Madrid is known for many things. Pizza is not one of them.
While Rome, Chicago, or New York have their signature styles of homemade ‘za, the Spanish capital hasn’t carved out a legacy in this realm. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find a pie with much flavor at all, with late-night, budget chains such as Papizza and Telepizza reigning supreme over its sad, sad kingdoms.
But in recent years, things have been changing in Madrid. With globalization has come picky eaters with refined palates demanding all the hipster delicacies: specialty coffee, craft beer, artisan gelato, and now, pizza that makes your eyes triple in size.
This small “movement” has gained traction in the past year or so with players like Picsa (Argentine-style pies) and Massa (doughy, personal pan pizzas). But I’m tempted to give the top vote to PinsaPizza, an authentic Italian pizzeria with some very surprising twists.
We went on a freezing November evening to their Salamanca location near Gregorio Marañón (they have another shop up north in La Paz). We were immediately warmed up by the cozy dim lights and the smell of cheese being baked…
We started off with the burrata pesto salad, which, if you aren’t very hungry, is a meal in itself.
For the main course, my date went for the mushroom truffle pizza. Note: even the personal pan pizzas are enough to fill you up if you’ve had a starter, so be prepared to ask for a to-go box.
I went for the weirdest thing on the menu (¿qué quieres? I’m an Aquarius): the chicken masala pizza, hold the chicken. The sauce was very flavorful and the cheese fresh, but I recommend adding some veggies to it, as it was pretty basic without.
Aaand saving the best for last, as always: dessert. I ordered one of my favorite foods in the whole universe (and I would never exaggerate in a million years [yes, that’s 110% a dad joke]): tiramisu. And they don’t skimp here. The photo does it no justice—creamy, flavorful, and a portion big enough for two. Bliss.
All in all, the experience was fantastic, and the menu definitely had some options to come back for: diavola, tartufo di parma, flor de quesos, a veggie number with grilled asparagus on top, even a Nutella dessert pizza…
And if you’re a serial killer and don’t like pizza, there are also calzones and enormous Italian-style salads.
Next time I’m craving real, authentic Italian pizza, I’ll be back…
PinsaPizza
- Website & IG: @pinsapizzaes
- Address: C/ María de Molina, 10
- Metro: Gregorio Marañón or Rubén Darío
- Phone: 915946723
