Basic Goodness Pizzeria — Restaurant in Tofino

What a lovely gem that my husband and I stumbled upon. Authentic Naples pizza is not what you expect in a seaside town like Tofino but somehow it's here. Basic Goodness Pizza is in a brand new, beautifully designed building with open beam wood ceilings. The decor is modern and cheerful and reminds you of being in a cute little European cafe. The oven adds a delightful design element and keeps the entire place warm and toasty on a cold night.

We were fortunate enough to literally get their last 2 pizzas of the night as they only make so much dough each day. We had the Ortolano and Hawaiian and they were so good. The Hawaiian was absolutely delicious and I could have happily eaten the whole thing if I wasn't stuffed after eating just half. This is Naples style pizza which is a thin crust pizza with fresh ingredients. This is not like American style pizza so anyone who complains about a lack of toppings is woefully ignorant of what Naples style pizza is like and needs to learn an appreciation of authentic food.

This restaurant is owned by a husband and wife team and the husband is actually from Naples, which shows up in how delicious and authentic the pizza is. We were lucky enough to have one of the owners (the wife) sit down with us at the end of evening and share her experiences of living in Tofino and what the people are like. I highly recommend visiting this lovely restaurant if you're ever in Tofino and make sure you go early so you don't miss out because you...

Imagine being cold, wet, and hungry out on the ocean catching some siiiick waves. Covered in sand, you pack up and go into town only to find there is a two hour wait for every joint. Weak.

In desperation you drive around and call all the places that are still open, you get turned down faster than your last hinge date. Things are looking bleak...

Around the corner you see a bright light, a glimmer of hope; It's BASIC GOODNESS pizza and there is no line or wait. At this point you would be willing to settle for a slice of Dominos and give up, but instead when you walk into BASIC GOODNESS pizza the aroma of the wood fire gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling inside.

Now, Tofino isn't the town where I would expect to get good pizza. I wouldn't even expect to get decent pizza. What came out of that oven and directly into my mouth was the best pizza I have ever had, period. From the beautiful charring on their crust to the ooze of the fresh mozzarella, it was perfect. The way the dough, the tomato sauce, the cheese, the little bundles of meat all worked together to create a gloriously orchestrated symphony of deliciousness on my tongue was truly profound.

I snapped back to reality, looked down, and it was gone. The pizza was all gone. I feel full and completely satisfied, but I want more. I want to experience that first bite again.

One thing is certain, next time I'm in Tofino I'll be searching for two things; that perfect wave and another pie from...

I really enjoyed my meal here and had a good experience from start to finish. All of the staff was very friendly. They have the “Please wait to be seated” sign, but they let me choose where I wanted to sit, and when I realized that the table I chose outside was putting me right in the hot sun, they were cool with me moving inside. I had “Lyndsay’s plant pizza” (the cheeseless vegan pizza) and a tiramisu. The veggie pizza was loaded with toppings and the vegetables they chose worked harmoniously together, except the kale tasted a little raw. I didn’t miss the cheese. I cannot overstate how good the crust was! There were a few spots with a bit too much char, but even with that, the texture of this crust was heavenly. The tiramisu was also fantastic. It was served as two jumbo ladyfingers doused in cream. Again, textures here were great - the ladyfingers were soft but not soggy, and the cream was velvety smooth. The bitter coffee in the ladyfingers perfectly complemented and balanced out the sweet cream topping. I was a little surprised by the high prices. I ended up spending about $50 for a meal for one after tip! Kind of a small place, but the laid back atmosphere felt homely. It would be nice if they had real glasses for water and a plate for the tiramisu instead of paper. Not quite a 5 star, but a very enthusiastic 4 stars from me. I could rave about that...