
Featured art by Bhernn Saenz. With images courtesy of Eat Pizza PH.
MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines, the pizza-loving country that it is, finally holds the door open for a pizza experience unlike any other. Offering a revolutionary pizza experience, South Korea’s original 10-inch pizza chain Eat Pizza, finally lands on Philippine shores. Early this month, opening its first branch at the 2nd Floor of SM North Edsa’s main mall, Eat Pizza brings its promise of a “pizza revolution” to its consumer base that enjoys not just its now-well-known unique flavors but the heritage of Korea in every bite.
A quick look at its young but fast-evolving history, Eat Pizza opened its first store in South Korea in 2021 and has seen rapid growth, which saw it expanding to 120 stores. It has also conquered the pizza market, treading various locations in neighboring Southeast Asian countries including Thailand and Singapore. Now, having just landed in Philippine shores, Eat Pizza brings this pizza indulgence to Filipinos.
Images courtesy of Eat Pizza Philippines.
Scott Tan, Managing Director of Scottland Food Group Corporation, the distributors of Eat Pizza, tells Rank Magazine, “I discovered Eat Pizza early this year when I was in Singapore, of all places, even if it’s a brand that really grew from South Korea. It’s a very unique and revolutionary way of eating and serving pizza. It’s individual and it’s equivalent to two large slices of pizza so, it’s really ‘sulit’ and you’re ‘busog’. On top of that, you have the Korean culture heritage to it. In the Philippines, the whole Korean culture is just exploding, from the drama, from the pop, from the food. With the experience that we had with Bon Chon, I believe that this concept can work.”
Marketed as an experience that brings pizza out of the ordinary, made with dough infused with the richness of extra virgin olive oil then topped with 100% natural mozzarella cheese among many of its array of fresh ingredients, these are crafted into a 10-inch-long rectangular pizza for the ideal group meal indulgence, where every person who orders gets to select their preferred flavors. Each serving is then baked with crunchy edges and a soft doughy center for that unforgettable bite.
Tan adds, “How we did it in Bon Chon before, we introduced a new way of fried chicken. With Eat Pizza we seek to do the same. For decades, we know it’s a circular pizza, you’d have to order all eight slices and share. This is very different, including the flavors that are very unique. This gave me the confidence that this will definitely work in the Philippines.”
Scott Tan, Managing Director of Scottland Food Group Corporation. Images courtesy of Eat Pizza Philippines.
The Philippine branch is slated to offer 10 pizza flavors, ranging from classic pizza flavors to slides with a Korean twist. These include traditional pizzas like Aloha, Pepperoni and Real Cheese.
Its unique Korean inspired flavors, in one glance, do not disappoint. For meat lovers, there’s Bulgogi on the menu or the Hot & Spicy Bulgogi for a bit of a spicy kick, Samgyeopsal. Lovers of Korean snacks can also explore the interesting flavors of Sweet Milk, Sweet Corn or Sweet Potato. At the media event that the brand hosted, the Korean Sausage is a standout with its explosion of flavor that is neither overpowering or easily “filling” that you would not finish an entire slide.
Pair these with a choice of 5 baked sides, try the Tteokbokki with Cheese for a full Korean cuisine experience or try the Sweet and Spicy Corn Cheese or Sweet Potato Corn Cheese. Traditional favorites like Spaghetti and Carbonara are also on the menu and what this writer tried was the Carbonara which is undeniably value for money. In fact, a serving that’s beyond what you’d expect for its price range.
Images courtesy of Eat Pizza Philippines.
Tan highlights, “What I like about our partners from Eat Pizza in Korea, they know how important it is to localize because I guess, based on their experience, a lot of Korean companies, when they bring it here, they have to be very strict and follow certain things knowing that if it works in Korea, it will work in the Philippines. But that is not always the case. You really have to localize to adapt to certain taste palates here in the Philippines, so they gave us the liberty to develop all we want. The first ten flavors of pizza we are introducing are all from them first. And one core competency that we have in Scottland Food Group Corporation, is our strong R&D team. We like to innovate and get good ideas on new products and we will be releasing new flavors to add to our initial offerings soon.”
“Eat Pizza not only offers Korean flavors you love on a pizza, but the serving size is unique as well. Whether you are a solo diner craving pizza or just as a way so that everyone gets to order the flavor that they want, Eat Pizza offers an out of the ordinary pizza experience in every slide for everyone,” he furthers in a statement.
L-R: Miguel Gaspi, SM North EDSA Mall Manager; Sujung Lee, Director General Korea Trade Center; Kim Chul Min, Pizza Innovation CEO; Kim Chul Un, Pizza Innovation President; Scott Tan, Scottland Food Group Corp. Managing Director; Roel Sun, Scottland Food Group Corp. General Manager). Images courtesy of Eat Pizza Philippines.
“Us, Filipinos, we love pizza. Since we were kids, we’ve been eating pizza from all the brands out there. It’s like part of our culture. Now, the Philippines has become this global foodie that we have been very open to all types of food. We like the Korean food, Chinese food, Japanese food, Spanish food, Italian food. So pizza really hits all market, young, old, all market size and we priced it really [affordable] and very of value since I want everyone to really get to try it,” he closes.
With this opening, Tan shares a slate of branches in the works, including one that is opening this year in SM Mall of Asia and other locations. With that underway, Eat Pizza flavors are available in its flagship branch in SM North EDSA while orders are available via Grab or Foodpanda.
For more information on Eat Pizza, follow them on Facebook and Instagram.