Welcome to Pizzeria Ascente
The name Ascente is not only connected to the proprietor’s Sicilian family roots, but by Italian definition means to ‘rise above’ or ‘ascend.’ At Pizzeria Ascente we elevate your pizza experience! We produce a Craft Pizza that uses artisan pizza techniques, all done by hand in small batches. We are committed to sourcing locally, invested in our local community, and promise a quality and unique experience in every bite.
Call or text us at 902-984-1124 to place your order.
- Pre-orders accepted.
- 25-minute (approximately) wait time after confirmation of order.
Slices ~ Counter Service
Lunch ~ 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Thin, Crispy, Chewy, & Slightly Charred
X-Large Slices
Shredded Pepperoni ~ $7
Tomato sauce made in-house with local herbs, topped with premium Canadian pizza mozzarella, dry-aged shredded pepperoni, and finished with local dried basil.
Three-Cheese ~ $7
Tomato sauce made in-house with local herbs, topped with an extra portion of premium Canadian pizza mozzarella, local cheese curds, and finished with Italian parmesan and local dried basil.
“The Local” ~ $7
Our weekly special, a slice that celebrates local meats, cheeses, herbs, and veggies.
Take-Away Pies
Dinner ~ 4:00pm – 8:00pm
Thin ~ Crispy ~ Chewy ~ Slightly Charred
Square-Cut, 15″ Pies
Shredded Pepperoni ~ $28
Tomato Sauce made in-house with local herbs, topped with premium Canadian pizza mozzarella.
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Topped with dry-aged shredded pepperoni, finished with local dried basil.
Salami & Shiitake ~ $29
Garlic & herb sauce made in-house with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, shallots & local rosemary.
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Topped with premium Canadian pizza mozzarella, our own forest cultivated Shiitake mushrooms, red onion ribbons, dry-aged Italian salami, finished with local dried oregano and Italian Parmesan.
Veggie ~ $27
Tomato sauce made in-house with local herbs, topped with premium Canadian pizza mozzarella.
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Topped with locally produced cheese curds, sweet peppers, vine tomatoes, red onion, and finished with Cape Breton microgreens and local dried basil.
*All veggies above are sourced locally when available / in season.
Cup & Char Pepperoni ~ $28
Tomato Sauce made in-house with local herbs, topped with premium Canadian pizza mozzarella.
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Smoky thick-cut pepperoni that curls and crisps at the edges, finished with local dried basil.
Gourmet Mushroom ~ $28
Garlic & herb sauce made in-house with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, shallots, & local rosemary.
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Topped with premium Canadian pizza mozzarella, our own forest cultivated shiitake mushrooms grown on site, or our locally sourced maitake mushrooms. Sprinkled with local cheese curds & finished with Cape Breton microgreens & local dried oregano.
Tre Carni ~ $32
Tomato sauce made in-house with local herbs, topped with premium Canadian pizza mozzarella.
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Topped with local hand-cased salami, dry-aged shredded pepperoni, and Montreal style bacon.
Red Onion Pistachio ~ $28
Garlic & herb sauce made in-house with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, shallots, & local rosemary.
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Topped with premium Canadian pizza mozzarella, red onion ribbons, & crushed pistachios.
Bacon & Cheese Curd ~ $29
Garlic & Herb Sauce made in-house with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, shallots, & local rosemary.
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Topped with premium Canadian pizza mozzarella, bacon, local cheese curds, farm fresh vine tomatoes, and finished with Cape Breton microgreens.
Honey Fennel Sausage ~ $29
Tomato Sauce made in-house with local herbs, topped with premium Canadian pizza mozzarella, & red onion ribbons.
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Topped with our cast iron cooked honey fennel sausage made in house, finished with Italian parmesan and local dried oregano.
*Sausage sourced from forest pastured pigs here on the Island or from one of our mainland farm partners.
Cheese ~ $25
Tomato sauce made in-house with local herbs and topped with an extra portion of premium Canadian pizza mozzarella, & finished with freshly grated Italian Parmesan.
Garlic & Herb Strips ~ $22
Garlic sauce with local herbs made in house. Topped with premium Canadian pizza mozzarella, freshly grated Italian Parmesan and cut into long strips. Our take on the classic Garlic Fingers.
Kitchen Party Pies
Dinner ~ 4:00pm – 8:00pm
18″ Party Size Pie ~ Cut into Sharing Strips
Choose from Shredded Pepperoni or Garlic and Herb
Shredded Pepperoni ~ $42
Tomato sauce made in-house with local herbs, topped with premium Canadian pizza mozzarella, dry-aged shredded pepperoni, finished with local dried basil and cut into kitchen party strips.
Garlic & Herb ~ $40
Our signature garlic & herb sauce, topped with an extra portion of premium Canadian pizza mozzarella, Italian parmesan, finished with local dried basil and cut into kitchen party strips.
Add-Ons
Proteins
Choose from pepperoni, sausage, salami, bacon, or gourmet mushrooms.
