I tried Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop pizza, and it's actually … pretty good?

• Goop Superfina is part of Gwyneth Paltrow's ghost kitchen empire.

• It serves 10 different types of gluten-free pizza, as well as pasta and salads.

• I wouldn't order the pasta again, but I loved the light and crispy gluten-free pizza crust.

When you hear the word Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow's multimillion-dollar lifestyle brand, what's the first thing that comes to mind? The infamous jade egg, perhaps, or maybe the viral "This Smells Like My Vagina" candle?

Whatever it is, there's one thing you're almost certainly not thinking about. Pizza.

And yet, that is exactly what Paltrow is selling at Goop Superfina, her ghost kitchen dedicated to gluten-free pies, pasta, and salads.

It doesn't seem like a likely venture for the wellness mogul, who swears by a strict diet of bone broth and paleo-approved foods. But, to our surprise, the pizza was actually … pretty good?

Gwyneth Paltrow has been quietly growing her ghost kitchen empire.

Paltrow was planning a Los Angeles restaurant when the pandemic hit, according to Vanity Fair. She quickly switched gears and opened Goop Kitchen in March 2021.

With chef Kim Floresca — whose impressive résumé includes Per Se, El Bulli, and The Restaurant at Meadowood — at the helm, Paltrow's Goop Kitchen promised to "accelerate the clean food movement" and prove that "unprocessed meals can be both satisfying and convenient," according to a statement the company sent to Food & Wine at the time.

It quickly proved to be a success.

A spokesperson told Vanity Fair two months after the launch that Goop Kitchen's sales were up 526% compared to the company's projections. The takeout venture has since expanded its reach in Los Angeles with five locations, and its menu now features a dozen salads, soups, and bowls. A year after the initial launch, Paltrow launched Goop Rotisserie, which offers organic rotisserie chicken, salmon, salads, and sides.

After launching salads and chicken, Paltrow wanted to try pasta and pizza.

Chef Floresca told Vanity Fair that Paltrow has the final say on Goop's tasting panel, and it took a year for the company to develop the gluten-free pizza dough for Goop Superfina.

"We wanted to create pizza that was just pizza," Floresca added. "If you knew it was gluten-free, cool. If you didn't, even better, and you just ate it and you liked it, perfect. That, for us, is a huge win."

Goop Superfina officially launched in August 2022 and currently offers 10 different square pizzas on its menu, with prices ranging from $14.50 to $22.95 for a pie. Classic flavors like pepperoni, cheese, and Margherita all make an appearance, as do "Field of Greens," "Shroom Shroom," and a barbecue chicken pizza named after Paltrow's son Moses.

The menu also features four different types of pasta, sides of broccoli or meatballs, and a few Goop Kitchen salads.

So, how did it all taste? I recruited my boyfriend and some friends to find out, opting to try two pizzas, two pastas, and a salad for our review of Goop Superfina.

We kicked things off with the Caesar salad.

Goop Kitchen has some great salads, so I wasn't surprised that the $13.95 Caesar at Superfina was delightfully refreshing.

The gem lettuce mix was bright and crisp, the Parmesan cheese added a touch of lovely saltiness, and the croutons — described on the website as "garlicky crunchies" — brought some great texture and flavor. Overall, this gluten-free and vegetarian salad was light, fresh, and delicious — everything you'd want from a great Caesar.

Then we dug into the Queen Margherita pizza.

The $16.95 Queen Margherita pizza features San Marzano tomatoes, fior di latte mozzarella cheese, and basil.

I thought the sauce on the Queen Margherita pizza tasted delicious, and the thin crust and bottom had a satisfying crispiness.

The fior di latte wasn't spread out consistently across the pie, so some slices were lacking in cheesiness, which it really needed to boost the overall flavor.

The Pepperoni Potts pizza was our favorite dish of the night.

The $19.50 Pepperoni Potts pizza — a pun on the name of Paltrow's character in the "Iron Man" films — is described as "the pepperoni pizza you loved in your youth, all grown up." It features Zoe's pepperoni, basil, pomodoro sauce, as well as fontina and fior di latte mozzarella.

As with the Queen Margherita, I loved the crispy texture of this pizza. Thanks to the pomodoro sauce, it was light but still packed a ton of flavor. The rich fontina cheese paired deliciously with it, adding depth to each well-balanced slice.

I don't usually opt for a gluten-free pizza, but I loved that I could eat multiple slices of the Goop Superfina pies without feeling like I needed a nap afterward.

The Queen Margherita and Pepperoni Potts were both light and enjoyable, with a texture that impressed every one of my friends who tried a slice. All that time Floresca spent developing the gluten-free dough was worth it.

But the pesto pasta was the biggest disappointment.

Everyone laughed when I opened the takeout bag and pulled out the two pastas we had ordered. For $15.95, the portions were pretty small.

"Are these appetizer-sized?" my boyfriend asked.

And when it came to the pesto pasta, which the menu describes as a "fun update on a traditional standby," the flavor didn't make up for the extra cost.

The pesto sauce — made with roasted sunflower seeds, basil, and lemon — was bland, barely coated the penne noodles, and desperately needed some salt. It was a forgettable dish that I wouldn't order again.

We then tried the "Penne, No Vodka" pasta, which was an improvement.

Goop Superfina's $15.95 "Penne, No Vodka" pasta is as laughably small as the pesto, but at least it tastes better. Paltrow's "alcohol-free take on penne alla vodka" features a tomato-cream sauce with a touch of heat.

I loved the kick of spice in each bite, and the sauce had a delightful creaminess. Even without the alcohol, it tasted like penne alla vodka, and some Parmesan cheese I grated on top helped tie everything together.

But there's no chance I'd order it over Jon & Vinny's famed fusilli alla vodka, which is double the size and just an extra $5.

If you're ordering from Goop Superfina, I think sticking to the pizza is best.

I was apprehensive when I heard Gwyneth Paltrow was launching her own pizza, but I was pretty impressed with Goop Superfina.

While there are far healthier takeout options than a decade ago, they're usually salads or bowls. After trying Goop Superfina for myself, I realized the business idea was far more astute and on brand than I had initially given Paltrow credit for. Launching a gluten-free pizza option, especially in Los Angeles, is undoubtedly savvy. And it actually tastes good!

Time will tell if Paltrow's culinary empire is destined to grow as big as her lifestyle brand, but I'll be watching (and eating).

Read the original article on Business Insider