Dude, Hamilton has great pizza

Cowabunga is named best cheese slice in the world, adding to the growing reputation of the city’s pizzaiolos. 

There is perhaps no quicker way to create a scuffle on social media in Hamilton (staying away from, of course, politics, religion and the cats vs dog debate) than saying such-and-such pizza is the best in the city – or even in your neighbourhood.

So taking on the world, which geography teaches us includes the pizza empires of Italy, New York and Chicago?

Hamilton’s Cowabunga pizza did just that, winning best cheese slice at the International Pizza Challenge in Las Vegas in March.

“It’s catapulting us into way more than we could’ve ever imagined,” co-owner Andy Huynh told CBC’s Metro Morning. “I’ve always wanted to win an award like this.” 

Cowabunga, which opened in 2020 at 536 Upper Wellington as a takeout joint and now has a second, full-service location called Cowabunga+ at 30 Vine St., has revealed that it’s true secret to ’za success is in its dough. It’s made with a sourdough starter and needs to rest and chill for at least 72 hours.

The road to the world competition was chock full of challenges. The Cowabunga team of Huynh and co-owner Justin Tanada almost missed their flight and a checked cooler, packed with ingredients, got stuck in Toronto. Luckily, the pizzaiolos from The Hammer flew with backup dough in their carry-on, kept cold with frozen fruit. 

Then they begged and borrowed other ingredients from suppliers and friends at the pizza event.

After nearly being disqualified from the competition for arriving late, they found out they would advance to the second round they decided to fly a staffer with precious ingredients from home, including the properly fermented dough. 

It paid off in the big win. 

Besides the world-beating cheese slice, Cowabunga serves its own creations, including 1Up, a white pizza with truffle cream, truffle oil, honey, and chilli; and the Cowabunga, topped with popcorn chicken, pineapple, peanut, and scallion.

Made-in-Hamilton pizzas have captured other big awards in recent years. Maipai tiki and pizza bar on Barton Street won top honours at the Canadian Pizza Summit – and a trip to the world event in Las Vegas – for its Mala Honey pizza recipe in 2021.

In 2022, Giovanni Campisi of Red Door Cucina in Dundas took top honours and chef of the year at the Canadian Pizza Summit East, while Maipai’s Salar Madadi took second place. 

And last year, Maipai and Cowabunga took first and second respectively at Restaurants Canada’s pizza competition.