Founded in 2012, Pizzeria Barbarella is part New York, part Naples and all Vancouver. The popular Mount Pleasant restaurant brings Italy to your taste buds via locally sourced ingredients, fusing the best pie-making traditions with an artisanal ethic. Neapolitan/New York fusion pizza is the restaurant's specialty; that means a thin crust made from wild yeast sourdough, cut in four to combine both Italian and Italian-American traditions. The concept is specific, and the ethics are pretty strict: this is a place with a culinary vision, and it sticks to it right down to the type of oven and brand of flour.
“We make everything in house except for the few meats and cheeses that are imported,” says general manager Nathan Del Rizzo. What’s more: “As much as possible, we try to keep everything in East Van or the Greater Vancouver area.” This is craft pizza, and Nathan sounds like a proud artisan when speaking about it.
As for food, so for drinks: the bar features 15 taps, 13 of which pour craft beer from the Vancouver area. There is also a selection of local wines, one local cider, and — no kidding — Vancouver-made gin and vodka as well. The locally sourced libations are diverse in range but not in source; that’s the spirit of craft establishments in Vancouver, and Nathan is happy to be on board with it.