[What to Order] Hanoi pizza delivery

There are only a handful of people in the world that don’t like pizza, and it has been widely agreed that they are terrible people. But just where can you get the best pies in Hanoi? A few years back, options were limited but today a new joint seems to pop up every month. With a little help with ‘tasting notes’ not to mention liquid refreshments from the beautiful boys at Overmorrow Brewing, Chào set about trying some of the very best delivery pizza in Hanoi:

Trẻ Trâu

Half Kebab, Half McDowell, 32 cm, 185,000 VND

Ok, so, this is a pizza that is half kebab flavor, and half Big Mac flavor. Yes, you heard that right. HALF-KEBAB, HALF BIG MAC! This glorious pie from Trẻ Trâu is unequivocally a junk-food bastard gifted from the gods. The solid base held up well under the weight of the more-than-considerable toppings and had a nice golden coloring around the edges. One side was smothered in doner kebab meat, garlic sauce, pickled green chili and red cabbage; while the other was loaded with diced onions, dill pickles, wagyu beef patties, American cheese and ‘Big Mick’s’ sauce. Oh boy. This was truly overloaded with amazing flavors.

If you are a purist, and only like your pizza pulled from a small wood-oven in a quiet Sicilian neighborhood by a guy called Fabrizzio, this might not be the one for you. However, if you just want to sit back and chow down on dirty junk food while watching endless pornography then this is king. These young buffalos know what they are doing when it comes to delivery pizza.

Best for: junk food heaven

Delivery only
3 p.m. – 11 p.m. Mon-Fri, 12 p.m. – 11 p.m. Sat-Sun
Tel: 098 106 45 30

Pizza Belga

Half 4 Formaggio, Half Pesto Napoli, 34 cm, 260,000 VND

With mozzarella, parmesan, gouda and gorgonzola sitting atop a beautiful wood-fired crisp base, the 4 Formaggio was our preferred half, a superior man’s pizza with strong nods to authenticity. Our only tip on this half is to eat it first and fast. Anything with so much quality cheese runs the risk of congealing. Though a great delivery pizza, the 4 Formaggio deserves to be eaten piping freaking hot, burning the top of your mouth, much akin to a hipster who ate his before it was cool.

Competing against one half layered with so much cheese, the Pesto Napoli side was always going to have its work cut out for it. Nevertheless the quality of the handmade Genovese pesto (basil, pine nuts, extra virgin olive oil, Grana Padano) made for some standout flavors, and the Napoli salami was fine too. With its large size, Pizza Belga is a damn classy outfit well worth the price point.

Best for: superior ingredients

Location 1: 225 Au Co, Tay Ho, Ha Noi
Location 2: 47 Hang Be, Hoan Kiem, Ha Noi
11 p.m. – 3 p.m., 6 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Tel: 0373018883

Paolo & Chi

Parma Ham Rucola, 30 cm, 270,000 VND

Lighter than expected, in taste and physical form. It’s the most Italian in look, piled high with carved prosciutto and similarly carved parmigiano, as well as gorgeous green arugula for taste and color. It was very pretty for a delivery pizza. A little floppy when handled, but once the Paolo & Chi pie finds the route to your mouth it comes truly alive, effortlessly rising to the occasion. Light dough, salty cheese and ham, umami tomato and peppery rocket – all the tastes of Parma in a slice—a regional beauty. Excellent.

Best for: elegant simplicity

284 Nghi Tam, Yen Phu, Hanoi
5 p.m. – 3 a.m.
Tel: 0915663993

NYC Pizza

The Old Quarter, 45 cm, 380,000 VND

This one, as the name suggests, is very much a New York style pizza. This grand pizza was hand delivered by owner Matt May who was presumably either a) insisting on the personal touch or b) putting the fear of god into the pizza tasting panel (time will tell but no one from Chào has been kneecapped, yet.) The pie is made from excellent dough, which forms a firm base that doesn’t flop when you hold it. Oh and it is absolutely massive. With a choice of four different topping styles (we had quarter cheese, quarter pepperoni, quarter veg, and quarter bbq).

The slice remained firm throughout the entire eating process. This is a great mid-afternoon piece of ballast to keep the Hois at bay, or a brilliant option for those with a large family where everybody wants a different flavor. Incredible range of dipping sauces available too. Not recommended for a single person. Unless…

Best for: New York taste + family dining

a) 8/12 Dang Thai Mai, Tay Ho
b) 63 Ma May, Hoan Kiem
11 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.
Tel: 096 561 00 69

Pizziamoci

Mixed Vegetable, 30 cm, 170,000 VND

Pizziamoci is one of the least talked about pizzerias in the city and we can’t work out why. Their pies are utterly superb, and at this price point certainly among the best value in the capital. Most of the Chào-Overmorrow tasting team are ferocious meat eaters, and for a moment we thought it might be unfair that we were getting our teeth into a vegetarian pizza. Not so. This bad boy was replete with mozzarella, tomato sauce, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant and Italian herbs was loved by all. The rich, sweetness of the fried eggplant in particular stood out as did the fluffy crust and generous amounts of cheese. A gourmand’s delight.

Best for: going meatless + value

Delivery only
10 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.
Tel: 033 858 3886

Crust

Crust pepperoni, 30 cm, 219,000 VND

Crust’s motto is “It’s all about the crust!” and though they deliver on this promise with excellent crusts, the toppings were a solid performer too. The super side dips were among the better ones delivered, with their homemade chilli sauce deserving particular praise. We want to order some by the jar. With the addition of spicy salami and pickled pepper, this pie had one of our team screaming, “It’s too spicy for me,” but truth be told she was just being lame. The spice here was pitch perfect and ideal for those that like their pizzas with a little extra kick.

Best for: getting spicy

3/12 Dang Thai Mai, Tay Ho
11 a.m. – 3 a.m.
Tel: 094 115 44 88

La Pizza

Four Cheese and Honey, 25 CM, 104,000 VND

Absolutely caked with cheese (mozzarella, emmental, parmesan, processed cheese) as well as whipped cream and honey, La Pizza’s offering, as the name suggests, was very cheesy and sweet, and more of a personal sized pizza than some of the others on offer. The use of honey and whipped cream might be a bit too experimental for some, but at some level it worked, albeit a bit like the way crack works: you probably shouldn’t do it but you keep wanting more. Like many a cheese heavy pizza, definitely one you want to eat very fast before the cheese hardens. But we are sure you can handle that. Not one for the diabetics.

Best for: feeling experimental

Nhà H3, Thành Công, Ba Đình
11 a.m. – 2 p.m., 5p.m. – 9 p.m.
Tel: 093 234 40 04

Daluva

Pepperoni pizza, 30cm, 190,000 VND

Hanoi is missing a deep dish pepperoni pizza (think Pizza Hut in the early 90s) and Daluva’s pie were the closest we could find, with a slightly deeper base and a delightfully oily top. There were tons on pepperoni on this rich, carby delight, and it had a heaviness that soon put us into a dreamy food coma. This one was not too dainty, but who wants a dainty pizza anyway. Not so much a taste of Tuscany as a lovely meaty mess that did everything a decent hunger-busting delivery pizza should do. One to blast away the Saturday morning hangover.

Best for: Hangover killer

33 To Ngoc Van, Tay Ho
10:30 a.m. – 1:15 a.m.
Tel: 024 3718 5831

From comfort food classics to the more obscure, “What to order” taste tests some of the best food delivery options in Hanoi.

With thanks to Stevie Parcalidis at World Trippin Productions Inc. for photography support.
Main Image: Stevie Parcalidis