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Whether thin crust, hand-tossed or deep-dish, we’ve got your pining for pizza covered.
Pizza in Waikiki? It’s more varied than you think. From artisan thin-crust pies to thick, cheesy slices at a sports bar during happy hour, choices run the gamut. Here’s what you’ll find at Waikiki’s pizza joints.
HARBOR PUB
Pizza rules at Harbor Pub, a humble waterfront dive where 16 varieties are baked from scratch. And we’re not talking just your pepperoni and cheese pies: Choices include the Portuguese sausage pie, a beef and jalapeno pizza, and the Harbor Combo, with just about everything on it. All come with thick crust, crispy bottom and generous toppings. Note: The bar atmosphere means Harbor Pub isn’t recommended for the underage crowd at night.
1765 Ala Moana Blvd., Ste. 1 (Corner of Hobron and Holomoana Streets)
(808) 941-0985
www.harborpubhawaii.com
GIOVANNI’S
The full name of this place—Giovanni Pastrami, a New York Style Deli, Pizzeria and Sports Bar—explains why slices of cheese pizza are gratis during happy hour (and also why there’s a happy hour). Giovanni’s claim to pizza fame is that it serves only Round Table pizza, a thick-crust pie from a West Coast franchise beloved in Hawai‘i. Bonus: They serve personal pizzas. Double bonus: Delivery is free and you get a 10-percent discount if you’re staying at the Wyndham.
227 Lewers St.
(808) 923-2100
Arancino
ARANCINO
Two locations serve up arguably Waikiki’s best artisan pizza, cooked fast and crispy in a very hot oven. Arancino’s hews true to thin-crust, Italian-style pies, with some Japanese twists like hard-boiled egg mixed in with the mushrooms, ham, bell pepper and mozzarella on its capricciosa, and apples instead of pears on its gorgonzola e mela pies. Recommended: Owner’s Favorite, with shrimp, onion and garlic chips, all smothered with cheese. Portions are small and prices run a tad high, but then again, this is gourmet pizza in Waikiki.
Arancino
Beachwalk
255 Beachwalk Ave.
(808) 923-5557
Arancino di Mare
Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort
2552 Kalakaua Ave.
(808) 931-6273
SERINO’S
One of Waikiki’s newest eateries, Serino’s opened early this year with a menu of New York-style pizzas—in other words, the thin-crust kind you can fold in half and eat. The atmosphere is casual and limited table space makes this a good candidate for a take-out snack or meal. Recommended: the carnivore and the Hawaiian pizza, which comes with not ham and pineapple, but smoked pork and mango-pineapple chutney. Available in whole pies or slices.
2301 Kuhio Ave.
(808) 923-9234
DUE DIVINO
A friendly neighborhood hole-in-the-wall, Divino’s fits the bill on those mellow nights when you’re out for a stroll and feel like popping in for a relaxing meal and some live guitar jazz. Pizzas have fun names like Mi Amore and Oh Wasabi and are of the Italian-style, thin-crust variety. If you like your pies with some vino, bring your own and expect a corkage fee. Weekends can get crowded, but the wait can go faster if you don’t mind communal seating.
432 Ena Road
(808) 955-4142
One of CPK’s original-crust pizzas
CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN
CPK as come a long way since opening its first Cali restaurant back in 1985. A gourmet take on the universally loved pizza, the pies offered here go well beyond the usual pepperoni and mushroom—though you can certainly have your pizza that way, if that’s your preference. Cases in point: flavor combinations like pear and Gorgonzola cheese or the arugula, tomato and parmesan-topped Tricolore salad pizza. Additionally, California Pizza Kitchen’s signature hearth-baked method lends just a hint of smoky flavor to its pizzas and gives them that perfectly crisp crust.
2284 Kalakaua Ave., #202
(808) 924-2000
