Getting a group together for dinner can be tricky when you have to consider everyone’s different tastes and budgets. There’s the friend who refuses to order anything she can make at home; the one who’s obsessed with seafood; the vegetarian; and the wheat intolerant. But the dish that can save the day – that can make even the fussiest diner happy – is the margherita pizza. It’s a great place to start: using the pizza as a basis, individual preferences can be satisfied easily with additional toppings. The modest margherita can be transformed into everyone’s favourite – and your cheapskate friend won’t even have to look at the menu!

Here is our pizza index (inspired by The Economist’s Big Mac Index) of where to get a simple margherita pizza and at what price.

Johannesburg

Café Picobella
The damage: R58

Ciao Baby Cucina (Bedford Square)
The damage: R55

Cornuti (Illovo)
The damage: R54

Doppio Zero
The damage: R49 (large)

Il Giardino Degli Ulivi
The damage: R55

Luca’s Pizzeria Pastificio
The damage: R59 (large)

Luigi’s Pizzeria
The damage: R37.85 for medium, R47.30 for large

Next Door Pizza
The damage: R56

Piza e Vino
The damage: R49 (large)

Polpetta Pizza and Pasta
The damage: R55

Satori
The damage: R56

Trabella
The damage: R54

Pretoria

Bravo Pizzeria
The damage: R40

Ciao
The damage: R58

Fumo
The damage: R55

La Cantina
The damage: R44

Ritrovo
The damage: R75

Toni’s Fully Furnished Pizza Company
The damage: R46

Villa San Giovanni
The damage: R47 (large)

Durban

Al Firenze
The damage: R58

Craft Trattoria
The damage: R65

Il Postino Pizzeria
The damage: R48

La Storia
The damage: R65

The Mad Italian
The damage: R50

Pizzetta Pizzeria
The damage: R47

Remo’s
The damage: R50

Spiga
The damage: R55

Stretta Cucina
The damage: R79 (with buffalo mozzarella)

Cape Town

Ashley’s Restaurant
The damage: R48

The damage: R48

Balducci’s
The damage: R60

Bardelli’s
The damage: R49

Basilico
The damage: R50

Blue Water Café
The damage: R48 (large)

Borusso’s
The damage: R48

Burrata
The damage: R59

Cafe Pescado
The damage: R49

Carlyle’s
The damage: R40

Da Vinci’s
The damage: R53 (large)

Massimo’s
The damage: R56

Meloncino
The damage: R69

Nonna Lina
The damage: R55

Pizzeria Villagio
The damage: R55

Posticino
The damage: R46

The Woodlands Eatery
The damage: R45

Winelands

Allora
The damage: R75

Cafe Blanc de Noir
The damage: R60

The damage: R30 (the margarita is called the kiddies pizza and pizzas are only served on weekends)

The Farmers Kitchen
The damage: R50

Gino’s (Stellenbosch)
The damage: R50

Lillypad
The damage: R50

Marc’s Mediterranean Cuisine
The damage: R65

Garden Route

Chatters
The damage: R49 (large)

Cornuti Al Mare
The damage: R52

La Locanda
The damage: R50

Overberg

Piazza Paradiso
The damage: R45

Bella Napoli
The damage: R50

Nationwide

Col’Cacchio in Atoll, Blouberg, Brooklyn, Bryanston, Camps Bay, Canal Walk, Cape Town, Cavendish, Emperor’s Palace,  Fairland, Franschhoek, Gateway, Hermanus, Hyde Park, Lynnwood, Northgate, Sandton, Stellenbosch, Tyger Valley and Woodhill.
The damage: R49

Primi Piatti in Soweto, Table View, Constantia, Blue Route, Cape Town Airport, Musgrave, PE Airport, Rosmead, Rosebank, Port Elizabeth, Somerset West, Willowbridge, Fourways, Melrose Arch, Stoneridge, Sunninghill, Paarl, Bloemfontein, Cavendish, East London, Eastgate, Menlyn, Polokwane, Potchefstroom, Century City, Ballito,  Midrand, Hillcrest, Camps Bay, Centurion, Sea Point, Gateway, Irene, V&A Waterfront
The damage: R37 for medium, R52 for large

By Kelly Pluke

Have we missed your favourite pizza spot? Let us know on info@eatout.co.za.

Wheat intolerant? Check out our best of Italian guide, which includes details on which restaurants offer gluten-free bases.

*Please note that prices quoted are correct at time of publishing on 20 February 2013, and are likely to change at the restaurant’s discretion.