Orléans Food Spot Review - Fire Box Pizza
Delicious, wood-fired pizza that comes to you!
Friday evening at Doughmain!
This was their Friday evening pop-up menu - great options!
Since starting in 2021, Fire Box Pizza has been garnering all kinds of awards for “best pizza” and “best catering business” in Ottawa. And really, that’s no surprise given how often we’ve seen them popping up (literally). Started by self-taught chef Brendan Hill, who comes from a background of working in scratch kitchen restaurants, Brendan has an obvious passion for Italian food including, of-course, pizza.
My first Fire Box Pizza was when my immediate neighbour had them come and cater a party at their house while literally setting up in their driveway. If my memory serves me correctly, this was the same year they opened, and I must say, their pizza today, is just as good if not better than that day I first had it back then.
THE SPACE
Their main location is ‘Doughmain’ - where their prep space and storage is, at 1455 Youville, Unit 105 (in the back). From May to October it’s ‘fresh pizza season’, and you can swing by Doughmain to pick up fresh pizzas when they’re open (weather dependent) - currently on Wednesdays for lunch (11:30 AM - 1:30 PM), and Fridays (5 PM - 8 PM). They also have a pop-up on Thursday evenings at Dominion City Brewery, from 5 PM - 8PM.
Fire Box Pizza is primarily a pop-up and catering business first. It’s best to check their social media weekly to confirm when they’re open. You can also find them at the Navan Market and the Heart of Orléans market! Check their socials to get accurate week-by-week pop-up locations.
In their off season (November to April), frozen pizzas are available. They also sell their signature pizza dough, if you want to try your hand at home making a fresh pizza - email them for details!
You can watch the pizza all the way from assembly through cooking right there on the spot!
We visited them last Friday evening at Doughmain, and brought our pizzas to Petrie Island for a picnic, and let me tell you, it was the perfect way to spend a Friday evening, relaxing with friends by the water, enjoying some delicious and super-fresh pizza!
This trailer was recently painted by local young artists living in the Orléans community. They did a fantastic job bringing some colour and life to this storage container!
Fire Box Pizza are masters of creating Neapolitan style pizza made in wood-fired ovens. That means the pizzas are made with a delicious hand-made thin crust and simple, and high-quality ingredients. The pizza can be best described as light, airy and made with just the right amount of crunchiness.
They make them right there on the spot in front of you. You can watch as Brendan spins the dough with a bright smile, and then toppings of spread across the pizza. Pizza goes into their wood-fired oven and you can watch it cook in minutes. The basil they use is fresh off the plant - doesn’t get any fresher than that!
As for selection, for catering, there’s tons to choose from including appetizers, charcuterie boards, salads, pizzas and desserts. You can see the entire catering menu here.
WHAT WE HAD
🍕 Pepperoni and cheese pizza
🍕 Margherita (marinara, mozzarella, fresh basil, basil oil, parmesan)
🍕 Pesto Cream (zucchini, corn, tomatoes, pickled onion)
Classic pepperoni and cheese - loaded with pepperonis that had just the right amount of spicy!
The Margherita - with basil leaves literally fresh off the plant. A classic done beautifully.
The Pesto Cream, with zucchini, sun dried tomatoes, corn and pickled onions. Such an interesting blend of flavours - great summertime pizza!
The Margherita - tasty blend. Pizza on a beach = paradise.
Here’s what we thought of each pizza
🍕 Pepperoni pizza - 9.5 / 10 - amazing sauce, generous amounts of pepperoni, just the right amount of crunch and spicy.
🍕 Margherita pizza -10 / 10 Incredibly fresh ingredients, (the basil literally came off the plant in front of us as they were making it), delicious dough, melts in your mouth quality!
🍕 Pesto Cream pizza - 9 / 10 - amazing crust, great toppings. Fun seasonable blend of veggies, especially great for summertime.
One thing to note …. we brought some of the pizza home as leftovers and put it in the fridge overnight to have some the next day, and well, this is not the kind of pizza to reheat in the microwave… It’s obviously best when eaten fresh (which is true of all the best foods), but if you reheat use a toaster oven or regular oven it’s likely to be closer to the day when it was made.
THE ORLÉANS CONNECT RATING
⭐️ 4.7 stars out of 5
If you’re a pizza lover and need that Neapolitan pizza fix, make sure to catch Fire Box Pizza at their next pop-up, at Doughmain or at one of the local Markets they’re at. And if you’re looking to cater small to mid-sized events with some of the best pizza that Ottawa has to offer, you’ve found your place! Bonus is how super nice the owner and staff are - really kind people, just wanting to share some tasty food and good vibes with the community.