In the heart of Coastal City, Shenzhen, there is a small restaurant that has been melting the hearts of foreigners and locals alike with their delicious food and warm environment, its name is Artisans. Slow jazz playing in the background, a friendly owner greeting you at the door, and delicious gourmet pizza waiting to be ordered, Artisans has become a sanctuary to those looking to eat the best American gourmet pizza China has to offer.
Artisans was opened in mid-2016 by Quinton, an American entrepreneur, who wanted to bring his love and passion for California style food to Shenzhen. You can find him either greeting you at the door with a warm friendly smile or behind the counter making your order. He works diligently to guarantee that everyone who walks in enjoys their experience.
What makes Artisans stand out from the other pizza restaurants is their handmaid pizza and crust, as the dough takes up to 4 days to make. “It’s the dough that defines the pizza,” Quinton said with a smile when asked what makes and Artisans’ pizza special.
Artisans has a wide variety of gourmet pizzas to pick from, so if you have a particular flavor you are looking for, or if you are in the mood to explore, Artisans has the pizza just for you. Once a month, he will introduce a new type of gourmet pizza to the menu. For the month of March, they introduced a Meat Lover Pizza. It had pepperoni, sausage, fennel sausage, Sichuan sausage, bacon, mushrooms, and garlic. In April, it was the breakfast pizza, with an egg on a pizza. If you love eggs and you love pizza, the unique combination that Quinton has made will surely not disappoint.
If you are going in to try one of their famous gourmet pizzas for the first time and you like spicy, the Hollywood is for you. It’s a pepperoni pizza with jalapeno peppers, fresh tomato sauce, and olives with just the right amount of spice. It’s a little bit sweet, and little bit spicy, and a little bit salty, but the combination makes for a balanced and delicious pizza. If spicy is not your thing, then try the Pacific Heights, with fresh tomato sauce, mozzarella, goat cheese, prosciutto, and arugula. It’s a top seller and one that would leave you with a deeper love for pizza. If you are a returning customer, then try one of their many other gourmet pizzas.
Although Artisans’ main dishes are gourmet pizzas, they sell a wide-variety of food, such as salads, chicken wings, and desserts. When it comes to the chicken wings, the Catalina Wings are one of the best. It is Caribbean styled spicy chicken wings. If you like even your wings with extra spicy, then try the Furnace Creek Wings. It is spicy whole chicken wings made with 5 different kinds of chili peppers. It’s 
only for those looking to give their taste buds a spicy challenge. If salads are more of what you are looking for, then try their San Francisco. It has romaine lettuce, eggs, fresh garlic croutons, parmesan cheese with Caesar dressing. If you are looking to give your taste buds more of a salad explosion, try the Baja. It is a gourmet salad which has romaine lettuce with avocado, jalapeno peppers, jicama, Pico de Gallo, black beans, cheddar cheese with creamy cilantro dressing.
One of their most popular desserts is the carrot cake, which is Quinton’s own special recipe. It’s not too sweet with a strong carrot taste. As Evann Wu of STL so directly put it: “It’s one of very few sweet delicacies that I’m willing to intake calories for.” So if you are looking for a dessert to eat on your diet cheat day, go down to Artisans and order their famous carrot cake.
Artisans will be introducing a cocktail menu. You can sit and chill after having their delicious gourmet pizzas and salads. Your evenings just got better with a trip to Artisans.
Personally, Artisans has been one of my favorite places in all of Shenzhen, not just because of its delicious gourmet pizza, but also because it’s an inviting environment where everyone is welcomed and the prices are affordable. The people, the music, and the good food means that every time you leave Artisans you will not only have a full stomach but also a smile from ear to ear.
Written by Raphael Thomas
The Nanyan Observer 