Cape Town's food scene has embraced pizza with real enthusiasm, and the city now boasts a wonderful mix of wood-fired ovens, imported Italian ingredients and homegrown creativity. From humble garden shed beginnings to award-winning trattorias, there is a pizza spot to suit every mood and occasion. This blog rounds up some of the standout pizzerias across the city, each bringing its own story and style to the table.
In this blog we cover…
- Pizza Shed: A pandemic era passion project that grew into three thriving locations known for hand stretched, wood-fired pizza.
- Alfi Pizza: A Bree Street favourite bringing New Haven style thin crust pizza to Cape Town.
- Pizza Connection: A Woodstock institution with a cheeky name and an award-winning approach to Napoletana and Romana style bases.
- Lievita: A Cape Town restaurant transporting diners to Italy through authentic pizza and pasta.
- Ferdinando's: An Observatory favourite that began as a secret home pizzeria and became a neighbourhood celebration spot.
- Aegir Project Brewery: A Noordhoek brewery with mountain and ocean views, offering some of the city's most inventive pizza toppings.
Pizza Shed - Bree Street
Pizza Shed's story began in 2020, during the challenging days of the pandemic. Founders James and Tando, both facing job losses due to lockdowns, decided to get creative and built a pizza oven in a garden shed to generate some income. With little more than passion, a wood-fired oven and a dream, the doors opened on 31 July 2020, turning a small, humble space into something far bigger.
What began as a single spot has grown into three buzzing locations, each staying true to its roots of hand stretched, slow-proved dough, wood-fired perfection and an unpretentious love for good food and good times.
Image: @pizza.shed on Instagram
When it comes to toppings, Neapolitan purists generally keep theirs to a bare minimum, but Pizza Shed takes a different view. Owner James Williams has taken a more relaxed approach with his Canotto-style pizza, which features an even puffier crust, while still offering plenty of choice when it comes to toppings. Diners can add ingredients such as Grana Padano and fior di latte cheeses, San Marzano tomatoes, classic pepperoni and Nduja, a spicy pork sausage.
The dough itself is proved for 48 hours, which makes a noticeable difference to the finished pizza, before being cooked in a wood-fired oven. The Bree Street branch is compact indoors, with just a few tables, but offers plenty of pavement space for alfresco dining.
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Image: @pizza.shed on Instagram
Alfi Pizza - Sea Point
Known for its exquisite pizzas and quick service, Alfi Pizza has quickly become a favourite among locals and visitors alike. The restaurant prides itself on offering a diverse menu that caters to various tastes, ensuring that every guest finds something to enjoy.
Alfi Pizza was founded with a vision to bring authentic Italian pizza to the heart of Cape Town, with a commitment to fresh ingredients and traditional cooking methods.
Image: @alfipizza on Instagram
At Alfi Pizza, the focus is on New Haven style pizza, a thin crust Neapolitan influenced style developed in Connecticut in the 1920s. The dough is hand rolled thin and wood-fired, giving a crisp base with plenty of char.
The menu ranges from classics such as Sicilian and Quattro Stagioni to options for meat lovers, including double beef chorizo and Mexicana, as well as a spicy Diavola finished with hot honey.
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Image: @alfipizza on Instagram
Pizza Connection - Woodstock
Pizza Connection's origin story says a great deal about the atmosphere and culture of the place. It began as a joke among a group of Italian friends, who spent an evening discussing notable moments in the history of the Italian diaspora, including the 1987 case known as the Pizza Connection Trial.
The name stuck, and what followed was a pizzeria built on a scientific, contemporary method for achieving the ideal balance of crispiness and fluffiness across its two styles of base, Napoletana and Romana.
Image: @pizzaconnectionct on Instagram
The tomato sauce is made using Italian San Marzano tomatoes, and the fior di latte mozzarella, salami, Italian sausage, mortadella, guanciale and pancetta are all imported directly from Italy. This is paired with a commitment to fresh, locally sourced ingredients such as fruit, vegetables, olive oil and seafood.
The interiors are down to earth and almost rustic, with brick walls, brown paper placemats and wooden tables, keeping the focus firmly on the pizza. Pizza Connection, based in Woodstock, was named a Top Italian Restaurant in Cape Town by Gambero Rosso International in 2023.
