La Pizza Centrum — Restaurant in Rotterdam

I need to start by saying that being Italian and having experienced the true Italian kitchen tradition, when approaching restaurants like "La pizza" that claims to serve true Italian dishes, I always approach them with high expectations.

The restaurant is very easy to find and very nice on the inside. We sat on the top floor and, despite being in 5, space was enough and we never felt cramped. The staff approached us speaking in Dutch but when asked to talk in English, they adapted quickly (despite sometimes being in difficulty when asked to explain some details about the dishes).

We skipped the appetisers (since they present as appetiser main course dishes) and we went straight to order some pizzas. By looking at the menu we immediately noted that the presented pizzas were not the original recipes of the Italian pizza tradition, but they were in reality modified versions to please the Dutch tastes although carrying the same name of the traditional pizzas. This was the first sign that we were not in a traditional Italian restaurant (despite the claim). By looking at the pizzas list, moreover, we immediately noted that the prices are well above the average prices: the restaurant presents two different kinds of pizza's dimensions, with the small pizzas (a baby pizza, 20 cm of diameter) having prices somehow aligned to the average prices and the "large" pizza (just a pizza of the normal dimension), being presented with a 2/2.50 euro addition over the small pizza price.

On the backside of the menu were presented a long list of wines and a disappointing list of beers. Let's start with the beers first. Considering that normally pizza is accompanied with beer, we were really disappointed to see that only two beers (and two non-alcoholic ones) were inserted in the menu. Moreover, the restaurant does not serve tap beer but only bottled one, having only 0.22 or 0.25 cl bottles. Moving on the wine side, being passionate about wines, together with another friend that shares the same passion with me, we started looking at the wine list and we quickly found out that the restaurant presents wine prices that on average are 15 to 25 euro higher than the "fair" price we observed online.

Once they brought the pizzas, we understood that of Italian they only had the name. The pizzas were very thin and with a flat crust. The dough felt not lievitated enough and hard to digest. I ordered a Margherita and it felt really average, the ingredients were OK but nothing outstanding. One of us ordered a pizza with sausage and found out that in reality was a pizza with salami. When asked about, the waiter replied that that's their pizza with sausage (apparently they have their own idea about what a sausage and a salami are!). We all felt that the pizza was nothing special.

Finally, we decided to give a try to the desserts. Reading the menu of the desserts the prices felt immediately high. 5 euro for 3 balls of profiterole, 4 euro for a mini cannolo, 2 euro for a scoop of ice cream. Given the prices we decided to split a profiterole and an ice cream, just to taste it. The profiterole was nothing special; the cream was very bland and the chocolate nothing exceptional. The ice cream felt very commercial and for the price, we expected much more.

In the end, La Pizza resulted in a very average (and for certain aspects above average) restaurant. The quality of the dishes is well distant from what a truly Italian restaurant should present and for the quality offered, the prices are well above the fair price. I would give the restaurant 2.5 stars over five if possible but having to approximate and given the not outstanding experience, I give them only 2...

Couldn't even try the food/drinks because the waitress didn't come to take our order. She also asked us to move tables because where we originally sat was a 4-people table (we were a couple), only to give that same table to another couple mere minutes after.

We had even suggested they take part of our original table (it was two tables put together) to attach it to another to create a 4-people table and leave us where we wanted to sit. She said they couldn't do that, but when this new couple was sat at our original table, they ended up indeed creating another 4-people table out of the same table I'd suggested they rearrange so we could keep our spot.

We left due to the unacceptable, terrible service. Just a confounding...

Years ago, this place was really good & the food was delicious But now ... I don't know what to say 🙁 ... I was just really disappointed 😔 ... maybe I had order a pizza instead of seafood because the name of restaurant is "Lapizza" 🤔 & you can't messed up a pizza right ? I just don't like to go to a restaurant where you pay your food & you expect the food is more delicious in a restaurant than at home & it turn out not what you expected 😑 It's all about the taste, service & the whole package when you go out to a restaurant...

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