With their humongous, grab-and-go one-meter Roman-style pizza platters, Pala is packed not just with people enjoying a lengthy dinner, but also office workers after a quick bite. It’s all about the dough here, which is left to rise for much longer than usual (72 hours) for a base that is crispy, perfectly aerated, chewy and slightly sour. There are various toppings, but the Boscaiola (B95 a slice) gets our nod, featuring mozzarella, tomato, sausage and mushrooms. Is it the best? Depends on who you ask, but we feel the thicker, bread-like dough is too overwhelming.

 

The newest pizzeria on our list and definitely an instant favorite, Peppina lives up to its claims of authentic Neapolitan pizza. Chef Paolo Vitaletti imported his Vesuvius-stone pizza oven directly from Italy, along with a Neapolitan baker with five years’ experience to make the dough. This is pizza unlike any other in Bangkok, with a perfectly crisp, billowing crust that gradates to a moreish, almost sloppy center. Try the campania—wild mushrooms, red onions and cured Casertan black pork cheek (starting at B250)—or ask the friendly wait staff for the daily specials. 

 

A favorite of the head chef at Attico, Dario Busnelli, we have to agree Il Bolognese does pizza for the connoisseur. The manager, Andrea Bernardi, says he never stops testing the recipe, and has tried various different flours and techniques to produce a crust that is crispy but not too airy. There are generous smoky, wood-fired notes, accentuated by quality toppings. The Nduja (B480), for instance, is a terrific option.

 

La Scala’s recent change in chef has done nothing but improve its already excellent, if heftily priced, pizza standards. Using creamy burrata imported from Puglia, the pizza Meditterranea (B590) delivers authentic flavor that is cut by a not-too-acidic marinara sauce. The crust is crisp and slightly chewy, moistened straight from the oven by a light coating of olive oil.

 

You may wonder why, of all the pizzerias in Bangkok, the New York deli-inspired dry grocer/ trattoria Dean & Deluca makes our list. Well, they are the only place in Bangkok, in our opinion, to do genuinely worthwhile New York-style pizza by the slice. For a wallet-friendly B95, you get a huge slice of tangy, slightly chewy, pepperoni goodness that will satisfy your hunger instantly. Fold it in half and hold away from your shirt to avoid unwanted (but delicious) drips of pepperoni oil.