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Image: @pizzaconnectionct on Instagram
Lievita - Green Point
Lievita is a culinary destination in the heart of Cape Town, dedicated to the art of authentic Italian pizza and pasta. The restaurant aims to transport diners to the cobbled streets of Italy, with the aromas of hand kneaded dough and rich, savoury sauces filling the space.
Image:@lievitasa on Instagram
The kitchen stays true to the time honoured traditions of Italian cuisine, with dishes carefully curated using locally sourced ingredients combined with imported Italian specialities. At the centre of the restaurant is an imported Neapolitan oven, which gives the pizzas their distinctive, perfectly blistered crust.
Whether diners choose a classic Margherita or one of the more inventive gourmet combinations, the emphasis remains on quality and authenticity, set within a warm and inviting atmosphere suited to everything from romantic evenings to family celebrations.
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Image:@lievitasa on Instagram
Ferdinando's - Observatory
Wood fired, made with proper Italian flour, tomato and fresh ingredients, Ferdinando's is something of a hidden gem in Observatory. It has become known as a place for celebration, welcoming birthdays, engagements, family moments, couples, friends, solo travellers and locals alike.
Image: @ferdinandospizza on Instagram
A colourful and eclectic stalwart of the Observatory community, Ferdinando's has been serving Italian with a twist pizzas since 2015. Founders Diego Milesi and his late partner, artist Kiki Bisogno, started with a secret home pizzeria in their De Waterkant apartment before demand grew too great to keep quiet.
Today, Diego continues the quirky, supper club, home from home atmosphere, serving crispy Neapolitan style pizzas that include both authentic Italian topping combinations and creative options named after the friends who invented them. Diego's tiramisu is also well worth trying.
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Image: @ferdinandospizza on Instagram
Aegir Project Brewery - Noordhoek
Though primarily known as a brewery, Aegir Project Taproom in Noordhoek also serves some of the best pizza in the city. The setting is relaxed and unpretentious, with fresh beer served directly from tank to glass, alongside a sundowner deck offering views of the mountains and the Atlantic Ocean. The space is designed to be inclusive, with a safe children's playground and a dog friendly policy.
Image: @aegirproject on Instagram
The kitchen takes the same considered approach as the brewing, focusing on elevated classics made from scratch, including Neapolitan style sourdough pizzas. Standout options include the Yaki Broccoli, made with fior di latte mozzarella, cremezola, Grana Padano parmesan, tenderstem broccoli and a miso yaki glaze, as well as the vegan Jamaican Jerk Sensation, featuring creamy butternut purée, jerk marinated jackfruit, crispy onions, vegan aioli and Sichuan chilli oil.
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Image: @aegirproject on Instagram
Your Base for Exploring Cape Town's Pizza Scene
Whether staying on the Atlantic Seaboard or further afield, guests can use these pizza spots as a starting point for exploring Cape Town's varied food scene. For all your holiday rental needs on the Atlantic Seaboard, Nox Cape Town offers premium properties and local expertise to make any stay in the city feel like home.
FAQs - Pizza in Cape Town
What style of pizza is most common in Cape Town?
Cape Town's pizzerias favour wood fired, Neapolitan influenced styles, though several spots offer their own variations, from Canotto to New Haven style thin crust.
Which Cape Town pizzerias use imported Italian ingredients?
Pizza Connection and Lievita both import key ingredients, such as mozzarella, cured meats and ovens, directly from Italy to stay true to traditional methods.
Is there a pizza spot suitable for families in Cape Town?
Aegir Project Brewery in Noordhoek offers a family friendly setting with a children's playground, dog friendly policy and mountain and ocean views alongside its pizza menu.
Are there vegan pizza options available in Cape Town?
Yes, Aegir Project Brewery offers a vegan option, the Jamaican Jerk Sensation, made with butternut purée, jackfruit and vegan aioli.
Where can visitors find these pizzerias?
These pizzerias are spread across the city, with locations in Bree Street, Woodstock, Observatory and Noordhoek, making it easy to combine a pizza outing with exploring different Cape Town neighbourhoods.