The origin of pizza is not as clear as you might think – some point to the Persian Empire, others to Ancient Greece and, of course, many to Italy. How pizza eventually found its way to Argentina is also not entirely clear according to the owner of Argentinean pizzeria Mastropiero, but what matters is that it tastes gooooood.
The friendly and talkative owner fled her country during the military dictatorship and that might explain the look of the place: it’s filled with posters for peace and freedom demonstrations and looks more like a meeting point for illegal unionists than a place to nibble on an Italian, excuse me, Persian, uh… maybe Greek delicacy. Anyway, as we all know, unionist do not believe in bourgeois cutlery or plates: they prefer their food from a wooden board, use paper instead of china and feel comforted under the soothing light from the homemade and nicely outdated lamp shades. Laborers don’t do design, they just want good food.
This is not the cheapest spot in Madrid for your slice, but it is definitely one of the more memorable ones. A small but very tasty pizza (€9-€11)- crunchy, thin crust, no downscaling on the cheese, generous topping- was enough for two not-too-hungry guiris and the chocolate cake with dulce de leche (real Argentinean?) which is usually from the house (gotta love the unionists) did the rest.
Hurray for the working class.
Mastropiero
Calle San Vicente Ferrer, 34
Metro Tribunal or Noviciado
Opened daily from 20:30 hours
First published on www.mapmagazine.com, summer 2007
Mydrid, my city 