Restaurant Review: Pasta & Pizza in Lahore, Pakistan

Pizzas in Pakistan is usually nothing like pizza in America. They tend to have spongy thick crusts, little to no sauce, loads of spice, and taste very Pakistani. Some pizza places even use ketchup in place of pizza sauce. After ordering a few 'local' pizzas in Lahore, I learned my lesson. If I wanted 'real' pizza, I'd better be willing to shell out the rupees for Pizza Hut. Even then, I'd have to stress "NO SPICE!" and pay extra just to get the right amount of sauce. It's no surprise that when I got a flyer under my door for "Pasta and Pizza: The World's First Pizza," I was excited.

The flyer boasted a shocking 90 item food menu and several articles about the origin of pizza. The layout and colors were quite attractive and professional, and I had hope that finally we would be able to get good pizza in Lahore. When the red tomato "Pasta & Pizza" sign went up in Z block Defence, I convinced my husband to try it out. He was wary at first, as we have had many bad local pizza experiences here in Pakistan.

Pasta & Pizza is located at 69-Z block, not far from the Y block shopping area. It's behind the plaza with Bundu Khan. Coming from Ghazi Rd towards McDonald's, you'll see a red tomato sign on your right. Turn right and it will be the second building on your left. There are only three to four parking spots, but there are some empty storefronts nearby where you can also park.

When you first enter, you see the open kitchen where chefs are dressed in white, complete with tall chef hats. There is not an overabundance of waiters and hosts, which is actually nice. You can sit downstairs or upstairs. The décor resembles a typical Italian family diner in the United States. Tables have red-checkered cloths and everything is done in the colors of the Italian flag. Upstairs you can sit in tables or booths. The booths are a bit low if you're short or have children with you. There are black and white photos, printed from a printer, all around the seating area. They are labeled with such things as "wooden stove" (notice not brick oven) and "first pizza maker." There are photos of various cities in Italy downstairs in the entry way.

There are two strange things about the décor. The first is that the wallpaper is mauve with gold, and it doesn't go well with the tablecloths. The second is that the designer seemed to be torn between creating an Italian restaurant and a rainforest, because there is a huge 3-D mural of a tree going all the way up the wall to the second floor. On the roof, there are brown and green painted branches. Green plants reaching to the ceiling are everywhere, and I was surprised not to see any koalas or monkeys painted on the walls as well.

The interesting décor was our first indication that Pasta & Pizza may not be all that it claims. Our menus were huge, with the logo "Born Italian. Tastes Italian since 1860" printed in various places. There are 49 varieties of pizza including cheese pizzas, chicken, beef, seafood, vegetable, specialty, and children's pizzas. All dishes have both Italian and English names. Some of the spellings are not English, such as "salame" (meaning pepperoni), and "mashroom." There are also six types of "Sand witch of pizza", several pasta dishes (supposedly with fresh pasta), salads, desserts, and house specialties.

We decided to try both a pasta and a pizza. All pizzas are 12" pizzas, which can serve two people. The flyer states that 12" is the best size for a pizza, and should be the only size. We ordered the #10 pizza, Salami Manzo with tomato, cheese, beef salami and oregano for 200 rupees ($2.50) and the #62 Mushroom Pasta with white sauce for 250 rupees ($3.16). We also ordered a 1.5 liter bottle of Coca-Cola, which was served right away.

Our food took a while to make, and during that time we noticed some other peculiarities of the restaurant. First of all, we were given knives with bright white and green plastic handles. For a place that is trying to be classy, the knives just didn't go. Aside from that, there was a large flatscreen TV on the wall playing Indian channels. At the same time, the stereo system was pumping '80s dance music. Both had the volume on, so it was hard to keep a conversation with two other things competing for our attention. The music and Bollywood movies certainly did not make the ambiance seem Italian.

Our pizza came first, and it looked promising. We were a bit disappointed at the sparse toppings. There wasn't pepperoni (salami) on every slice. My husband and I had mixed opinions on the pizza. I quite enjoyed it. The crust was thin and the closest thing to an Italian pizza I've had since coming to Pakistan. There could have been more sauce, but the pizza was not spicy and tasted Italian rather than Pakistani. There wasn't any ketchup in the sauce, and Italian herbs like basil and oregano were used. I would have liked more toppings and a bit more sauce, but I liked it better than Pizza Hut. My husband didn't like it so much. He usually prefers pan crust, so the thin crust didn't impress him. He thought the cheese didn't taste right and the pizza didn't have enough flavor. One pizza certainly would be enough for two people if you're not too hungry.

Our mushroom pasta came second. It was hot and in an attractive dish. The pasta's shape was different than anything else I've seen in Pakistan, so it's possible that they do make their own pasta. The sauce was plentiful, but the mushrooms were the ones that you usually get in the can at the supermarket. Nothing too exciting. The pasta was cooked al dente, but the sauce had a bit too much pepper for me. Nevertheless, we enjoyed it and took half of it home.

Our total bill came to about 600 rupees ($7.57), and we had more then enough food. You could eat a light meal for two for less than 300 rupees ($3.79). I'd certainly go back, but my husband said he wouldn't be coming with me as he didn't enjoy the food that much. The service was great, and we had only one waiter. That was a nice change from having ten waiters milling around staring at us while we eat.

When we got home, I decided to check out the story of "Bianccuchi Antonio," the founder of the world's first pizza chain in 1860. Surprisingly, nothing came up on Google for him. Google actually suggested that I had his name spelled wrong, and offered "Biancucchi" instead as a more authentic Italian spelling. I couldn't find mention of the chain "Pasta & Pizza" anywhere except in Lahore and after reading through several sites on the history of pizza, I gave up. Although Pasta & Pizza may not pass a fact finding test, could use better décor, better music, and to get rid of their huge TV, I'd still say it's a good family option in Lahore. It may not be completely Italian, but hey they're giving it a good try. With limited options in the Y Block/Z Block area, it's certainly a place I'd go again, and I'd even take advantage of their free delivery. For pizza, their prices are less than half of neighboring Pizza Hut, and frankly I liked the pizza better. It wasn't loaded with spice and next time I could watch them make the pizza and request more sauce.

You can call Pasta & Pizza at:

042-506-4956, 042-589-8132

0300-473-2926

So what if it's not really "all the way from Italy," give Pasta & Pizza a try and maybe you can ask someone for the real story of this interesting restaurant.