We sit down at a small table, facing the restaurant. Chen brings a tasty cup of coffee with a small, sweet piece of chocolate. There are no guests yet, but the pizzas (which are square, true to the Roman style) are being prepared already. They smell amazing!
The artpiece made by Days of Yonder on the wall of Pazze e Pizze
Pazze e Pizze is located on the Rabbijn Maarsenplein and has been there for two years. Chen manages the restaurant, together with his girlfriend Safae. Both have their own specialities: Chen works in the kitchen and Safae works in the front. The two of them are clearly very passionate about their restaurant! The space is very cozy, and there are a lot of decorations (the ones we didn’t include in this article, you’ll see on our Instagram page sometime!). Check out this piece of art on the right, made by Days of Yonder (click!). We certainly recommend you to go over to Pazze e Pizze and check it out yourself, it’s stunning!
Chen tells us about the origins of Pazze e Pizze. His family is one of restaurant owners. His parents have always had a restaurant. Currently they have De Basiliek (click!). Chen has always wanted to have his own restaurant, and he’s worked hard to get there. He started off making salads in a Scheveningen beach restaurant. He never stopped learning, because he worked at various one and two-star restaurants, learning to cook more and more types of food. When we ask about the pizzas, he says, “I’ve actually only been making pizzas for two years”. But a cook he is, no doubt.
Besides the traditional round pizzas we all know very well, Pazze e Pizze also sells Roman pizzas. They are a bit more special, because they’re squared, have thicker dough, and they are crunchy. “A lot of people didn’t know this style of pizza, our guests really had to ‘learn’ to eat them.” Now, the restaurant is usually full of people. And there are good reasons for it! For about € 5,- you can buy a piece of square pizza, amounting to about half a round pizza in quantity. It’s the perfect lunch for those who live and work in the area!
Roman pizzas are quite extraordinary. Chen says that there aren’t very many restaurants in the Netherlands selling this type of pizza. To learn how to make the dough perfectly, Chen flew in a pizza chef from Rome. He taught them to make the dough flawlessly. Then, Chen, Safae, family, and coworkers experimented with the toppings. Of course, they’ve got classics like margarita and pepperoni, but they also have pizzas for the more adventurous foodie. Have you ever heard of potato pizza, or a vegan pizza with zucchini. Chen gave us a pizza tasting to take home, and it was de-li-cious!
Pazze e Pizze is a restaurant that represents Chinatown quite well. Cue the question: “it’s an Italian restaurant, no? How can it represent Chinatown?” Well, keep reading. Pazze e Pizze is a true melting pot of different backgrounds. Chen himself is both Chinese and Italian, girlfriend Safae is half Moroccan and half Italian. Furthermore, Pazze e Pizze’s staff is from everywhere as well. “We give a chance to everyone. You really don’t need to speak Dutch to work with us!”
They stay true to their word! The staff is very invested in the restaurant’s wellbeing. Pazze e Pizze has its own, very active Instagram-account (click!), which is being maintained by everyone who works in the restaurant. Throughout the day, they snap pictures of what they’re doing: making pizza’s, kneading dough, making tiramisu, or a photo or video of the guests eating their delicious square pizzas. “It may be a little messy, but it’s very personal.”
Saffie’s Breakfast Bar’s menu
Besides pizzas, Pazze e Pizze has another awesome thing. Something you can’t really see from the outside. Because Chen and Safae arrive quite early each morning to prepare the pizzas, they decided to also open Saffie’s Breakfast Bar (click!). Check out their menu – there are many, tasty things on there. And the most amazing thing? You can order from the breakfast menu all day: All Day Breakfast, Baby!
If you’ve never been to Pazze e Pizze, be sure to drop by soon. You can get an entire pizza (of course) but also a pizza tasting (recommendation from us). For parties and large gatherings, they also sell super large pizzas (40 by 60 centimeters). And of course, you can get a smaller slice for lunch. There’s no excuse to skip the Rabbijn Maarsenplein any longer!
Pazze e Pizze is opened from Tuesday until Sunday (so only closed on Mondays), from 10AM until at least 10PM.
This article is part of ‘Chinatown Chats’ – stories of people who have a connection to Chinatown The Hague. Do you have a story to share? Let us know via the contact form on our website or send us a DM on Facebook or Instagram!