With only four weeks left until voting closes for this year’s Porcupine Ridge Pizzeria Challenge, restaurants from all over the country that have entered the competition are urging their loyal customers to cast their votes and help them win the coveted prize of being named the makers of South Africa’s favourite pizza.
Last year’s competition saw close to 100 South African restaurants competing to be crowned the country’s favourite pizzeria as voted for by consumers, with that honour eventually going to Ferdinando’s Pizza in Observatory, Cape Town, followed by Gino’s of Robertsham and Gino’s of Stellenbosch.
This year, the battleground looks set to be more intense than ever with Julia’s Eatalian – which came in at number 14 in last year’s challenge – returning for another shot at claiming the top spot.
Currently, the Potchefstroom-based restaurant is hot on the heels of last year’s top three, and currently sitting fifth on the leaderboard.
We asked general manager Charl Claassen if he was doing anything different to last year to increase the votes.
Last year you came in at 14 in the Top 20. Are you going to do anything different this year to try and make it into the top spot?
We launched a pizza special offer on Monday evenings and we’re currently selling between 45 and 75 pizzas in an evening. We also recently teamed up with Uber Eats and have had an overwhelming response, earning a 97% online rating! And of course, we’re working a bit harder to encourage our regular patrons, as well as those visiting for the first time, to vote for us.
Have you introduced any new pizzas on the menu in the last 12 months?
We recently launched our new menu with the addition of a couple of new pizzas including the Pollame (with chicken strips, sweet pepper, avo and feta) and Quattro Stagioni (with mushroom, artichoke, olive and ham). We’ve also added a traditional Italian Melanzane alla Parmigiana, which is deep fried aubergine with Napoletana sauce, Parmesan cheese and mozzarella)
For those who have not visited yet, tell us a bit about Julia’s Eatalian
The restaurant opened in 2019, closed for a while because of lockdown, and reopened in mid-2021. All the products we use are imported from Italy, except the fresh ingredients like the meats, chicken and vegetables. Even our Grappa and Limoncello are imported. The restaurant’s owner runs a large cheese factory which makes all the mozzarella, cheddar, mascarpone, ricotta, parmesan and feta that we use. Our sauces are made the authentic Italian way as is our tiramisu and crème brulée. I’m proud to say that we were recently awarded the best Italian restaurant in Potchefstroom by Restaurant Guru.
What makes your pizzas so special?
Our pizza dough is made fresh every day with Farina di Grano Tipo ’00’ flour imported from Italy and we make only small batches at a time so it stays fresh. It’s then rolled to a thin crust and covered with our pizza sauce which is also made in-house on a daily basis.
What is your signature pizza?
The Napolitana – with its homemade Napolitana sauce, fresh basil and imported buffalo mozzarella.
And your best-seller?
The Julia’s pizza, which is topped with bacon, fresh avocado and feta.
Anything else you’d like to add?
All our food is made with so much flavour and passion – our pastas as well as our pizzas. It’s the ultimate comfort food and we invite people to come and taste for themselves and vote for us.
Consumers dining at participating restaurants can vote for their favourite pizza via a QR code or via the website at www.votepizza.wine. Each week, one lucky voter will win a mixed case of wine from Porcupine Ridge and an EarthFire Pizza Oak Board & Cutter. A grand prize winner drawn at the end of the challenge will receive five cases of Porcupine Ridge wine, an EarthFire Pizza Tabletop Oven and pizza to the value of R2 000 from their favourite pizzeria.
Julia’s Eatalian can be found at 14 Luke Avenue, Potchefstroom. Call 018 782 8015 to book.
Follow Julia’s Eatalian at:
- Website: www.juliasrestaurant.co.za
- Facebook: Julia’s eatalian Potchefstroom
- Instagram: Julias.eatalian
