Bastacosi — Restaurant in Utrecht

Basta Cosi is as average as a pizza place can possibly be. It’s as if the owners of the franchise thought, “how can we deconstruct and simplify the process of making a wood fired pizza so that any average person off the street can make them.” You know wat you get with that approach? Average pizza. Ingredients are fresh, but not very high quality. I’m speaking specifically of the meat toppings. Similar to what you’d find at an Action or Lidl. The dough lacks richness, because it’s mass produced. Thin crust is good, but you guys are really pushing it. It was more like a thin cracker. Brittle, crumbling and dry. I see 5 star reviews, and it makes me question if these people know what good pizza is. I don’t think they do. You’re overpriced for how much you seem to be cutting corners. There is chili oil, but that’s it. They used to have a selection of oils. And no other condiments, like oregano or garlic powder or chili flakes. We ordered four pizzas and it took a hour to get them to the table. What?! In what universe does a pizza take longer than 20’? After complaining we were told that there was a problem with the oven. Ok, but why not manage my expectations when seated and let me know it’ll be a while. There is zero passion in this food. No soul. Better off going to a true pizzeria in town. Really disappointing as I live around the corner. I’ll not be going back and do not...

I went in with high hopes — I’m a huge sourdough fan and love trying out small local spots. The pizza was definitely freshly made and tasted decent, but honestly, I don’t think I’ll be rushing back anytime soon.

The tartufo pizza was tasty enough, but the one with sundried tomatoes left me pretty underwhelmed; I found myself reaching for the salt (which wasn’t there) and wishing for a drizzle of olive oil. The crust was thin and crispy, which can be great, but it was so light it almost felt like biting into a matze cracker. For the steep price — especially the ones without any cheese or meat — the pizzas didn’t exactly leave me feeling full.

The vibe inside seemed nice, but sitting outside, we barely caught the attention of the staff. Also, it was a bit strange that they had a reduced menu “because of expected Kingsday crowds” — even though it really wasn’t that busy.

On the bright side, major points for the free bottle of tap water — small gestures like that always make...

The staff was friendly, but unfortunately these pizzas are over-priced, and might be the worst I've had in the Netherlands. And they're dead last place in Lombok, where you have half a dozen better options within a few minutes walk.

The crust was more like a cracker, the ingredients are often cold (although warned on the menu that fresh items would be added, I expected them to be room temperature at least). They have some unusual sauces as options instead of tomato, but they aren't better off for them.

I'd expect a pizza like this maybe from an odd van at a festival, but personally it's not worth the ~15 euro price average per pizza.

We were so underwhelmed that we dashed out instead of staying for a...