Best pizza in Chiang Mai

No, none of us are going to agree on this list, as can be attested by the raging and ongoing online battles across many of Chiang Mai’s social media platforms as fans insist their favourite pizza joint is the city’s best.

Some like it thick, others like it thin; some like it soft, others like it crispy – we are not going to be able to come to a consensus on this. So, seeing as Citylife’s staff has been eating our way through Chiang Mai’s restaurants for nearly thirty years, and having packed on the pounds to prove it, we are just going to put out OUR list of favourite pizzas in town and hope that you too agree that if not the best by your standards, then these pizzas are certainly worth writing home about.

The Food Trust CNX

Some of the best pizzas in town at Food Trust

Who hasn’t had a passionate debate over their favourite pizza?

Whether it is thin or thick crusted, preferred toppings or favourite flavours, everyone seems to have an opinion on what a perfect pizza is. Well, one pizza chef in town comes with enough accolades and awards to pretty much end the debate! Chef Paolo Vitaletti of Bangkok’s multiple award winning Peppina Restaurant, who follows the “rules of the Associazione Versace Pizza Napoletana to promote and protect he rich heritage of pizza worldwide,” was, in 2022, awarded fifth best pizza in the entire Asia-Pacific region in their list of top 50 pizzas, being the highest ranked in the whole of Thailand.

Two massive pizza ovens greet diners with their aromas and warmth as you enter the Food Trust, vying with all the other delicious dishes designed by his fellow chef shareholders to be picked.

The pizza menu isn’t vast, but it is tailored for we Chiang Mai diners, with some delightfully surprising local toppings on the classic Napoletana pizzas – all thin and soft on the base and fluffy and crisp on the edges. Try the hung-le pizza with tender braised pork hock served with picked garlic, peanuts, pork cracking and the classic green chili relish or the sai-ua pizza where the classic Northern Thai spicy and herby sausages are served with chargrilled cabbage, picked organic ginger, white cheese sauce, deep-fried lime leaf and some coriander. The northern twists and surprises don’t stop there and lovers of khao soy will thoroughly enjoy the curried pizza, topped with braised beef, picked mustard greens, shallots, crispy noodles and gently aromatic smoked cheese. But don’t you fret, if you are wanting something more traditional, you can order the classic Margherita, the prosciutto or a lovely Lanna mozzarella and Sloane’s pistachio mortadella topping with some slithers of young coconut meat and seasonal fruits for a bit of exotica.

If you love your pizza, then you can’t miss out on Chef Paolo’s best.

The Food Trust
Open daily: 11 am. – 9 pm.
Booking: LINE Official: ‘@thefoodtrust’
GPS: https://goo.gl/maps/ZJtMasqe8FUbSdoJ8

The Duke’s

We would dare to say that The Duke’s pizza is likely the most popular home delivery pizza – discounting the big chains – in town. And this is because The Duke’s is all about comfort food.

The Duke’s pizzas have consistently sat at the top of most ‘best pizza’ lists in the city. Massive (their small pizzas are 14” while their large is a family sized 18”), each pizza is brimming with generous toppings which are piled on top of a pizza dough which is more Chicago American in style than Italian, being much thicker, though maintaining that light bite we all love.

There is a huge selection of pizzas to suit all preferences with everyone seems to have their own favourite. Check out some of our office’s most ordered pizzas: The Italiano with garlic, parsley, oregano oil, salami, ham, mortadella and mozerella; the garlicy shrimp scampi; the meaty meat lovers; the double peperoni; and the vegetarian, each and every one is simply loaded with tasty ingredients.

The menu is vast and if you are not into pizzas, there is much to choose from, from the starters all the way to the desserts – Oreo cheesecake anyone

The Duke’s (Ping River)
49, 4-5 Chiang Mai-Lam Phun Rd, T. Chang Moi, Muang, Chiang Mai
Tel. 053 249 231
Open daily: 11am – 11pm
Facebook : thedukeschiangmai
www.thedukes.co.th
Delivery: Mealsonwheels4u

Viva Aquila and Vay cafe

A sure contender for one of the city’s best pizzas has got to be Viva Aquila and Vay Cafe’s pizzas. Let us convince you.

