As voting for this year’s Porcupine Ridge Pizzeria Challenge comes down to the wire, a fierce competition is underway, with five leading pizzerias competing for the top spot. The contest, which concludes at midnight on October 31, has seen a surprising twist with two Potchefstroom-based eateries joining the top five, underscoring the strong support from North West pizza enthusiasts.

The current top contenders, listed alphabetically, are:

Bardelli’s (Kenilworth, Cape Town)

Corlie’s Italian (Somerset West)

Ferdinando’s Pizza (Observatory, Cape Town)

Julia’s Eatalian (Potchefstroom)

Oukraal Restaurant (Potchefstroom)

According to Porcupine Ridge spokesperson Lynton Kaiser, the competition remains tight, and with just 48 hours left, there’s still room for other pizzerias to break into the top five. “It’s been a great challenge this year, with both returning favourites and new names,” Kaiser commented. “Potchefstroom’s success is exciting, but with enough last-minute support, anything is possible!”

The top pizzeria will be crowned South Africa’s favourite, gaining bragging rights along with a R40,000 prize package in Porcupine Ridge wines and marketing materials. This year, top 10 finalists will each receive an additional R1,800 in staff vouchers and three cases of wine to celebrate their top-selling servers. Over the course of the competition, eight lucky voters have already won Porcupine Ridge wines and EarthFire pizza accessories, and one final voter will take home the Grand Prize: an EarthFire Tabletop Pizza Oven, pizza for a year, and five cases of wine, valued at R10,000.

Voting is open until midnight, October 31. Cast your vote now and support your favourite pizzeria in this final stretch! For more details, visit Porcupine Ridge Pizzeria Challenge.