When it come to pizza, Vancouver might not have the storied past of a New York – with its signature big slices  – or a Chicago – with its deep dish bragging rights.  But that doesn’t mean the city is a pizza wasteland.  In fact, owing to Vancouver’s sizable Italian population (plus some unique contributions from its Greek community) good pizza is available all over the city, from mom ‘n’ pop joints on Commercial Drive to erstwhile souvlaki houses on Broadway and fancy Italian bistros downtown.

But what I want to know is where to get great pizza in Vancouver.  Not just a good slice but a phenomenal one.  Any ideas?  Who makes Vancouver’s best pizza?  Pizza that’s so good you’d drive a half-hour out of your way just for a few slices?  If you’d like to nominate a candidate, please leave a comment below with the name of your favorite pizza place and why their pies are so incredible.

To start things off, I’d like to put in my own nomination for Vancouver’s best pizza:  Bella, which has locations in Yaletown and the West End, plus a few branches in the ‘burbs.  Now I know that any talk of pizza supremacy is bound to stir up controversy.  Some people like thin crusts.  Others like thick, doughy crusts.  There’s the issue of toppings – from pepperoni to arugula and everything in between – which can make or break an otherwise decent pie.  Not to mention the whole murky terrain of pizzas without cheese and pizzas without sauce and low-carb pizzas that don’t have any crusts at all.

But I’m going to brush aside all those complexities for the time being and just make my case for Bella’s basic slice.  The crust straddles the line nicely between thick and thin.  It’s crispy on the bottom, with just enough light, fluffy dough to satisfy deep dish enthusiasts.  The sauce is zesty without being overpowering.  And the cheese isn’t just the flavorless filler you get at a lot of places.  It’s quality mozzarella, which comes out of the oven baked to a nice golden brown.  Overall, Bella’s slices are tasty and also well proportioned – not some flimsy, sloppy mess but good-sized and easy to eat.

To these virtues, I’d also have to add value.  A basic Bella slice will set you back $2, hardly more than the bargain basement slices downtown and considerably less than the chichi gourmet pizzas so popular around the city right now.

Finally, if you go to the Yaletown location – at the corner of Hemlock and Drake – you get an added bonus: atmosphere.  Far from some sleek new pizza franchise, the restaurant looks like it’s been operating in the same spot for 50 years without a single renovation or remodeling.  Inside, you won’t find trendy young things in tight black pants but old-timers whose ample guts attest to their fondness for the pizza they make.  There’s harsh fluorescent lighting, yellowed linoleum and an ancient refrigerator case whirring away in the corner – in short, all the fixtures of an honest-to-goodness pizza joint.

But I know Bella’s bare bones approach to pizza wouldn’t suit everyone.  If you’ve got a favorite Vancouver pizza place, please weigh in and leave a comment below.

Remy Scalza