The Philippine market has long been open for an authentic pizza joint that deviates away from the commercialized, mass-produced, fast food-style pizzas we see all over local billboards and commercials. Thankfully, an answer to our prayers has come in the form of Motorino Pizza.

Hailing from New York, Motorino Pizza is borne of standards higher than most American-style pizzerias found in Manila. The founder, Chef Matthieu Palombino, is an Italian born in Belgium and raised in Brooklyn dedicated to the craft of Neapolitan pizza-making as any born and bred Italian. He honed his skills in Italy under the wing of one of the first pizzerias in Naples, famous for their decade-old pizza recipes. After a year, he came back to Brooklyn with a more refined understanding of classic Italian cuisine, and the guns to jumpstart Motorino Pizza.

What exactly makes a Neopolitan pizza special? Italian pies take careful measure towards balance of flavors. You can identify the latter by its charred, leopard spotted crust, a soupy center, and an arrangement of toppings so good that they’ll make you forget you ever memorized those darn delivery jingles and tunes.

Expect nothing but the best quality, taste and experience from Chef Palombino. All ingredients (exepct the veggies) and even the restaurant’s oven are all sourced straight from Italy, a feat no other pizza restaurant in the country can beat. If your palate is used to American comfort food, Motorino Pizza is quite a breath of fresh air. And unlike other chains, Motorino promises not to compromise its integrity for the sake of market demand.