Sourdough Pizza in Taipei at the Slice Shop

I had to go to the bank. Generally, that's a chore, but not so bad when the chore is down the street from some of the best pizza in Taipei (spoiler alert).

I arrived at the Slice Shop around 1:30 pm, and there were still about 6 people standing while eating. They’re known for using a sourdough starter in their dough, along with excellent pizza. There are no seats here, counter and standing room only. This pizza joint has an understated design; everything is out in the open and visible, but clean and attractive. You see right into the kitchen with the large pizza ovens, resting dough, and multiple employees all busy at work. All of the available slices of pizza are out on display as well. No problems ordering in English here.

Photo by Kalen Johnson

I ordered my required pepperoni slice and decided to try the hot maple bacon. They take the slices and throw them in the oven for a few minutes to heat them up, ready to burn the roof of my mouth because I'm too impatient to wait a minute before shoving them in.

The hot maple bacon is an experience. The bacon is thick and rendered, making it somewhat crunchy to bite into. Not potato chip crunchy, but about as much as you can get a thick piece of bacon before turning it to glass. The honey drizzled on top helps cut some of the spiciness from the chilli pepper flakes on the bacon, although I wouldn't describe this as a very spicy slice. The honey adds sweetness to balance the spice and the tartness of the sauce, and it’s sticky. If there's any pizza here that you should wear the provided plastic gloves for, it's this one with hot honey drizzled all over it.

Photo by Kalen Johnson

Then I dug into my favourite since childhood — pepperoni. The pepperoni they use here is wonderful, salty and seasoned. The great thing about it, though, is the slight sourness from the sourdough pizza dough and the sauce really shine through. I do think the pepperoni or the cheese pizza is worth ordering to get the flavour of the crust and sauce without too many layers of toppings.

At NT$150 (US$4.80) for the Pepperoni and NT$170 (US$5.40) for the hot maple bacon, it’s certainly on the more expensive side for pizza. However, the slices are big, coming off a 20” pizza, the ingredients are fresh and good quality, and sourdough takes more time.

Photo by Kalen Johnson

By the time I was wrapping up, everyone had cleared out. It was a strange feeling to be the only person in a shop I always see so full. But that’s not a complaint. I threw away my paper plate, took another look at the slices on display longingly, and figured I would get the spicy sausage next time. It’s been a long time since I’ve had that one.

Photo by Kalen Johnson