The New York Times put out a pizza issue on April 17 and one of the articles discussed fried pizzas.  In that article they mention that most fried pizzas in the US are batter dipped.  Yuck.

We’ve been pan-frying pizzas at Bobby G’s Pizzeria in Berkeley for nearly three years and we do not use a batter.  We do it the right way which is to pan-fry our dough in a little bit of extra-virgin olive oil, add the toppings, and then finish it in our pizza oven.

The pizza comes out very crispy and very, very thin.  Ours is about 8″ round and is perfect for an appetizer.  Some people have said they hear their arteries closing when discussing fried pizzas, but we’re using extra-virgin olive oil, and a lot less toppings than our regular pizzas.  If anything, our pan-fried pizzas are easier on the heart then standard pies.

As far as I know, we’re the only pizzeria around that pan-fries pizzas, and our customers love them.  You really should give it a try if you like thin, crispy pizza.  It’s different, but still familiar.

Robert Gaustad
Bobby G’s Pizzeria
Berkeley, CA