The Case for Pineapple as a Pizza Topping

There’s only one thing in this world more divisive than politics, and that’s pizza, specifically when it comes to toppings, particularly when it comes to pineapple. Does the tart-tasting yellow fruit belong on your beloved pie? Or does the mere thought of ananas drive you bananas? People on the Internet have opinions, of course.

Reactions on reddit from Team No-Pineapple range from a mere “No” to a stronger “No no never no no” to a “Hard pass” and an “Absolutely disgusting 🤢 🤮,” with one person even declaring its presence “A sin against God.”

Pizza professionals and pizzaioli tend to be a bit more empathetic in their opinions:

“It’s not my style—I don’t love it, but I’m not opposed to it,” says soccer player turned pizzaiolo Massimo Laveglia of L’Industrie Pizzeria, whose beautiful basil-and-burrata-topped slices are found in Brooklyn and now the West Village.

Legendary pizzaiolo Chris Bianco, of Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix and Los Angeles, echoes Laveglia’s sentiments: “I don’t use it, but I’m not against it,” he says.

Joe Beddia doesn’t do pineapple at his eponymous Pizzeria Beddia in Philadelphia but would use them under one condition: “If I ever have a pizzeria in a place where pineapples grow, then I will,” he says.

Meanwhile in Seattle, chef-turned-pizzaiolo Khampaeng Panyathong is on Team Pineapple. In fact, he’s so pro-pineapple he opened a pizzeria last fall called Ananas Pizzeria. (Ananas is the original name of the fruit.)

“I originally wanted to call it Pineapple Pizzeria—I really just wanted to say ‘fuck you’ to people who would hate on you for liking pineapple on pizza,” says Panyathong.

Pineapple pizza is mostly associated with “Hawaiian pizza,” of course, where pineapple chunks come combined with either ham or bacon. Confusingly, Hawaiian pizza was actually invented in Canada by a Greek guy by the name of Sam Panopoulos in the early 1960s—he was inspired by the sweet-and-salty flavor combinations found in Chinese cuisine and wanted to do something different culinarily. What’s more, pineapples aren’t even native to Hawaii—they originated in South America before they were brought to the Aloha State. The more you know.

In recent years, pineapple on pizza has continued to cause controversy around the world; in 2017, the president of Iceland threatened to ban pineapple as a pizza topping, while more recently, Italy has become divided over famed pizzaiolo Gino Sorbillo’s introduction of pineapple to his pizzeria in Naples, the birthplace of pizza itself.

If you want to know what I think, I’ll say this much: I’m not into rules when it comes to food, and if there are any, I’m all for breaking them in the name of deliciousness. Don’t yuck my yum, and I won’t yuck yours.

Pizza is art, and a stretched-out piece of dough is a blank canvas for creativity. And as I’ve been traveling the country the past few years reporting for our Best New Restaurants in America and Best Bars lists, I’ve managed to squeeze in quite a few pizzerias where chefs are displaying their own spins on the so-called Hawaiian pizza.

Pizzaioli aren’t just dumping syrupy chunks out of a can. They’re breaking down fresh pineapple into razor-thin cuts, roasting and caramelizing the pieces beforehand; they’re using different salty cuts of pork, like capicola, and topping with other interesting items to complement and cut through the fruit’s sweetness. The below are just a few of the special ones I’ve found around the nation that might make you consider Team Pineapple.

Flour + Water’s ode to the Hawaiian pizza.

San Francisco

From the same folks who brought you the pasta palace that is the now 15-year-old Flour + Water comes their stand-alone pizzeria in North Beach, which opened in the summer of 2023. Here they’re pumping out thin and crispy 13-inch pizzas and slinging slices in the back. Their ode to the Hawaiian has slivers of herby capicola, aka gabagool, instead of ham and contains pineapple sliced so thin it practically melts into the sauce. Pickled Fresno chiles as well as chile crunch help this pie hit all the salty, sweet, and spicy notes.

The Ananchovy pizza at Ananas incorporates anchovies and pineapple.

Seattle

Laotian by descent and born in a Thai refugee camp before coming to Seattle with his family, chef Khampaeng Panyathong runs the Laotian restaurant Taurus Ox in addition to his Ananas Pizzeria, which provides a safe space for those on Team Pineapple. In addition to the heritage-driven pie that features khao soi pork and bamboo shoots, consider the Ananchovy, which comes with a thin layer of pineapple that covers the entire pie, a whole can of salty anchovies to counteract the sweetness, and a drizzle of reduced spiced-rum pineapple syrup to bring it all together.

A pie from Pizza Matta with Slagel ham, caramelized pineapple, AND giardiniera.

Chicago

From chef Jason Vincent, the same gentleman behind both the Logan Square restaurant Giant and Chef’s Special Cocktail Bar, Pizza Matta opened in April 2023. Although the Hawaiian isn’t specifically on the menu, people can go DIY and add medium dices of pineapple that are caramelized on the plancha next door at Giant as well as minimally treated, hickory-smoked ham. Go ahead, add on giardiniera, because Chicago.

Nonno’s Pizza Tavern’s Maui Wowee.

Houston

Speaking of the Windy City, you can find a fun take on Hawaiian pizza at Nonno’s, our 2023 Pizzeria of the Year. The retro-cool pizzeria offers Houstonians a taste of thin and crispy square-cut Chicago tavern-style pizza, and the Maui Wowee is topped with similarly thin slices of pineapple, thin square slices of Spam, and thin coins of smoked jalapeño. Save some quarters for the arcades.

Pizza Supreme Being’s take on the Hawaiian.

Sacramento

Ben Roberts played in a punk-rock band and cooked in some of the best kitchens in California’s capital before getting into the pizza game, and inside of the white-tiled, baby-blue-colored walls of his Pizza Supreme Being he’s pumping out naturally leavened sourdough pies. His Hawaiian features slices of fresh jalapeño and thin slices of pineapple, but the real innovation is the addition of little pieces of Spam that provide a nice textural contrast.

Pizza Tropical’s La Hawaiiana.

Miami

Find a little slice of Brooklyn in Miami at Pizza Tropical, which was opened by the wonderful animated pizzaiolo Frank Pinello of Best Pizza in Williamsburg. Inside the yellow-and-red-painted stand you’ll find pies by the whole and slice—the La Hawaiiana comes sans sauce and topped with not one but two types of pineapple (fresh and caramelized), spicy pepperoni, fresh mozzarella, parsley, and a drizzle of hot chile oil.

New York

Paulie Gees needs no introduction, and although you can find slice shops and franchises outside New York, the OG location, with its wood-fired pies in Greenpoint, will always have a special place in our hearts. The Bubba Guy has smoky crispy bacon, fresh jalapeños for heat, and little pieces of pickled pineapple that pop. Another win for Team Pineapple.