In the search for the best pizza in Taiwan, I visited a small eatery called Hot Pizza in Tainan (窯烤披薩). I had originally found this place while looking for where to eat in Tainan. It’s received quite a bit of positive reviews from locals and foreigners alike and being a pizza lover myself I knew I wanted to give this little humble pizza joint a go.
Located around the university of Tainan, Hot Pizza 窯烤披薩 is known as one of the cheap eats in Tainan particularly for students who live and study around the area. For us, we live about 10 minutes walk and actually go to the church across the main road near Hot Pizza. If you are in the area, you can spot the very simple and cute logo.
I’ve seen this place all the time but I’ve never really taken any interest in eating there until now. The hype around this pizza joint is that you can get a pizza for as low as $99TWD ($3.20USD!!!). So I figured, I should give it a go and see what the fuss is all about.
The Menu
The menu has a large selection of pizzas to choose from. Below is the menu as of 18th of June 2017. The reviews found on Google Maps for Hot Pizza have not been updated for a while and there are a new selection of pizzas now available.
The menu is in both English and Chinese and the owner can speak and understand English. Currently the cheapest pizzas on the menu start at $99TWD ($3.20USD) which is roughly and go up to $119TWD ($3.90USD) for more deluxe and premium selections. I like that they also allow you to choose 3 toppings for $109TWD ($3.50USD).
What’s really interesting is they also offer a deal which is buy 6, get the 1 free. I assume that the cheapest of the 6 pizzas would be free. This might be a great deal if you are buying with a group of friends or for the whole family. Otherwise, I think 6 pizzas may be a little much.
The Service
Service was very fast. As soon as we arrived, the owner greeted us, handed us a menu and began making the pizzas right on the spot. It took a little less than 15 minutes to complete our 3 pizzas. We decided to have them at home since we lived nearby.
There are tables and seats at Hot Pizza but it’s a outdated and old, not very appealing considering there’s no air conditioning and you sit opposite to the wood-fire oven which can be pretty hot. I would recommend take out for this restaurant.
The Pizza
The hype around this pizza joint is the extremely fair priced pizza they seem to be serving. I wanted to try it out to see whether the quality of the pizza is on par with other pizza joints or whether you really get what you pay for. This place could be a winner in my view if the pizzas are really cheap but are seriously delicious.
Hot Pizza 窯烤披薩 makes all thin pizzas, which are light and crispy when eaten straight from their wood-fire oven. They are cooked in authentic wood-fire oven and are made to order. Pizzas only come in one size; 8 inches and it is recommended to have one per person. For a local, having 1 pizza should be plenty. But I find that the pizzas are pretty thin and I decided to have 2 pizzas just to be on the safe side.
The first was the veggie pizza. This is their standard vegetarian pizza that costs $99TWD ($3.20USD). The ingredients included corn, capsicum, onion, mushrooms and cheese on a tomato base. I enjoyed this one quite a bit. It was very crispy, light and super delicious. Sometimes having pizza it can feel a little heavy but I found that being so thin that it’s pretty tasty without being overly oily or greasy.
I also tried the deluxe margarita pizza. I was curious to see what made it ‘deluxe’. This was loaded with cheese and had a few half sliced cherry tomatoes and sliced olives on a tomato base. For $109TWD ($3.50USD) and being similar taste to the veggie pizza which cost only $99TWD, I wouldn’t really recommend it. There wasn’t anything deluxe about it. I thought it might have more than one type of cheese but it really is just a basic margarita pizza and quite honestly, should cost less than the veggie in my point of view.
My husband also tried the seafood deluxe pizza which had a creamy pesto base, slices of salmon, onion and cheese. The amount of salmon was fairly decent but nothing to amazing. What made this pizza was the creamy pesto base. He said it was pretty good and he would try the other seafood pizzas available too.
Overall, the pizzas were pretty good. I wouldn’t say they are the best in Taiwan, not even in Tainan. However, for the price you pay, it’s a pretty good meal to have every now and then, particularly if you live in the area and are looking for something cheap and fast to eat. It’s also a great option if you are sick of Asian food or Taiwanese food. I would recommend it as a cheap eat kinda of meal if you are ever in the area and need a quick bite to eat.
Hot Pizza 窯烤披薩 is located on No. 1號, Lane 52, Shengli Road in East District and opens everyday from 11AM–8PM. If you are looking at where to eat in Tainan, you can give this place a go and let me know your thoughts and pizza experience in the comments below!