No less than ten Eastern Cape restaurants are taking part in this year’s Porcupine Ridge Pizzeria Challenge, the annual competition to find South Africa’s favourite pizzeria as voted for by consumers.
They are the Barn & Barrel, Barneys Tavern, Barneys Willow Road, Café Capellini, La Kouzina and Café La Mare, all located in Gqeberha; Twenty-Two Eatery and Wine Bar which can be found in St Francis Bay; Guido’s in Gonubie; and the Haga Haga Hotel and Morgan Bay Hotel.
In a hotly contested competition last year, Cape Town’s Ferdinando’s was voted the country’s favourite, with second place going to Gino’s in Johannesburg and Bardelli’s, from Cape Town, coming in at number three. Gino’s, Stellenbosch, Enzo’s Pizzeria (Scottburgh), Caspita (George), Lucio’s (Randburg), Piccola Rossa (Edenvale), Osteria Rossa (Bedfordview) and Izzeria (Pretoria), rounded out the top 10.
This year, the organisers are hoping at least one Eastern Cape outlet makes it into the final 10 or even the number one position.
“It all depends on customer loyalty and their enthusiasm to vote for their favourite eatery,” says Lynton Kaiser, Sales & Marketing Manager at Boekenhoutskloof Winery, producers of Porcupine Ridge Wines.
“With six weeks to go before voting closes, two of the above-mentioned restaurants are currently in the top 20. They are Twenty-Two Eatery & Wine Bar at number 13 and Café La Mare at number 16. With robust support from consumers both they, and the other eight Eastern Cape restaurants, can still make it into the top 10!”
Unlike most other restaurant contests, the Porcupine Ridge Pizzeria Challenge winner is not decided by a panel of judges, but rather from the number of votes it receives from customers, hence the title of South Africa’s “favourite” pizzeria rather than “best” pizzeria.
By voting, consumers also get the opportunity to win weekly prizes of wine and pizza accessories, with one lucky voter taking home the grand prize of an EarthFire Tabletop Pizza Oven, pizza for a year from their favourite pizzeria and 30 bottles of Porcupine Ridge Wines, all valued at over R10,000.
Voting closes at the end of September with the top 10 announced in early November.
