Review: Hawt Pizza Co - Santa Fe, NM

Santa Fe isn't the first town that springs to mind when you're hunting down a proper slice. In this destination-dining city, the dominant red-or-green chili debate usually overshadows tomato sauce. Folks hankering for a pizza often find themselves steering toward long-time staples like Upper Crust or Back Road Pizza. But buried right off the historic Plaza inside the lowrider-themed Low 'n Slow bar at Hotel Chimay, Hawt Pizza Co. is quietly staking a claim with a very specific, ambitious hybrid pie.

After being turned away at the Coyote Cafe Rooftop bar because we had our dog with us, we needed to rescue our dinner plans. Hawt Pizza Co. began in Albuquerque's Sawmill Market before expanding to its low-key location tucked inside the bar at Hotel Chimay. Hawt operates on a distinct premise: high-temp, wood-fired execution with an eye on clean, non-GMO ingredients.

125 Washington Avenue

From their Website: "Why the name Hawt? HAWT is an acronym for "Have A Wonderful Time. HAWT is also an adjective for sexy or attractive (pronounced HOT). We've been told that our pizza is pretty darn sexy, and we agree. And then there's our oven ... Ideal at about 850+ degrees, it is definitely HAWT!"

We took a table outdoors with our dog on a crisp, stunning summer evening after a brief light rain shower. The menu revealed that Hawt has developed its own hybrid of a New York-style foundation baked with Neapolitan sensibilities. Our 12" pizza was plenty for two people.

Inside the Low 'n' Slow Bar

The thin crust yields a impressive, substantial chew paired with a mostly crisp undercarriage and a handsome, puffed-up cornicione. You get a slight structural flop right at the tip, but to be fair to the pizzaiolo, that's less of a dough integrity issue and more the result of a generous heavy cheese load. The dough itself carries real flavor, suggesthing that it was fermented long enough to give some depth beyond raw flour.

The pepperoni pizza

The sauce is applied judiciously: bright, tangy, and tomato-forward without being bogged down by excess herbal or sugary notes. Over top sits a blanket of fior di latte. While the quality of the fresh mozzarella is high, they lay it on in full-throttle NYC street-slice proportions. I found it to be a touch heavy for a wood-fired hybrid, though hardly a dealbreaker.

Beautiful char at 850 degrees

The real showstopper, however, is the pepperoni. These are high-grade, thick-cut spicy cups that curl up into tiny pools of render, delivering a massive hit of savory umami to balance out the bright sauce and creamy dairy. Overall, it's a remarkably balanced pie in both texture and profile.

Nice puff and structure at the cornicione

Stepping off Washington Avenue into Low 'n Slow feels like ducking into a neighborhood living room. The vibe is distinctly local - alive with organic, easygoing chatter between patrons at the bar and a charismatic barmaid keeping the room warm. You order at the bar, grab your own plates and napkins, and wait for the pie.

Sitting under the high-desert twilight with a hot pie, a fresh arugula salad with lots of shaved aged Italian cheese, and cold lemonade - all landing under $30 before tip - felt like a quiet miracle in a tourist-heavy hub where Plaza-adjacent dining usually demands a heavy toll both in the quest for a table and the eventual tab.

That lovely undercarriage

While Santa Fe boasts legendary institutions from the red chile-soaked enchiladas at The Shed on the Plaza to world-class opera nights out in the foothills, finding an unpretentious, dog-friendly spot with a legitimate craft pie at a modest price is a rare win.

The open-air Santa Fe Opera

Santa Fe may be a town built on turquoise and silver jewelry and red chile, but Hawt Pizza proves you don't have to sacrifice crisp crust and good char when you're crave-hunting near the Plaza. I came for 3 days in Santa Fe primed for that classic New Mexican cuisine, but two of my favorite meals were at the lovely Japaneses restaurant Izanami (like the Opera, an idyllic setting in the foothills) and this lucky pizza find right off the plaza.

