The Perfect Pizza Doesn’t Exist—So We Built Our Own With Slices From 6 Honolulu Spots

Wanna pizza dis? We hit up Sophie’s Gourmet Hawaiian Pizzeria, Brick Fire Tavern and more local faves.

May 22, 2019

Catherine Toth Fox, Robbie Dingeman, Katrina Valcourt, Photos by Aaron K. Yoshino,

Clockwise from top left.

Thai-dal Wave

Even the coconut-averse won’t be able to resist the Thai-dal Wave at Sophie’s Gourmet Hawaiian Pizzeria, with its macadamia nut cream sauce, lemongrass and garlic-infused chicken, spicy jalapeños, cilantro and mozzarella. Sophie’s signature guava-infused pink crust and a creamy, thick coconut drizzle cool the spice and convert the haters.

$13.95, Koko Marina Center, 7192 Kalaniana‘ole Highway, Suite D100A (next to Zippy’s), (808) 892-4121, sophiespizzeria.com

Margherita

The margherita pizza from Mediterraneo, straight out of the pizza oven in the garden, delivers big flavors with just a few ingredients. A bright, rich tomato sauce pairs with smooth creamy fior di latte (cow’s milk mozzarella) topped with fresh basil.

$20, 1809 S. King St., (808) 593-1466, mediterraneohawaii.com

Prosciutto e Rucola

The prosciutto e rucola pizza from Brick Fire Tavern combines a perfectly soft, chewy crust with house-made mozzarella, prosciutto, arugula and Pecorino Romano for an authentically Neapolitan pie.

$20, 16 N. Hotel St., (808) 369-2444, brickfiretavern.com

Lemon-Basil*

We order the lemon-basil pizza at Prima* when we’re not even in a pizza kind of mood. It comes with thin slices of preserved lemon, artichoke hearts, house ricotta and mozzarella, basil and sea salt, plus a smoky crust from the kiawe wood and brick oven.

Owner’s Favorite

The description of the Owner’s Favorite Pizza from Arancino at The Kāhala (also available at Arancino di Mare and on Beachwalk) sounds odd—shrimp and cheese together?—but the plump, perfectly cooked shrimp goes surprisingly well with Maui onion, fried garlic chips, mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

$28, 5000 Kāhala Ave., (808) 380-4400, arancino.com

Korean Yakiniku

Last year Appetito Craft Pizza & Wine Bar in Waikīkī debuted its Korean Yakiniku pie, topped with grilled beef marinated in barbecue sauce and shoyu, kim chee, mozzarella, Tokyo negi shavings and a drizzle of gochujang mayo on a hand-tossed Neapolitan-style crust. It’s Korean takeout on a pizza minus the banchan.

$19, Outrigger ‘Ohana East Hotel, 150 Ka‘iulani Ave., (808) 922-1150, appetitowaikiki.com

*Prima closed in March 2019.

This article appears in the March 2019 issue of HONOLULU Magazine.