Location: G/F Finman Building Tordesillas Street Corner Bautista Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City; 2/F Katipunan Avenue Loyola Heights, Quezon City; 3rd Floor Podium, ADB Avenue, Ortigas (beside Shi Lin)
Opening Hours: Mon – Thu: 10:30 am – 10:00 pm; Fri – Sat: 10:30 am – 11:00 pm; Sun: 10:30 am – 10:00 pm
Facebook: Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza
Phone: 632 225 7462; 63 917 964 5339 (For Deliveries within the vicinity)
Email: ginosbrickovenpizza@gmail.com
GINO’S BRICK OVEN PIZZA MENU
The whole of Salcedo Village has been talking about GINO’S BRICK OVEN PIZZA, and you should too.
From expatriates, to locals, to northerners who would travel far just to get a slice of Neapolitan Pizza and their famous Burrata, Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza delivers a true Italian cuisine, plain and simple.
It’s a bright light along Bautista Street that’s dark. I can see why Makati has been flocking to this humble restaurant that started from Katipunan, banking on Cello’s Doughnuts. Makati is Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza’s niche market. Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza has hit gold.
Jutes Templo, an Atenean engineering graduate, made Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza that approachable. Everybody knows Jutes. He is a brand of his own, apart from Cello, his wife. And of course, to anchor this, is the Neapolitan Pizzeria named after Jutes and Cello’s son.
Just close your eyes and you’re in Rome. Look, there’s a Vespa! Kidding.
Pasta BOLOGNESE
Surprisingly, Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza’s pasta is freshly made in the kitchen, thus the consistency of their pasta vary from a day to another. I am not much of a fan of their pasta, pappardelle style (reminds me of Todd English Food Hall), but the sauce is incredibly flavorful.
BACON SAUSAGE PASTA
In my opinion, Gino’s pasta deserves a more manly meatier companions given its texture is chewy and a harder al dente. The Bacon Sausage Pasta is a play of tagliatelle topped with bacon, homemade sausage, creme and parmesan cheese.
TOMATO BASIL PASTA
Nevertheless, Gino’s Tomato Basil Pasta deserves a fiery symbol beside it in the menu. The simplicity of the garlic and basil along with the tomatoes make a great plate of pasta.
THE BURRATA
Perhaps, Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza’s most popular and talked about dish is the Burrata. This rare ball of mozzarella encases creme sourced from the Philippine Carabao Center, something I would expect from an engineering graduate. You can have the Burrata with House Salad, Caprese or Bolognese sauce. But of course you can have the classic Burrata alone.
HOUSE SALAD WITH BURRATA
For salad lovers, the Burrata is a crown on top of vegetables tossed with a sweet vinaigrette sauce. I find the Burrata’s mozzarella ball here a bit thicker, than what I would imagine as a delicate bulb of creme that would split apart anytime I poked on it.
BURRATA CAPRESE
I love this version of Burrata, the Burrata Caprese. Sitting on top of pesto, arugula and dancing with cherry tomatoes, the Burrata Caprese was creamy and for me, this was a better version of Burrata than the one I had with the House Salad.
BURRATA BOLOGNESE
If I loved the Burrata Caprese, I adore the Burrata Bolognese, a play on the Burrata, sitting lazily on top of Bolognese sauce that’s a great companion to the pizza dough leftovers they made into bread. I can eat this all day.
SMEGG PIZZA
And the heart of Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza lies in their pizza dough, that’s even more delicious when it’s served hot. Gino’s SMEGG pizza comprises of homemade Sausage, Mushroom, Eggs, Gouda and cream. And you’ve been warned. The musty raw egg mixed with smoked mushrooms makes it an exotic pizza that becomes quite a different taste than your usual pizza.
And I would recommend you to add the Spicy Honey Sauce to it to counter this kind of taste. I am not much of a fan, but I like sweetness and saltiness.
BIANCA VERDE Pizza
As a cheese lover, Bianca Verde was a surefire way to get me interested. Olive Oil, Kesong Puti, Ricotta, Parmesan Cheese and Garlic? What more could I ask for? It’s a great pizza, with the arugula and basil providing that fragrant and fresh aroma.
This is the “char” that we would accept. Not overly toasted, but will add a signature taste and exotic-ness to it.
QUEEN MARGHERITA Pizza
The Queen Margherita is everyone’s favorite. I can tell why. This royal pizza is everyone’s default in pizza, except we do it Gino’s style, with their Kesong Puti and Cherry Tomatoes. This has to be my favorite.
SAUSAGE Pizza
For meat lovers looking for a heavier dinner, the sausage pizza is as simple as it can be.
BACON GOUDA Pizza
Honey on pizza adds a different dimension. Just imagine honey and bacon together? We’ve seen how bacon can be quite a treat when sweet, so get this pizza and hear the Hallelujah chorus as you crunch on that pizza. (Yes, we had it for takeout, like many of the locals in Makati such as Salcedo Mansions.)
Dessert: Chocolate Chicharon
To cap off your meal, Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza serves the odd desserts that will keep you interested. I had the Chocolate Chicharon over the Crack Pie and Nutella Soup.
It’s just chicharon coated with Chocolate. Genius.
I’m in love with Da Michele Pizzeria in Naples, Sicily where you can eat an entire pizza by yourself. It’s just that you don’t have to go far, but you can find one at Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza. BYOB – Bring Your Own Bottle of wine, and get a taste of Italy.
Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza Furniture by Aerometal Furnitures
Candid Cuisine Tip: Best if you come early to get a seat as the place can get quite busy during lunch and dinner. Parking is available at the basement of Finman Building or along the streets if within the allowed time to park.
Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza Rating:
| Taste and Originality: |  (4.0 / 5) |
| Customer Experience: |  (3.0 / 5) |
| Value for Money: | (3.0 / 5) |
| Brick and Mortar: | (3.0 / 5) |
| Average: |  (3.3 / 5) |