Just Pizza reflects Vancouver’s unique culinary landscape

What if a viral restaurant was actually good?

I’ve been fooled many times before. The bright colours, moving food, the video influencer proudly exclaiming this is the best restaurant in the city and that you HAVE TO TRY IT.

Inevitably it’s either fine or downright forgettable. Rarely is it the best. So whenever I see one of these videos, my first impression is skepticism. 

My hackles were already up as the viral videos started pouring in about a new pizza spot in East Vancouver called Just Pizza, located at 1629 Kingsway. 

I consider myself, if not a pizza expert, then an amateur pizza enthusiats. I ferment my own dough, use my own pizza oven (which I regularly use), and know the difference between cooking temperatures and techniques for a NYC dough and a Neapolitan dough. No, it’s not an addiction, I can quit whenever I want…

I’ve also eaten my way around Vancouver’s pizzas (we even have an ongoing ranking for paid Vancity Lookout members). So unlike many of my other reviews, I feel, at the very least, informed enough to weigh in more heavily on the ranking and quality of pizza.

The first thing you realize about Just Pizza, as you walk into the small shop, is that they’re busy. And not just a few people waiting busy, but pickups-every-few-minutes, multiple-uber-drivers-waiting-outside busy. It’s a level of popularity that’s reserved for only a few places in Vancouver. They’ve managed it in just over a month.

What’s clear at first glance is that even with the hustle and bustle, in a tight elbow-to-elbow space, is that the team is executing at a high level. There’s no screaming, no flabbergasted staff, no flying paper orders — each person knows their role, in a meticulous, machine-like efficiency.

They were so busy they didn’t realize I was waiting to make my order. Chalk that up to me, introvertedly, refusing to ask. I won’t hold it against them given the volume of people stopping for pickups. It's best to order online since there are only a few seats.

The pizza menu is broken into Classics and Adventurous. Classics like Margarita, unfortunately with boccocini rather than mozzarella; ham and pineapple (creatively called Aloha); and a few white options like the Bianca with garlic white sauce, mozzarella, parmesan, smoked provolone, cracked pepper, fresh thyme, lemon zest, asiago. Love the use of lemon zest. 

But when you move onto the Adventurous options, you realize the team at Just Pizza is operating at a different level. You’ve got Indian influences like the Tikka Masala with tikka masala, mozzarella, caramelized onions, marinated chicken, toasted cashews, cilantro and chili oil. Or the Cumin Lamb with, garlic white sauce, mozzarella, cumin lamb, cilantro, cumin dry spice, pickled celery, sesame seeds, chili oil. 

The menu boldly embraces the different cultures that make up the city, in a way I’ve yet to see any other place replicate. They’ve also got homemade sauces and Tasty Crusts, where you can add different flavourings around the pie, like Spicy Honey & Cheddar Cheese Powder and Garlic and Herb. 

But a menu doesn’t matter if the quality of pizza is mediocre. So after a 30-minute wait, I had my pies, The Canuck from the Classics and an Adventurous Filipino Breakfast. 

I opened the bright yellow box to see what was inside. With a more Neapolitan-style dough, you’re looking for crust with dark colour and black spots. It means the oven is hot enough to cook the dough at the high temperature Neapolitan style dough requires.

The dough was spotted with char marks and had a nice, lightly darkened crust. Both pizza cook jobs were consistent, a good sign for quality control. Picking up the slice, the bottom is nicely cooked as well. While the Canuck is almost overloaded with ingredients in a way Neapolitan wouldn’t normally be (which is totally fine), the slice doesn’t collapse like a more traditional slice.

The flavour profile of the dough was a bit subdued. I was expecting a bit more tang with the sourdough, but the dough still had ample amouts of flavour and the gluten structure of the crust was exactly what you want, a delightfully chewy texture perfect for big bites. For my money, it’s up there with the best in city, especially when it comes to sourdough. Co-owner Steven Che, who worked at a sourdough bakery in Oslo, clearly knows what he’s doing.

Chunks of cooked mushrooms, richly sweetened caramelized onions and salty pepperoni made each bite of the Canuck a real treat. It was loaded with enough ingredients that you could feel full after a few slices. The use of precooked mushrooms was a smart choice, richly flavourful and something other pizza places should adopt given how dry most turn out. 

But the Filipino Breakfast is where Just Pizza moved into a rarefied top-tier pizza places in the city. Chunks of bright pink longganisa, a sweet Filipino breakfast sausage, dotted the pizza. Made with garlic white sauce, mozzarella, a large sunny side up egg, jalapenos, pickled red onions, fried garlic and scallion, it’s a flavour combination that is utterly and entirely unique. It could’ve used bit more intensity to the pickled red onions to lend more flavour contrast, but honestly, that’s me just being picky.

As I write this, both pizzas are sitting in my fridge, slowly being worked through. I mention this because unlike other places, the dough heats up nicely the next day, still chest and soft, making it a perfect breakfast option. 

Just Pizza is more than just pizza (sorry, had to do it). They’re pushing the boundaries of creativity, a pizza place that eschews Italian tradition and reflects the unique cultural tapestry of Asian ingredients that define Vancouver. It’s one thing to be creative with ingredients, but it’s another to be a master at the pizza craft, from fermenting to shaping to baking. Somehow they managed both.

Sometimes a viral trend is as accurate as it’s portrayed. The team at Just Pizza don’t need this review, their popularity is already established. What comes next is anyone’s guess. But they’ve set themselves apart, in a city that needs more unique takes the classics. 

I won’t say they’re the best pizza in the city, because this city is blessed with many great options.. But in a few years, don’t be surprised if they’re discussed alongside other Vancouver pizza mainstays.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to heat up the pizza for lunch. 

Noise Level: Loud and packed, but not a place you’d actually eat it.

Recommended: The Canucks, Filipino breakfast. 

What I wish I had ordered: Fun Guy, Chicken Tikka Masala, The Hottie, Cumin Lamb.

Price: $$, with prices between $18-$23 for a 12 inch pizza. 

Other details: Anyone can eat here. They have vegetarian options, gluten-free crust and cashew mozzarella. 

Similar restaurants:

• Gastronomy Gastown — More traditional Neapolitan, this place is still in my opinion up there as the best pizza place in the city (and doesn’t get the attention it deserves).  

• Di Beppe — I believe the type they make is Sicilian. Either way, it’s different than the normal slice. Try the Italian sausage, go with a friend and get the foot long pizza.