10 Pizza Spots in Manila Serving the Top Slices of the Moment

(SPOT.ph) Ah, pizza—even when it’s bad it’s good, but when it’s good it has true star power. There are a million styles of the dish in different parts of the world, and perhaps just as many restaurants and shops that specialize in making them. Despite its ubiquity, we have yet to grow tired of these open-faced, (often-) savory pies. There are always new pizza spots to discover, variations to try, and flavor combos to love (be it tried-and-tested or novel). In the past months, a number of new and old stores have captured the taste buds of food lovers in Manila, what with their pies of different styles, brimming with high-quality toppings spread over pizza doughs made where they're served. We round them up here.

Also read:  
The SPOT.ph Guide to Pizza 
These Are the Best Places to Order Pizza in the North 
Slice, Slice Baby: Best Places to Order Pizza in the South

Pizzas and pizza restaurants worth adding to your list right now:

Pizza Sisters

If their winning bread and pastries are anything to go by, you’d know the Wildflour group knows a good thing or two about carbs—good carbs. They dove into the world of pizzas (among other Italian classics) with Wildflour Italian in 2019, and reinstated their pizza devotion at the more recently opened Pizza Sisters. There are two branches open as of writing: their first outpost inside the renovated Pink’s store in BGC, and their second store along with Pink’s and Village Bar in Salcedo Village, Makati.

The Pizza Sisters refer to, of course, the power siblings behind Wildflour—Ana Lorenzana-De Ocampo and James Beard-awarded Chef Margie Lorenzana-Manzke. The shop serves up pizzas with simple topping combos that shine for their high-quality ingredients. The Farmer's Market (P795) pizza in particular is a must-try as it showcases what’s currently available and abundant from local markets.

Pizza Sisters is at G/F, Shangri-La The Fort, 5th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City and ACI Building, H.V. Dela Costa, Salcedo Village, Makati City.

Crosta Pizzeria

Crosta isn’t exactly new, having originally opened as a stall at The Ebro, Poblacion in 2017. But they’ve come to shine brighter as the years went on, being a delivery favorite during the pandemic and soon opening new branches. When they had Chef Yuichi Ito (formerly of Pizza Bar at 38th in Tokyo) join the team in 2023, they were soon recognized by the likes of Italian awarding website 50 Top Pizza in various editions of their lists. They now have two physical branches—one in Salcedo Village, Makati and another in San Juan—and a third outpost is opening in Alabang very soon.

The pizza shop’s roster today is as eclectic as it comes, covering long-time reliables like the Basic Betch (P350), their take on a classic Margherita; cheese-crusted square Detroit-style pies like the Detroit Roni Salciccia (P850) which comes with a generous amount of pepperoni cups scattered over; Detroit-style thin-crust pizzas like the Spinach Artichoke Detroit Thin (P500); and Roman-style thin crust pizzas like the Drunken Bismarck (P900) with vodka sauce, parmesan, eggs, and prosciutto. Of course, not to be missed are Chef Yuichi’s weekly specials, like the Morty & Ella 2.0 (P800) that combines the elements of pistachios, mortadella, truffle, mozzarella, straciatella, and parsley.

Crosta Pizzeria is at 104 HV Dela Costa corner LP Leviste Streets, Salcedo Village, Makati City; and G/F O-Square Bldg 2, Greenhills Shopping Center, San Juan City.

Jabroni’s

This pizza shop owned by friends who spent time living in the Big Apple was initially only available for delivery orders. But it gained popularity through word of mouth and recently opened a pop-up dine-in set-up in Rockwell. Their pizzas are no dainty numbers, being of the New York-style genre and coming at around 18 inches in diameter (for round pies) or side (for square ones). Can’t commit to a whole pie? You can grab them by the slice as well at the Rockwell shop; choose from flavors like The Supreme (P195/slice, P1,390/whole) with bell pepper, sausage, pepperoni, mushroom, and mozzarella; The Popeye (P220/slice, P1,610/whole) with spinach, a great gateway to getting in your greens; and the Vodka Pepperoni (P190/slice, P1,390/whole).

Jabroni’s is at P1 Power Plant Mall, Rockwell, Makati City.

a mano

Another awardee in various editions of Italian online publication 50 Top Pizza’s top pizza lists, a mano is all about giving us a taste of Italian cuisine from the country’s different regions—a goal you can count on them to deliver given owner Amado Fores’ extensive travels to the country. No visit to any of the restaurant’s branches (they’ve got three—Rockwell, BGC, and Cubao) is complete without a pizza or two on the table; and theirs take after the Napoli tradition, bearing a crisp, airy, lightly blistered corcione, plus simple topping combos that stand out thanks to their use of high-quality ingredients from Italy. You can’t go wrong with the Spicy Salami (P770) that sure lives up to the ‘spicy’ part of its name, or the Straciatella & Culatello (P1,030) which comes with a blob of Stracciatella di Burrata that you can break open and spread all over the pizza. Don’t miss their more one-of-a-kind variants either, like the “Carbonara” Pizza (P865) with smoked pork jowl and egg yolk, or the Ilonggo Chorizo (P690) that gets a smoky, salty hit from Bacolod chorizo.

