Should pineapple ever be allowed on top of pizza?
Does Chicago deep dish really count as pizza?
Japanese fast food chains that serve their pies with a layer of lightly sweet mayonnaise drizzle — no. Easy one. Just, no.
Anyway, pizza. Such an innocuous subject, but one that can get people really fired up as soon as disagreements begin to rise. We’ll keep our strong feelings about pineapple’d pizzas to ourselves for now, though, and follow through with the original premise of this article: Where to find a delicious slice of pizza in this city.
The crew at Coconuts Hong Kong visited a number of local favorites, from fancy brunch spots and fine dining pizza parlors, to industrial building hole-in-the-walls, to compile this list. Here are our picks.
Kytaly
Franco Pepe’s first Hong Kong restaurant serves the “Best Pizza in the World 2016”, and we got to try it out a few months ago. The pizza that won that accolade, the Margherita Sbagliata (HK$208), is a classic Neapolitan pizza with a light, soft, and pillowy dough that doesn’t leave you feeling too bloated. Pricey, but definitely one of the best pizzas in Hong Kong.
5/F 77 Wyndham Street, Central
+852 2808 1961
Mon-Sat, 12pm-2am; closed on Sun
Homeslice
We’re fans of this warm and bright Sai Ying Pun pizzeria, which serves classics like margherita pizzas to slightly more exotic choices like a meatloaf pizza (topped with lashings of mushy peas) and their signature baby leek pizza. (Pro tip: don’t forget to order a side of Homeslice’s its fried squid.)
The base red sauce that Homeslice uses for its pies is fantastic. It’s not overly acidic nor too sweet, and delivers the kind of crisp, clean bursts of flavor you can only get with really good quality tomatoes.
Shop 3 Bohemian House, 321 Des Voeux Road West, Sai Ying Pun
Mon-Thurs 11:30am-11pm, Fri 11:30am-1am, Sat 10am-1am, Sun 10am-11pm
Alvy’s
This cozy little Kennedy Town restaurant and bar is known for serving some pretty funky pizzas. The star pizza at Alvy’s is the Bak Gwei (HK$138), a white-colored pizza, which consists of gruyere béchamel cheese and mozzarella topped with diced Hong Kong style barbecued pork (char siu) and seasoned with geung yeong, the traditional spring onion and ginger paste served at Cantonese barbecue restaurants. For the pizza traditionalists, don’t worry, they have the crowdpleasers, too.
8 Holland St, Kennedy Town
+852 2312 2996
Mon-Fri, 4pm-12am; Sat-Sun, 11am-12am
Amalfitana
Pizza by the beach? Yes, we can. This artisan pizzeria brings a taste of the Amalfi coast to Repulse Bay, and makes for a great place to grab a meal after a day of lounging at the beach. It’s run by the same people who opened the pasta bar Fratelli’s, which we’re also really into. As for pizzas at Amalfitana, the parma ham (HK$190) and quattro formaggio (HK$170) — with gorgonzola, taleggio, scamorza, and parmesan — are excellent, as is the Fiorentina (HK$160), with spinach, poached egg, parmesan, and garlic. For those of you who don’t want to have to trek all the way to Repulse Bay for a taste, then you can opt for the delivery option, which is available from 5pm to 9pm on Monday through Friday, excluding public holidays.
Shop 105, G/F, The Pulse, 28 Beach Road, Repulse Bay
+852 2388 7787
Mon-Sun, 12pm-10:30pm
Motorino
This Neapolitan pizzeria comes to us via Brooklyn, where the original Motorino is something of an old school institution — and it now operates two outposts in Hong Kong, as well as restaurants in Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. It’s known for using a wood-fired oven to make its pizzas with a beautifully blistered crust and soft center. Prices are pretty decent, too: Pies here range from HK$108-208 each, depending on topping combos. The Wan Chai location also hosts a popular pizza-making party every first and third Saturday of each month.
14 Shelly St, SoHo, Central
+852 2801 6881
12pm-12am every day
15 Ship St, Wan Chai
+852 2520 0690
11am-11pm every day
Little Mario’s Pizzeria
If you live further out from the city center, say in the Ma Wan or Kwun Tong area, then finding a solid slice of pizza can be a particular pain. Fortunately, Little Mario’s Pizzeria is a pretty good option — here, they do thin-crust pizzas with a great balance in crust, cheese, and combo toppings. We particularly like their pepperoni (HK$80 for small; HK$150 for regular size) and mushroom pizzas (HK$80 for small; HK$150 for regular size). They also do pretty decent Indian curries (HK$35, with basmati rice), too, for those who feel like doubling down on their carb intake.