$3.50 per protein
Veggies
Choose from sweet peppers, red onion, vine tomatoes, or kalamata olives.
$2.50 per veggie
Cheeses
Choose from mozzarella, parmesan, or cheese curds.
$3.50 per cheese
Herbs & Finishes
Choose from fresh basil, microgreens, or arugula.
$2.50 per herb / finish
Pistachio Pesto Drizzle
$2.50 per pie
$1.00 per slice
*Also sold by container
Uniquely Ascente
At Pizzeria Ascente we elevate your pizza experience by producing high quality craft pizza using artisan pizza techniques, all done by hand in small batches with carefully selected ingredients. We are committed to sourcing locally, invested in our local community, and promise a quality and unique experience in every bite. Our signature dough is fermented for 48 hours, hand stretched, and comes out of our stone oven thin & crispy with a soft, chewy crust. Our sauces are slow cooked in small batches from scratch. Local ingredients are our passion and what inspire our menu offerings.
Born from Sicilian heritage, shaped by the Italian Immigrant ‘tavern-style’ pizza making tradition, and inspired by Cape Breton farm fresh ingredients, Pizzeria Ascente is a unique craft pizza with big flavor. Growing up between two major pizza cities (Detroit & Chicago), Christian brings elements from both cities in how Pizzeria Ascente produces, bakes, and finishes their pies and slices. The final piece is all about the Cape. From our partnerships with local farms and harvesting from our own onsite farm behind the pizzeria, we make the experience as localized and uniquely Cape Breton as possible.
Our pies & slices celebrate Italian heritage, artisan craftsmanship, and the flavors of Cape Breton Island.
Inspiration Driven
At Pizzeria Ascente, we are inspired by the Island and our community. We are dedicated to working with local farms on the Island and mainland Nova Scotia that produce high quality, environmentally responsible food. We also pull ingredients straight from our onsite farm that produces forest cultivated gourmet mushrooms, garlic and fresh herbs. When we cannot source locally, quality and distance of origin is always considered.
Our passion and mission as a small rural pizzeria, is to bring high quality craft pizza to Port Hood and surrounding communities of Western Cape Breton Island. We believe that quality, care, and craft matter and that everyone should be able to enjoy a really good slice or pie.
About Our Ingredients
Our Dough
Our dough is made from high quality Canadian 00 pizza flour, using old-school basic ingredients (flour, yeast, spring water and sea salt) and is cold fermented to maximize flavor and texture for 48 hours. After fermentation our dough is hand-stretched into a thin crust that once baked in our stone deck oven, is crispy, chewy, and flavourful.
Our Tomato & Herb Pizza Sauce
Our tomato & herb pizza sauce is made in small batches using high quality Italian tomatoes, infused with Cape Breton Atlantic sea salt, herbs that are locally grown and dried, garlic, shallots, and a few other twists derived from family recipes, then slow cooked before cooled and makes it to your pizza pie or slice. This sauce is all about flavor and delivers a bold semi-sweet taste that dances with Italian herbs.
Our Garlic & Olive Oil Pizza Sauce
Our garlic & olive oil pizza sauce is made with quality cold pressed extra virgin olive oil infused with garlic, shallots, a hint of local rosemary and Himalayan salt, then simmered on a low heat. This is a light aromatic sauce that is full of savory flavor.
Our Cheeses
Our cheeses are simply the best, and all freshly hand shredded in house. Our premium Canadian-produced mozzarella has a stretchy texture, golden bubbly exterior and buttery finish when baked. Our Italian hard cheeses are dry-aged and have a balance of nutty, salty, and savory flavors. Our cheese curds, produced locally at Skye Glen Creamery, melt into mild, slightly tangy, creamy pockets of flavor.
Our Meats
Our meats are all high quality and hand cut in house, includeing our dry aged Italian Salami. Our Sausage is sourced directly from a local farm and cast iron cooked with Cape Breton Wildflower Honey and fennel. Our Montreal Style Bacon is thin, crispy and full of flavor. We offer two types of pepperoni; a dry aged Shredded Pepperoni and a bold, crispy Cup and Char Pepperoni.
Our Mushrooms
Our mushrooms are grown from our own little farm during the summer months with varieties ranging from Shiitake, Italian Oyster, Chestnut and Lions Mane, and during the off-season sourced from a local indoor gourmet mushroom grower. If you want some fresh forest cultivated Ascente Mushrooms for you can purchase them directly from the pizzeria by the pound or half-pound. Great in a risotto or pasta!
Our Veggies
Our veggies are bought weekly in the summer from Mabou or Antigonish Farmers’ Markets, and during the off-season, are carefully selected based on distance of origin and quality.
Our Herbs & Salts
Our herbs & salts are sourced locally from our dried herbs for sauces and finishes, or fresh herbs grown onsite or from community gardens. Our salts are a combination of sea salts, Himalayan salts, and a local infused red wine Atlantic sea salt that is used in our signature red sauce.