Crosta Pizzeria
Liberty Center, 104 HV Dela Costa corner LP Leviste Streets, Salcedo Village, Makati City
Contact: 0977-284-5636
Facebook: www.facebook.com/crostapizzeriaph
Open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Monday to Sunday)
(SPOT.ph) All good pizzas start with good dough. After all, it’s the very foundation that holds all the toppings together to create that perfect pie, and Crosta Pizzeria understands this all too well.
Whipping up pizzas with crust styles that range from thick to thin, and even stuffed, this original local concept has various permutations of the dish to suit all kinds of preferences. The brand—which began as a stall at Poblacion’s The Social on Ebro in 2017—is aptly named since crosta translates to “crust” in Italian. It’s easy to spot their recently opened spot in Salcedo Village with its bold neon pink lights—and what started as a mere passion project is now this brick-and-mortar joint that specializes in not just any pizza, but sourdough pizza.
Also read: Have a Pizz' a This: Crosta Pizzeria Is Now in Salcedo Village
The new pizza shop of Crosta Pizzeria
“I think good pizza is whatever you like. It’s just a personal preference for me that I like crust in pizzas. I’m the type of person who eats the crust first when I eat pizza because … I want to see if it’s going to be good or not. That’s always my benchmark,” shares Co-Owner Ingga Cabangon Chua, who first came up with the business concept as part of their family’s real estate development in Batangas. But it was when they introduced the brand in 2017 that they started to carve a name in the food scene—and they’ve amassed quite a following among Manila’s food-loving community ever since.
“We were a pre-pandemic brand, but for some reason during the pandemic, we actually grew more.” Chua credits the brand’s rising popularity to their strong Instagram presence and the seamless online ordering experience. The brand regularly posts about its new items and other updates on Instagram. “A couple of things played into it, but definitely our presence on social media and the back-end that we had to support the pizzas being ordered, those are some things I would say I’d credit [for] our growth.”
This new Crosta outpost has been on soft-opening mode since February 12 till as of this writing. “First time visitors could expect some interesting flavors and definitely some menu items with some interesting names,” says Co-Owner Tommy Woudwyk.
Crosta has gone beyond the traditional pizza and has crafted its own style. “We didn’t want to go the authentic pizza route because that’s not who we are. I’m not an Italian person. I don’t have a culinary background. I can’t go and say I’m making authentic Italian pizzas. So our thing has always been like we make pizzas the way we like it,” reveals Chua.
Crosta's special pizza dough takes a couple of days to make. “It’s a lot of labor of love to create the dough. But what we’re trying to create with Crosta is called ‘mass-tisanal’. The reason why we call it like that is because we use processes that the mass pizza brands use so that they can scale and produce consistent pizzas. But it’s artisanal because the process that we make our dough is not like how they make their dough.”
Taste the difference in the dough with its Roni Sicilian (P650), a deep pan pizza with regular crust that’s about 1.5 to two inches thick. What’s distinctive about this eight-by-ten inch square pizza is that it’s topped with imported cupping pepperoni, which is not the usual flat pepperoni you would find in many pizza places. This variety forms a cup shape when exposed to heat—rendering its edges a touch crisp and adding texture and a charred note while its center remains juicy. It perfectly complements the homemade Italian plum tomato sauce and mozzarella topping, which in turn is balanced out by the hefty crust.
For a one-of-a-kind bite, go for their Detroit-style pizzas. The style also falls under the pan pizza category and is cooked in their stone oven, but it’s brought to ultra-decadent heights with the addition of a cheese crust wall. Yup, you read that right. The pizza edges are encrusted with a special cheese blend that crisps up and gets toasty as it cooks, forming a sort of Great Wall of Cheese all around the pie. You wouldn’t dare throw away the crusts here! Go all out with the toppings of Super Duper Supreme (P650), which has a three-cheese mix, pepperoni, bacon, homemade fennel sausage, bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms. There are also a couple of vegan options in case animal products aren’t your jam.
There’s a thinner version of Crosta’s Detroit-style pie for those who prefer something lighter. A must-try flavor is the Spinach Artichoke Detroit Thin (P400), which has a creamy spinach artichoke topping and a cheese crust wall. Diets be damned; this rich pizza is worth every calorie. You’ll love the contrast of the mild and creamy dip-like topping with the salty cheese crust.
Of course Crosta has its line of round pizzas as well, but once you choose a flavor, make sure to upgrade it to Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Crust (additional P100). Thank us later! You can, for example, go the stuffed-crust route to level up the Basic Betch (P200)—their take on the classic Margherita pizza that has tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil—and amplify the pizza-eating experience. For starters, the star-shaped pizza is a feast for the eyes—and it delivers on flavor as well. Eating the triangular crusts is akin to eating spinach dip hot pockets—you’d want to save the best for last.
In case you’re craving more sophisticated flavors, be sure not to miss the Everyday We Trufflin’ (P550), which has a truffle cream base and a five-cheese blend of mozzarella, taleggio, fontina, gorgonzola, and pecorino romano. This is every cheese lover’s dream! Plus, the aroma and flavor from the black truffle takes every bite to a whole ‘nother level. It’s best devoured straight from the oven, but since Crosta pizzas travel well, you can also take it home and give it a quick reheat before sharing away with your family or friends.
Crosta will be serving desserts soon so that’s thrilling news for those with a sweet tooth. They’ll also be opening up branches in Greenhills Shopping Center, Molito Alabang, and MOA Square so you can get your pizza fix somewhere near you. For now, see you in Makati and pizz’ out.
Photos by Majoy Siason
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