Milan Eats: cheap deep dish pizza at Spontini
You know there's that type of person who insists they're the arbiter of authenticity?
They say they traveled somewhere for two weeks, or they lived someplace for two years, so they know.
They say that "real," "authentic" Italian pizza has a thin, crispy crust. It doesn't have loads of cheese. It's nothing at all like the spongy, greasy pizza that you're used to: soooo American. (As if inauthentic food can't be delicious, too!)
You know the type, right?
Well, let me present to you Pizzeria Spontini, a little chain of pizza places around the Milan area.
It's a simple affair, you get in line, order, pay, and move down the line to pick up your order. The staff pre-cut the pizza into tiny (nearly) bite-size pieces for you. They only have three types of pizza: Mediterranea, Margherita, and Prosciutto.
Their most popular variety is probably the Margherita, with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese for 4€ a slice. The cheese is feels kind of industrial, coming in large slices which they layer on top of the sauce. It's quite chewy. But it's the one that I see ordered the most. Take a look at the height of the pizza!
My favorite, and also the cheapest option at 3.50€ a slice, is the Mediterranea. It's just tomato sauce, nano-pieces of anchovies, some capers, and oregano. It has a deep, meaty, umami flavor, even though it lacks meat. The top is moist, and contrasts well with the spongy crust and the bottom that gets all crispy and greasy from the deep dish in which they bake the pizza. It brings back memories of the Pizza Hut deep dish crust!
So there you have it. Italian pizza. That's also tall, spongy, and greasy.
Spontini is a wonderful choice during hectic Design Week. At the Duomo location, there's almost always a line that sometimes goes out the door, but it moves quickly. It's a good place to grab and go, and the prices are beyond reasonable. There are a whole bunch of locations, including at the Fiera fairgrounds themselves, though there they have slightly elevated pricing (i.e. maybe 5€ a slice and up).
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Pizzeria Spontini, Duomo location (www.pizzeriaspontini.it)
Via Santa Radegonda, 11
20121 Milan
Italy