See a list of a mano branches.

Carlo’s

Italian-American is the name of the game for Carlo’s, one of BGC’s newest darlings where you’ll want to bring pals over. These are New-York style pies that are decidedly wide (at 18 inches!) and generous with the toppings, whether you go for the relatively simple Pepperoni (P890); the spicy-meets-juicy Nduja and Cherry Tomatoes (P1,500); The Bourdain (P1,300) which has mortadella and mustard mayo; or the Carlo’s Spicy Vodka (P990) drizzled with a vodka sauce that brings on the heat.

Carlo’s is at Asian Century Center, Bonifacio Global City.

Love Luka Bakery & Co.

Catering to BGC and Kapitolyo is Love Luka, which prides itself on their San Francisco-inspired pizzas leavened with sourdough for a subtly tangy undertone in the crust. Choose your fighter as they’ve got round pizzas in flavors like the House-Smoked Bacon Margherita (P385); San Francilian square pizzas with a crusty bottom, in flavors like the Kale Pesto Sausage Margherita (P650) and Super Mushroom (P595) with oyster and shiitake ‘shrooms; and sourdough square pizzas—essentially their take on Detroit-style square pies with a crisp cheese wall—in flavors like the Pep & Chorizo (P720) with Aussie pepperoni and chorizo.

Love Luka Bakery & Co. is at Central Square, Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City and G/F Pioneer Street, Pioneer Center, Kapitolyo, Pasig City.

Grifoni’s

From the folks behind Siargao pizza legend Kermit comes Grifoni’s, which opened earlier this year, initially in BGC then followed by outposts at The Podium and Alabang Town Center. The menu isn’t entirely the same as its forefather’s, but it does, of course, include a solid selection of Neapolitan-style pizzas in variants covering the basics and then some. By this we mean their great rendition of Pizza Margherita (P420); their Gianni's Pizza (P595) with tomato sauce, mozzarella, spicy salami, and fior di latte; the Pizza Ilocos (P495) with garlicky Vigan longganisa; and the Pizza Tagliata Wagyu (P820) with silky slivers of Kitayama Wagyu Roast beef.

See a list of Grifoni’s branches.

825 Pizzeria

This under-the-radar gem in Cubao has gained traction on TikTok for their Neapolitan-style pizzas, each thin and roughly 13 inches in diameter with charred edges, thanks to the amount of time the pizzas spend on the 825 brick oven. You can’t go wrong with their Truffle (P655) or Shrimp Marinara (P395) pizzas. Two other especially indulgent options are the Smoked Prosciutto (P855), which delivers a salty, smoky hit; and the Burrata (P895) with the duo of burrata and mozzarella cheeses. Do pair your slices with their chili oil and/or truffle honey to really bring each bite to new heights.

825 is at 7 St. John Street, Barangay Kaunlaran, Quezon City.

Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza

There’s a reason Gino’s—which debuted as a humble eatery along Katipunan in 2014 and has since opened branches in the areas of Makati, BGC, Mandaluyong, and Muntinlupa—has yet to lose its spark. It's famed for pizzas cooked in a brick oven, as their name makes pretty clear, resulting in charred yet chewy, airy crusts that serve as vessels to your toppings of choice. Just some fan favorites include the B.O.M.B. Pizza (P570) with balsamic onions, mozzarella, mushrooms, and blue cheese (get it, B-O-M-B?); Prosciutto (P620) which has kesong puti, prosciutto, and arugula; and the Five Cheese (P555) with gouda, mozzarella, ricotta, blue cheese, and parmesan cheeses.

See a list of Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza branches.

Nolita Joe’s

Nolita was a BGC fave for their sizable NY-style pizzas back in the early 2010s, and they continue their legacy—this time, joining forces with craft beer purveyor Joe’s Brew—at Nolita Joe’s in Makati. Their pizzas can be had in 12-inch, 16-inch, and 21-inch diameter variations perfect for gatherings, but you can also order by the slice (cut from their 21-inch pies, which is to say this is filling stuff). The per-slice roster includes traditional and not-so-traditional variants like the Pepperoni (P160), Chicken Parmesan (P260), Wild Mushroom Ricotta (P280), and the Cheeseburger (P220).

Nolita Joe’s is at 5666 Don Pedro Street, Poblacion, Makati City.

Bonus: Toso

This pizza purveyor doesn’t have a permanent shop as of yet, but is well worth keeping on your radar nevertheless. Toso peddles small pizzas cooked over a griddle; the crisp-bottomed, charred-edged, chewy discs are given topping combos of the likes of the Bianca with four cheeses plus straciatella and truffle oil; Amalfitana with mortadella, pistachios, and lemon zest; and more. Give them a follow on their socials to be alerted about their pop-ups. 

For more information, check out Toso’s Instagram page.

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