Fortezza Surprised Me and I Wasn’t Even Trying to Be Impressed

Looking for a nice night out but don’t want to end up at the same conceptual fancy places again? Craving lasagna, pasta, or just something comforting—but every classic spot is either packed, overrated, or just doesn’t feel exciting anymore? Well… how about Fortezza. A place that made it into the Top 100 Best Pizzas in the world.

Lucky for you, it happens to be right here in Bogotá.

Fortezza happens to sit exactly inside that sweet spot — a restaurant that doesn’t perform luxury, doesn’t shout its identity, doesn’t attempt to seduce you through design gimmicks or exaggerated branding. It’s the type of place you walk into and immediately think, Okay, I can breathe here.

From Architects to Pizza Makers: The Fortezza Origin Story

Fortezza isn’t just another pizzeria. It’s the realization of a dream by two architects — the Italian-born chef-founder Carmine Tangredi and the Colombian architect and his partner Daniela Hoyos. What began as a side project selling frozen pizzas with Mediterranean-style dough quickly evolved into a full-blown artisanal pizza restaurant in Bogotá. 

They didn’t arrive with hype. They arrived with dough, flour, and serious respect for tradition — and a vision: bring the authentic Italian pizza spirit to Colombia, but refined, thoughtful, and irreproachable.

They spent years developing their signature dough: long fermentation, high-quality flours, imported or carefully selected ingredients, and a baking process that honors wood-fired tradition. The result is what they call “pizza contemporary Napolitana” — light but structured dough, airy, charred in just the right way, with toppings that speak to origin and quality.

How Fortezza Made History

What makes Fortezza not just a local gem, but a global statement: in 2025, the restaurant cracked the world’s best pizza list. In the prestigious The Best Pizza Awards (2025), Fortezza landed at #80 in the world — the only Colombian pizzeria in the top 100. 

The selection came from a jury of 512 pizza experts from 60 countries, evaluating technical execution, authenticity, innovation and passion — exactly the criteria Fortezza was built around. 

That recognition isn’t just a trophy for Colombia’s food scene and for Bogotá’s dining map, it’s a symbolic breakthrough: a signal that we can stand among global heavyweights when we commit to technique, ingredients and respect for tradition.

Because of that, Fortezza isn’t just “good pizza in Bogotá.” It’s a proof of concept: local ambition done right, global-level execution in a city that rarely tries to meet those standards.

That Night: We Let the Pizza Speak

We met outside Fortezza around 7pm. Bogotá was its usual self — hectic, noisy, full of expectations. Once we stepped inside, something shifted: the lighting softened, the buzz layered down, and suddenly we were in a little bubble of calm.

We ordered a Regina Margherita and a Diavola con Gorgonzola — classic and bold. No overthinking. Just trust in craft.

The Margherita arrived first. The crust? Light, airy, just-charred. The kind of crust that feels like a handshake with somewhere far away: Naples, Campobasso, somewhere with sea salt and slow afternoons. The tomato tasted clean, the mozzarella melted but didn’t drown the base, the basil was discreet but necessary. It was simple pizza — but executed with conviction.

Then the Diavola hit the table. Spicy salami, a creamy gorgonzola that didn’t overstay, crust that held up until the last bite. That pizza had personality — a subtle one, but confident. My friend paused mid-bite, looked at me, and said: “This one’s the real deal.”

We alternated slices. The Margherita disarmed us, the Diavola made us sit up and appreciate what pizza can be when taken seriously.

Simple Drinks

No elaborate wine menu. I had a San Pellegrino Limonata. My friend had a crisp glass of white. The drinks weren’t a statement. They were a quiet accompaniment — the equivalent of knowing that the soundtrack should stay in the background while the pizza does the dancing.

It felt right. Nothing pretentious. Just good taste.

Service and Atmosphere That Let You Be

The servers never hovered. They didn’t interrupt. They didn’t try to “enhance your experience” with forced recommendations or over-polished courtesy. They were present, quietly so — checking in, filling water, stepping back when needed.

That’s rare in Bogotá. And for a night like this, that’s everything.

The restaurant felt intimate, calm, and real. Not curated for social media, not loud. Just people eating, talking, breathing.

Price vs Value

Is Fortezza cheap? No. Far from it. But that’s not the point.

You don’t come here expecting “cheap pizza.” You come here expecting pizza with integrity — dough that’s fermented, charred; ingredients that know what they are; a kitchen that respects the craft.

And for that, paying more doesn’t feel like overpaying. It feels like investing in authenticity.

For a casual night out, for a friend you like, for a small celebration — Fortezza makes sense.

 Why Fortezza Matters (Even If You’re Just Looking for a Pizza Night)

• Its founders come from outside the typical restaurant circuit. They got into gastronomy out of passion and they come from a design background. That shapes every detail: dough, oven, space, ambiance.
  
• The pizza isn’t “pizza as distraction.” It’s “pizza as craft.” You feel the difference.
  
• For Bogotá — where good pizza often means heavy dough or overly safe toppings — Fortezza offers risk and real technique.
• It’s the first — and so far only — Colombian pizzeria within the top 100 global pizza list. That alone gives it symbolic weight.
  

What made the night great wasn’t just the pizza — it was the way Fortezza holds space for you. The warm lighting, the calm rhythm of the room, and the quiet confidence of the food create an atmosphere where conversation flows and time slows just enough. It turns a simple plan into an unexpectedly memorable evening. And that emotional precision is exactly why Fortezza matters.

Walking Out: Full and Satisfied

When we left, the Bogotá noise came back slowly, as if someone turned up the volume from backstage. But I carried something inside me — a calm, a small glow. Not because pizza changed me, but because pizza reminded me that good meals don’t always need drama. Sometimes they just need care.

Fortezza didn’t set out to reinvent pizza. It aimed to respect it. To honor it. To show that a Colombian pizza spot — built by two architects who loved dough enough to drop frozen pizzas and try real fire — can compete on the world’s stage.

And that’s exactly what it did.