Although Budapest has an abundance of pizza places offering sponge-like slices that cost 200 forints and only taste good when you are terribly drunk or starving, more and more quality pizzerias are opening here in the last few years. Thus, connoisseurs of genuine Italian cuisine no longer need to fret about where to have a slice of heaven: the city now features plenty of places baking classic round pies of high quality – and now a new place in District V offers square-shaped pizza slices just like in Rome: Pizza Quadra!
Fehér hajó Street by Deák Square is a busy city-center passage; everybody’s in a hurry – some people are going to work, others to school, or they’re just trying to get some shopping done. Even though there are plenty of eateries along this lane, most people just pass by, not stopping for a moment – until now. That shouldn’t be a surprise: the smell of freshly baked pizza fills the air here, and increasingly more people are eager to buy a slice of real Italian cuisine. Pizza Quadra, which opened in November, doesn’t overcomplicate things: you can buy slices of Italy’s most famous fast food, and little else. You can purchase this from the street at a small window, but if the weather is bad, you can have a seat inside too.Pizza Quadra is basically the younger (and smaller) brother of Trattoria Barca Bianca, located just a few steps away. There wasn’t enough room for a pizza oven in the restaurant, so they’ve installed it in a nearby empty building. Trattoria’s pan pizzas are baked here too – and by pan pizza, we mean that they don't throw the dough in the air like you see in movies, but that the pies are baked in a jet black, well-worn pan. (It seems like square-shaped things are taking over the city: first donuts, then burgers, now this!)
If you’ve ever been to Pizzica, you’re already familiar with these kind of slices: thick-crusted, fried-on-the-bottom, somewhat puffy, and very cheesy pan pizza, which you can eat three or four slices of without spoiling your stomach. Or four, or five... it’s always a pleasure to return to Paolo’s place. Every slice that we’ve tried at Quadra was light, but with plenty of toppings on them. They are baked by a real master, who knows all the tricks for making a great pizza.
Mirko Zamarco first came to Budapest from Rovigo to see if he can find a good pizzeria here. Than he got stuck near the oven in order turn his ten-year-long experience and endless love for good food into pizzas that he can serve to Italian-hearted Hungarians and tourists. Mirko is a charming guy who’s always smiling, and baking pizzas with such a tempo that if we wasn’t there, we wouldn’t believe it. In the meantime, as he told us stories about his Italian experiences and his work in Venice, many people came by; Hungarians, Italians, and so on. They greet him, have a slice and leave. That’s how it goes here.The menu is continually changing, apart from the well-known pizza versions (a margarita slice costs 300 HUF, the one with ham and mushrooms is 390 HUF, a quattro formaggi costs 390 HUF, and a quattro stagioni costs 490 HUF); Mirko offers his own creations, too. When we were there, a basic margarita was spiced up with lemon juice and rocket salad, and another one was topped with baked vegetables. They were all light and tasty and made of Italian ingredients. If you happen to be in a hurry to get somewhere around here, or if you are meeting someone near Deák Square but have a few minutes to spare, try Quadra. You won’t regret it!
Pizza Quadra Address:
Budapest 1052, Fehér hajó u.
8-10 Opening hours:
Monday-Sunday: 11am-11pm
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