Bottega

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

The Covone Family's Case for Neapolitan Pizza

La Presse called it "une pizza à la fois exceptionnelle et unique en son genre." The Gazette wrote that the Covone family appears to have "discovered the secret to amazing pizza." Le Devoir noted "une authentique cuisine d'Italie." That kind of consistent praise across Montréal's media landscape — and recognition from Gambero Rosso, Italy's most authoritative food guide — points to something real happening at 65 rue St-Zotique Est.

The Philosophy: Ingredients First

Bottega's approach is straightforward and uncompromising. The kitchen sources organic salumi, fresh buffalo mozzarella from Caserta, and hand-picked San Marzano tomatoes. The team's stated principle is telling: no modifications to the products themselves. Quality ingredients are left to speak on their own terms.

That philosophy extends to the oven at the heart of the operation — a wood-fired stone oven built from Vesuvian rock, shipped in a single piece from the port of Naples. Neapolitan pizza here is cooked at 900 degrees for 90 seconds, producing the thin, golden, smooth-to-the-touch crust that defines the tradition.

Wine as a Natural Extension

The wine list is built around Italian bottles chosen to complement rather than compete with the food. Bottega's own words frame it well: the goal is not expertise or spending, but arriving with the intention to eat and drink well, and letting the restaurant handle the rest. Accessible pricing on serious Italian wine is the aim.

A Neighbourhood Address with Two Locations

The original Montréal address on rue St-Zotique has since been joined by a second location in Laval, a sign of the loyalty the pizzeria has earned. Both offer dine-in reservations as well as online ordering for pickup and delivery — though the experience of eating Neapolitan pizza fresh from that Vesuvian oven, in the room, remains the point.