The name “Mad For Pizza” either means everything to you or absolutely nothing. It’s easy for those who don’t like pizza to ignore this restaurant, as it may just sound like another pizzeria. But hey, don’t be silly. Mad For Pizza speaks volumes already of literal translation. If you take create-your-own pizza (note: toppings all you want!) seriously, then you should probably read carefully down below and prepare your mouth to water in delight. 😉
Started in June 2014 with this first branch in Tomas Morato, Mad For Pizza caters to customers who want comfort food badly. Cue in DIY pizzas with unlimited toppings beckoning you like mad, and you’ll be surprised that this new resto has captured your attention quickly. It’s the manner on how you have the freedom to put the ingredients together as you like and the care that set Mad For Pizza apart from the rest.
Review of Mad For Pizza (Tomas Morato, Quezon City)
Ambiance: ★★★★☆
Wrapping around Mad For Pizza in Il Terrazzo are the colors red and white, which are great for fast food. Its theme is as inviting as its list of 40 pizza toppings featured on top of the counter as well as their claim, “We give value to your money. We serve our hot foods hot and our cold foods cold.” Tables, chairs and decors on walls were not too flashy. Having the capacity of 80-100 people, the place was clean and spacious. Overall, ambiance was vibrant and chic, busy with an atmosphere of enjoyment.
Service: ★★★★★
The owners present and the customer service staff were all friendly, accommodating and attentive to requests. It was last Saturday at 5PM when we visited, so wait time didn’t stretch long. The process of ordering wasn’t rushed, but still it was efficient. In case you plan to eat at near lunch or dinner time (peak hours), plan accordingly and expect to be part of the wait game. It can be annoying to deal with an unpredictable situation, but for the only customizable pizza in Tomas Morato, QC, seal it well. Pray that you get a table fast, and dive into some of the best pizzas this area in Quezon City has to offer.
Part-owner Cyril Reyes
Food: ★★★☆☆
Let me reiterate: In Mad For Pizza, you can actually customize pizzas to your preference. First off the bat, the staff walked to our table and gave an order form for us to choose the pizza dough and base sauce. Louie ticked the check boxes next to Garlic Parmesan Dough and House Pizza Sauce respectively.
What ensued was about 10 minutes of toppings selection. The staff behind the counter identified the names of toppings on each of the container, while Louie pointed out which to include in “The Louie Pizza.” 🙂 Customers can get unlimited toppings per pizza, but it would be unwise to choose everything as the quality of the taste and dough might suffer. We settled with the following: Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, basil leaves, oregano, onions, green bell peppers, Pharma ham and another kind of ham.
Adding the toppings and arranging them neatly on the pizza was easily done. We went back to our table and waited for it to be served.
And tadah! After 5-10 minutes, we met pretty much heaven on earth. The thin-crusted pizza was served piping hot with just enough of the bottom burned for that coveted smoky crust. The middle was soft while the outside remained crispy. That’s the way I liked it! One thing to note though: the toppings were not evenly distribute to the six pizza slices; therefore, you wouldn’t get the kick of all the flavors together in each bite. Anyway, I’m not one who’ll fight for more toppings. 😛 The aroma was irresistible and the taste was great, so the pizza was gone in a flash!
If you’re clueless what to add and worried about the outcome, it would be safe to choose one among the ready-to-order presets (PhP 250 each):
- Justin’s Favorite – Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, cheddar pepperoni, bacon, sausage, meatball and crumble
- Anya’s Creation – Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, Alfredo sauce, cheddar shrimp and roasted garlic
- Andross’ Choice – Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, feta, ham and pineapple
Then again, you don’t want to only order pizza in Mad For Pizza. For our appetizer, we had the Fried Calamari (PhP 188), their highly touted and much loved starter. All I needed was a couple of bites to declare that the calamari was good with modest chewiness but not incredibly good. It could have been crispier and better seasoned. If fried calamari is your thing, this is a nice dish to share.
The Chicken Spinach Egg Rolls (PhP 178) were a yummy treat. This menu offering was a good move so diners would have more options and not get tired of the usual pizza and pasta. The Chicken Spinach Egg Rolls had healthy servings of filling, with savory combinations of chicken bits, spinach and corn kernels. The sauces added another depth of flavor.
The Beef Stew Pasta (PhP 188) is one of the staples on the pasta section of Mad For Pizza’s menu, with the solid taste of ground beef making for a nice change from the traditional ground pork and sausage. It was straightforward and simple with few elements in one plate. We could be wrong but Louie and I thought that the beef almost tasted like goat. Nonetheless, it was good to try.
Also, they offer Cappuccino Cake (PhP 88), Panna Cota (PhP 88), Tiramisu (PhP 88) or the Banoffee Cubbler (PhP 88) for desserts. The Banoffee Cubbler (banoffee pie in a cup) came as a lovely creation with the bottom filled with crushed grahams, layered with sliced bananas sauteed in butter, a pour of toffee sauce and plenty of thick, fresh whipped cream on top. It was decadent but a little too tooth-achingly sweet.
Mad For Pizza is one pizza joint that serves alcoholic drinks on the side. We washed down every morsel with fairly “big” glasses of Mojito and Margarita. The drinks were made up with a a refreshing concoction of tequila, lemon juice, triple sec and the fruity flavor of lime. Bottoms up!
Earthy and delicious, these are decent drinks your heart will be wanting to get. They went down easy and packed a punch. You need them warming your body even in the summer heat. Just be careful not to get drunk/tipsy if you’re driving. 😀
Price for Value: ★★★☆☆
For six slices of a whole pizza to justifiably cost PhP 280, the crust must be perfectly cooked; the toppings, fresh; and the sauce, fully-flavored as it’s going to be the vehicle carrying other flavors. The pizza we had at Mad for Pizza was all those things. However, the rest of food we tried from their menu seemed to be a misstep. Since the restaurant is still very new, there are plenty of room for improvement. Maybe we’ll like them better next time. 🙂
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