5 of Our Favorite Pizza Places in Honolulu

For our annual Best of Honolulu feature, we sought out the best pizza in the city. Here are five contenders.

July 12, 2017

Katrina Valcourt,

The pizza from Flour & Barley made our favorites list—but did it earn the title of Best Pizza in our annual Best of Honolulu issue? Find out in our July issue, on newsstands now.

Photos: Katrina Valcourt

Everybody loves pizza, and that’s what made finding the best pizza in the city for our annual Best of Honolulu issue so tough. We searched far and wide, from old favorites to new yet authentic pies, for the tastiest winner. See who came out on top in our July issue, on newsstands and available for download now. But, in the meantime, here are five of our favorites, in no particular order.

1. Flour & Barley

One of the newest pizza joints in town, Flour & Barley at the International Market Place separates its menu into red pizza (rossa) and white pizza (bianca). The red pizzas, with a San Marzano tomato sauce base, include some standard choices that are also available at the restaurant’s San Diego and Las Vegas locations, as well as some Hawai‘i-specific flavors: The Aloha Pie ($19) features mozzarella, Maui Gold pineapple, Spam, smoked bacon and Calabrian chili; the Kālua Pork ($20) has mozzarella, slow-roasted pork, onion, roasted tomato, avocado cream and cilantro. There are fewer white pizzas, which start with a garlic cream sauce base, but we usually just order the Mushroom ($19) anyway. If you’re feeling adventurous, try the Teriyaki Shrimp ($20), which comes with furikake and a kim chee slaw. Bonus points for being able to sit near the back of the oven and watch pizzas bake while you dine.

2230 Kalākaua Ave., Suite 302, (808) 892-2993, flourandbarley.com/waikiki

2. Sophie’s Gourmet Hawaiian Pizzeria

Photo: Catherine Toth Fox

We love that we can customize our own pizza from scratch here, from the dough to the sauce to the cheese to the toppings—except that it exponentially increases the time it takes for us to decide what to have.

If you’re looking to take the guesswork out of what combos work best, go with one of Sophie’s tried-and-true signature pies, such as the Sophie’sticated ($12.95), with Parmesan, mozzarella and goat cheese, tomatoes, salami, arugula and truffle oil. Bonus points for guava-infused crust (it’s pink!).

7192 Kalaniana‘ole Highway, Suite D100A, (808) 892-4121, sophiespizzeria.com

3. J.J. Dolan’s

J.J. Dolan’s has been a staple downtown for almost 10 years, serving New York-style pizza—the kind you need to fold in half to eat. We love it for lunch, pau hana, First Friday and late-night eats.

SEE ALSO: Best of Honolulu 2016: Food

Perennial favorites include the meat-heavy Giacomo ($19), Spinach and Garlic Pie ($18.50), and the classic cheese or pepperoni pizzas you can get by the slice ($3.50). Bonus points for co-owner J.J. Niebuhr being one of the friendliest faces downtown.

1147 Bethel St., (808) 537-4992, jjdolans.com

4. Brick Fire Tavern

The soft, chewy crust at this newish Chinatown spot is made in the traditional Neapolitan style (owners Matthew Resich and Inthira Marks trained in Naples) in a 900-degree wood-fired brick oven from Italy. With fresh, local ingredients (and some Italian imports), including pulled-daily mozzarella, Brick Fire showcases simple flavors done right. Go traditional with the Prosciutto e Rucola ($19), or modern with The Real Hawaiian ($18)—no pineapple or Spam here, just local kālua pork, lū‘au leaf, watercress lomi tomato salad and kalo.

SEE ALSO: First Look: Brick Fire Tavern

Bonus points for the massive Nutella Calzone ($11), filled with banana and strawberries, for dessert.

16 N. Hotel St., (808) 369-2444, brickfiretavern.com

5. Proof Public House

If you’re into experimental ’za, look no further than this pizza joint tucked into Chaplain Lane. Fried rice? Loaded baked potato? Mac and cheese? Why not? Proof also offer sweeter pies with vanilla or cinnamon ricotta, honey, powdered sugar or berries. Slice flavors rotate, but you can always build your own whole pie. Bonus points for vegan-friendly toppings.

1154 Fort St. Mall, #10, (808) 537-3080, proofpublichouse.com