Where's A Good Pizza In Chiang Rai

[Ulysses G.]

Do you make the pizzas yourself or do your Thai staff do it?

[brennanstimpy]

Do you make the pizzas yourself or do your Thai staff do it?

It isn't my staff, but the Thai staff does it. The owner has them trained very well.

[sinewave]

neopolitan pizzas please....anywhere?...not thin cracker like italian pizza, chewy neopolitan dough/crust not too thin and not too thick...almost like a new york style pizza.

[bungalowbill]

Good pizza is plentiful in chiang Mai! Where English speakers manage to stay longer in Chiang Mai by teaching, Italians play to their strengths and open restaurants! Many are great: Mom's home cooking and that includes home made Pizza. Buonissimo. Da Stefano, La Villa, Georgios as well as a number of smaller establishments have great pizza as well as other tasty treats from all over Italy.

If that awful thick crust American crap is your bag there are plenty of chain pizza places in the shopping centres: Pizza Company, Pizza hut etc

Good reccomendations, but in my opinion none of the Italians in Chiang Mai specialize in good Pizza. or come close to what Limoncello serves in BKK, Although I still haven't tried Da Roberto, I plan to soon.

[bungalowbill]

neopolitan pizzas please....anywhere?...not thin cracker like italian pizza, chewy neopolitan dough/crust not too thin and not too thick...almost like a new york style pizza.

I think Girasole comes close to what you want.

[getgoin]

neopolitan pizzas please....anywhere?...not thin cracker like italian pizza, chewy neopolitan dough/crust not too thin and not too thick...almost like a new york style pizza.

Neapolitan pizza (pizza napoletana): Authentic Neapolitan pizzas are made with local ingredients like San Marzano tomatoes, which grow on the volcanic plains to the south of Mount Vesuvius, and Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, made with the milk from water buffalo raised in the marshlands of Campania and Lazio in a semi-wild state (this mozzarella is protected with its own European protected designation of origin).^[1] According to the rules proposed by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, the genuine Neapolitan pizza dough consists of Italian wheat flour (type 0 or 00, or a mixture of both), natural Neapolitan yeast or brewer's yeast, salt and water. For proper results, strong flour with high protein content (as used for bread-making rather than cakes) must be used. The dough must be kneaded by hand or with a low-speed mixer. After the rising process, the dough must be formed by hand without the help of a rolling pin or other mechanical device, and may be no more than 3 mm (¹⁄₈ in) thick.

So not like New York Style pizza but just like the local version of Italian style pizza. While NY pizza might be thin it has an edge crust. Neopolitan pizza might be more like Chicago style thin pizza although Chicago style thin pizza usually has a chewy crust rather than a cracker crispy style crust.

Georgio's is good. Buonissimo's is good. Well actually all the Italian restaurants in town are very similar in quality. I think Georgio's uses a little bit more cheese than the others and this might be the diference. Most use fresh tomatoes and this creates a problem because of the varying quality of the tomatoes available in the markets. Sometimes orange rather than red and sometimes bitter and sour. Most tomatoes in Thailand are picked green and/or slightly orange and then ripened off the vine. This makes for a tomato without a lot of tomato flavor. The San Marzano tomatoes would be a welcome addition. Buonissimo usually cans his sauce in the time of the year when tomatoes are at their peak, April and May, and uses that all year round.

The Italian style pizza also prefers a mozzarella that is high in moisture content because they usually cook pizzas in a wood oven that would break down cheese with less water and their is a preference for cheese that is lessor brined. The Minor group produces this type of cheese in Thailand and Dacheeso also has a style of cheese prefered by Italian pizza. It should be noted here that The Minor group no longer uses the cheese that they make in Thailand and have switched to a Danish mozzarella. Pizza Hut now advertises using imported cheese. One of the reasons is that they can buy in bulk cheese from the west at a cheaper price than in Thailand but another reason is consistency.

What ever the style of pizza and whomever is making it they are all good. Except for some of the Thai style pizzas that look like they have mayonnaise on them for cheese.

Edited May 7, 2009 by getgoin

[Ulysses G.]

neopolitan pizzas please....anywhere?...not thin cracker like italian pizza, chewy neopolitan dough/crust not too thin and not too thick...almost like a new york style pizza.

