I have a proposal for you, Athenians. Instead of taking your bread and just dipping it in wine — which is pretty much all you people are good for — put the bread on a table, cover it in sauce and cheese and selected toppings, then bake that bizzle at high heat in an open oven. Wait —I’m going to pop back to about a hundred years before now and make this thing a culinary tradition. I’m calling it pizza. /Chiron Batchlett
Best Basic Pizza
Gold
Copper Kettle
1953 Scarth St. 306-525-3545 ckpizza.ca
Silver Houston Pizza Bronze Sparky’s Honorable Mention Trifon’s
I’ve always enjoyed Copper Kettle pizza. Sure, they have all the fancy options, but I like the simple meat and cheese topping pizza. And their crust is awesome. Recently, I ordered a CK pizza and asked to have it delivered. Unfortunately, they were short drivers that night (it happens) and there was a bit of a wait. Not a problem, I said, I didn’t need to be lazy, I could pick it up. “Are you sure?” asked the Copper Kettle. “Yup, no problem.” So I went to pick it up at the Hamilton St. location just east of the main restaurant. When I entered, the employee asked if I was Shane, thanked me for picking up the pizza, and gave me a free drink. Talk about service! Plus the pizza was awesome, as always. /Shane Hnetka
Best Gourmet Pizza
Gold
Copper Kettle
1953 Scarth St. 306-525-3545 ckpizza.ca
Silver Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria Bronze Fireside Bistro
My friend Kyall makes the BEST gourmet pizza. But he moved to Edmonton and that’s a little far to go for great pizza. Fortunately, I have Copper Kettle’s gourmet pizza right here at home. Eat in, pick up or delivered right to your door, the pizza is always loaded with flavourful toppings on a medium thick, chewy yet tender golden crust. Thin, whole wheat or gluten-free crusts are also available. Who in Regina hasn’t feasted on CK’s famous spinach and feta combo? There are more than 43 unique options to choose from including favourites like #32 Fire & Ice (spicy chorizo, capsicum & jalepeno peppers, avocado), #37 Garden Groovy (grilled zucchini and eggplant, beans, pesto and red peppers) or #33 Irish (potatoes, spinach, roasted garlic and pesto). Original owner Robert Gardikiotis, who passed away in February, really knew how to get it right when it came to great food and friendly service, leaving behind a proud and delicious legacy for all of us to enjoy. /Carolyn Rebeyka
Best Regina-Style Pizza
Gold
Copper Kettle
1953 Scarth St. 306-525-3545 ckpizza.ca
Silver Houston Pizza Bronze Western Pizza Honorable Mention Sparky’s, Tumblers, Trifon’s
When I interviewed Robert Gardikiotis a few years ago, he credited a 1970s trip to Las Vegas for one of the most popular pies on the Copper Kettle menu: spinach and feta. Back when Robert made the trip to Vegas, he and his wife Anne were running a lunch counter in downtown Regina. Decades later, he was able to open up multiple pizza locations in the city, building the business one slice at a time. The spinach and feta remains CK’s number-one seller, and frozen pizzas have even been shipped express as far as Toronto. /Mike Shiplack
Best Thin Crust Pizza
Gold
Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria
1881 Scarth St. 306-789-0011 famoso.ca
Silver The Artful Dodger Bronze Copper Kettle Honorable Mention Browns Socialhouse, Panago, Beer Bros. Gastropub & Deli, Domino’s
You know when you’re monster hungry and your companions ruin your life by saying that they’re “not too hungry” and will probably just have “salad” or something else stupid? Famoso solves that. There are some great extras on the menu, but the core is a glorious selection of wood-fired thin-crust pizzas with red and white sauces and genius topping combos from spicy meats to mushrooms in six varieties. Everyone gets a pizza. Everyone gets what they want on their pizza. Famoso also gets bonus points for smelling wood-fired fucking incredible. /McDuck
Best National Chain Pizza
Gold
Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria
1881 Scarth St. 306-789-0011 famoso.ca
Silver Boston Pizza Bronze Panago Honorable Mention Pizza Hut, Domino’s
Some Prairie Dog voters might avoid chain restaurants due to their corporate overlordyness. Others may realize that Famoso Neapolitian Pizzeria simply serves up a tasty slice, chain or no. Their pizza is hot — like fired in a bell-shaped oven at 900 degrees F hot.
Pizza, as we know it today, was born when Naples Chef Raffaele Esposito created a dish for Queen Margherita in 1889 that featured Italian delicacies such as fresh mozzarella, vine-ripened tomatoes and fresh basil. Committed to using only the best ingredients themselves, Famoso has made international news thanks to Condé Nast Traveler naming them the eighth best pizza on the planet. Their pizzas range from the classic Margherita to new world creations like Spicy Thai. All served thin and crispy. /Mike Shiplack
Best Delivery Pizza
Gold
Houston Pizza
Eight locations houstonpizza.ca
Silver Western Pizza Bronze Copper Kettle Honorable Mention Panago
Houston Pizza is celebrated in song and legend by ex-pats all over the world. We’ve all heard the stories of people having them delivered by plane to their Grey Cup parties in Toronto. Inches thick, loaded with toppings, a solid crust and combo add-ons make Houston Pizza Regina’s delivery go-to for all occasions. Sure, they have the variations, like Taco Pizza and Thai Chicken Pizza. But what Regina really wants is the Classic #21, the All Dressed. And make it XL, will you, with pop and riblets. THANK YOU! /Chris Scott
Best Bread Sticks
Gold
Pizza Hut
354 Albert St. N. 306-791-3035 5-4505 Albert St. S. 306-791-3040 6310 Rochdale Blvd. 306-791-3050 pizzahut.ca
Silver 2-4-1 Bronze Domino’s Honorable Mention Little Caesar’s, Panago
Back in high school, I used to “sling ’za” (as the young’uns called it) at the North Albert Hut. Between breaking-up frozen cheese using power slams from the top cooler rack and learning to toss pepperoni like a Frisbee, making bread sticks was always a favourite task. Between the grease and the super-hot pizza oven, these bread sticks are basically half-baked and half-fried. The sauces, despite being pre-packaged, make the sticks all the more deliciously gluttonous. I preferred mixing the meat sauce with the creamy Alfredo, but I’m weird like that.
Here’s a fun fact. The long tubes of cheese used for stuffed-crust pizza can also be used to create thick, and cheesy stuffed bread sticks. You’re welcome. /Mike Shiplack
