Outdoor Pizza Ovens Buying Guide

When most people think of a built-in outdoor pizza oven, they picture a classic brick oven from their favorite Italian restaurant. With a brick or ceramic exterior, this outdoor pizza oven is built into the wall or counter and becomes a permanent fixture in your outdoor kitchen. You can customize the specifications of your built-in pizza oven to ensure it matches your establishment's aesthetic and space restrictions. While most establishments work with a contractor to design the oven, you can also use a built-in pizza oven kit to install one yourself to save money and space.

• Primary users: Brick oven pizzerias, Italian restaurants, large outdoor kitchens
• Size: Large
• Cost: $$$

Perfect for caterers and food trucks, a portable outdoor pizza oven offers all the benefits of an outdoor pizza oven without the hassle of trying to move it. These ovens are easy to store and transport with a compact, lightweight design. They can also make multiple different foods in a pinch, such as steaks or grilled vegetables. However, their size limits output and only allows for small pizzas.

• Primary users: Caterers, food trucks, pop-up restaurants
• Size: Small
• Cost: $

A countertop outdoor pizza oven is a staple for food trucks and pizzerias with small outdoor kitchens. Their compact design sits on your counter or table, allowing you to make pizzas without taking up much space. If you already have an established outdoor kitchen, adding a countertop pizza oven is easy and provides a variety of new options for your menu.

• Primary users: Food trucks, restaurants with limited space, caterers
• Size: Small
• Cost: $$

A freestanding outdoor pizza oven is the most common and versatile option. As the name implies, freestanding pizza ovens stand without additional support and don't take up valuable counter space from the rest of your kitchen. Some come with attachable casters or built-in wheels to give you a mobile pizza oven, allowing you to relocate it as needed without damaging it. Additionally, many options have a shelf below the oven for extra storage space.

• Primary users: Restaurants with an established outdoor kitchen, caterers
• Size: Medium
• Cost: $$ 

In areas with limited space, a small outdoor pizza oven allows you to still serve delicious pizza without sacrificing other kitchen equipment. However, this size category has a restricted capacity, so you might want a larger size if you need fast turnover or large quantities. The primary users are small restaurants, caterers, and food trucks. Popular configurations include countertop and portable styles.

• Height: 11 - 32 inches
• Width: 16 - 32 inches
• Depth: 16 - 25 inches
• Capacity: can bake 1 pizza at a time

A medium outdoor pizza oven is an excellent addition to a well-established outdoor kitchen where pizza is not the primary menu item. This size balances space and capacity well, and since outdoor pizza ovens are versatile, medium ovens can cook other food items during your dinner rush in a pinch. The primary users are restaurants with a broad menu and an established outdoor kitchen and caterers. Popular configurations include countertop and freestanding styles.

• Height: 33 - 52 inches
• Width: 33 - 46 inches
• Depth: 26 - 30 inches
• Capacity: Can bake 2 to 4 pizzas at once

A large outdoor pizza oven emphasizes capacity over space, allowing you to bake multiple pizzas simultaneously. This size increases your potential output but limits the rest of your menu to what equipment you can fit in the remaining space. Large pizza ovens are also challenging to store, so consider a built-in or permanent option to save yourself the hassle. The primary users are large establishments with heavy traffic. Popular configurations include freestanding and built-in styles.

• Height: 53 - 69 inches
• Width: 50 - 58 inches
• Depth: 31 - 38 inches
• Capacity: Can bake 4 to 6 pizzas at once

If pizza is the main item on your menu and you have sufficient space for an outdoor kitchen, an extra-large outdoor pizza oven is perfect for your establishment. These ovens have massive capacities to ensure fast, efficient baking. Once the pizza oven reaches the right temperature, the only limit to the number of pizzas you can make is the speed of your prepping process. The primary users are spacious pizzerias with a large outdoor kitchen. Popular configurations include most built-in pizza ovens.

• Height: 70 - 86 inches
• Width: 60 - 70 inches
• Depth: 40 - 55 inches
• Capacity: Can bake 5+ pizzas at once