[45] On Burrata and Brick Ovens: Gino's Brick Oven Pizza, The Podium

I'm sure that you'll agree with me when I say that lots of things change within a span of 10 years. But there are some restaurants that, despite branch closures and the passage of time, stay true to their specialties. Today's joint – Gino's Brick Oven Pizza – is one example.

This homegrown pizzeria is the brainchild of restaurateur husband-and-wife Jutes and Cello Templo. The couple is no stranger to the restaurant business, as they own Cello's Donuts and Dips (named after the missus). Gino's Brick Oven Pizza was named after their first son Gino, with its main branch along Katipunan Avenue sharing a space with Tyler's Café (named after their second son Tyler).

This entry was originally written in 2015, thus my mention of a 10-year gap. At the time of its operation, Gino's Brick Oven Pizza stood out from other restaurants at The Podium mall in Ortigas. The mall underwent renovations in October 2017, but the pizza joint closed its branch there and did not reopen after that.

Gino's Brick Oven Pizza had a warm rustic hue in red and brown thanks to the red bricks that adorned the entire place. Metal pails planted with fresh herbs served as decorations to break the monotony. A pile of firewood for the brick ovens, which the restaurant takes its name from, was neatly stacked in one corner.

I was still in a relationship at the time of my first trip there (June 2015) – so the pre-migration version of this review made mention of that. My former partner and I have since broken up and went our separate ways. Putting that aside, here's what we tried from that visit.

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First is the Burrata Cheese Plate, part of the appetizers at Gino's Brick Oven Pizza. The sturdy mozzarella packet – made in-house, mind you – conceals cream cheese within. This goes best with their house bread, three pieces of which came with this order.

Gino's Brick Oven Pizza's take on the Carbonara stays true with the original – creamy pasta with an egg-based sauce and bacon on top. While this didn't use guanciale (something purists insist on), this version is leagues better than the regular "carbonara" pasta that uses cream as base. No need for a lot of ingredients – sometimes, simple is the way to go.

The Bacon Sausage Pasta is another favorite among the pastas on the menu. Homemade sausage is mixed with a cream-based sauce and generously topped with shredded parmesan cheese. Mad props to the chunky sausages on this one!

The Templos nailed the Margherita Pizza – an Italian classic – to a T. House-made cottage cheese, tomato sauce, and basil graced the oven-baked pizza crust, with the fresh herbs giving a refreshing bite to the other two ingredients. A drizzle of the Spiced Honey, which is provided tableside, imbues a sweet kick.

The Buffalo Chicken Pizza combines mozzarella cheese and buffalo chicken pieces with tomato sauce on top of an oven-baked crust. This pizza version of the famous sports bar chow is surprisingly good, with the cheese providing a milky contrast to the intense buffalo chicken. I noted in 2015 that this was probably the best item we tried – and that still holds water 10 years later, as you will read below.

Lastly, we ended the 2015 meal with the Nutella Soup – an oven-baked bread bowl filled with melted chocolate combined with the eponymous hazelnut spread, and sprinkled with chopped hazelnuts. Break pieces off the bread bowl and dip it in the sweet soup, akin to how roti (flatbread) is eaten. Unfortunately, this was phased out after Gino's Brick Oven Pizza revamped its menu.

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Ten years passed since that first trip to Gino's Brick Oven Pizza, and its branch at The Podium eventually closed as I mentioned above. However, the story didn't quite finish there; it later found a new home at the upscale Shangri-La Plaza Mall in the city of Mandaluyong.

This location at the mall's fifth level retained the warm reds and browns of its old branch, albeit without the metal buckets on the walls. It's located right beside Cello's Donuts and Dips, given that both have the same owners. I paid this joint a visit in September 2025, more than a decade after my last meal.

I ordered the Buffalo Chicken Pizza, this time with extra Garlic Mushrooms for additional protein. This pizza tasted the same as when I first tried it, which brought back memories – and inspired me to finally migrate this old review from Wordpress to Wix. I finished the whole 12-inch pizza without feeling bloated, which wouldn't be possible with pizzas from other establishments.

I capped off this meal with a slice of the Crack Pie, with its filling made of butter and crust made out of graham crackers and oatmeal. A hot cup of its Matcha Latte cleansed my palate and kept me awake for that afternoon. I paid my tab for this meal and left Gino's Brick Oven Pizza, with the realization that the 10-year wait was definitely worth it.

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Visit the official website of Gino's Brick Oven Pizza and follow it on Facebook and on Instagram to stay updated with its latest promotions.

Until the next review, bon appetit!