We’re asked this question almost every evening at the counter: “will it hold up until I get home?” Yes, a takeaway pizza from La Louvière travels very well if it leaves the oven in a suitable box, laid flat, and is eaten within twenty minutes of coming out of the oven. The real risk isn’t the distance, it’s the position of the box in the car and how long you let it sit before eating it.
What changes depending on the size of the pizza
A classic pizza in its box travels without any trouble: the box breathes, the topping doesn’t shift, and ten or fifteen minutes on the road makes no difference to the base. It’s our signature pizza, measuring 60×40 cm and cut into 20 to 30 slices for 8 to 12 people, that needs a bit more care. Its size calls for a larger box, meaning more surface area that can sag if it isn’t positioned properly. We prepare it to order, 24 to 48 hours in advance, precisely to have time to organise it properly for takeaway — you’ll find the details on our menu page.
Let’s take a concrete example: a family picking up a 60×40 to celebrate a birthday a ten-minute drive away, heading towards Houdeng or Strépy. The journey itself isn’t a problem; we already deliver over this kind of distance without any trouble. What matters is what happens between leaving the oven and arriving at the table: if the box stays flat on the boot floor, wedged so it doesn’t slide on bends, the pizza arrives just as it left. If it’s placed at an angle on the back seat, squeezed between two bags, the result is different: the topping shifts to one side, and the crust on the edge that bore the weight gets crushed.
The mistakes we see most often at the counter
The first mistake is standing the box upright or leaning it against the passenger seat: the topping slides, the cheese moves towards one edge, and by the time it arrives, half the pizza is bare. We always lay it flat, on the back seat or in the boot if it’s stable.
The second is keeping the box closed for too long in a heated car. The steam trapped inside softens the base from underneath. If the journey takes longer than ten minutes, we recommend leaving a corner of the box slightly open to let the moisture escape.
The third, classic with the 60×40, is trying to balance it on a passenger’s lap. The size simply doesn’t allow for this without risking a fold in the box that crushes an entire edge. It needs a flat, stable surface, full stop.
A fourth mistake, less obvious, concerns waiting before eating. A pizza left in its closed box on the table, while plates are being set out or a late guest is awaited, keeps sweating from its own heat. It’s better to open it as soon as you arrive, even if you’re not eating straight away: the circulating air stops the base from softening further.
What we do on our end before handing it over
We take the pizza out of the wood-fired oven and let it rest for a few seconds before closing the box, giving the strongest steam time to escape. For the large size, we use a reinforced box that doesn’t sag in the middle, and we take care to centre the pizza carefully inside so it doesn’t slide during the journey. If you’re walking from La Louvière-Centre station, 350 metres away, or heading back towards the Musée Ianchelevici, five minutes further on, the pizza holds up very well for the walk: it’s mainly in the car, with acceleration and roundabouts, that you need to watch the stability of the box.
For a longer journey, for example if you’re passing back through the town centre before heading home, we can also slip an extra piece of cardboard under the pizza to reinforce the base. It’s a small detail, but on a 60×40 loaded with topping, it stops the middle of the box from sagging during the fifteen or twenty minutes on the road.
How to order a takeaway pizza
For a classic pizza, a phone call or a visit is enough, during service hours: midday from 12:00 to 14:30, evenings from 18:00 to 22:30, every day except Tuesday, our closing day. For the 60×40, it’s best to plan ahead: we ask for 24 to 48 hours to prepare it properly and hand it over ready to travel. All the information on collection and delivery options can be found on our delivery page, including what we cover around La Louvière.
If you’re unsure about the distance to travel or the best way to wedge the box in your car, give us a call on 064 28 32 73 before coming by: we’ll tell you what works best for your journey. And if you’d rather avoid the whole transport question, the dining room remains open for eating in, at the same hours.
