The Pizza Place and Garden Café on First Avenue in Linden is easy to miss. Nestled between a pet store and a bead shop, this little pizza joint is an unusual neighbourhood eatery worth visiting. The well-lit and noisy interior forms a stark contrast to the outside seating area, where patrons can enjoy watching pigs, guinea pigs and rabbits from the adjacent pet store go about their business over a warm pizza.

The food

The Pizza Place and Garden Café offers pizza, burgers, salads and a dish called cevapcici, a southeastern European kebab-style dish with minced meat and onions. The pizzas are thin and crispy with ample toppings to choose from. There are no less than 10 vegetarian options on the menu, but The Mediterranean pizza, topped with basil, feta, chorizo, garlic, olives, sundried tomato and chilli, steals the show. The pizzas are thankfully all the same size, which saves true pizza lovers the embarrassment of ordering a large pizza when the rest of the table politely orders smaller portions. At between R28 and R70 for a large pizza, it’s no wonder that this little pizzeria and cafe sees a lot of foot traffic. The only thing that detracts from their amazing pizzas is the olives. Bulk-bought and pre-cut, the olives aren’t ideal for olive lovers.

If pizzas aren’t your idea of a good time, the cafe’s burger selection is bound to have something for you. From a classic 180g beef patty with lettuce, tomato and onions to a chicken schnitzel burger and even chicken prego rolls, you’ll be sure to find something that appeals. The weight-conscious can also opt for a chicken salad; however, with the smell of pizza fresh out of the oven, ordering a salad might be harder than you think.

Wine

They’re licenced to sell liquor, but only offers Robertson’s Sauvignon Blanc and Ruby Red by the glass. That said, the restaurant doesn’t charge a corkage fee and encourages patrons to bring their own vino.

Service

The service is friendly and fast, and requests to replace one ingredient for another on a pizza or select your own pizza toppings are always clearly understood.

Ambience

The outside seating area is ideal for warm summer days, especially for parents with small children. The inside seating area is a little too bright and noisy for a romantic date, but perfect to enjoy a coffee while you wait for your takeaway.

And…

They offer one large pizza for free for every two pizzas purchased. Now that’s value!

By Kristia van Heerden

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