Review: Olivia Trattoria - Oslo, Norway

On vacation in Norway, pizza wasn't at the top of our epicurean quests, even though Norwegians eat more pizza per person than residents of any other country. But late on a Monday night, all of the interesting restaurants in the Oslo harbor area (near the opera house and Munch Museum) were booked or closed. 

"The Margherita"

We were tired and hungry when we spotted Olivia Trattoria, only about 100 meters from our hotel. It was a lovely late July evening and we saw tables open in their large covered outdoor dining space (the interior is quite nice too). To our delight, we were able to be seated immediately when we had feared that dinner might be procured from the 7-11 (7-11 stores are all over Norway).

Outdoor dining at Olivia Trattoria

The Oslo Pizza Scene. Pizza options in Oslo have the reputation of being quietly excellent, and Olivia sits in an interesting niche. Standouts include:

• Lofthus Samvirkelag - The artisanal leader. More rustic, more Norwegian Italian fusion. Better ingredients, distinct character. 
• Gioia - This is a true Neapolitan with the puffy cornicione, leopard spotting, and soft center. 
• Via Napoli - Offers big, bold, Naples style pies. These are regarded as excellent, but paradoxically heavy. 
• Olivia - The chain that punches above its weight. If not the best pizza in Oslo, certainly the best surprise in Oslo. Pizza cognoscenti generally expect to be disappointed when wandering into an unscouted pizzeria. But here, we found ourselves staring at a pie so good it rewires expectations. Yes, it's a tourist-friendly chain. But it is also a largely authentic Italian experience in the middle of Oslo, executed with a precision that would work in any major metropolis.

  

  Interior at Olivia Trattoria

The Olivia Backstory.  Olivia was founded in 2006 and has grown into a polished, design forward chain with 20+ locations across Norway, plus outposts in Stockholm and Hamburg. Their concept is simple — Italian classics, made with respectable ingredients, served in warm, stylish rooms that feel more trattoria than franchise.

Reception in Norway is consistently strong: Olivia is well-reviewed online as a place that locals regard as a reliable “nice casual” option. Tourists stumble into it and wonder why their home cities can’t manage a chain this competent. (notable US exception: Anthony's Coal-Fired Pizza).

Beautiful thin crust

While we enjoyed the lovely evening dining outdoors overlooking the harbor, we saw that Olivia’s interiors are cozy with warm woods, soft lighting, and Italian inspired décor that avoids kitsch. The outdoor seating at many Oslo locations like ours (Aker Brygge, Tjuvholmen, Eger) adds to the charm. You feel like you are in Italy because Olivia wants you to feel that way, and they execute the illusion well. Bonus: I was able to enjoy a cold draft Ringnes beer with my pizza - the same beer my father drank in New Jersey in the 1970s because it was cheaper than domestic beer.

The Margherita That Dares to Be Roman. Our "Margherita" was a generous personal size suitable for two, and the crust was the star. It was super thin, crisp, ethereal — unmistakably Roman leaning. We loved the shattery crunch from its low hydration and a longer, lower bake. It sported a minimal rim without the signature puffy cornicione of a true Neapolitan. The crust reminded me of La Montecarlo in Rome.

The undercarriage at La Montecarlo in Rome

The pizza was expertly cooked, with micro blistering and a clean grain flavor. Riding on top was a bright red sauce, lively and tomato forward. The cheese was substantial - almost too much fior di latte - yet it was creamy, not soggy. Fresh basil was used sparingly but effectively.

The undercarriage at Olivia Trattoria

This clever hybrid is the style that Olivia has quietly perfected: not fully Roman (center still soft) and not fully Neapolitan (less hydration, less puff). Instead, it is a crisp leaning, feather light crust that feels almost weightless compared to American pizza, where “thin” often means “cracker” or “underbaked flatbread.” 

The pizza kitchen at Olivia

Beyond the pizza, we ordered a simple side salad, which was basic yet elevated in freshness and presentation. But rivalling the pizza was the Caprese salad, which was outrageously good. I've had Caprese made with Jersey tomatoes in summer, but nothing ever matched up to this one! This was the second grand surprise of the night.

