Where: 800 Degrees Neopolitan Pizzeria, Mall of the Emirates

How much:  AED 150 for two people (approx.)

Cuisine: Pizza – Italian

Recommended: Original crust with Bufalina base

As the name suggests, the pizzas served here are baked at 800 degrees Fahrenheit, which allows the pizzas to be delivered in 90 seconds or under.

If that’s not reason enough to visit, you have a chance to make your own pizza from scratch; you get to choose the dough, the base, and the toppings.

Want the details? Here’s the 800 Degrees pizza review:

Food:

We got a chance to try both their crusts:

• The Original crust pizza: The Bufalina base consists of cherry tomatoes, Bufala mozzarella, parmigiano reggiano, olive oil and fresh basil leaves. The manager says ‘less is more’ when it comes to toppings. We chose beef bacon, shrimps, sundried tomatoes and jalapenos.
• The Gluten Free pizza: The Verde base made of pinenut-basil pesto, mozzarella and parmiginao reggiano. Toppings consist of sun-dried tomatoes, beef chorizo, shredded chicken, mushrooms, eggplants and egg.

The original crust pizza looks far more appealing than the latter because of the tomato-red colour of the base and the fluffy crust. The ingredients blend well together. The tomato sauce looked better than it tasted. Make sure you ask them to season it to your taste or you’ll be left with more dough and less flavour.

Gluten free is not their popular crust, but it is a much healthier option for those counting calories. The crust is not as fluffy as the original – it’s crispier.

The verde sauce is unique, and the sundried tomatoes were a game changer in this one. What we loved was the fact that although it was gluten free, it still retained all the splendid taste of good old-fashioned wheat bread.

Ambience and Service:

The ambience of the restaurant is modern, with  chandeliers to lend a rustic feel to the place. The area is divided into two: an indoor seating area and an outdoor section, where tables are placed on the mall pathway. We recommend sitting indoors – you can watch your pizza closely.

The staff is welcoming, and the kind attendants assembling the pizzas keep you entertained. However, once we got our pizzas to our table, it was very difficult getting hold of the waiters. The wait staff is awfully busy at peak hours, and the service is slow.

Verdict:

Overall, if you’re looking for a quick crunchy bite and want things a certain way, we definitely recommend the pizzas. They don’t leave you feeling heavy, which is a bonus.

If you’re interested, take note:

• Get ready to be creative, as it is your only chance to create your own pizza!
• Get ready to be your own host, as it is a self-service restaurant.