Why the best pizzas in Asia are multicultural love affairs

“Are you asking me to commit a crime?” answers chef Salvatore “Sasà” Fiata when asked if he would ever consider putting pineapple on a pizza. After all, he is a self-described “pizza purist” – and arguably, knows more about the craft than anyone else in Hong Kong.  

Fiata ’s eponymous restaurant serves the third-best pizza in Asia-Pacific, and 18th best in the world, according to the 50 Top Pizza list for 2025. When asked the secret to his success, his response is humble: “It’s not about a secret, but more of a challenge. The challenge of waking up early every morning to make the dough whatever the weather, the challenge of being focused, and the challenge of being consistent.” 

The Michelin-starred Fiata is a true labour of love: chef Sasà opened the restaurant in 2021 to remain close to his Hong Kong-born wife during pandemic-era travel restrictions. Since then, the restaurant has done much to define the city’s idea of authentic Italian pizza, with its founder declaring himself an “ambassador of true Italian pizza – I’m a true believer in the dough, the ingredient and the oven.”

Fiata leans into this identity, even if not everyone takes his devotion seriously. “Some people really like to make jokes,” he says, recalling one infamous incident. “There was one time when a customer brought his own tin of pineapple and tried put it on the pizza I made for him. Nice try; it was a straight red card. 

“I’m a very traditional person. I was brought up in Caserta and Naples, and I was taught to make pizzas with Italian products. Although I admire some innovative ideas, personally I like keeping pizzas Italian.”

Asian pizza: a riot of flavour 

While pizza may have been born in Sasà’s Neapolitan homeland, it’s come a long way from its 18th-century roots as a cheap, easy flatbread providing nutrition to the masses. Today, it’s truly a global dish with multitudes of regional variations. Just as New York became known for wide foldable slices and Chicago’s deep dish has travelled the globe, Asia’s distinctive spins are rightfully claiming their place in the culinary spotlight, from the rich spices of Indian pizza to the chewy crusts found in South Korea.

Back in Hong Kong, just a four-minute downhill walk from Fiata, sits The Pizza Project , which has forgone strict traditionalism to celebrate its home city with a series of inventive seasonal specials. Bestsellers include the annual hairy crab pizza, which spotlights the beloved autumnal seafood on a base of creamy fior di latte. “We couldn’t help but wonder how it would translate onto a pizza,” admits Pirata group’s corporate chef Sebastiano Ricciardetto, before boasting, “Whatever you can think of, we can probably make it into a pizza.” 

The venue’s other limited-time hits include fiery Lunar New Year-inspired pizzas spiced with Sichuan pepper and mapo sauce, and K-drama-themed creations topped with kimchi or beef bulgogi. “Though our roots are in authentic Italian cuisine, we believe in breaking boundaries,” reasons Ricciardetto. “Hong Kong, being such an international city, provides the perfect backdrop for our culinary explorations inspired by global experiences and travel.”

Why Asian chefs love pizza 

To many chefs, a pizza presents a blank canvas – a basic bread base inviting experimentation, says award-winning food photographer Drina Cabral . This adaptability is precisely the reason pizza has been so readily embraced by cultures around the globe. “I love the think-out-of-the-box, go-wild nuance,” adds Cabral, pinpointing two trending innovations she  particularly enjoys: filo pizza and dessert pizza, ideally topped “with caramelised pears and goats cheese, drizzled with a chocolate vinegar sauce”. 

In Asia, pizzas come in forms as unique and varied as the region. In ever-dynamic South Korea, it’s common to find sweet mashed sweet potato both on and in your pizza – as topping or stuffed inside the crust. In the Philippines, chefs like to make use of the country’s sweet longanisa sausage, while the Chinese Mainland custom of putting durian on pizza might be the boldest stunt of all.   

Further afield, India’s often-vegetarian pizzas are big on marinated paneer tikka, while in the Middle East, crossovers with the beloved Levantine flatbread manakish, topped with za’atar and cheese, are as tasty as they are enduring.  

Cabral has spent time photographing both deeply authentic pizzas and modern fusions that would be unthinkable to traditionalists – even working for a client that wanted to put fries on top of its pizzas. “I think we need people to keep inventing and to keep allowing for ideas to grow – if we didn’t, we would still be sitting around a fire pit trying to keep warm,” she points out. “The building of a culture relies on growth: keeping the traditional roots in place, respecting them, and then nudging the boundaries.”