You might be surprised to hear that the best pizza I'd ever had in the world was actually in Hong Kong. That was more than three years ago (pre-Covid), when Kytaly (from Switzerland) opened in Hong Kong for a few years before an internal dispute caused the original chef to close and move back to Switzerland.
I still mourn the loss of those simply astounding pizzas to this day. However, it's true that the space, the ovens, and the HK-based staff are still here. A few years later, Fiata opened in the exact same spot. The head pizzaiolo is Salvatore Fiata, an Italian chef who formerly worked at Kytaly and comes from 3 generation of pizza makers.
We were definitely curious to try this pizza and see how it compared!
We did try one starter, a simple mozzarella di bufala Campana DOP, cherry tomatoes, and basil. It was OK. The mozzarella was good, but the tomatoes were pretty average. I've always found it difficult to find good tomatoes in Hong Kong except at the highest end restaurants (who are probably paying an arm and a leg for those tomatoes!).
The pizzas at Fiata Pizza are pretty small, almost like personal-sized pizzas. Chef Fiata is very exact about his dough proportions and the amount of time each pizza spends in the oven. His tagline is “75% moisture, 510 degrees celsius, 90 seconds and 100% passion.”
The crust is very flavorful, light and chewy, and nicely charred on the bottom. We both agreed the pizza was very, very good, probably the best in Hong Kong at the moment. At the same time, we both still thought Kytaly had an edge to this place.
Still, these pizzas are excellent, and we would certainly come back again.
Many others agree. Last August (2022) Fiata ranked 8th place in a listing of the 50 Top Pizzas in Asia Pacific by an Italian-originated ranking organized by Vittoria Dell'Anna marketing firm. It was the highest ranked pizza restaurant in Hong Kong.
So even though Kytaly is no longer here, I think we still have really, really good pizza in Hong Kong, and I'm quite thankful for that!
Fiata Pizza Hong Kong
2 Staunton Street, Soho
Central, HONG KONG
