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Pizzeria Farina
Category: Restaurants Pizza Pizza [Edit]
915 Main StVancouver, BC V6A 2V8
Neighbourhoods: Downtown, Strathcona
(604) 681-9334
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Trendy, Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
19 reviews for Pizzeria Farina
Review Highlights
"...you can add infused oregano or chili olive oil yourself at..."
(in 2 reviews)
"...that much more, and especially that they use Canadian flour."
(in 3 reviews)
"Had the Funghi and the Finocchiana."
(in 3 reviews)
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19 reviews in English
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Review from Justin L.
12/22/2011 6 photos
Every corner of the store space is hipster-nifty, from the dangling bicycle to the farmhouse shelves to the bathroom mirrors (yes, in the plural). It definitely gets crowded, though. While waiting for your order, you can help yourself to the still or fizzy water on tap, from the tap itself -- nice touch. Even the to-go cardboard boxes are nicely designed with striking red tape dashing across the white cover!
The plain-tasting crust admirably holds up the toppings, even at the tip, but then I felt the toppings tended to be a tad too timid. While I enjoyed the slice as a whole, there's nothing in particular, no single ingredient (well, maybe those olives) that I crave. And yet, curiously, I crave more Pizza Farina. Maybe we're dealing here with some kind of egalitarian cooperative teamwork all-for-one food philosophy...
MARGHERITA ($12) is well-executed and beautifully simple, but perhaps too much so. (Simple, that is.) The tomato sauce is indeed excellent, and I was tempted to buy a jar of it (which I could have, for about $10).
FINOCCHIONA ($15) was tasty and satisfying, although the fennel sausage wasn't nearly as lip-smackingly revelational as Pizzeria Mozza's in Los Angeles. (Oops, sorry, didn't mean to get comparative...)
CALABRESE ($14) is good, if you like soppressatta; but what I adored were the nicoise olives. Oh my, were the olives good!
FUNGHI ($15) was good, too, although it's harder to keep everything in place. You'll inevitably need to pick off mushroom and arugula off the plate.
In Vancouver, this is as good as pizza gets. Now, that doesn't mean that Pizzeria Farina has *the* best pizza, but it's definitely way up there. As I've posted elsewhere, Neopolitan-style pizzas are emerging from ovens everywhere these days. Comparisons will inevitably be made, but food in my book is not a zero-sum game wherein the immaculacy of one takes away from the delectability of another. As far as I'm concerned, the more slices we have in the Vancouver pizza market the better. I just hope this pizza party stimulates healthy competition to keep prices down, 'cause it could also become a fashion trend to deplete our dollars even more. -
Review from TheHungryNomad E.
Vancouver, BC
12/21/2011
Pizzeria Farina is a cozy little spot on Main street serving one of the best Neapolitan style pizzas in Vancouver. So good, simple and delicious. The spot is small and cozy with a general hipster vibe. Many get the pizzas to go since it is very small and so far does not carry a liquor license. However, it does have flat and mineral water on tap which I thought was really creative and a nice touch. On the night we went their special was mortadella pizza with pistachios! I know, I know you must be surprised at the combination, but I have to say that it was a delicious combination. Above my head was a bike hanging from the ceiling. It's a really great little spot and I highly recommend those who love pizza as much as I do to pay it a visit you won't be disappointed.
For photos, visit my blog:
http://hungrynomadeats... -
Review from Sandra G.
Vancouver, BC
11/12/2011 4 photos
Pizzeria Farina, nestled in between the Cobalt Hotel and Georgia St. viaduct on the North side of Main Street, is a small, quaint little place with a mere 15-20 seats at most. They don't take reservations but they do take-out (which I'd recommend on weekends) and it's made to order, so if you're lucky to get a seat on the weekend, it's not too bad of a wait. However, the place closes when the dough runs out, which can be as soon as 8-8:30pm on a Friday night, from what I read on their Twitter feed.
Pizzeria Farina has a decent selection and they offer a good helping of extra toppings with oregano and chili-infused olive oils on the tables as sides. I got the Funghi ($15), which had a good helping of mushrooms and arugula. But something key was missing that I personally need on a Napoletan-style pizza: Tomato sauce. Without the sauce, this pizza was definitely lacking an umph. The oregano olive oil didn't do much, and I found the chili oil useless except to set my tongue on fire. The cheese was good, but the mushrooms were just chopped and sort of thrown on there, whereas on previous pizzas they've been sauteed first. The dough was kind of blah, though it looked like it was baked right. Pizzerina Farina doesn't have a wood-fired oven, which I know is a key for this kind of pizza. It lacked a bit in flavour, which you could make up for with the oils, but to me, a good dough still has to stand on its own. We got the Margherita ($12) for breakfast the next day, which was a bit better because it had sauce and mozzarella, which I also think is a good ingredient for Napoletan pizza.
