Verace Napoletana has become a bit of a tired concept in Vancouver. After decades of fast-food pies that didn’t do justice to the name, the last five years have seen a sudden and rapidly-spreading existence of high-quality pizza joints that throw around Caputo flour like it’s confetti during Carnivale. The upshot is that finding a decent margherita is a hell of a lot easier than it used to be.
When James Iranzad and Josh Pape, co-owners of Gastown’s popular Wildebeest, announced that they were expanding to Kerrisdale with a pizza joint, Bufala, focusing on Neapolitan-style pies, my first thought was, “Who cares?”
Mea culpa.
Apparently, I care, very much. The restaurant’s short drive from my house has been undertaken too many times in the last few months since it opened. The corner space is bright from wall-to-wall windows and high ceilings keep the noise level reasonable most of the time. Large wooden pizza plates line the wall over the bar, which is also where the pizza oven lives. It can get a bit warm on crowded nights, so dress appropriately.
Cocktails ($7-$10) are, naturally, awesome. (Is Pape actually capable of mixing a bad drink?)
Try the Amalfi Fizz, a light, palate refresher of gin, Aperol, grapefruit, lemon, soda, and egg white. Or the house Bufala, with bourbon, Amaro Montenegro, vermouth, and Maraschino. Wines are all strictly Italian and the well-chosen list is all available by the glass. Hops cover local and international craft breweries like Four Winds, Dageraad, Breakside, and Stiegl.
Where the restaurant truly shines is in the starters and pies, which make the sum total of offerings (apart from a few rotating desserts). The ubiquitous burrata is cleverly paired with veal tongue and charred scallions. Kale caesar with a runny egg on top is beautiful, crisp, and rich. Roasted mortadella might be artery-hardening, but the rich meaty flavours are perfectly balanced by the pickled onions and shallot crumbs. Even the breadsticks (grissini) are outstanding; fresh, crunchy, wrapped in prosciutto and sprinkled with olive oil and salt.
As for the pizzas, it starts with the well-stretched dough. Beautiful, chewy, thin crusts have just the right amount of bubbling around the edges. The funghi is a heady mix of shimeji and portobello, with goat cheese, truffled pecorino, and watercress. Green peas and ham might sound like an odd combination for a pizza, but pair it with taleggio over a cream sauce, and it’s somehow comforting and innovative at the same time. My favourite was the finocchiona, with fennel sausage, olives, caramelized onions and smoked provolone.
Service, especially on busy nights, can be inconsistent, with long wait times between before orders are taken and delivered. This might be due to an overworked kitchen, but it could definitely use some fine-tuning. High-top seating around the community table seems to be designed for very short people who don’t mind bending their knees almost to their chests in order to take advantage of the foot rests. I’d recommend the banquette seating if you’re over 5’8” and have more than three people in your party. It’s also first-come, first-served here, so be prepared for line-ups for dinner.
Despite this, Bufala has all the makings of an excellent neighbourhood hangout. The only thing missing is a patio, but stay tuned and chances are by next summer (possibly sooner), pizza al fresco will be the newest menu addition.
Bufala | 5395 West Blvd. | 604-267-7499 | Bufala.ca
Open daily, 11:30am-10pm. No reservations.
All ratings out of five stars.
Food: ★★★★
Service: ★★★
Ambiance: ★★★★
Overall: ★★★★
Anya Levykh has been writing about all things ingestible for more than 10 years. Hear her every Monday on CBC Radio One’s On the Coast and find her on Twitter @foodgirlfriday and Facebook.com/FoodGirlFriday. FoodGirlFriday.com
