Wednesday, December 23, 2015

pizza: i recommend BIG BOYZ PIZZA


BIG BOYZ PIZZA
No. 38, Lane 256, Nanjing E. Road, Sec. 3, Songshan District
南京東路三段256巷38號
(02) 2721-9797

MRT: Nanjing/Fuxing

website: Big Boyz Pizza's FB page

hours: 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM,5:30 – 8:30 PM; closed Mondays

$$ (NT$300-400 a person)

Kid friendliness: room for strollers. NY style as well as deep dish pizzas available. no high chairs spotted.

Visit reviewed: 12/3/2015




For some strange reason, two new deep dish pizza places opened in Taipei within the six past months. Either it was just a matter of time or the universe is telling us something- Taipei NEEDS deep dish pizza. After trying Love at First Bite a few weeks ago, a number of instagram readers suggested trying Big Boyz Pizza as well (in the alleys down the street from Breeze Center). 


So a few weeks ago, I headed to the three month old Big Boyz with a few friends who also hold Zachary's (from Oakland/Berkeley CA)as the benchmark standard for our deep dish pizza cravings. I was a bit surprised to see it completely empty, but it is only a few months old. (There's also an NCIS express down the street)
Big Boyz's Taiwanese chef trained at the Scuola Italiana Pizzaioli in SF, as demonstrated by the diplomas that hang on the wall.



The menu's focus is on pizza- deep dish and NY style pizza, with a few fried appetizers and drinks to add to the meal. No salads or desserts (which Love at First Bite has both, as well as some tasty ribs). But if you're there to enjoy the pizza, then you should save your stomach space for pizza! If you've never had deep dish pizza, it's like a stuffed pizza you eat with a knife and fork- the crust is taller like a pie and there's usually a mound of toppings underneath the cheese and sauce. Part of the reason I love Zachary's Pizza is the layer of crushed tomatoes atop so it feels a bit more fresh. Would love to see that in Taipei as an option!

 

Because we ordered the pizza when I made the reservation in advance (as suggested), the pizza was made already. So when we were about 20 minutes late in arriving and sitting down, the pizza was kept warm in the oven and a bit past its optimal state. I would have preferred the satisfaction of eating it hot out of the oven with stringy cheese. But the pizza was still tasty- the cornmeal crust was buttery and the toppings aplenty and flavorful. I got the recommended Pizza No. 1 with mozzarella, provolone, homemade italian mild sausage, bacon, pepperoni, mushroom, bell pepper and caramelized onions. The pizza was slightly smaller than I expected NT$799 for 8 inches, but still very filling for three people. 

Also on the menu for deep dish pizzas are the Chicago Classic (mushroom and pepperoni), Hot Summer (with chorizo, mushrooms, jalepenos, onions, olives), Bacon and Mushroom, and Veg Barrel (vegetarian).  Twelve inch pizzas are available for NT$1299-1499. NY Pizzas are available in 12 inch and 18 inch in NT$300+ and NT$560-790 range. There's more variation to the NY Pizzas with garlic shrimp or bbq chicken options along with the more traditional margherita and pepperoni toppings.



You can see the cheese has cooled off and is not stringy anymore. 






When you go to Big Boyz, I would recommend that you ask them to let them know when you want the pizza ready (right at your time of reservation, 20 minutes after, etc?) and not to precut it until it's served. Personally I would ask they bake the pizza to be ready 15-20 minutes after my res to let everyone settle in. They deliver to neighboring area, but they are closed Mondays. Between the two deep dish spots in Taipei (Big Boyz vs Love at First Bite), I would come to Big Boyz again to try the pizza hot as I liked their crust better and try their NY pizza, but if you have some people who want to eat other things then you're better off at Love at First Bite. Who would have ever thought that Taipei would have not just one, but two deep dish pizza places!

5 comments:

Nick said...

I love deep dish, especially Zachary's in Oakland/Berkeley!

小松 said...

I wonder if you've tried Pizahood in Taipei Bus Station. I think it's pretty good ^^

Mon said...

Personally I really like Big Boyz and I think they are strongly recommended in my book. The taste of the deep dish is completely like that in the US. If you hadn't been 20 mins late for your reservation, maybe you'll be able to taste it for what it's really like. I also recommend the Italian Bomb with their homemade sausage and loaded with delicious meats and veg. Among all the American pizza places in Taiwan that I've been to, Big Boyz is my No.1 go to place for a taste of NY style pizza.

joanh said...

Mon: glad you liked it.. I agree; the pizza would have been better if I had been on time, but I wasn’t and things happen. So, that’s why I suggested people order there pizza to be ready at a set time, like 10-15 minutes after their reservation. And as for how deep dish pizzas taste, I compare my experiences to Zachary’s. It’s a specific but popular place, so people who have been will also feel the same as me.

joanh said...

Oh I haven’t tried pizzahood

:)