If you're new to the whole Napoletan pizza trend, I'd recommend this place as a hip place to eat at, but go early. And they aren't licensed, so you're limited to water and their Italian sodas they have in stock. Nicli and Verace Pizzeria are still my top picks, but there are still more I must venture to. -
Review from Chuck T.
Vancouver, BC
2/22/2012
The pizza at this place is amazing! Had the mushroom pizza and the meat pizza and they were both phenomenal... The only bad thing was that the service was non existent... We had to figure everything out for ourselves. From the water to grabbing napkins and the plates. The girl at the cash register just stood there, took our order and said nothing.
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Review from Isabel B.
Mount Pleasant, Vancouver, BC
1/30/2012 1 Check-in Here
I am the ultimate pizza snob and I absolutely loved the pizza here. Menu is concise and just perfect. Fresh ingredients, great interior and sparkling water on tap for free!
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Review from Bronwyn G.
North Vancouver, BC
Pizzeria Farina's great food & value-added touches makes them my first choice for pizza.
I'm a big fan of thin-crust-&-amazingly-flavourful-&-fresh pizza so I've slowly been exploring Vancouver's offerings. By the time I tried Pizzeria Farina, I'd also tried Campagnolo, Verace, and Nicli.
Pizzeria Farina is the perfect place for two or three people to go for a laid-back-but-delicious supper. Go early or go late (after 7:45), but don't forget its only open Wed through Sun.
To get a good picture of Pizzeria Farina you have to know that: 1) the space is small & cozy but there's no elbow room, 2) no waiter service means that pizzas come up one at a time but you get each one hot & quick, 3) it's a hipster hang-out (thick frames, full beards, and plaid abound).
From my perspective, Pizzeria Farina offers several value-added elements that it's competitors don't. 1) No wait staff means that its just you, your friends, and your food. And really, when the menu is so short and the space is so small, there's no need for wait staff. You get your food as soon as your name comes up and you can go get more water or side plates anytime you want. 2) Speaking of water, there's unlimited tap water and sparkling water from two little bar taps at the front counter. Unlimited sparkling water, even not from a branded bottle, is awesome. 3) They offer "groceries" for sale, like cans of their own tomato sauce for $6, bottles of their oregano or chili flavoured olive oil, and high-end tins of anchovies. 4) Finally, they cut their pizzas for you. I can't emphasize how awesome this is compared to awkwardly trying to cut pizzas apart at Campagnolo, Verace, and Nicli!
Finally, let's talk pricing --
Margherita Pizza: Pizzeria Farina was $12, Campagnolo was $12.5, and Nicli was $12.
Special or Chef's Choice Pizza: Pizzeria Farina was $15 and Campagnolo was $15.
Funghi Pizza: Pizzeria Farina was $15, Campagnolo was $15.5, and Nicli was $14. -
Review from Neil H.
Vancouver, BC
9/19/2011
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Get there early. -
Review from Reena M.
Ahhhh!!!!! Delicious, real italian/neopolitan pizza in Vancouver!!!
Did you know Pizzeria Farina is partners with Pourhouse? How can you go wrong?
This pizza was amazing. Albeit, we took it to go (the dining room was full anyway), but it was still amazing! Their pizza special was with heirloom tomatoes, garlic, zucchini ribbons, and basil so we got one of those, as well as a Quattro Formaggi pizza. They were delicious, and the crust was perfect! I can't describe it much more than Neil H.'s review. But it definitely brought me back to my days spent in Naples. :) -
Review from Scott H.
Vancouver, BC
Updated - 11/1/2011
Third visit in 3 weeks, so they must be doing something right. But I repeat, the takeout is sooo much the better way to go. Otherwise you'll have skin hanging from your mouth.
Had the Funghi and the Finocchiana. The latter is the winner.2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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10/22/2011
Update!!! Mucho better if you get it to go and chow down at home (or in an alley). I think the… Read more »
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Review from Jen R.
Vancouver, BC
11/2/2011
Love it, love it, love it. I live in the Citygate development nearby and I think I am probably starting to look like this pizza if you are what you eat. I never tire of it- it is sheer perfection and I constantly bring friends through to try it out. Adds a great vibe to the neighbourhood (which badly needs more places like this!)
