Sokcho pizzeria, all 8 New York slices tried: Gagas Pizza

It's honestly surprising that a pizza shop this good exists in Sokcho. It's a shame it's tucked a bit away from Sokcho Beach where people might not find it — if this place were right on the beach, it would've absolutely blown up. Recommended for anyone who prefers a crispy, well-moisture-controlled crust over a bready dough.

Gagas Pizza's location and Onnuri gift certificates

Gagas Pizza is located at 10 Saemaeul 9-gil, Sokcho, in an alley a short walk from Sokcho Beach. This alley accepts Onnuri gift certificates, so you can eat here at pretty affordable prices.

Something about dough fermented cold for over 48 hours and 100% mozzarella they grate themselves — I don't fully get the details, but it's just delicious.

I thought it had a European vibe since it's not too cheesy or salty, but it says New York style right there. Uh, sir, New York style should be at least twice as salty. Not that it isn't tasty — of all the pizza I've had in the past month, this one can confidently claim the top spot.

Order on the 1st floor, eat on the 2nd

Gagas Pizza's system has you order on the first floor and eat on the second. Getting it to go or via delivery to eat at the beach would probably be great too.

Ordering all 8 pizzas on the menu

For the order, haha, I ordered every single pizza on the menu. Cheese, Margherita, Pepperoni, Hawaiian, Super Combo, American Chili, Greeny Olive, and White Mushroom, one of each, along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, and Budweiser draft beer.

If a pizza is already made when you order, you can eat it right away, but unfortunately not the whole lineup is pre-baked, so you might wait around 20 minutes for the rest.

Unlike your typical pizza shop, they also sell cup wine.

Why there are two receipts, and the best menu items

Why are there two photos of the POS receipt? Because it was so good I went back down to the first floor to order more and came back up.

If I had to pick the best, the pineapple pizza (Hawaiian) is number one, hands down. (I feel bad for cursing it as heresy the first time I saw it.) The pineapple doesn't stick out at all, and the overall sweetness and balance are perfect — nothing to nitpick. The chili pizza had a strong taco flavor, which gave it a distinct character. The olive pizza had a nice basil flavor throughout with good balance, making it delicious. Lastly, the white mushroom seems to use truffle paste — the aroma was just right and the overall savoriness was quite good.

2nd floor seating and the plastic tableware downside

The second floor has a clean, well-put-together interior. I wondered why the pickles and jalapeños were kept in a cooler box — turns out it's a food-truck-style setup where most of the plates, forks, and tableware are plastic.

The pickles seemed to be homemade, which I liked a lot, but the beer coming in a plastic cup and the plastic tableware made cutting the pizza a bit inconvenient — that was a downside. I guess it's meant to keep the takeout vibe, but it's still a bit of a shame.

The table sauce lineup is great

That said, the table sauce lineup is quite good. And the Rigo hot sauce? That alone earns a pass. This place is already a good restaurant.

And for some reason, that day, when I drizzled on the Rigo hot sauce, it strangely had a mushroom umami note to it, like the owner had done something special to the sauce. Rigo, as always! Besides that, there's also crushed pepper and oregano on the table so everyone can season to their own taste.

Three cup wines and Budweiser draft beer

I tried the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Shiraz cup wines, and they all paired reasonably well with the pizza. Even among red wines, some people preferred the Cabernet Sauvignon and others the Merlot, so having wine by the cup is great for finding your own preference.

The Budweiser draft beer had really clean foam and carbonation, like the tap nozzle was well maintained. The combo of slice pizza and draft beer never fails, of course, haha.

There's a bit of fun in the fact that ordering all these different things comes together as one whole pizza.

Since I wanted to try a bit of everything, I cut it up into individual slices.

Even with plastic tableware, it still cuts just fine. We finished everything and ordered more, and since this second batch was already baked, they only needed reheating, so it came up quickly.

The toppings weren't piled on excessively, so the flavor of the dough and cheese still came through, and the fresh parsley and basil on top brought the overall flavor up a notch.

American Chili

The American Chili really did taste like eating a taco, true to its name. It's topped with a house-made chili of beef and pork slow-simmered with spices, and the Mexican-style flavor really comes through. It's a pizza with the appeal of eating chili con carne, making it quite a distinctive menu item.

White Mushroom

The White Mushroom has a deep, well-roasted mushroom flavor with a subtle hint of truffle paste and truffle oil on top — not overpowering, just right. The mushroom umami really shines, so if you like mushrooms, this is the one I'd recommend first.

And as you can see in the photo, it's easy to season to taste with hot sauce, crushed pepper, oregano, and even parmesan cheese.

Hawaiian

I'll say it again — the most impressive was the Hawaiian pizza. I don't usually go for Hawaiian pizza, but this place changed my mind. The pineapple, maybe marinated, doesn't taste canned at all, its sweetness is very natural, and the sauce and pepperoni's saltiness balance it out well. It's not just a sweet Hawaiian — the sweetness and umami live together, and I kept reaching for more.

The bottom crust has real Maillard-browned crispness, while the inside keeps a good amount of chewiness.

If you're eating pizza in Sokcho

If you're eating pizza in Sokcho, Gagas Pizza is well worth the trip. With good dough and cheese as the foundation, each pizza had a clear identity of its own, and being able to try several flavors by the slice was a big plus.

The dough is genuinely well-managed and well-baked — that's not common. Thin but crispy, haha. This is a pizza shop I'd recommend to tourists and Sokcho locals alike for enjoying pizza and beer together. Like I said at the start, if this place had a better location, people would have a much harder time finding it — so go visit now.