pizzeria vaatika is one of the finest candid open air, cosy & chill cafes, situated on the riverfront at the very famous assi ghat in varanasi. the place is a treat to eyes, with gorgeous sitting amidst the lush green surroundings, overlooking the beautiful ganges. there's all together a different calm and poise about this place. full of crowd that mostly comprises of students, travellers and foreign visitors, pizzeria is one of the most popular and loved hotspot of the town!
the place is known for its authentic italian pizzas prepared in old style, brick, fire oven and the apple pie (omg, best ever, drooling) !
every single dish here usually exceeds expectations. we tried the following items from their menu-
1) the onion-garlic-mushroom pizza which was gorgeously garnished with onions, capsicums, mushrooms, garlic and cheese on a perfectly oven-cooked, thin crust with a nice, smoky flavour to it, was nothing but amazing.
2) we randomly chose to order the brown bread rolls with mozzarella from the menu which had half loaf of oven-baked brown bread stuffed with garlic paste, cheese blend and a mix of mozzarella, and to our surprise, we loved it to the core. another must try!
3) also tried their aglio olio peperonchino and oh, it was one of the best aglio e olio, we ever laid our hands on! astonishingly full-flavoured with lightly sautéed pressed garlic in olive oil, tossed with spaghetti and sprinkled with dried red chilli flakes on top, top-notch, totally.
4) and any visit to pizzeria is incomplete without savouring onto their legendary apple pie! it is virtually the last thing you'd expect to eat in varanasi, but damn, it is sensational! this is also baked in the traditional brick oven which adds to the crisp crust of the pie. buttery, soft pastry, filled with cinnamon with perfectly balanced sweetness and topped with delicious scoop of vanilla ice cream, this epic in every sense!