MASA MADRE — Restaurant in Valencia

Exactly what El Carmen needed. Actually exactly what all of Valencia needed!! A REAL ITALIAN pizzeria that cares for their craft enough to make their own masa madre dough each and every day. Fresh. Just like mama. So us lucky customers can have amazing pizza dough and breads that are consistently delicious at every visit.

I’m sure everything is wonderful but we enjoyed a handcrafted vegetarian panzerotti - its crescent smiling shape will put a smile on your face too - a Greek salad along with two pizzas so we would have enough to take home. A Supresa which had a huge ball of burrata cheese on it and a Vegetariana which was loaded with yummy veggies. They are large pizzas. You can definitely share one if you get a salad too. Vegetarians and Vegans can find something to eat here. The staff will work with you to meet your dietary needs/requests.

Service is impeccable!! Peter (one of the owners) waited on us and was there for us with a smile. He’s so proud of his restaurant and loves to share his stories with you. And he enjoys showing you the interior which was a labor of love to turn this into a fabulous restaurant (right when Covid lockdowns started!!). The exterior is on one of the infamous street art covered alleyways in the heart of El Carmen. A gem of a location.

Our first visit will definitely not be our last. We were treated to a wonderful shot of lemoncello which made the evening an absolute Italian...

The service and the atmosphere were impeccable! The restaurant was quite busy, so naturally we had to wait a little for the pizzas, so I'd definitely recommend getting a starter. The panzerotti was how I remembered from Italy - if you've never tried it you must! Light and airy fried dough with tomato sauce and cheese inside. For me, it could have been slightly saltier but the tomato sauce was very nice. We also got a suppli (rice croquette) which was unfortunately not as good. The taste was nice but it wasn't warm enough on the inside so the cheese didn't melt. Maybe we were just unlucky and normally this doesn't happen. Regarding the pizzas, we got quattro formaggi and a margherita. Margherita was perfect, nothing to complain about. The cheeses on the quattro formaggi were amazing, however my partner pointed it out that there was a lot of crust without sauce on that one. Lastly, we got the tiramisu which was nice but tasted a bit bland - for me it could have had a stronger coffee flavour. Overall, we had a pleasant evening and I can warmly recommend this restaurant. Reservation is recommended as it gets busy (especially...

The food is great. You can feel the love and respect they have for the Italian tradition. At first, Leo, the owner, was extremely friendly. Once we got seated, we ordered straight to the main course, no appetizers, because we were not hungry enough that evening. We also shared 2 pizzas, 1 for my kids and 1 for my wife and I. The waiter informed Leo that we were sharing plates and that we didn't order appetizers. He was evidentily upset. In the end, we ordered desserts. We heard when they commented that at least we ordered dessert with relief. In the end, the bill was €51. I left a €20 tip (which is very unusual in Spain culture) just to show them it wasn't a matter of not having money to order their food. We simply weren't that hungry. I hope the waiter also ran to Leo to let him know we tip him well. So, if you're not very hungry or you don't eat large portions at night, like us, do not risk it to be mistreated and find a different restaurant. If you enjoy good Italian pizza and eat a lot, this is your place. They will treat...