Restaurant Review: Azzurri Pizzeria

Ever since our trip to Europe, I've always been on the search for the best pizza, not just in town but every where I visit. So I was really looking forward to trying out Azzurri Pizzeria, when a fellow foodie friend told me about how much she enjoyed the pizzas there. It took me a while to finally get over there but I was pleasantly surprised when I did.

Atmosphere: A small welcoming dining area, great for an intimate meal out.

Price Range: Mid $10s - $20s

Food & Wine: After seeing the alforno oven I couldn’t wait to for the pizza, so we skipped the appetizers and ordered two different pizzas instead. The first being The Martino, which is more traditional with a tomato sauce made from San Marzano tomatoes, topped with fior di latte cheese, fresh basil, sea salt, EVOO, and prosciutto di parma. The toppings were simple but flavourful and really allowed the amazing pizza dough to shine through. I definitely have to focus on the pizza dough for a second, it was crispy and chewy, what a perfect pizza dough should be. I was amazed at how chewy it was even though the crust was extremely thin. It really elevates the whole pizza itself and rates among some of the best I’ve had.

Our second pizza was the daily special - The Cotto Funghi consisting of onions, cremini mushrooms, with fior di latte cheese, essentially a white pizza since there was no tomato sauce. It was a nice contrast to the Martino. Normally the pizza is also topped with goat cheese, which we opted out of. I’m not a huge fan of goat cheese (I think I just heard gasps as I typed that). Leaving the goat cheese off didn’t affected the flavours for me. Instead, I felt like I was able to taste more of the mushrooms, which were sweet and juicy. I would have liked to see them use a variety of mushrooms, but I didn’t mind what was presented. Again the dough was the star here, super chewy with a wonderful mouthfeel. I could literally just eat the dough by itself!

Since we opted out of an entrée, we were definitely not going to miss dessert, especially since they mentioned the Housemade Strawberry Raspberry Tart. What a treat to have a freshly made tart! It was the perfect combination of tartness and sweetness. Coupled with our order of the Stracciatella ice cream, I found it even better a la mode. Isn’t every dessert better with ice cream?

My Pick: The Martino

Overall: I’m glad that I did make my way over to Azzurri. What a great little hidden gem on Edmonton Trail. As always, I’m hesitant to share because now that the word is out it’s going to be hard to find a seat in their 10 seater dining area. Although when the food is great, it’s hard not to spread the word. I hope everybody enjoys their pizzas because I sure did!

Azzurri Pizzeria
2404 Edmonton Trail NE
Calgary, AB
(403) 299-8774
Website: azzurripizzeria.ca