I think Girasole comes close to what you want.

I agree.Thin crust, but tasty. I can't stand the thin crust that is like cracker with no taste (like motzah crackers).

[sinewave]

neopolitan pizzas please....anywhere?...not thin cracker like italian pizza, chewy neopolitan dough/crust not too thin and not too thick...almost like a new york style pizza.

Neapolitan pizza (pizza napoletana): Authentic Neapolitan pizzas are made with local ingredients like San Marzano tomatoes, which grow on the volcanic plains to the south of Mount Vesuvius, and Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, made with the milk from water buffalo raised in the marshlands of Campania and Lazio in a semi-wild state (this mozzarella is protected with its own European protected designation of origin).^[1] According to the rules proposed by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, the genuine Neapolitan pizza dough consists of Italian wheat flour (type 0 or 00, or a mixture of both), natural Neapolitan yeast or brewer's yeast, salt and water. For proper results, strong flour with high protein content (as used for bread-making rather than cakes) must be used. The dough must be kneaded by hand or with a low-speed mixer. After the rising process, the dough must be formed by hand without the help of a rolling pin or other mechanical device, and may be no more than 3 mm (¹⁄₈ in) thick.

So not like New York Style pizza but just like the local version of Italian style pizza. While NY pizza might be thin it has an edge crust. Neopolitan pizza might be more like Chicago style thin pizza although Chicago style thin pizza usually has a chewy crust rather than a cracker crispy style crust.

i dont know, bella says its neopolitan so thats what i called it...oh well...but yes anything like ny style pizza in chiang mai?

i dont like italian thin cracker crust pizza...im seriously about to go buy some flour and give it a try myself, why cant anyone in bangkok or chiang ma get it right? ehhh...its just dough...even the ny pizza place in bangkok isnt close to real.

[Ulysses G.]

One place in town, that I mention too often, has the closest to real American pizza in my opinion, but the crust is not crispy and bready and a little greasy all at the same time, which, to me, is what makes American pizzas better than others.

IT IS THE CRUST S____D!

The owner says that one just can't get the correct flour here and that is the main reason why no one can get it right. His is darn good - and inexpensive - for this part of the world, but I sure do miss the !00% real thing.

Edited May 7, 2009 by Ulysses G.

[sinewave]

yes, a real ny pizza must be dripping with oil, either olive oil or oil from the cheese and pepperoni, but it must be a bit oily....ok it doesnt have to be that oily.

im looking at a bread cookbook right now, and it seems there are a number of different processes in fermenting the dough(rise)..this may be a factor.

i remember a pizza place in flushing ny, that had people lined up waiting for a slice fresh from the oven, i will never forget the taste...pizza doesnt need a wood fired oven to taste good.

oh god man, i want a slice!..im hurtin here...

[tigerbeer]

whoops, meant Chiang Mai (help please Mr.Moderator)In Bangkok there is a place called Bella pizza, anyone who has been there will know the texture of the dough, is there a place in Chiang Mai that is the same type?

Never been to Bella Pizza in BKK..my favorite in BKK is Limoncello's on Sukhumvit soi11...Brick wood burning oven..very good pizza, unfortunately Chiang Mai has lots of medicore pizza places. No consistantly outstanding pizza place exists in Chiang Mai! You'll just have to try the mediocre places untill you find one that you can appreciate. maybe others will chime in and give you their reccomendations.

This is not true! Ridgely's Pizza is consistently awesome! A little restaurant on the west side of the San Sai road in between the Doi Saket Rd. and the 2nd Ring Rd. Hands down the best pizza in Chiang Mai, American style that is. They have really good everything else too. Price range is the same as the Duke's.

anyone got google earth coordinates for this???

Had dinner at Ridgely's today and must say that the food was very good. Pizza was tasty with good quality and generous toppings, made to order or preselected. The baquette used for the sandwich was very fresh. Salad and salad dressing fresh. I did not get a change to meet the owner but we received a warm welcome from the staff. good value for money.

go try them out. we wanted something different from the Duke's and we would go back Ridgely's again.

TB..