So glad it opened up and committed to supporting them! Looking forward to when they get a liquor license but usually I take it home and have it with a bottle of red with friends. I definitely enjoy the takeout experience and have fawned over each variety of pizza I have gotten, though the Funghi stands out as really special. Now to have friends over for a memorable dinner I need not look farther than Pizzeria Farina and a couple nice bottles of wine.
Also, love that they are committed to locavory- this definitely makes me want to support them that much more, and especially that they use Canadian flour. Too bad I finally learned how to make my own pizza at home- now I won't ever be needing to again with this place nearby!
Can't say enough food things.... go and try it! -
Review from Chantal I.
Vancouver, BC
The fellas behind The Pourhouse would never let us down. Pizzeria Farina is proof of that.
This small space is brilliantly designed, simple, and still has a plexiglass front window with old graffiti remnants on it. It suits the neighborhood, but I don't image it being a long term plan. The space looks repurposed, inexpensive and professionally designed, without looking over the top or pretentious. By inexpensive I don't mean cheap, but that it's fabulous without them having to charge us for it in the cost of the food.
This crew knows what to do with spaces that have history and character. I was there the day they dropped the bar in at The Pourhouse and had a tour of the little things and design concepts they were trying to use to pay tribute to the neighborhood and that same care seems to have been taken here.
Staff was super friendly, speaking some Italian, which was encouraging, and offered advice on the menu. Cleverly displayed on a wall mounted roll of Kraft paper, the handwritten menu lists your choice of five very traditional pizzas, with two that sound like local inspirations. Think fennel sausage, apple, honey.
I chose the Calabrese, always a sucker for a fabulous traditional pie, and it was reminiscent of how great Marcello's used to be. Thinner than thin but still moist, crispy and perfectly sauced. Salami was excellent and olives were great, perfectly salty. Then you can add infused oregano or chili olive oil yourself at the table. Both were great, the spice was just the perfect additional to my choice. You can buy these in bottles, as well as tomato sauce.
Tell me you're committed to local ingredients boys, and I'll love you forever. I've already told my pizza loving Italian travelling friends about you. Kudos on the free sparkling water, thanks for giving us anti-Nestlepellegrino folk a choice. -
Review from Daniel L.
8/22/2011 4 Check-ins Here
Heard word that the Pourhouse restaurant branched out with Farnia (flour meal), right next to the Colbolt, a super tasty traditional flat crusted Roma style pizza full of flavors. They've done a great job converting this once dive of a location into a super trendy boutique pizza restaurant...
Whole pizza orders, one size only medium (no slice's yet) gratitude soda water from a beer style tap, 7 pizza on the menu and well chosen short list of extra topping at only $2 ea. they blast out the pizzas in 10mins, everything about this place is quality and taste, we took our treat home to eat 10/10 and will be back to run through the entire menu at some point soon.
I really respect the Pourhouse group and it seems the same will follow here, the only negative comment I have is the head cheese guy (btw a nice guy) was trying to sell me on the fact that it only takes 6 mins to wait for my pizza and then the cashier says around 10mins or so which was the real wait time.. Please do not over sell, you dont need to... -
Review from J N.
Vancouver, BC
9/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
Four stars for TAKE-AWAY only.
Really good, not-too-greasy pizza, but not a Friday night date spot, we discovered. We saw one couple get out of the cab in casual dress look in to discover the atmosphere...or lack there of...and leave.
We are "averaged" size people and we could barely fit in the corner. It wasn't fun being erroneously hit by the monster bag of the lady who arrived after me, either. One look around told me that you had to be thin to sit here. The decor was cool, and would probably be better when coming late at night, with a group, after some drinks.
And speaking of drinks...no alcohol here--and after a long day of work, one glass of vino would be nice, no?
The British lemo was okay, but again, for the extra calories, see my comment re: the wine. Italian cola was not recommended if sometimes you just want a Coke or even a Boylan's.
The pizza was really fresh, and you could add the specialty oil if you like, although I didn't need it. Still tasted great the next day, and I loved that even the box was not laden with oil. Slightly burnt on the bottom, but that seems to be the norm in Vancouver.
Still, no comparison to the pies that I had in NY recently, but similar to all of the "goodies" in the city right now. 3 star for dine-in. -
Review from Giovanni A.
Vancouver, BC
8/29/2011
So I drive by this place quite frequently. Over the last year I think it's been 3 different pizza joints. I noticed tho that this time around it's pretty much always busy.
So I stop by with my girl. Love the minimalism and short pizza menu with one size - bonus points for no crappy 4 hour old slices either. Had the quattro formaggi and it was very good. Not the best pizza I've ever had, but for Vancouver I'd say a toss up between here & Ragazzi for top honours. -
Review from Dana W.
