Pizza Time! My Favorite Ottawa Pizza Joints

Ottawa pizza can be a pretty polarizing subject. There’s a few schools of thought here, and all of them are valid, depending on what you like. What do I like? I like pizza. I love pizza. Any time, all the time. But I don’t really ever make pizza at home. For me, it’s a treat best enjoyed when made by someone who has the pizza skills to pay the pizza bills.

What are those schools of thought I mentioned earlier? Well, there’s the chain-pizza lovers. These are the folks who swear by their Pizza Pizza/Pizza Hut/Dominoes. Let me be frank here. I like Dominoes pizza, from time to time. And I’ve eaten my share of Pizza Pizza… pizza. They’re nostalgic. Like the odd Big Mac. But for me, they’re not great pizza.

Then there’s the “Ottawa-style” pizza enthusiasts. This is the style of pizza I like the least. The crust is so thick and doughy. There’s a lot of toppings, but they’re under the cheese. Did I mention the cheese? So. Much. Cheese. You know it’s cheese overkill if even I’m saying “Hey, that’s a lotta cheese.”

The third school of thought, the Ottawa pizza ethos I follow, is that of the higher-quality pizza. Pizza from places that know what’s what. While they may do quantity, they’re all about quality. Try a slice from any of these fine pizza purveyors and you’ll be hard pressed to ever choke down a doughy, overly cheesy wedge ever again.

So here, in no particular order, are some of my personal favorite places to get pizza in Ottawa:

Heartbreakers Pizza

These guys make a fantastic pie. I mean, really, REALLY good. I even wrote a little story about them a while back, if you’re curious. Thin, crispy, lovely crust. Wonderful, locally-sourced ingredients. A killer natural wine list that compliments the pizza so well. And, to top it all off, some damn fine people running the place. If you like pizza at all, you owe it to yourself to check them out. My personal faves are the Sweetheart (pictured above) and the Fun-Guy (below). Take a gander over at their website.

Art Is In Bakery

Oh man, these pies are something else. If you like breads and pastries in Ottawa, then Art Is In is probably something you already know about, but their pizzas? Unreal. They pride themselves on doing sourdough pizza and it does not disappoint. If you cop a large pie, then you can do half-and-half, which is a lot of bang for your pizza buck. Pictured below is a pie from a summer past, a half-and-half of the Sincerely, Kevin and the Green Summer. But, no matter which kind (or kinds) you pick, you can’t really go wrong. The sourdough crust gives the pizza a flavour all its own, and the attention to detail in sourcing ingredients really shines through. Check out the menu here.

Roberto Pizzeria

If you want to feel like you’re eating pizza in Italy, then I can only recommend you check out Roberto. When you taste these pies, you feel transported. A thin crust with perfect chew and just the right amount of char. The pizzas aren’t “overtopped”, great care is given to the individual compositions of each. I wish I had some photos, but just give them a try! Personal favorites include the Roberto, Enzo and Alessandro. You can view their whole menu here.

City Goose

Last on this list, but certainly not least is another restaurant I just so happened to write about. City Goose makes some damn delicious pizzas. The dough is a bit thicker than the others on the list, but nowhere near the monstrous size of Ottawa-style pizza. Just a perfect, sturdy and tasty crust. Coupled with great, local produce for the toppings and a fantastic local beer list, you’re in for a good time. What are my personal favorites? Glad you asked. I really like the Pam-Pam (pictured below), the Arnold and the Rupert. Pizza and beer go hand in hand, and when they’re being curated for you by such great people, you can’t lose! Check them out here!

So, that about wraps up my list, but I wanna know what YOU think? Have you tried any of these joints? Agree or disagree with what I said? Think I missed a pizza gem in the city of Ottawa? Leave a comment below or send me an email! I’m always up to talk pizza pies.