The Porcupine Ridge Pizzeria Challenge, a popular food competition in South Africa, is back for its fourth year. This contest aims to find the country’s top pizzeria, as chosen by the public.
Last year, Gino’s of Robertsham, the 2021 winner, regained the top spot. They had been overtaken in 2022 by Cape Town’s Ferdinando’s. Gino’s, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, felt a special pride in their victory.
Owner Gino Mazza commented, “Winning was a great validation of our commitment to serving delicious Italian food made with passion and offering good value for money. The public votes show we are meeting our customers’ expectations.”
Porcupine Ridge spokesperson Lynton Kaiser noted, “Last year’s competition was a close and friendly battle. We had nearly 100 restaurants competing, from new establishments to those celebrating 40 years. The diverse provincial representation made it a truly national event.”
This year, many past competitors are returning, along with new entrants eager to challenge the favorites. Kaiser is optimistic about the increased competition and fun.
The rules remain the same: the public will vote for their favorite pizzeria on a dedicated website. The pizzeria with the most votes will be named South Africa’s favorite, earning bragging rights, wine, and marketing materials worth R40,000.
New this year, each of the top 10 pizzerias will receive R1,800 in vouchers and three cases of wine to reward their top servers. Voters can win weekly prizes of six bottles of Porcupine Ridge wine and EarthFire pizza accessories.
The grand prize for one lucky voter includes an EarthFire Tabletop Pizza Oven, a year’s supply of pizza from their favorite pizzeria (up to R2,000), and five cases of Porcupine Ridge wine, valued at R10,000.
The competition started on September 1 and will close on October 31. The top 10 pizzerias will be announced in mid-November.