To the victor, go the spoils!

Sophia Loren in her gorgeous prime peers out of a photo frame. Prints and artworks of Vespa scooters also adorn the walls, a tribute to the golden age of Marcello Mastroianni’s La Dolce Vita. It’s difficult not to be a pastiche of all things Italian when your establishment’s name is Bardelli’s. Even more so when the restaurant in question has placed in the Top 5 of the Porcupine Ridge Pizzeria Challenge three times in the past four years – before winning it outright in 2024. And 2023 was only skipped because of a fire … but more about that later.

But there are no Chianti bottles or fake strings of garlic anywhere and no Eros Ramazzotti or Zucchero blaring over the sound system. Instead there’s the buzz of animated conversation and a warm, genuine air of bonhomie.

Sitting at a table that doesn’t have a dripping wax candle on it, owner Grant Hawkins is the epitome of a laid-back host. “When it started four years ago, I wasn’t particularly interested in entering the Porcupine Ridge Pizzeria Challenge, because we’re not really into that sort of thing. But I was convinced to do so,” he says.

Persuasion had come in the form of a snippet of information shared by a Vinimark wine rep who casually mentioned that Bardelli’s had the highest number of nominations from members of the public. And what the customer wants, the customer gets!

“We came fourth in 2021 and third in 2022, but in 2023 Bardelli’s was closed for nine months because of a fire. And then we won last year.”

And what a difference that made, Hawkins admits. It was noticeable because custom had been slow to pick up again after all the time being closed. Caused by a lithium battery overheating post-load shedding at 2.30 in the morning, the fire was swiftly dealt with – but then there were wrangles between the landlord and insurers that kept the doors closed longer than anticipated.

“We lost quite a bit of our clientele over that period, and our takeaway trade, which was doing really nicely after Covid, was also lost. So the Porcupine Ridge win couldn’t have come at a better time.”

Although ultimately it comes down to restaurant customers to decide who the winner is, Bardelli’s has firm support because of a well-entrenched community base.

“We’re blessed with our patrons, and our staff are honestly like family,” Hawkins says, citing his head chef who has been in the kitchen for 27 years. “He started as a 19 year old and was taught the ropes by the previous owners.”

Hawkins also cites the role Bardelli’s has played in its wait staff’s lives. “We use a lot of students and I can confidently say we’ve helped hundreds with varsity fees, buy their first car or motorbike or pay for their first Contiki tour!”

The anecdotes are plentiful of former employees returning to say hi and bringing their families to show them where they did their first work experience. Hawkins relates how many of them start out as kids visiting with their parents. “I often joke that I say to the kids of my regulars, ‘come see me for a job when you turn 18’ – and they do!”

So what about the food and – more specifically – the pizza at Bardelli’s? There’s no secret, Hawkins maintains. They’re based on northern Italian or Roman style pizza with a crispy thin base. Quality is the key. Quality in the ingredients, sourcing the best and freshest they can, locally or from Italy, and then adding value through generosity.

“Our tomatoes are from Italy – that’s non-negotiable. The recipes we use are still from the original owners who began the restaurant 30 years ago. Our cheeses are the best available locally and our toppings are plentiful.” Having said that, Hawkins concedes that – in his opinion – the best pizzas are the simplest, with just two or three toppings. “But we understand that some patrons might want five or six, and that’s okay too.”

While the hands-down best seller remains the bacon, feta and avocado pizza, Bardelli’s is not above extending the menu to incorporate a few ‘left field’ choices. In fact, at least two have been named after the people who came up with them! There’s the Donatello, for example, named not for a Ninja Turtle but for Don who liked his with mince, pepperoni and jalapeño chilli. Or Christine whose sun-dried tomato, bacon and cream cheese creativity is a fixture on the menu as the Cristini.

It’s taking care of the small details that add up to form a complete whole which Bardelli’s does so effortlessly. The difference between perfectly dry wood for the wood-fired oven, the bacon and chicken being double-smoked, the ambient temperature of the restaurant which is set at a level to suit the patrons and the weather on the day, not the busy wait staff. Even the choice of music. “It makes no sense to be playing reggae because that’s what the waiters like,” says Hawkins.

The picture is the same when it comes to wine. “I work on a ‘good, better, best’ system. Good, drinkable and well-priced or affordable wines to suit a range of pockets, then a better and a best selection.”

And when it comes to the best, Hawkins trims his own margins on the good stuff.

“We have people say to us that our R550 bottle is priced at R800 elsewhere. That makes the difference between them ordering one bottle with dinner or two.”

An interesting anecdote he recounts relates to wine reps. If someone is trying to sell him a wooded chardonnay, for example, he’ll show them the current listing and issue a challenge. “I don’t want to taste with the rep because they’ll influence me. I urge them to leave a sample bottle, and I’ll ask the next patron who orders the wooded chardonnay that’s already  on my list to try it alongside what they’ve ordered and then rate it. If it’s better – in the customer’s opinion – then I’ll order the new one and add it to my wine list.”

With that kind of logic and respect for his customers’ opinions, it’s easy to see why Bardelli’s garners the most positive votes from its loyal clientele. And also why Bardelli’s has entered the Porcupine Ridge Pizzeria Challenge for 2025 with high hopes for another chance to stand at the top of the podium.

Bardelli’s Restaurant is located at 51 Kenilworth Road, Cape Town. Tel 021 6831423 for bookings and visit https://bardellis.co.za/ for more information. Follow them on Instagram: @bardellis and on Facebook: @BardellisKenilworth.

Now in its fifth year, the Porcupine Ridge Pizzeria Challenge sees the public voting for their favourite local pizzeria via a dedicated website. The restaurant with the most votes will be crowned South Africa’s favourite pizzeria, picking up the ultimate bragging rights as well as wine and marketing collateral to the value of R40 000. The top 10 restaurants will win R1,800 in vouchers plus three cases of wine to award to their top servers.

Consumers voting for their favourite venue can win a weekly prize of six bottles of Porcupine Ridge wines and EarthFire pizza accessories, with one voter selected Grand Prize Winner at the end of the competition and receiving an EarthFire Tabletop Pizza Oven, pizza for a year (to the value of R2 000) and five cases of Porcupine Ridge Wines, for a combined value of R10 000.

Voting closes at midnight on October 31, with the winner and the top nine announced in mid-November.

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