There are pizza joints everywhere but how many offer anything beyond mediocre? Kim Maxwell enlisted the expert help of Charlotte Pregnolato, Tracy Gielink and Andrea Burgener to find out which ones make the cut.

We can all name a good pizzeria, right? Not quite. From a purist perspective, most South African pizzas veer away from traditional styles. Too many are clogged with cheese, lacking in puréed tomato and piled with anything from pineapple or bananas to peppadews. Customer requests have contributed to the problem.

We have Guinness World Records listings for the largest pizza (Norwood Pick n Pay Hypermarket in 1990) and the longest pizza delivery (Butler's pizza from Cape Town to Sydney in 2001).

Italian? Try again

So when an independent Cape Town venue displayed boards announcing 'voted number one in the Western Cape' and a menu claiming to be Italian, we looked for evidence among figs, peppadews and avocado.

The thin base pizza wasn't bad but we drew the line at a topping of chicken mayonnaise!

Varied toppings may be tasty, but do they belong? Even South Africa's Italian pizzerias submit to requests for American toppings to an extent — smoked salmon and capers appear on pizzas in Italy too.

But the pizza of Naples has been the archetype for over a century, so we looked for traditional Neapolitan elements — or ingredients as close to them as possible.

We originally set out to identify the country's 25 best pizzerias, but found only 16 worthy of mention, knocking out pizzerias with multiple branches (inconsistent quality) and focusing on owner-run Italian venues.

Smaller menus shone with quality toppings such as Parma ham, coppa and anchovies. We underwent a learning curve about what good pizza can be.

South African Percy Mosedie trained at a Naples pizza school to understand classic pizza traditions. How sad that 23 years later, at Lapa Fo, he only makes pizza with buffalo mozzarella used sparsely if Italian customers request it in advance.

He switched to more cheese and heavier toppings after ongoing local complaints.

Contributor Charlotte Pregnolato likens pizza to a comfortable date: relaxed, familiar and not particularly exciting, yet exceeding expectations every so often.

All important criteria?

One of those times was sampling a "test" pizza served at Knysna's Île de Pain, where pizza will be launched during 2009, and where co-owners Liezie Mulder and master baker Markus Farbinger shared pizza memories and discussed criteria.

The dough is all-important — quality flour, suitably fermented and baked quickly in a very hot oven to create a crust with wood-singed edges and a soft centre.

The mozzarella, if Italian-style, should melt into the crust rather than congealing on top.

Finally, the sauce, ripe with herb and tomato flavours, should be able to carry the dish without myriad toppings. Global eating directions tend towards simpler food that isn't messed with.

Our pizza triumphs supported the mantra: great ingredients have no substitute. It's amazing how a basil leaf lifts a basic Margherita.

On the Garden Route, we overheard the following remark: "It's pizza. How can you mess that up?" What a disservice to the springy base topped with puréed tomato and torn mozzarella strips originating in Naples.

Our complaints? Peculiar bases, bulk mozzarella that cools to gelatinous elastic (give us the option of paying extra for mozzarella balls in water), too many fusion toppings and toppings loaded so generously that bases became soggy.

Dough made with Italian OO flour made us happy (some local venues mix Italian and cake flour) while hot wood-burning ovens ensured puffy charred crusts.

One Gauteng venue cooked its crust and re-cooked it with toppings to create something resembling Jewish matzos.

Buffalo mozzarella was largely absent in KZN, but in Cape Town we were encouraged to see local mozzarella in water and Italian imports offered as extras.

Our taste-testers had this directive: the more traditionally Neapolitan the pizza the better, with a good ratio of tomato to mozzarella essential — and have the courage to order the Margherita adorned only with fresh basil leaves. To a woman, we found this the most effective route to show up flaws or find pizza nirvana.

Cape Town

Meloncino
V&A Waterfront, +27 21 419 5558. Pizzas R69 – R85.

Don't be put off by the overtly trendy vibe. This is the home of Cape Town's best pizza: the Caldo (hot) Napoletana (R85). Italian flour creates this gently swelling Neapolitan base with a pronounced crust and perfect tomato/cheese ratio. Italian tinned tomato purée, basil, imported buffalo mozzarella and blistered cherry tomatoes complete the delight.

Co-owner Paolo Carrara models the pizzas on his father's Roman establishments. You'll pay more, but pizzas here punch above their weight. Meloncino's standard pizzas use thinner Roman bases with quality local mozzarella and salsiccia or imports. Diners requesting a tomato base for cheese-only options are accommodated.

Wines: Diners Club Platinum list, plenty by glass or bottle. Corkage R25.

Magica Roma
Pinelands, +27 21 531 1489. Pizzas R45 – R72.

Menus are only a starting point in Ezio de Biaggi and Franco Zezia's popular venue. So, as a diner looking to busy waiters for help, not being prompted with imported topping extras (pancetta, porcini) was unfortunate when struggling to make authentic pizza choices.

It's good that Italian tinned tomato sauce and local mozzarella are standard on thin, wood-fired pizzas. But the dough lacks seasoning and dried oregano doesn't honour a Margherita — I had the sense to add imported buffalo mozzarella (R20 extra) and request basil leaves (no charge). These pizzas are tasty but not to the standard of the restaurant's cooked dishes.

Wines: varied, well-priced SA and Italian options. Corkage R30.

Limoncello
Gardens, +27 21 461 5100. Pizzas R52 – R80.

Naples is stamped into Luca Castiglione's tattooed arms and accent, and purists will covet delicious pizzas almost devoid of non-Italian variations. Quality local mozzarella and fior de latte (cow's milk) result in gooey-centred deliciousness.

