Pizza Challenge 2026 Winners

The Vancouver 12th Annual Pizza Challenge was a great success featuring unique creations at restaurants around Metro Vancouver.  Each restaurant featured their creation on their menu from April 2-26, 2026 and their customers voted for their favourites daily throughout the challenge for their People’s Choice favourites.

The Winners are:

1st Place:

{104 points}

Locanda dell’Orso

Carbo-nera pizza

Price: $29

Created by: the team

Description: Carbo-nera pizza, where a staple Italian pasta is redesigned to come as a pizza, finished off with black truffle.

Ingredients: Fior di latte, provolone cheese, mushrooms, crispy guanciale, pecorino egg yolk Carbo crema mix, fresh shaved black truffle

Available: Daily, all the time

Offered: take out, no delivery

Locanda dell’Orso

350 W Pender Street, Vancouver

Tel:  (604) 336-3151

Web: https://locandadellorso.com/

Instagram @locandadellorso

2nd Place:

{99.5 points}

Osteria al Centro

Pizza Con Mortadella e Pistashio

Created by: Chef James

Price: $23

Description: Thin Mortadella, Toasted Pistachio, Fior Di Latte, Balsamic Glaze

Available: Wednesday – Sunday.

Offered: for dine-in

Osteria al Centro

3087 Slocan Street, Vancouver

Tel: (604) 430-9696

Web: https://www.opentable.com/r/osteria-al-centro-vancouver

Instagram @osteria_al_centro 

3rd Place:

{95.5 points}

Little Devils Wood Fire Food Truck

Crab & Pesto

Price: $19

Created by: Quentin Kayne and the Little Devils Team

Description: Hand-Stretched, House made dough, Cooked in the Wood-Fire Oven

Ingredients: Basil/Miso Pesto Base, Blue Crab, Fior di Latte, Fennel & Ginger, Fresh Basil, finished with Yuzu-Kewpie mayo, Flaked Nori, and Parmesan.

Offered: Available for pickup anywhere the truck is (check the website). Delivery available through Uber Eats, Doordash and Fantuan when we are in the River District!

Little Devils Wood Fire Food Truck

Mobile locations (tba) schedule can be found on their social media platforms and the street food app.

Web: https://littledevilspizza.com/

Instagram @littledevilspizza

In the People’s Choice Awards category, the public who tried the Pizza Creations were the ones who had the opportunity to cast their vote throughout the challenge.

The Winners are:

1st Place People’s Choice:

Ragazzi Pizza

Pizza Sbagliato (The Perfect Mistake)

Price:  $36 17” XL and $18 10” SM 

Created By: Paul Teixeira

Description:  A creamy garlic basil base layered with fior di latte, topped with rendered pancetta and sweet sun-dried tomatoes, finished with fresh arugula, extra virgin olive oil, and Grana Padano.  Inspired by the idea that sometimes the best creations come from mistakes — this one found the perfect balance.

Ingredients List:  Fior di latte, Sun-dried tomatoes, Pancetta, Arugula, Garlic basil cream sauce, Grana Padano, Extra virgin olive oil  

Availability:  Daily, 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Ragazzi Pizza

2996 E. 22nd Avenue, Vancouver

Tel: 604-433-2235

Web: http://www.ragazzipizza.com/

Instagram: @ragazzipizza

2nd Place People’s Choice:

Locanda dell’Orso

Carbo-nera pizza

Price: $29

Created by: the team

Description: Carbo-nera pizza, where a staple Italian pasta is redesigned to come as a pizza, finished off with black truffle.

Ingredients: Fior di latte, provolone cheese, mushrooms, crispy guanciale, pecorino egg yolk Carbo crema mix, fresh shaved black truffle

Available: Daily, all the time

Offered: take out, no delivery

Locanda dell’Orso

350 W Pender Street, Vancouver

Tel:  (604) 336-3151

Web: https://locandadellorso.com/

Instagram @locandadellorso

3rd Place People’s Choice:

Osteria al Centro

Pizza Con Mortadella e Pistashio

Created by: Chef James

Price: $23

Description: Thin Mortadella, Toasted Pistachio, Fior Di Latte, Balsamic Glaze

Available: Wednesday – Sunday.

Offered: for dine-in

Osteria al Centro

3087 Slocan Street, Vancouver

Tel: (604) 430-9696

Web: https://www.opentable.com/r/osteria-al-centro-vancouver

Instagram @osteria_al_centro 

Our media judging panel determined the ultimate winners of the challenge, and this was quite the task as each judge who tasted each creation with a rigorous process based on taste, originality/uniqueness and presentation/appearance.

Each media judge scored each creation with a maximum of 40 points as follows: Overall Taste 20 points, Originality and Uniqueness 10 points, Presentation and Appearance 10 points. The highest number of points a challenge creation could have been awarded is 120 points.

Our Media judges for this challenge were: Crissa Koh, Tara Lee and Jacqueline Chui.

Thank you to all the chefs and restaurants that accepted my invitation and featured the Pizza Challenge creations on the menu for the past few weeks during this challenge.

I encourage you to visit the winning restaurants to try their Pizza creations if they are still available! See all the Pizza Challenge Entries Here.

By: Richard Wolak