1-888-671-2342 How to Find the Right Pizza Oven
HELPFUL TIPS FOR PURCHASING A PIZZA OVEN
Buying your own pizza oven is a great investment so you want to make sure you get the right oven! If you’ve been researching pizza ovens for months, let us help you make a decision so you can start enjoying baking in your brand new pizza oven.
PIZZA OVEN OVERVIEW
To get you going in the right direction, here's a broad overview of pizza ovens...
1. Pizza ovens can be wood-burning or gas (and sometimes both). The benefit of a gas oven is simply the time it takes to light it. However, most of the fun of having an outdoor oven is slowing down and enjoying the process. So, while a wood-burning oven takes a little longer to light, it's fun and worth the effort (to us). It will depend on how you use your oven as to which may be better for you.
2. Pizza ovens can be made of brick, stainless, or aluminum among other materials. The benefit of a brick oven is that they hold heat for a longer amount of time; however, they take longer to heat. The metal ovens take less time to heat but don't retain heat as well. It means that the steel ovens will cool quicker when you let the fire die down. Brick ovens are also much heavier than metal ovens. So, the decision here would be what type of look do you want in your backyard and whether you have a need to move the oven around.
3. Pizza ovens can come as complete units or DIY kits. Some people like the kits because they want to build in the oven using their own design while others want an oven on a cart so they can move it around.
4. Pizza ovens come in all sizes and looks. We carry the traditional ovens from Portugal (ie, Pizzaioli, Buena Ventura), gas brick ovens from Chicago, stainless steel ovens from Portugal and Italy (ie, Maximus Pizza Oven, Alfa 5 Minuti) as well as many others from the US. So, it will come down to the look you are trying to create in your backyard as well as the other factors mentioned above.
Here's a good blog post about other considerations when purchasing a residential pizza oven:
If you just want to dive right into some pizza oven brands and styles, below are a few to get you pointed in the right direction:
BRICK PIZZA OVENS
The Authentic Pizza Oven Portuguese ovens are favorites for residential patios and neighborhood community centers. These brick ovens are 100% handmade in Portugal so they are traditional and hold heat for hours.
Although there are are a couple of basic styles for these brick ovens, they are all made by the same craftsmen so any of them would be a wonderful choice for your backyard cooking.
Pizzaioli / Brazza / Buena Ventura
- These ovens are exactly the same with just a different face
- The Pizzaioli has a traditional terracotta brick face and iron zinc plated door while the Brazza has a black/dark brown cast stone face with a black door to match.
- Both of these pizza ovens have cooking areas of 33.5”w x 31.5”d x 15”h.
- The doors to these ovens are 19.7”w x 10.6”h – wider than most ovens and large enough for bigger pizzas.
- Most pizza aficionados enjoy cooking 1 pizza at a time but these ovens can handle (2) 12” pies baked to perfection in less than 2 minutes!
There are a few styles of the Pizzaioli and Brazza brick ovens. Some have extra cork finishes in different colors, others have a stone finish, and the Premium ovens have a different door and flue system. So, take a look at all of them to decide which you like the best!
Here’s a link to the traditional Pizzaioli Oven:
https://www.patioandpizza.com/products/pizzaioli-brick-wood-fired-pizza-oven
Here’s a link to the traditional Brazza Oven:
https://www.patioandpizza.com/products/brick-wood-fired-oven-brazza
Lisboa / Famosi / Ventura
- These ovens are exactly the same with just a different face
- The Lisboa has a traditional Mediterranean-style face while the Famosi has a unique handmade black brick face.
- Both of these pizza ovens have cooking areas of 31”w x 31”d x 20”h.
- The doors to these ovens are 14”w x 12”h.
- These pizza ovens can handle (2) 12” pizza pies and bake perfect pizzas in less than 2 minutes!
- These ovens also have a rotisserie / spitfire option for amazing meats!
There are a few styles of the Lisboa and Famosi brick ovens. Some have extra cork finishes in different colors, others have a stone finish, and the Premium ovens have a different door and flue system. So, take a look at all of them to decide which you like the best!
Here’s a link to the traditional Lisboa Oven: https://www.patioandpizza.com/products/authentic-pizza-ovens-traditional-brick-lisboa-wood-fire-oven
Here’s a link to the traditional Famosi Oven: https://www.patioandpizza.com/products/authentic-pizza-ovens-famosi-brick-wood-fire-oven
PIZZA OVEN KITS
With one of our pizza oven kits, you will get everything you need for the oven itself so you can build around it using your own custom design and facade to create a unique pizza oven focal point for your outdoor kitchen.
If you want a DIY pizza oven, the Chicago Brick Oven brand is a nice choice.
Homeowners, Contractors, and Restaurateurs consider CBO pizza ovens to be the "best bang for your buck" in the wood burning oven industry. You won't regret investing in a Chicago Brick Oven Pizza Oven Kit!
The CBO-500 has a cooking area of 26w” x 23d”.
The CBO-750 has a cooking area of 28w” x 41d”.
The CBO-1000 has a cooking area of 40w” x 51.5d” and is the LARGEST Chicago Brick pizza oven so it should satisfy any pizza cooking needs!
Here's a link to the CBO-500 Bundle
Here's a link to the CBO-750 Bundle
Here's a link to the CBO-1000 Bundle
COMMERCIAL PIZZA OVENS
These pizza ovens can handle the large pizza pie output necessary for restaurants, food trucks, bakeries, caterers, backyard parties, and special events! If you are a restaurant owner, architect, builder, or masonry contractor, the easy installation of these ovens will give you plenty of revenue generation opportunities!
These brands are extremely popular with our Hospitality customers as they are UL-Listed for Commercial use:
- CBO-750 - has a 41" x 28" cooking surfaces so you can easily cook (2) 12" pizzas averaging 60 pizzas / hour
- CBO-1000 Kit - has a cooking area of 40w” x 51.5d” and is a very LARGE pizza oven so it should satisfy any pizza cooking needs!
Here's a link to the CBO-1000 Oven: https://www.patioandpizza.com/products/chicago-brick-oven-cbo-1000-wood-burning-pizza-oven-bundle
- Earthstone Model 110-PA – has a large 43" diameter cooking space. This oven can easily hold 4-5 12" pizzas.
- Belforno 40" Gas Fired Oven Kit – has approximately 40"W x 50.25"D cooking area. This oven can be covered using the material of your choice.
Here’s a link to the Belforno 40" Gas Fired Oven:
https://www.patioandpizza.com/products/belforno-40-gas-fired-pizza-oven-kit
There are also several smaller wood fired pizza ovens, but, since you will be using your pizza oven for a business, you’d be much better off investing in a larger, high-quality oven that will continue to serve its purpose for years to come.
Next steps? Pick an oven from above or visit one of our related pages to continue researching.
RELATED LINKS
Here are a few links that may help get you thinking about what you really want from your pizza oven:
1. Top 4 Considerations When Buying a Residential Pizza Oven
2. What Can You Cook in a Pizza Oven (besides pizza)
3. Pizza Oven Temperatures for Cooking
4. Brick Ovens Versus Stainless Steel Ovens
You can also find all our pizza ovens here.
Still need help? Give us a call or chat with us so we can help you find a solution.
Take the Pizza Oven Quiz to find your perfect oven!
We add new products frequently so will definitely have an oven that works for you! Start enjoying your very own pizza oven rather than dreaming about it!