Kyiv Post. April 10th, 2008. Best Italian pizza.

There are many options for pizza in Kyiv but differences in quality are often immense. It seems like the idea of pizza in Ukraine was distorted from the start. A lot of pioneer pizza makers seemed to think that cheese (which was very unlikely to be mozzarella) was to go on top of all the ingredients. And speaking of ingredients, they could include anything: corn, green peas, cucumbers, crab sticks, carrot, pickles, ketchup, and even mayonnaise.

However searching for perfect city pizza, I didn’t even consider those aforementioned pizza disasters, but rather the only eateries worthy of our attention.

Celentano was picked Best pizza by KP readers several times before, but today it can hardly be justifiably holding the title. Celentano chain is in fact an upgraded fast-food joint, with interesting cafe design, where orders are made at the counter, and than brought to your table by wait staff. At Celentano is an invent-your-own-pizza operation meaning you can pick the ingredients, chicken, tomatoes, mushrooms, corn, olives, or whatever, you want on your pie. Certainly no classical Italian pizzeria will offer you to that. As for quality of pizza, it’s mediocre, often greasy, overloaded with cheese and made with tomato paste rather than actual tomatoes and undercooked crust.

Mamma Mia has several eateries in town, each a casual comfy cafe, but is much more popular as a delivery outfit. You can choose pizza offered on the menu as well as add any toppings of your own choice. Quality-wise it is better than Celentano, but generally far from the classical Italian fare. Its crust is thin and damp similar in consistency to bread, the four cheeses pizza tastes a bit like rubber when it gets cold, and the tomato sauce is paste based.

IL Patio’s two restaurants, IL Patio Venice in Bessarabska Square and IL Patio Florence in Podil, are both colorfully designed and always alive with Italian cuisine fans, including wood stove pizza aficionados. The atmosphere and service is affable, however there are some really awkward pizza offerings. I once had a salmon and Philadelphia cheese pizza that while enjoyable had little to do with pizza in its conventional meaning, though of course, IL Patio serves classic pizza too. Recently opened Leonardo pizzeria, located inside the building of Bessaraskiy market arrived on the pizza scene. This nicely lit cafeteria with very simple but well-designed interior serves pizza that certainly deserves quite a few cheers. The pie is thin and crunchy, and the combinations of ingredients are of the sort you’d encounter in Italy. However Leonardo is more of a cafe, specializing in gelato (offered in great variety) with pizza on the side. Therefore the place lacks the proper pizzeria ambience, a substantial element necessary for enjoying good pizza.

Walter’s, located right next to Poshtova Square, cooks its pizza according to all the classical rules under the watchful eye of experienced Italian chef Walter Rossit. It offers a selection of over 20 pizzas, all reasonably priced, from Hr 19 for “Marinara” and Hr 24 for “Margarita” to Hr 85 for “AL Prosciutto Crudo.” The pizza itself is delicious, though the the eatery suffers from poor service. The last time visited, I was served pizza simultaneously with my appetizer, so that by the time I got to the pizza, it was cold.

There could be no dispute as to which Kyiv pizzeria should be crowned “Best” after all – it had to be Napule. First, because it makes original Naples pizza prepared by a pizzaiolo from Naples (and pizza in fact comes from Naples). Second because it indeed serves wonderful pizza. And third, but not last, because it recently Pizzeria Napule was accepted into the Association of Real Naples Pizza (Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana), an organization created to keep the traditions of the original Naples pizza alive and suppress copycat restaurants claiming to serve it. Obviously adhering to the standards, Napule is the place to go for an ultimate Kyiv pizza experience. It has a original stylish interior, a big dinning hall (still, it’s good to always book a table before going), attentive staff and of course the pizza. The menu of sports 20 types (including a dessert pizza with Nutella). The prices start from Hr 70 (“Marinara”) to Hr 159 (“Salmone e Caviale”), which is higher than average, but the pies are big (about 500g each) and are worth every kopek. Thin crunchy pastry with smoky flavor, fresh tomatoes and perfectly balanced toppings are all you want from a pizza and you’ll receive it at Napule. For the first trip to the place, I would recommend “Quatro Stagioni” or “Napule” – a rectangular-shaped pie with several different toppings placed next to each other – ham, arugula, chunks of Parmesan, Riccotta, salami, tomatoes and Grana Padano.

Napule (9 Mechnikova, 461-9263)