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If you stop ten different people and ask them for their opinion about Pizza Pino on the Champs Élysées, you will get ten different answers. Some would say its too touristic, while others would agree that its too crowded. Some would say they love their pizza, while others will say they don't... Even though I've been to this place three times already, I decided to go back again focusing on the things that would make me want to come back again or not.
Located in the heart of the Champs Élysées, Pizza Pino has become a reference eatery for years. For an Italian pizza in the touristic district, it is the place to look for. If you decide to sit on the ground floor, the upper one or the terrace, you will live the same experience and eat the same food.
The things that won't make me come again: I just felt it clearly:
"Order, eat fast and leave because others are waiting".
The attitude: "We are full anyway, so we are not too focused on maintaining clients."
- The service is extremely slow. Ten minutes for someone to show up to take the order, and 35 minutes for the pizza to get delivered
- All the waiters have an attitude that shows they are not a fan of tourists. They treat you like a next number. They don't show any interest in you as a customer, where you're from and whether or not you're enjoying your meal... or if you would be interested in coming back again, as they know that a thousand others will be coming, so maintaining you as a loyal customer is not part of their training.
- Waiters are overwhelmed with the quantity of tourists, which makes them aggressive and inattentive to the tiny details that count.
I sat down on the terrace where square tables are covered with white napkin tables, a fork, knife and cup. So, lighting my Cigarillo, no ashtray was offered until I asked for it.
Shocking: On the busiest avenue of the entire world, filled with tourists from all around the globe, smokers, drunken people and more, the food you order is transferred from the kitchen to the sidewalk terrace unprotected. I wish I could count the millions of bacteria that landed on my plate. Just imagine the saliva of the dozens who were walking around the pizza on its way to my table. A 30 meters distance where a clean plate absorbs all the city's pollution.
The pizza on another hand, and that is the purpose of the visit is fine:
- A 30cm UFO like shape
- Thick and crunchy border
- A tasty dough, that is thin, soft and filled with tomatoes
- The ground beef topping didn't taste Bolognese. Many other pizzerias have this problem
- Generously filled, the pizza is nice to see and enjoyable to eat
- Fresh mushrooms are used. Nothing is canned
- The cheese is homogeneously distributed on all the surface
- Tomato sauce is added under the cheese and freshly cooked tomatoes with meat on top of the cheese
- Every bite is unique, fresh, tasty and enjoyable
The minuses:
- I would never sit on the terrace again hoping I'll get a better service on the inside
- Inside, the food served is cleaner
- The service is really annoying
Concluding and trying to answer your question, Pizza Pino has a good pizza but the staff is lousy. If you want something better, maybe less touristic with an overall experience that can better be enjoyed, I would recommend Pizza Cesar.