If you like your pizzas super thin crusted in the Italian style with that soft tender doughy centre and delicate crisp edge while being topped with American-levels of generosity, then these pizzas have got to be some of the best you can find South of the Mekong.

With sumptuously cosy day dining seats overlooking a lotus-rimmed lake, and the cool breeze in your hair, order a freshly squeezed juice, a cold beer or an invigorating and chilled glass of wine while perusing the menu which is designed for casual all day dining. Apart from pastas, salads and a handful of house favourite dishes, it is all about the pizza here.

The choices of toppings run the gamut from a simple caprese or BBQ chicken to decadent six cheese or Aloha toppings. The house specialties though are what we came for and we highly recommend the club pizza which is akin to the club sandwich but in pizza form! The burrata Parma rocket was also a delightfully refreshing pizza and for those who enjoy something with a bit more of a bite, definitely go for the spicy seafood pizza or the anchovy chilli garlic.

Chef Phubase has made a name for himself and his pizzas over many years and now that he has opened his own restaurants, the pizzas are guaranteed to offer up the best of his accumulated experience.

Open Daily: Noon – 8pm
Location : Viva Aquila and Vay cafe at Moo Bann Wang Tan Clubhouse
https://goo.gl/maps/oz5xfLkPh5FtNarz8
Call: 093-151-1041

Oasis Café & Toby’s Pizza

Oasis Café & Toby’s Pizza serves up a great menu of all-day dining options ranging from healthy breakfasts to sumptuous pastas, freshly baked delicacies to hearty soups. The café itself is one of the most popular in the city, and not just for its forest-ambiance, with dripping ferns, lush tropical foliage, jets of mist and trickling water. Sit back in any of the comfortable chairs and lounges and order a freshly squeezed juice, an aromatic coffee or a chilled glass of wine. And if you are a pizza lover, then you are in for a treat as their crisp-crusted, soft doughed Italian pizzas topped with fresh and quality ingredients each arrive delicious and aromatic.

Toby’s pizzas are hand made from scratch and are baked in a beautiful wood-fired oven that is in itself a design standout. There are crowd favourites such as the four cheeses, which arrives oozing with cheesy goodness, the margherita di bufala, a classic with the light generous dollops of mozzarellas to balance out the tart of the fresh tomatoes and the Parma ham and rocket pizzas for a lighter bite.

Then there are the specialty pizzas which we can’t recommend more, especially the generous vegan lover, covered with vegetables and the sea breeze with a catch and a half of seafood layered on. They even have a spicy Northern gem with sai-ua sausages and some fresh rocket for some spicy fun.

Best of all, they deliver via the major delivery apps, so you can get a bite of Toby’s pizza delivered straight to your home.

2Gether Bar & Restaurant

At 2Gether Bar & Restaurant you will find real authentic Italian thin-crust pizza. Their 13″ pies are made of daily fresh hand-tossed dough and topped with a wide variety of options. The calzone, quattro formaggi, and prosciutto funghi are firm favourites among customers. The pizzas are all really thin with that yummy crunch around the rim and the homemade tomato sauce base is particularly fresh and delicious.

2Gether Bar & Restaurant is located in the heart of the Night Bazaar in a lovely old teak building. A little tucked away from the main street, 2Gether keeps its charm as a hidden gem, though fans in the know have no trouble finding it.

The original restaurant dates to 1993 and has battled and won the test of time. Besides Italian, their menu has plenty of choices of Dutch and Thai dishes all served in large portions at very affordable prices. If you haven’t been before, give them a try, you won’t be disappointed!