The simple side salad

“Best caprese salad ever” isn’t hyperbole when the components are so dialed in. It featured brilliant cherry tomatoes, both fresh and marinated; mozzarella di bufala with that sweet, luscious creaminess only real bufala delivers; green olive/basil oil that pulled together the flavors and textures, and balsamico used as an accent, not a syrupy  drizzle. It came with a lovely bit of focaccia.

The brilliant Caprese salad

The final verdict is that Olivia is the rare chain that understands restraint. No overloaded toppings, no soggy centers, no Americanized sweetness. Just a crisp, ethereal crust, bright sauce, proper mozzarella, and a caprese that could embarrass restaurants charging twice the price. This serendipitous find when we had run out of options turned into an A+ “felt like Italy” moment — the exact kind of accidental triumph that keeps pizza obsessives wandering into new places with hope.

Review: OTTO Pizza - Copenhagen, Denmark

OTTO Pizza: a Neapolitan standout in a city of castles, kings, and surprisingly uneven pizza.

Pepperoni pizza

Copenhagen is a city with its rich history all around. You wander past Rosenborg Castle, where generations of Frederiks stockpiled crown jewels; you stroll along canals that remind you of Amsterdam; you pause at at open air beer garden for Tuborg on tap; you duck into Tivoli, the world's second oldest amusement park that has the look and feel of a fairy tale. It’s a place where old and new coexist effortlessly.

(Important side note: long ago, I drank Tuborg in college because I watched television ads for Tuborg Gold promising “the golden beer of Danish Kings." I thought it was a fancy import beer but priced in line with ordinary domestic stuff like Pabst and Miller -- although in fact it was brewed in the USA by Carling under a licensing agreement. Later it was sold to another US brewer and lost even more of its character. However, Tuborg in Denmark on tap is wonderful.)

"Proscuitto e funghi"

But let's get on to the Pizza! Copenhagen is still figuring that part out.

The city has world‑class restaurants and a design culture that obsesses over craft, but its pizza scene is uneven — a mix of decent Neapolitans, a few Roman experiments, and some Nordic‑chef reinterpretations that feel more like edible art projects than pizza. You can find good pies, but you have to know where to look. OTTO is one of the places worth looking.

It sits conveniently next to the CitizenM hotel (a Marriott property), which makes it almost too easy to wander in for lunch. And the lunch deal is borderline miraculous: a small pizza plus a drink for 70 kroner (about $11). In Copenhagen, that’s cheaper than a beer at Tivoli.

Modern but spartan interior

The pies show real skill. The crust is the star — great puffy Neapolitan, airy and buoyant, with a rim that rises proudly like it’s auditioning for a royal banquet. The sauce has a zippy brightness that many Copenhagen Neapolitans lack, and the mozzarella, though slightly undercooked, is fresh and mild with good flavor.

Toppings are handled with personality. We ordered two different pizzas. The pepperoni pie uses proper snappy, spicy cup‑and‑char pepperoni, a welcome surprise in a city where “pepperoni” often means thin salami slices that wish they had ambition. The prosciutto e funghi is mislabeled — it’s ham, not prosciutto, and the mushrooms are standard button mushrooms — but the pie still lands as balanced and genuinely tasty.

Proper char underneath

OTTO’s minor flaw is structural if actually more true to Neapolitan standards: they overload the center, and the middle collapses into a soggy zone. It’s a common Neapolitan issue, but more pronounced here than at American shops that understand that flop is not a desirable feature for any style of pie. Still, the crust and sauce are strong enough to keep the experience enjoyable, and the soggy aspect affected only the first bite of each slice.

Tivoli Gardens

In the grand Copenhagen context — a city of kings named Frederik, castles that look like movie sets, and a beer culture that keeps Tuborg flowing — OTTO stands out as one of the better Neapolitans in town. Not a pilgrimage spot, but absolutely a place worth eating, especially if you’re staying at CitizenM. Overall, this was a very welcome find - a lively, tasty Neapolitan with a damp center but a great attitude.