza oven at the centre, Dumbo offers a full Italian-inspired menu of appetisers, pastas, salads and snacks and most importantly pizzas. The toppings are all vegetarian but Jono is the first to tell you he couldn’t live without cheese, so traditional pizza fans can rest happy that all is right in their Ubud world. Those who take their health seriously will also love it. Pizzas that taste good and are good for you; it’s an Ubud twist that tastes great.
Tel: +62 81353037096 www.dumbobali.com
Settimo Cielo, Seminyak
Sometimes you want your pizza just a little bit dressed up and this is where Settimo Cielo shines. Described as rustic yet refined, the Seminyak restaurant is stylish and intimate. The food however is thoroughly Italian and delicious. So while we are spoiled for choice the small pizza menu is sometimes just exactly what we want. Three pizzas feature on the menu and they are all dressed for dinner, or lunch. A mushroom porcini pizza is made even better with caramelized red onion, piattone cheese, rucola and pickled thyme. The four cheese pizza is a dreamy combination of piattone, tri signore, gorgonzola and fresh mozzarella with radicchio, chopped walnuts and fresh rosemary, while the rucola and prosciutto pizza is richly dressed with roasted red onion, thyme, rosemary, rucola pesto, fresh rucola and prosciutto crudo. Best served with a lovely glass of Italian red or their inspired aperitifs. The grazing menu at lunch offers a taste of everything at a great price and includes a sampling of the pizzas.
Tel: +62 361 4741117 www.settimocielobali.com Yak Map R.6
