The last pizza place I really loved was Matto Dubai and I’ve since fallen in love with Luigia as well. Located at the Rixos Premium JBR, Luigia is a tribute to grandmothers and the love they put into every meal they make. I have a very soft spot for my grandmother, but this in no way influenced any bias towards how much I loved this restaurant.

The ambience is quite “Moulin Rouge”, for lack of a better description, and I don’t know why the choice of decor comprises of red walls and lilac chairs, but it definitely is distinctly memorable.

The cocktail selection was unimpressive in variety but delivered quite well on the balance and refreshment front.

Attention to detail is clear, even with the details often overlooked by most restaurants. The bread basket is one of the best you’ll have in Dubai, soft and fluffy yet crusty enough to soak up all the good stuff yet hold it’s own.

Even the oils and balsamic are truly superior.

Of my absolute favorite things at Luigia that I always reorder are the pizza rosettes. There are always 3 things that make or break a pizza: the dough, the sauce and the cheese. The quality of all of these need to be just right, and if you look at that char on this crust and that truffle on top as a bonus and don’t start salivating, I don’t know who hurt you.

When it comes to their menu, pizzas and otherwise, I must admit it’s awfully overwhelming, and I always find menus items that are headlined in a foreign language and described in English to be a little confusing and dizzying.

Once you can get past the chaos on the menu of the hundreds of items listed, order any pizza, absolutely any one at all, and fall completely and blissfully in love as you fine into that perfect crust, get a mouthful of marinara and cheese, use the slightly charred crust to wipe off some chili oil on your plate, and thank me later.