Somewhere between Rome and Naples in charred base dimensions, the Cecelia tastily combines fresh tomato worked into a pulpy tinned topping with basil and fried aubergine, while Mezzanotte delivers the creaminess of fior de latte with the right touch of puréed tomato plus Parma ham. It's worth returning for the Margherita (called Filetto) upgraded with fior de latte (R10 extra) on the standard tinned tomato and basil base.

Wines: small but well-priced. Corkage R25.

Nonna Lina
Gardens, +27 21 424 4966. Pizzas R44 – R68.

Antonello Scamuzzi acknowledges that pizzas have evolved in Italy too, hence modern pizza fans can order a 'Messicana' with bolognaise sauce and jalapenos.

When South Africans knock his minimal toppings, he encourages them to try it "the simple Italian way". Italian flour and tinned tomatoes, oregano and olive oil as a base mean his pizzas are very worthy, although they need more tomato around the edges to make the crackly crust less dry. Pluses are Italian toppings (pancetta, porcini, anchovies) and adding fresh basil to a Margherita at no charge. Regulars enjoy the Nonna Lina with rocket, Parma ham and shaved pecorino.

Wines: pizza-friendly Italian and SA wines. Corkage R30.

Ristorante Posticino
Sea Point, +27 21 439 4014. Pizzas R34 – R69.

Pizzas from Enrico De Sienna and Gioacchino Gasparre are decently dependable without being brilliant. In a cosy venue that is a little too grubby, a thin base (local flour) and imported tinned tomato purée partner local mozzarella. Amidst some SA-style options, the range of imported coppa, salami and anchovies bolstering the pizza “extras” category is redeeming and a Parma ham pizza satisfies. A diner can be forgiving about too much cheese to tomato on a Margherita, but when a request is made for fresh basil, it is rather worrying that an Italian restaurant doesn’t have any.

Wines: well-priced but very limited. Corkage R25.

Garden Route

Franko's Pizza
Plettenberg Bay, +27 44 533 3693. Pizzas R32 – R49.

Usually a menu featuring toppings like peppadews and chicken would send me running. Yet despite breaking traditional rules — using an electric pizza oven, making a combined rye and wheat flour crust and topping it with imported Italian sauce — the quality mozzarella used creates a surprisingly tasty, well-textured Margherita.

The homemade herb and fresh pepper sauce served at the table is also a delicious twist on traditional pizza condiments. Order at the counter then relax under the covered sidewalk patio — it's comfortable but not fancy.

Wines: two by-the-glass options or order bottles from the well-stocked bar in the adjacent Franko's Kitchen. Corkage R25.

Trattoria Da Vinci
Sedgefield, +27 44 343 1867. Pizzas R45 – R68.

Captivating scents from the wood-fired oven greet guests entering the Baletta family's old-fashioned trattoria complete with a grape arbour over the outdoor sidewalk patio. Taking no shortcuts, Steve Baletta achieves authentic Italian flavours by making his own Napolitano sauce from imported tomatoes and homegrown herbs topped with quality Italian-style mozzarella.

Since everything is made in-house, patience is required. The best bets are Italian pizza options named after family members. The Stephano, using fresh tomato and basil and imported Italian anchovies and capers, is the Garden Route's best pizza option.

Wines: short but reasonably priced list with Platter's ratings. Corkage R20.

KwaZulu-Natal

Al Firenze
La Lucia, +27 31 572 5559. Pizzas R45 – R70.

Nestled in suburbia, this relaxed, no-frills restaurant with non-committal waiters is good for basic pizzas in a neighbourhood setting but no more than that. Bases are perfectly thin although a tasty tomato sauce of good consistency is marred by excessive garlic. The Napoletana with capers, anchovies, oregano and olives is a signature. Further toppings offer the right ratio and quality, but Italian choices are limited to the likes of salami, artichokes, olives, capers and anchovies. Parma ham is only on request.

Wines: good selection with reasonable mark-ups. Corkage R25.

La Casa Nostra
Umdloti, +27 31 568 1996. Pizzas R54 – R99.

Encompassing all that is quintessentially Italian, from checked tablecloths to happy families, La Casa Nostra may be casual but the pizzas are serious. A feather-light base (rolled by machine) has a puffy rim blistered from the wood-fired oven. They claim the key is their Neapolitan sauce made with Italian tomatoes. The Siciliana with capers, anchovies and olives is a signature. And although not on the menu, efficient waiters can make a pizza with Parma ham, rocket and fresh cherry tomatoes drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. Calzone pizzas also available.

Wines: a wide selection, although some categories are limited. Corkage R35.

La Lampara
Balgowan, Midlands, +27 33 234 4225. Pizzas R49 – R89.

You can almost imagine being in Tuscany. Rosemary and jasmine grow along pathways of a restaurant housed in an old dairy. You'll find owner Pino Canderle hand-rolling bases in front of the pizza oven.

Cooked to perfection with a thin centre and gently puffed, crispy crust from stoneground flour, each pizza is a harmonious blend of tinned Italian and fresh tomato sauce that holds its own against restrained amounts of mozzarella and toppings. Fresh regional ingredients complement imported Parma, artichokes and olive oil.

Wines: bottles on display have broad appeal to palates and pockets. Half-bottle options too. Corkage R25.

Remo's
Mount Edgecombe, North Coast, +27 31 539 5955. Pizzas R52 – R78.

Quality is key for Renzo Scribante and Jonathan Bryan. Dough boosted with white wine and extra virgin olive oil is transformed into a delectably thin base with small, crisp crust, and quality local mozzarella doesn't overwhelm the sauce of tinned Italian tomatoes and fresh herbs.

KZN's best pizza is the Con Salsicce with homemade cotechino sausage (made from a whole pig in Renzo's family cellar), red onion jam, fontina and fresh sage.

Wines: glass and carafe quaffers backed by a respectable SA contingent. Corkage R30.

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