Best Pizza Slices in Madrid

Whether you’re lonely, busy, strapped for cash, or stumbling around late at night in Malasaña a good slice of pizza can be heaven.  This is why we here at MAP went to the trouble of doing the leg work to point you in the right direction with MAP’s list of the best Pizza Slices Madrid.

OPERA PIZZA
Calle Arenal, 23
Tel:  915 595 373 – 915 591 765 (For Delivery)

First up is Opera Pizza located, as you might have guessed, outside the Madrid opera house (and Opera Metro Station).  This is something of an institution and has been around the city for some time. In short it offers all the stereotypical American foods, however the restaurant manages to not give off that discomforting tourist trap vibe.  There are usually a couple different options for slices on hand and depending on the day you might find a Hawaiana (Jamon York and Pinapple), a Vegetal (onions, green peppers, olives and mushrooms), or any number of combinations (but usually something with Jamon York).  The pizza can best be described as “college days” pizza, distinctly familiar to all of the pieces of pizza you ate/eat/see on TV around your local higher learning institutions.  Not that this is anyway a negative characterization, but the pizza is very typical. The size is respectable, but you’ll definitely need a couple to make it meal.  It gets points for having a central location and being a comforting reminder of home, as well as being open late Saturdays until 1:30ish.  However the slices don’t hold up very well over time, and when you are unlucky and arrive when a fresh pie hasn’t been put out for a while it can be a bit disappointing, so I encourage you to wait for a fresh one to come out of the oven to order your slice.  As I said they also offer all things American, so if you’re in the mood for a hamburger, hot dog, or chicken wings in addition to or in lieu of your pizza they’ve got you covered.  Each slice is around €2.60.

Estación Obligatoria
Calle Pez, 2

Estacion Obligatoria is somewhat new to the Malasaña area and advertises itself as providing Argentinean food but their pizza is a big hit as well.  The slices here come in a distinct long and skinny rectangular shape, which actually makes it handy to eat, though not your typical idea of a slice of pizza.  This place gets big points for its crust, which is thin and always crispy allowing the slices to makes it stand the test of time.  Every time I´ve had one of their slices it seemed fresh even if it may have been setting there for a while. They offer a somewhat unique departure from the standard pizza toppings including shrimp and hardboiled egg, but they also have go-to toppings like ham and tomato or chorizo if you’re not feeling experimental.  Although the crust, sauce, and toppings are great, the slices are somewhat small and even after two you might be left wanting more.  Incidentally, the best deal here might be the €1.50 Argentinean empanadas that come in a wide variety of fillings.  Slices here cost €2.50 or  less.

Pizza & Pita
Calle Fuencarral, 93

Pizza & Pita gets the award for best late night eatery in the Malasaña area, staying open until 2:30am on Friday and Saturday nights.  This is an important fact to know when that Friday night dinner with friends turns into half of a croqueta, a bite of tortilla, a few chips, 7 cañas, and you’ve found yourself ordering a whiskey and coke on an empty stomach. Pizza Pita provides the perfect place to stave off your hunger. This place gets big points for the late night weekend hours, actually having a pepperoni pizza and making sure lots of pizzas are on hand for the late night revelers. Stick to going during peak hours.  By the way they have pita as well.  Slices here cost around €2.50.

La Vita É Bella
Calle Espíritu Santo, 13
Plaza de San Ildefonso, 5
Calle Pelayo, 22

Finally we move on to the pinnacle of pizza slices in the center of Madrid, now with an empire that has extended into three locations. La Vita É Bella is hands down the most popular place to grab a slice around Madrid.  Advertising themselves as providing “Comida Italiana para llevar” they serve up a huge Sicilian style slice (square-shaped and thick crusted) stacked with lots of toppings and cheese.  The crust and sauce are big winners; the former is thick yet crispy, light and fluffy, and the latter being an herb-infused tasty base for the rest of the pizza components.  More cheese please…obviously there is a fine line between a piece of pizza having too much cheese (Pizza Hut) and not enough and La Vita É Bella manages to walk that line like a well trained Circus high-wire act.  They usually have a nice variety of slices when you arrive, some of the standards include: margarita, ham, mushroom, bacon (mmm bacon!), or any combination of the aforementioned. But for me the best choice is the slices drizzled with their house-made pesto sauce.  Due to its popularity, if you go during typical meal times the pizzas are always fresh out of the oven and don’t even need reheating, and one slice of their pizza is almost a full meal.  They also have a nice selection of pastas as well as a few other typical Italian items available for carry-out.  All slices here are €2.50.

Whether you’re a tourist on a budget or a local with little time your hands, a slice of pizza can definitely hit the spot.  While all of the above mentioned have their merits the slice of pizza ultimately is a matter of personal choice. Hopefully this will give you a good road map when you set out to find the one that is best to your liking.

By Coleman File

6 places are mentioned in this post!

1. Calle del Arenal, 23
2. Calle del Pez, 2
3. Calle de Fuencarral, 93
4. Calle del Esp�ritu Santo, 13
5. Plaza de San Ildefonso, 5
6. Calle de Pelayo, 22

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