I don’t like pizza – said no-one ever! Crispy bread, juicy tomato sauce, melted mozzarella and other tasty ingredients will always lure us to eat this popular Italian classic. I am a big fan of pizza and have tried it in many places in Bournemouth. In this blog post I will mention my favourite pizzerias, especially since it’s International Pizza Day! My ranking is based on the following factors: the quality of ingredients, affordable price, and the usage of a wood-fired oven to bake a pizza, instead of an electric one. The ideal pizza should be baked at 450 degrees for 90 seconds!
Tocco is a family-owned restaurant where they use a wood-fired oven which is the key to baking a pizza with crispy bread and melting the ingredients at the right temperature at the right time. They used to own another pizza place, but sold it to open a bigger place in the town centre called Ponti. Unfortunately, the pandemic forced them to close Ponti, but they did not give up and opened Tocco, which you can find in Bar 1812.
In Tocco they use buffalo mozzarella, which is the best type of Italian mozzarella, and import other ingredients from Italy, for example parma ham. The place is genuine and the pizza obviously delicious.
2. El Murino
Similarly to Ponti, El Murrino pride themselves on using authentic Italian ingredients, slow rising dough and baking pizza in a wood-fired oven at 450 degrees for 90 seconds. This is the right temperature and time to prepare a perfect pizza according to authentic Italian recipes.
Most of El Murrino’s pizzas are marked with the abbreviations EVO (extra virgin olive oil) and DOP, which translates to “Protected Designation of Origin”. It guarantees that you eat good quality ingredients.
3. Da Mario
Bournemouth’s original wood fired pizzeria Da Mario, previously run by the current owners of Tocco, has kept its high standards under the new management. The pizza has a crispy base and the ingredients are of the best quality. Here are some photos of the take-away pizzas I have had during lockdown.
Vesuvio – half folded pizza 
classic Margherita
Last but definitely not least on my list is simply Bournemouth Pizza Co. They fulfil all the previously mentioned requirements for their pizzas to be delicious. It’s worth mentioning that they have a special offer on Wednesdays when you can buy 2 pizzas for the price of one on collection! A very original pizza that I highly recommend is Salssicia Melanzana with caramelised onions and boar salami.
These are my favourite pizza places in Bournemouth. Where do you normally eat pizza? Is it important to you where your pizza’s ingredients come from and if it’s made in a wood-fired oven? It should be!
Remember it’s International Pizza Day today! Are you ordering a pizza or making it yourself?
My Life in Bournemouth 