Pizzakase. What is that?
Mission Pizza Napoletana’s Pizzakase experience combines age-old Italian tradition with the Japanese custom “omakase“. This unique experience gives diners the opportunity to try “a curated selection of unique, off-menu pizzas” inspired by Mission’s love of pizza.
Recently, I gave this Winston-Salem favorite a go: here’s how it went.
How I discovered Mission Pizza
Sitting in my bed exhausted, I watched The Great British Baking Show commence their “pizza” round. After a long day of classes, I was tired, ravenous, with a sudden craving for pizza. I began to navigate on my phone to find what is the best pizza in town: Mission Pizza Napoletana.
In my delirious state, I reserved a spot for three for the following evening for a Pizzakase dining experience. Little did I know that Mission is ranked among the top 50 best pizza restaurants in the United States, and that my experience would live up to the hype.
My Pizzakase Experience
From the moment I stepped inside the restaurant, a whirlwind of an experience took over. I truly felt like I was in a different country. To begin with, I stood in confusion as the hostess explained that the reservation I had made was for one of their dining experiences. Though puzzled, my friends and I decided to go with what “exhausted me” had booked the night before. Another woman sat us at the pizza bar and explained that we would be served with a series of dishes from the chef’s unique and favored selections. Our interest spiked.
The following two hours consisted of more surprised faces and delightful flavors. To start, we were served with a fresh salad with crisp apples and arugula. Next, we were served with Pizza #1, which was smoked through and through. Each element of the pizza was smoked: the cheese, the meat, the whole pizza itself. Then Pizza #2 came along: a traditional margarita with exorbitant amounts of garlic and tomato sauce, cooked on a bed on salt. Later we tried a delicious octopus dish, with hints of citrus. Lastly, we the divine, show-stopping “main dish pizza” with fried dough filled with fluffy burrata. Stuffed and stunned, we sat in awe. To top it all off, one of the chef’s brought to us an olive oil cake with home whipped cream.
Mission Pizza’s mission was complete.
What made the dining experience even more special were the chefs who presented each dish with such care and artistry. Not a single dish was made without sincere thought and careful choice of flavor to create a final blend of unmatched flavors. Being able to watch them create by sitting at the bar only enhanced the final products!
My Final Thoughts
This impromptu reservation was an experience I will never forget! Mission Pizza has definitely been bumped into my list of the best restaurants in Winston-Salem.
While my experience was astonishing, so was the bill! The Pizzakase experience certainly came at a price and will be reserved for special occasions only. However, I will be going back for their walk-in “a la carte” dining option, very, very soon.
Thank you Mission Pizza Napoletana for curing my craving in the most surprising and special way possible!