Restaurant review: Sano Pizza's remarkably good value bucks the trend of expensive city dining
Is it possible to eat out for less without compromising on taste?
As I'm sure you have noticed, eating out in cities like Dublin, Cork, and Galway has become extremely expensive. It is rare that this page reviews a meal that costs less than €150 for two people. Please note that I am not blaming restaurants for this, Ireland is an expensive place to operate, most restaurateurs I’ve spoken to are happy to break even, making a profit is seen as an unexpected bonus.
So can we eat out and eat well for less? While thinking about this, Sano pizzeria was my first thought. It is hugely popular with under 25s and I had neglected to review it when it opened in 2018.
In April this year, Sano won best independent restaurant at the JustEat awards — which put it back on my radar. But would I enjoy it, and could I cut my usual restaurant bill in half? Our 23-year-old language student, Daisy, from Taiwan, insisted I could so I had to bring her along.
It should be mentioned that Sano is now a mini chain with two branches in Dublin and Glasgow and one in Cork on Parnell Place since 2023.
The first Sano however was on Exchange St in Dublin, just off Lord Edward St in Temple Bar and has a no frills interior with bare brick walls, stained wood floors, and wooden tables, with some Italian cityscape photos on the walls, probably Naples.
Sano’s focus is Neapolitan, thin-based pizza that should be foldable and made from just 00 flour, yeast, water, and salt. Sourdough pizza, I believe, can be found in Naples but yeast-based dough is the most traditional version.
While Sano is all about the pizzas, there are a few higher-end starters on offer including a feta and pear salad (€14.50) and a plate of antipasti salamis (€14). We were keeping things tight so a trio of doughballs (€5) sounded perfect, and a useful way to judge the all important dough — filled with garlic and herbs, these were fluffy moreish delights. The star for me was the pesto- topped one but the parmesan and plain versions also worked well and were a fine showcase for the dough.
Tomato bruschetta (€5) was also excellent, two simple slices of toasted sourdough piled high with sweet cherry tomatoes and drizzled with decent olive oil.
There are 14 pizzas on the menu including all the ones you would expect with the option to add extra toppings. Prices are indeed competitive with a margherita costing €12.50 and a marinara just €9.90. My pizza diavola (€13.90) was described as ‘posh pepperoni’, a fair description as it used a very generous quantity of spicy Calabrian salami. Prosciutto e funghi (€14.50) was a little blander as you might expect, but there was chilli oil on the side to liven things up.
So to the all important base: It was just about perfect ,with some nice leoparding spots on the crispy edges and a floppy texture as one expects from Neapolitan pizza — the reason it is acceptable to use a knife and fork.
My only mild criticism is the tomato sauce between the base and the toppings had a slightly raw taste, but perhaps this is inevitable as in proper Neapolitan pizza the tomato sauce is never cooked. I suppose they just have better tomatoes in Napoli.
The drinks menu is short but has good wine options at fair prices. On tap, malbec and pinot grigio start at €6.50 per glass while Chilean Cabernet is €7.25 a glass and €30 per bottle. Italians mostly drink beer with their pizza so I opted for a pint of Menabrea Birra Blonde (€8.50). My first time trying Menabrea, to my shame, but it won’t be the last. Citrus and spice aromas and a proper hoppy bitter kick on the finish, this had much more character than those Italian macro beers stocked everywhere else. My guest, Daisy, chose a Fentimans Ginger Beer (€7.90), a first for her and she loved it.
Desserts continue the value proposition and I loved that they offer a Nutella pizza option (€9); dessert pizza is huge in Brazil and well worth a try. We kept it traditional, my pistachio cream cannoli (€5) was a delight, crisp pastry shell and creamy lightly sweetened ricotta with lots of chopped pistachio. Daisy’s tiramisu (€5) was also as good as you could hope for, rich bitter coffee flavours balanced by mascarpone and coffee-soaked sponge fingers.
Staff were attentive and charming throughout the evening and minded us well. Our meal in Sano proved very tasty and remarkably good value, and it would have cost even less had I noticed the 20% reduction for students (Daisy, not me!). Bravo Sano!
- Dinner for two with drinks, €69.20
- sano.pizza