2Gether Bar & Restaurant
Open 5pm – 1am
19/1 Charoenprathet Soi 6, Night Bazaar
Facebook: 2GetherbarChiangmai  
Website: https://2getherbar.com/
Tel. 053 272 441
Delivery: Tuk App, Mealsonwheels4u
Pizzas start from 180 baht

Barefoot Café

If Italian soul food were a thing, this is where you would go to get it.

Barefoot Café is a casual street-side venue set in a renovated abandoned building; its tiny, casual, and enveloped with the scents of freshly-cooked Italian fare.

Diners sit and watch as their meals are prepared fresh right there in front of their eyes. You can see all the seasonal ingredients at their best as they are plucked, picked and presented in a variety of home-style rustic Italian dishes.

The pizzas are Barefoot’s food ambassadors, with just about all ingredients homemade. The dough is nearly as thin as a Spanish tortilla, but comes with a lovely little crisp around the edge. No self-respecting pizza is served without some cheese, and Barefoot sources its cheeses from only the most organic of farms in the north, serving up such favourites as the four cheese pizza, the house signature with mozzarella, parmesan, ricotta and haloumi cheeses. The white pizza is another popular dish, as is the nam prik ong pizza, infused with Thai flavours.

The pasta dishes are also delightful with the freshly made pasta being the star. Best of all, the prices are not going to empty your wallet.

Barefoot Café
Open 8am – 11am, 12pm – 3pm, 5pm – 9pm
Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays
Facebook: barefootcafechiangmai 
Tel. 083 564 7107

Street Pizza & The Wine House

Street Pizza enjoys an enviable location right on the popular Tha Pae Road. Set in a lovely old wooden house, it also has a balcony to sit on and watch the world go by. Street Pizza likely isn’t the most authentic Italian pizzeria in town, but it is certainly one of the most experimental and fun!

Unique ingredients and even more unique merging of ingredients, makes for some standout dishes. Try the pizza na wat which features wild boar sausage as its topping star, complemented by bacon, dried chili, mozzarella and Thai basil – these flavours punch you in the taste buds!

A further 20 toppings options will challenge your ability to make a decision, so bring some friends and try as many as you can. Our favourites are the meat combo, which is brimming with meaty delight, the kimchi-bacon pizza with ingredients that challenge the palate; yet go delightfully well together. The parma ham and salmon pizza is another surprise hit, made even better with slivers of salty anchovies.

The pizzas come in small and large sizes and if undecided, you can simply order two toppings on one pizza. Prices start at 209 baht.

Other dishes worth ordering are any of the pastas, the Sriracha wings, the zucchini fries and the BBQ ribs.

Street Pizza & The Wine House
Open Midday – 11pm (Closed on Mondays)
7-15 Tha Pae Road, Chang Moi, Chiang Mai
Facebook: Street Pizza & The Wine House 
085 073 5746
Pizzas start from 209 baht
Delivery: Foodpanda, Mealsonwheels4u

Arcobaleno Italian Restaurant

No Italian restaurant in Chiang Mai has battled and won the test of time as much as Arcobaleno, whose first incarnation dates nearly four decades, being the longest-running Italian kitchen in the north.

With such culinary chops, fans have become family in this casual and friendly restaurant which serves up classic Italian fare.

The pizzas here are Italian-style – thin as a wafer and with a crunch, topped with only the freshest of ingredients.

Try the mascarpone, prosciutto and rocket pizza, a light and refreshingly tasty bite which simply melts the mouth.

And who doesn’t love bacon? Not us…we love the crispy bacon pizza which is really full-flavoured with added aroma from the subtle addition of truffles. The seafood pizza is another hit with fresh mozzarella generously melted onto fresh seafood – squid, shrimps, clams.

Arcobaleno Italian Restaurant
Na Wat Gate Road
Open: 11am – 2pm, 6pm – 10pm
Tel.0-5330- 6254, 08-6672- 1532
Facebook: arcobaleno.chiangmai
www.arcobaleno-cm.com