Goulash Pizza in Milan, Italy
- Manuel Ambra
- Jun 23, 2020
- 3 min read
Last week my boyfriend asked me if I wanted to try goulash pizza. As an Italian food blogger, I was a bit sceptical, but I decided to give it a try.
Pizzeria Oceania created this fusion of the Italian and Eastern European cuisines back in the 1970s. And eating in this peculiar family run restaurant will take you back in those days: the colours, the furniture and the sliding doors of the restroom recreate a vintage, hippie vibe.
Unfortunately, the owner of this hidden gem passed away years ago, but his daughters are keeping this place alive. Oceania is only a 15-minute walk from Milan’s student area and around 10 minutes by public transport from the city centre.
Now, let’s talk about the food! With just one bite, you can actually taste the quality of the goulash which is slowly and carefully prepared by Pizzeria Oceania. The quality of the ingredients and the long process are responsible for a higher price on this treat. Goulash pizza is sold for 10€ (9£ - 11$), but you won’t be disappointed. Meat and potatoes were perfectly seasoned with paprika, which made it spicy enough to enjoy it. Moreover, the blend of the sauce with the pizza dough was delicious. This was definitely not canned goulash and I could tell the difference. However, goulash pizza is only available in some occasions. You might want to check before booking a table.
In case you missed it or if you don’t like goulash, there’s still plenty of options! Indeed, Oceania offers main dishes, meat and different pizzas with a fair price range which spaces around 5€ - 10€ (4£ - 9£ | 6$ - 11$). I went for the Porchetta con Peperoni Grigliati, a pizza with sliced pork roast and grilled bell peppers. Again, the dough was perfectly cooked: soft, but with a slight crunch. The roast and the peppers tasted really good together and added a lot of texture to this pizza. Definitely worth the 8,50€ (7,60£ - 9,50$)!
Let’s move to the downside. The two sisters are very friendly and have made this restaurant a cosy place for hungry visitors. However, they do take their time when it comes to service. I wouldn’t recommend Pizzeria Oceania if you’re looking to grab something quick. I’m not sure if it was a one-time inconvenience or not. It might have been a busy night, or maybe they had just reopened after the Coronavirus lockdown. Despite this, I appreciated that when we left, they apologised for the wait.
Overall, I had an interesting experience at Pizzeria Oceania and I will definitely come back for the goulash as well as their other pizzas. If you happen to visit Milan, Oceania is really worth a try!
I’ll leave you with this article written in 1971 about the birth of goulash pizza right here in Milan, Italy.
Here is the ‘Pizza of the Cossack’ with goulash
Mike, the pizzaiolo, is an extravagant individual: he came from Foggia many years ago and found out that in Milan nobody could make a pizza like his. So, he opened a little pizzeria […] and he put a sign on the window saying: “My pizza makes uncomfortable those pretentious people who think they’re champions and dare to challenge me. I let the smart ones observe me and the foodies be served.”
Indeed, his pizza is delicious. “It’s not the typical Neapolitan” he says “It’s true that Neapolitans make good pizza, but they want the dough to be very thin, and the tomato sauce raw. Then they consider a wood-fired oven necessary. Well, I make pizza with my special dough, which has a secret of years of experience, I prepare the tomato in a particular way and I cook the pizza in a fire-resistant oven that allows me to regulate the temperature, and I had it built exactly for the kind of pizza that I ‘discovered’ and that customers love.”
[…] Mike makes the ‘Pizza of the Cossack’ with goulash; the ‘Parisian’ with tuna; the ‘Pizza of the Boatswain’ with fish; the ‘Superman’ with mozzarella, mushrooms and eggs and many more. […] The restaurant isn’t very big and it’s better to book, or take away your pizza and eat it at home.
(Anonymous Author, translated from Italian by Manny)
I hope you found this article interesting. Let me know in the comments below if you tried goulash pizza already or if you’re curious to do so! Please, feel free to leave a like and share this article with your friends!
Bye, folks! x
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