BC
12/19/2011
By far the best of the new pizza joints in the city. By far. Their dough is tasty and the toppings are fresh. It is certainly minimalist, with only pizzas on their menu, but when you do it so well, there is nothing to complain about. They didn't have their liquor license when I was there, but they are happy to pack your pizza to go if you are jonesing for a bottle of wine to wash it down. But, be sure to get there early - they close up when they are out of dough for the day, which when I was there, was at 8:30.
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Review from eddy m.
Victoria, BC
10/23/2011
Went on Friday night around 8. Glad we got there at that time as they ran out of dough about 30mn later. Ordered a margherita as this is a staple which I like to order to size up the quality of a pie.
I enjoyed the pizza but would not place it up there with Nicli in Vancouver or Prima Strada in Victoria. The latter remains my favourite spot for Neapolitan pizza out of what I've tasted so far.
Farina's dough is bready, very thin and crisp throughout. While it is good, it lacks the complexity, depth and chewiness of a dough made with 00 flour. The pie also lacks the charred, bursting edges which come from a wood-burning oven. Ingredients also tasted a bit more pedestrian than those at Nicli or Prima: tomato sauce was well seasoned but tasted a bit too sweet. The mozza tasted bland. I can appreciate that they use Canadian flour instead of imported Italian flour but there's good buffalo mozza coming from the Island which would add to the overall quality here.
I will also say that the bang for the buck falls a little short. I want to think that their overheads are lower than Nicli or Prima, and ingredients cheaper, so if the pies were a tad cheaper they'd be a grand value.
Overall a good pie, which I wouldn't call "traditional Neapolitan". They're doing their own thing at Farina, and doing it well. However it is not in the same league as the two other places mentioned above.
It will be nice when they get licensed so one can wash down a good pie with a decent glass of house wine :-) -
Review from Barry T.
Vancouver, BC
10/31/2011
Delicious! First time ordering--I wasn't disappointed! :)
Sauce was perfect, not overwhelming. Crust was thin and slightly chewy, but totally delicious--not doughy and inedible like most North American styles. Toppings were sparse but fresh and packed with FLAVOUR! Actually, I reminisced about my time in Rome while I ate my "Pizza Speciale". I honestly think this is what real pizza is supposed to taste like!
Settings were simple, clean and unassuming, and the sit down area small but adequate, considering the small space they're working with. I can only imagine how packed it will get (line-ups out the door?) when they receive more attention! Staff was attentive and personable. Water was available on tap (carbonated, too!) while I waited. Service was quick from ordering to presentation...10 minutes, tops!
I have no suggestions for this place. Can't go wrong if you keep it simple!
If they go bigger down the road, I hope they maintain the rustic charm and simple recipes and they'll continue to have followers!
When you eat a pizza like this, don't wait too long to eat it! The thin crust and toppings will cool quickly and while some might like eating cold pizza the next day, this pizza is best eaten fresh from the oven!
YUM! I'll be back soon! -
Review from Brent F.
8/31/2011
hands down best pizza i've ever had on the west coast, possibly anywhere. another amazing addition to Vancouver's food scene. the kind of place i will go to often when I visit and bring friends too.
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Review from Pookie B.
Vancouver, BC
10/24/2011
Good, but not fantastic. I agree to some extent with Eddy's commentary below, although I have not been to Nicli Antica Pizzeria so there's no other neapolitan-style pizzerias in Vancouver that I can use as a benchmark. However, within my scope of experience of eating great pizzas in Italy and other cities, I think that Farina is a nice little place that does their own version of neapolitan pizza and admittedly, they do an acceptable job. I like the marinara sauce they use as it tastes fresh and has the right balance. The dough is a different story though. Mine came out too thin in the middle so I ended up eating a very wet pizza and it could be that there was a generous helping of the marinara sauce. The quality of the dough is not quite there. I suspect that it has something to do with the type of flour used and as Eddy had indicated, the owners use Canadian flour as opposed to flour imported from Italy. Also, they do not have a wood-fired oven which I think makes a difference in the overall texture of a pizza. In terms of value, a little on the expensive side considering the fact that this pizzeria is running at lower overheads comparable to restaurants with proper tables and chairs and a service to go with it. The communal table is a little small and not wide enough. I went last night which is fairly quiet for a Sunday evening, yet the server seemed somewhat frazzled and a little nervous. This pizzeria could certainly use a little improvement. But all in all, it was a good dining experience. I would like to try other pizzerias in this city before I can decide on one that my partner and I could frequent.
