Many of us were cooped up at home for two years, unaware that Jakarta’s culinary scene continued to move forward and left us behind. In my quest to reacquaint my taste buds with the best the capital city has to offer, I am going all out to review some of the most hyped new players in the scene for my regular column, ICYMI (In Case You Missed It). Bon appetit!
There have been numerous new pizzeria popping up in Jakarta, each with their own takes on the dish. So far, we have the large NY-style pizza, the deep-dish Chicago-style pizza, and the classic Neapolitan Pizza or Pizza Napoletana with various toppings. For the latter, Solo Pizza has caught my attention for some time.
The pizzeria has been around since late 2020. It first opened for delivery in Tanjung Barat and later opened a restaurant at hangout complex Urban Farm on Pantai Indah Kapuk’s Golf Island in April of last year. Solo Pizza describes their products as “natural leavened artisan pizza,” as they’re embracing the traditional way of Neapolitan pizza making with everything being made by hand from scratch.
Solo Pizza is not the only pizzeria in the capital that offers Neapolitan Pizza as well as sourdough-based pizza dough in Jakarta, but their variety of toppings and flavors convinced me to order Ragú di Manzo and Salmone Affumicato, which are included in the Solo Signature Pizza category, as well as Margherita Fritti through a food delivery app from their Tanjung Barat delivery hub last week.
The pies were medium-sized, coming at six slices each. Ragú di Manzo (IDR125,000) consists of ricotta cream, wagyu beef ragout, Grana Padano, thyme, parsley, and extra virgin olive oil. As I expected, this pizza was packed with beef on top of the thin crust. I had it on its own and added the chili oil that came with the pizza later on, which was surprisingly spicy.
I’d personally recommend this for those who like predominantly beefy tastes. If not, you probably should opt for pizzas with cold cuts toppings such as Bresaola DOP Punta D’anca (IDR165,000) with air-dried beef slices or Beef Salami (IDR100,000).
Salmone Affumicato (IDR145,000) was up next, with smoked salmon, ricotta, fior di latte, red onion, arugula, and capers. I thought it was pretty salty due to the capers and the smoked salmon slices. Do eat this pizza alone without any condiments to let their flavors shine through.
In general, I thought Solo Pizza’s dough isn’t tough to chew, as it was rather airy with a crispy outer layer on the cornicione or the outer ring crust — which serves as proof that the dough underwent a long fermentation period and baked in intense heat in a Neapolitan-style pizza oven.
Last, but definitely not least, was the Margherita Fritti (IDR45,000), which I got addicted to at first bite. The size was pretty large and the dough was soft yet crispy as it was deep-fried. The pizza came with a simple filling of pomodoro di San Marzano, ricotta, fior di latte, and black pepper.
After quite a great first impression, I’m looking forward to trying other items that Solo Pizza has to offer, including L’Uovo (IDR99,000). There are also pizza variants that contain pork such as Prosciutto di Parma (IDR165,000). All prices above are before taxes and charges, and they’re usually a bit pricier on food delivery apps.
FIND IT
Solo Pizza
Urban Farm Ext. Unit 09, PIK, North Jakarta (dine in, take away, and delivery) and Tanjung Barat Selatan No. 22, South Jakarta (delivery only)
Opening hours: 8am-9pm, daily
Online order via this link
US$1=IDR14,370
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