What Makes a Real Neapolitan Pizza in Porto? It Starts 24 Hours Before You Sit Down

Most pizza in Porto is made the same day it is served.

At Pavao Restaurant & Pizzaria, your pizza started yesterday. Every single pizza we serve begins with a dough that ferments for a minimum of 24 hours before it ever touches our oven. That is not a marketing claim. It is the decision we made after months of testing before we ever opened our doors — and it is the reason customers drive from Braga and Gaia to eat here on a regular basis.

This is the story of what actually goes into a Neapolitan-style pizza at Pavao, and why it tastes different from anything else you will find in Porto.

THE DOUGH: WHY 24 HOURS CHANGES EVERYTHING

Before we opened Pavao, we tested every kind of dough imaginable. Instant dough. Short fermentation. Different hydration levels. Different flour combinations. We made pizza after pizza and shared it with friends and family, asking one simple question: which one is worth driving across the city for?

The answer was always the same. The 24-hour fermented dough was in a different category.

Here is the science behind it. When dough ferments slowly over 24 hours, the natural enzymes and yeast have time to break down proteins and starches in the flour. This process does three things that fast dough simply cannot replicate.

First, it builds a deeper, more complex flavour. Instant dough has a slightly strange, flat taste that experienced pizza eaters notice immediately. Our dough has flavour built into it before a single topping goes on.

Second, it creates a lighter crumb structure. The inside of our pizza base has air pockets that give it that characteristic softness — crispy and floppy at the same time in the way that authentic Neapolitan pizza is supposed to feel.

Third, it makes the pizza significantly easier to digest. Many people who feel bloated or heavy after eating regular pizza find they have no discomfort after eating ours. That is not coincidence — it is the result of the fermentation process doing the digestive work in advance.

We prepare enough dough for 60 pizzas per day. When those 60 are gone, they are gone. We do not make a second batch. We do not use frozen dough. We do not compromise on this, even on our busiest nights.

THE FLOUR: WHY WE IMPORT FROM ITALY

Our dough starts with 00 flour from Italy, 00 flour is the finest grind of wheat flour available. It creates the smooth, elastic dough that Neapolitan pizza requires — the kind that stretches without tearing and holds its structure at extreme heat without becoming tough or bready.

Most pizza restaurants in Porto use standard flour available locally. Some use dough purchased directly from wholesale suppliers like Makro. We use neither. The flour matters too much to compromise on, and the difference is something you can taste in every bite.

THE OVEN: VOLCANIC ROCK AND CONSTANT HEAT

Our oven uses a volcanic rock base that changes everything about how the pizza cooks. Here is the problem with most pizza ovens: they lose heat every time the door opens. In a busy restaurant service, that means pizza number one cooks at a different temperature to pizza number twenty. The result is inconsistency — customers sitting at different tables get a different product.

Our volcanic rock base takes time to reach the right temperature at the start of service. But once it reaches that heat, it holds it with almost no variation for the entire session. Every pizza cooks in exactly three minutes at 450 degrees on top and 350 degrees on the base.

The result is a pizza that is perfectly consistent from the first order of the night to the last. Crispy on the outside, soft and airy inside, with a base that has that characteristic char that Neapolitan tradition requires.

THE SAUCE: RAW TOMATOES FROM ITALY, NOT A READY-MADE JAR

Walk into most pizza restaurants in Porto and their tomato sauce comes from a ready-made product. Open the jar, spread it on, done. Fast, consistent, forgettable. We buy raw tomatoes in cans, imported from Italy. We cook them ourselves with a combination of herbs and spices that we have developed specifically to complement our dough and cheese. No sugar added. No shortcuts.The difference between a pizza made with our sauce and one made with ready-made sauce is not subtle. It is the difference between a topping and an ingredient that is actually part of the pizza.

THE CHEESE: ELASTIC, NOT SYNTHETIC

Our mozzarella is chosen specifically to match our dough and sauce. It melts into long, elastic strands — the kind that stretch when you lift a slice and hold together without breaking. This is what real pizza cheese does. It is the result of using the right product, not the cheapest available option.

The dough recipe, the sauce, and the cheese were developed together as a system. Change one and the whole thing changes. That is why we do not substitute ingredients based on what is convenient that week.

THE TOPPINGS: ITALY AND BRAZIL ON THE SAME PLATE

Our toppings are inspired by two traditions: Italian classics and Brazilian pizza culture, which has its own distinct identity that most Europeans have never experienced. From Italy: our Margherita, and Pepperoni follow traditional recipes with quality ingredients. From Brazil: our Calabresa pizza features smoked Brazilian sausage, and our Frango com Catupiry brings together chicken and Catupiry — the iconic Brazilian cream cheese that has no real equivalent in European cooking. If you have never tried Brazilian pizza, these are the place to start.

For customers who cannot eat tomato sauce, our Saga pizza uses a nata (cream) base instead. We have regular customers who are allergic to tomato and come back specifically because our dough is worth eating with any topping — or with almost no topping at all.

You can see our full pizza menu here: MENU PAGE

WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS TELL US

We have a regular customer, Ana, who comes in every ten days with friends and orders the Porto pizza, the Lapa pizza, and the Pavao pizza every single visit. We have Luis who orders the pepperoni every time without looking at the menu. We have customers who discovered us and now make the drive from Braga and Gaia on a regular basis, specifically for the dough.

And then there are the tourists.

The comment we hear most often from visitors to Porto is one that stays with us: they found Pavao on their last day in the city. They loved it. They wanted to come back. They could not. If you are visiting Porto, do not make that mistake. Come early in your trip.

COME AND TRY IT

Every pizza at Pavao is made to order, from dough that has been fermenting since the day before. We follow the Neapolitan tradition — slow fermentation, high heat, quality ingredients, no shortcuts.

We are located at R. de Antero de Quental 618, Porto. Reserve your table: 934514529

If you want to experience our Rodízio de Pizza — where you choose from 24+ flavours across multiple pizzas for a fixed price — you can find everything you need to know here:

Great pizza takes time. Yours started yesterday.