Montreal`s "Arlequino" Artistically Crafts Spectacular Pizza Pies
To those who think Montreal doesn't have good pizza: you're not looking in the right places. Pizza at 3am on St. Laurent does not speak for the pies of the city. Thankfully The Pizza Season is here to let you know about all the best pizza joints of Montreal. First on MTL Blog's hit list for Pizza Season is Arlequino, on Drummond and St. Catherines.
Arlequino is named after the classical Italian comedy character, but the pizza at Arlequino is no laughing matter. All of the dough, sauces, and, of course, pizzas are made in-house. You can even watch your pizza being made by Arlequino's pizza maker and placed into their wood burning oven. Underneath the restaurant's sleek design and modern décor are traditional pizza-making techniques.
A wide variety of pizzas are readily available at Arlequino (over 20 on the menu), with seasonal variations, such as the current pizza special: a pulled pork pizza with homemade BBQ-tomato sauce. To accompany every pizza, Arlequino serves their own homemade spicy oil and peppers. Served in a mason jar (for a homey feel) the oil gives a nice kick to any pie.
Going off of server recommendation, I got to try Arlequino's pancetta pizza with fior di latte (mozzarella from southern Italy), hot peppers, and a simple and tasty tomato sauce. For those unaware, pancetta is like a lighter Italian bacon. A tad bit saltier, but much fresher tasting and delicious on pizza.
I have to hand it to Arlequino's basic pizza making skills. The toppings combined into a spicy-saltiness deliciously offset by the mozzarella, but the thin and crispy crust shone through. With just enough char to give good flavour and solid crunch. I'm sure any pizza served by Arlequino would retain this solid crust-quality, regardless of what toppings you have over top.
Just a short walk to the Bell center, Arlequino would make a great pit stop before or after a show/game. But regulars keep coming back solely for the pizza. No joke, a customer actually came up to me and told me I have to write that Arlequino has the best pizza in the city. Pizza Season isn't over yet, and I can't make that claim, but Arlequino definitely ranks among the best pizza joints in Montreal.
Be sure to get on over to The Pizza Season official website to vote for Arlequino, your favourite pizza spot, or discover all the others.