U01, 4/F, Camelpaint Building, Block 3, 60 Hoi Yuen Road, Kwun Tong
+852 9458 9077
12pm-9pm every day except Tues
G/F, 37 Tin Liu Village, Ma Wan, New Territories
+852 5238 3195
12pm-9pm every day except Tues
Ciak
There are two Island-side branches of this Italian restaurant — Ciak In the Kitchen and Ciak All-day Italian — known for selling some pretty pricey but delicious pizzas. The pizzas always come out with a nice, crunchy crust with just the right amount of char, and the base never arrives soggy or drowning with oily cheese. We really liked their margherita pizza (HK$160) in particular — it’s a simple but very tasty pie. We also appreciate that they really load on the ham for their prosciutto and formaggi pizza (HK$240), too.
Shop 327-333, 3/F Landmark Atrium, 15 Queen’s Road Central, Central
+852 2522 8869
11:30am to 10:30pm, Mon-Fri
Shop 265, 2F Cityplaza, Taikoo Shing
+852 2116 5128
11:30am to 9:30pm, Mon-Fri; 11:30am to 5pm, Sat-Sun and public holidays
Posto Pubblico
This Central-based Italian restaurant has been cooking up some pretty decently-priced pizzas for awhile now. They’re a little different from the other option in this list — here, the Posto Pubblico kitchen makes their pies baked in cast iron skillets, which are then taken whole, skillet and all, to serve on the table. It keeps the pizzas warm, and yes, makes for nice photo ops too, if you’re into that kind of thing. Prices for the pizza range from HK$159-179 per pie.
G/F, 28 Elgin Street, Central
+852 2577 7160
11am to 12pm, Thurs-Mon; 12pm to 12am, Tues-Wed.
Duecento Otto
This Italian restaurant is all about doing their pies the uber traditional way. First off, Duecento Otto says that its kitchen prepares all pizzas according to The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (or the The True Neapolitan Pizza Association) standards, and that they only use buffalo mozzarella from Campana, and bake their pizzas in a custom-designed pizza oven shipped in from Naples. Intense. The pizzas are truly delicious, though — especially the Margherita, with a naturally sweet, satisfying tomato base topped with buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil (HK$178).
208 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan
+852 2549 0208
12pm-10pm, Mon-Fri; 11am-12am, Sat-Sun.
Linguini Fini
This cozy Elgin Street restaurant serves New York-style pizzas and traditional Italian-American food such as homemade pastas, and meat-based entrees. They even make a handful of their own fresh cheeses. The star item here, however, are their New York pizzas, which are hand-tossed at 18 inches in diameter. The Bronx (HK$189), made with mozzarella, porchetta, pepperoni, and meatballs, is one of the bestsellers from the pizza selection.
49 Elgin St, Central
+852 2387 6338
11am-11pm, daily
Paisano’s
We’re not ashamed to admit that we’re fans of a cheap and cheerful slice from Paisanos following a night on the town. Yes, we know there are those of you who look down on Paisanos, and their claim of producing authentic New York-style pizzas. But, we do feel there is a time and a place for their huge slice of pizza pies — they’re perfect for house parties, junk parties, BBQs, and pretty damn satisfying to eat when you’ve got the drunken munchies. And, there are many outlets across the city, which means that there’s usually one within stumbling distance. Prices range from HK$25-45 per slice, and HK$100-340 for the entire pizza, according to the size and topping selection.
Shop G28, G/F, 96 Siena Avenue, Discovery Bay
+852 2673 4445
11am-10pm, Mon-Sun
5 O’Brien Road, Wan Chai
+852 2573 4554
9:30am-12am
8 Granville Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
+852 2414 4445
10am-12am, Mon-Thur; 10am-1am, Fri-Sun
23 Hollywood Road, Central
+852 2544 4445
11am-1am, Sun-Thur; 11am-3am, Fri-Sat
Dundas Square, 43 Dundas Street, Mong Kok
+852 2442 4445
10am-12am, Mon-Sun
G/F, Shop 27, Chan Man Street, Sai Kung
+852 2791 4445
11am-11pm, Mon-Sun
