Best Pizza - Il Buco

* This restaurant is a category winner in Viva's Ultimate Takeout Food Award winners 2003.

We doubt any flipping of pizza bases goes on here: there is barely enough room for the customers to squeeze in. Mind you, no-one really wants to stay for long. The general aim is to order a slice (oh go on then, three slices) of the pizza you want and get out as quickly as possible to take that first bite.

Probably the only thing better than eating the spinach and feta pizza here would be eating it while sitting at a streetside cafe in Rome. Seriously, this is about as good as pizza gets - traditional thin crust and heavenly toppings. Buy it by the slice and choose from around seven varieties which change each day. We loved the asparagus and brie, and the spinach and gorgonzola.

They have dairy-free options too. And, whatever you do, don't leave the shop without trying the deep fried rice and mozzarella balls with tomato sauce. Warning: they're addictive as hell.

Il Buco has been open for almost a year. They're a bit like an espresso machine - we wonder, quite honestly, how we ever got by without them.

Cost: At $3-4 per pizza slice, it's terrific value. Rice and mozzarella balls are $2.

Viva also recommends: One Red Dog, Takapuna and SPQR, Ponsonby