Thursday, February 15, 2007

V^3 Food Review: Mario's Pizza

Perth city is filled with pizza parlours from north to south... These include a franchise style pizza, which offers some very filling party food but nonetheless, do not satisfy the palate and certainly brings no justice to the classic dish that is the pizza.

I received tip-off on Perth’s best pizza north of the river. The destination was Mario’s. It had an Italian name, so that was a good sign.


Having dined at other certain popular establishments such as Marco’s pizza, I decided to compare Mario’s to my past experiences at Marco’s. Since both claim they serve the best pizza north of the river, both Mario’s and Marco’s have their reputations on the line. The winner will taste the sweet victory of my twenty bucks, while the loser will taste the bitter shame of defeat.

So let us begin.


Upon entering this establishment, don’t let its humble scenery fool you. This place is 100% authentic. So authentic that this family business has great Italian pride and don’t even speak English. This is proof that you are getting authentic pizza made the Italian way. (Yes, you even have to speak Italian to order at Mario’s)


Their menu is rather extensive and they provide a plentiful selection of toppings for all your pizza needs. Our party decided to order 3 different pizzas to sample their range of flavours including red meat, chicken and seafood. At this point we were quite hungry and mouths watering.


First on the menu was Mario’s Special, a creation recommended by Lady Dianabol. Consisting of such fantastical ingredients of onion, pepperoni, bacon, tomato, pineapple, olives and anchovies. A rather unique combination, we found this dish to be a nice balance of sweet and salty. The salty anchovies presented a nice contrast with the juicy pineapple. Olives and tomatoes are a classic Italian ingredient and really bring out the authenticity of this dish. The olives used were plump and not dry like those canned pre-sliced varieties. A diffusion of authentic flavours made Mario’s Special an experience worth savouring and exclusive to this pizza store.



I decided to try the chicken pizza at Mario’s due to my utmost fondness of Marco’s chicken pizza. Needless to say, I have found a new throning champion in the chicken pizza world. Mario’s offering provides a traditional and modern blend of onion, mushroom, tomato, pineapple, and the key ingredient, chicken. To add a sweet twist to the otherwise conservative ingredients, Mario’s recommend the barbeque sauce. The hot chicken and barbeque sweetness go hand in hand to deliver quite possibly the best chicken pizza I have ever graced upon my palate.


The Marina is a simple seafood pizza that consists of prawns, crab and mussels, all seasoned by herbs to give an aromatic pizza. I am usually cautious when it comes to eating seafood, as the scent can be quite pungent. However, this pizza had a fresh baked mouth watering aroma that filled the air. The shrimps were nicely plump and plentiful, giving eat bite a generous burst of flavours. I think the decision not to add anchovies to this pizza was a wise move. This was due to the saltiness of the cheese, which gave balance to the flavours. I personally think a carbonara sauce instead of tomato would have perfected this pizza. Nevertheless the Marina is an awesome choice for all seafood lovers.


So after having the Mario’s experience, I can state that Marco’s offer a great pizza, however, Mario’s have that authentic Italian touch and atmosphere that gives the pizzas a better flavour and experience. I would also like to note that unlike Marco’s, the pizzas at Mario’s are less greasy and more flavoursome. Unless you like your food greased up good, I declare Mario’s as Perth’s best pizza north of the river.

One thing that I have forgotten to mention is that Mario’s serve chilli mussels and a great selection of pastas. At $10 a serve I’ve been told they are comparable (if not, better) to that of classy Italian restaurants.

If you feel like some Italian, you can’t go wrong with Mario’s. It certainly beats Dominoes in my books.

Pizzas: $10
Pastas: $10

Mario’s Pizza
Shop 55c Walter Road, Dianella
9271 3322

V^3 Gives Mario's Pizza. 4.5/5

8 comments:

Lord Dianabol said...

Another excellent post, good sir.

Nothing beats having the pizza oven-fresh, and this place also is far from the maddening crowd. A pleasant drive there too, I might add - Grand Promenade's undulating road can only be improved if some twists and turns were added.

Regardless, there is good food in the North side, and if I might be so bold, we should hit this Japanese joint that has a long-establishment in Dianella. Our next review perhaps :o)

Anonymous said...

I am eating a Mario's pizza right at this moment and it is horrendous, as is the Home Brand garlic bread.

Not surprising after I had the worst customer service experience of my life there. After taking 50 minutes to make a pizza that he said would take 30 minutes, a man purporting to be Mario began yelling at me along with his aged mother that I should be grateful I wasn't eating Domino's. I couldn't believe the manner in which they were yelling at me with, while a guy who had been talking to Mario for the past 15 minutes told me that I was lucky it didn't have spit in it. While waiting for 15 minutes, Mario and this person said the F word over 20 times, all while an elderly lady waited to be served at the counter unnoticed.

When Mario said to go to Domino's I said that I'd go to Marco's. He said say hi to Ken as some smug name drop, but looked a little intimidated by Marco's name. And he should be, as Marco's pizzas are much much better. They cost a tiny bit more, but it's worth it, regardless of the poor Mario's customer service.

Anonymous said...

You are wasting your time on both Marois and Marcos. Have you tried Stones? In the same neighbohood, but WAAAY better. They won best pizza in the world last year or something. But I don't care cuz its the best pizza I have had. "mario" (if that's his real name) is just f***ing rude, and he backs up his arrogance with piss poor product and I think the only reason people go to Marcos' is because they don't know any better, they just go because that's where they have always gone for medeocre pizza.

Anonymous said...

I used to live in Tuart Hill with my young family and used to get my pizzas from Marco's- and for the idiot who wrote the last post: Ken IS the name of the owner of Marcos Pizza by the way! I used to go there all the time. Pizza is the kids favourite food!Since moving to Bedford I've been coming to Mario's and I cannot fault there service! I love Mario's Mum's spaghetti Bolognaise! It's to die for! & I think their garlic bread is great too! & Buddy,Mario's pizza isn't fast food- they make it fresh! Domino's put their toppings in a cup and poor it on the pizza! I know- my cousin works there! That's why their fast food- if you want it fast go to Domino's!! & they are typical italians: they may seem grumpy at times but really they treat you the way you treat them. It's called mutual respect- learn it!
All I can say from my experiences there people is that if you have a family of mouths to feed and want quality at a great price- go to Mario's Pizza. Don't listen to disrespectful customers like the one who last posted!

Anonymous said...

I agree! Mario's has amazing pizza. At least they're honest about timings. If it's going to be 45 mins they tell you! Man, the guys that are dissing Mario's must just be someone from another local pizza restaurant. You should post where you're from so I can come in and vomit on your food when I eat it! ^^

k8 said...

Mario's pizza was gr8 i love the pizza they make, I'm surprised to see that some 1 wrote such a negative review, Mario's has gr8 fresh pizza! you have to w8 for a good pizza! not like domino's crap that is pre-made by teenagers and cooked in 5 minuets.

Anonymous said...

Worst pizza ive ever eaten in my life even the dog turned his nose up to it.

Base was soggy & pizza was cold and just tasted utterly horrible.

dont waste your time or money there.....
go to bretts in bayswater, there pizzas are fresh hot and the service is brilliant

Anonymous said...

dude marios pizza it the best.. f**K stones pizza and bretts pizza they got nothing on marios and if marios is crap why are they so flat out busy every time i go get a pizza?