Pizzeria Pubblico  

I went to Posto Pubblico a while ago and really liked it. After reading about it, I learned that the owners-- who were both children of pizza shop owners in New York-- had opened a New York style pizza restaurant right in Hong Kong. I guess I hadn't noticed it because it's right next to Taco Loco, and I always have to avert my eyes from the horror that is TL.

This is definitely New York style pizza with large, thin slices, not too much sauce, and pretty well-cooked and not droopy on the bottom.

At the same time it's a little bit overly fancy-- the sauce tastes strongly of basil and there are shredded basil leaves on top of it, the pepperoni is small in circumference, thicker sliced and more "sausage-y" (coarse grained) rather than that authentic, American pepperoni I love so much, and I think the crust here was a tad *too* thin.

The environment was also, y'know, nice looking at all, but I felt too much like I was in an upscale, expensive, fancy-pants place (which I was) rather than, like, a pizza joint. I guess they couldn't charge you 50 bucks a slice if it wasn't so tarted up.

So it was a bittersweet experience: great pizza (really), but all through the meal I couldn't but be reminded of the even better pizza I had all the time in New Jersey. Well, I shouldn't say 'better'-- just closer to what I take to be pizza perfection, and executed with less pretension.

Still, final score: A

I'm looking forward to trying the subs.

Pizza in Hong Kong is a struggle. Some things just don't click. Thus I'm happy to report that Pizzeria Pubblico has achieved a recommendation from me (this is after several visits).

This is not a fancy place, but it's nicely decorated. The menu is very limited pizza, salads and handful of subs. You can order an entire pizza or by the slice. Order at the counter and they re-heat (for a slice) or freshly make your pie. Wine choices are limited to red or white (as it should be) and poured in an ordinary glass.

Prices are a little high ($48 a slice) but considering it's central location (right off the escalators and just above Hollywood Road), you've got a nice little spot to start your evening out. Note: Pubblico is located more on an alley right about Pure Fitness.

Now let's talk food.

There are usually 4 "by-the-slice" pizzas available, plain, meat, spicy meat and vegetarian.

Plain - has nice clumps of mozzarella cheese and has a nice balance of ingredients & sauce. To me it was bit plain, but indeed that's what you'd expect.

Spicy meat - this is my fav, a nice complement of supposely homemade sausage, cheese and a nice tomato sauce make this my stand out.

Vegetarian - roasted eggplant, this one sadly falls a tad short, it sounds and looks incredible, however, the taste is a little lacking. However still a good option for those looking for a meatless dish.

The MOST important element of any pizza is the crust and Pubblico has achieved an excellent crust, a bit charred in places, crispy and chewy, you can eat the pizza by hand or fork n' knife (your choice).

Prices as denoted are a tad high, but fair enough for a nice seating, quick service and a slice, glass of wine and shared salad will do you HK$120. Not bad.

It is hard to find a good pizza in Hong Kong so we had high expectations of the Pizza Pubblico having eaten at their main Restaurant Posto Pubblico where the quality of food and service was very high.

We did not have to wait for a table, there were around 10 other customers eating in on Thursday night.

We had two pizzas between four of us. The pizzas are large. The peperonni pizza was very good, probably the best we've had in Hong Kong. Brooklyn however whilst with good flavors was not cooked properly and was very soggy in the middle.

Whilst the pizza all in all was pretty good and we enjoyed sitting outside (alfresco dining options are rare in HK), the question is was each pizza worth 380HKD plus? I think it wasn't. Whist the pizza was good it was not superb. The service also could be improved when you are charging high prices. The staff at the counter were friendly however refused to bring the pizza and the drinks out (even though clearly they were not busy that night) and we had to go in several times to collect our order. You would normally not mind that if you are at a pizzeria, however when you are paying as much as for a nice sit down dinner with table service it makes you wonder what you are actually paying for. I think the place is overpriced. The bill including a couple of drinks came to over 1000 HKD for 4 people.

Would I go back to Pizzeria Pubblico? Probably not.
Would I go back to Posto Pubblico? Definetely, and mainly because you get what you pay for.

It was very nice & warm attend by casher lady. There are a lot of movement and very active Pizza restaurante.
Also pizza was very nice and crispy. Simple line up of Pizza but I felt the owner stick with the highest quality!
I understand what their basic philosophy for Pizza.