Belga – No.1 for Neapolitan style pizza in Hanoi

There are plenty of pizzerias in Ha Noi, but if you are looking for a really good Neapolitan pizza here, The Nomad Quynh can guarantee Belga will be one of your best bets.

Pizza, along with spaghetti, are perhaps the most well-known Italian dishes in Viet Nam. However, Italians might be sad to hear that the most common type of pizza most Vietnamese are accustomed to is in fact the American one, typically served in American franchises such as Pizza Hut and Al Fresco’s. While it might be up to personal preference, and American style pizzas are still good, my favourite is still the traditional wood-fired Neapolitan style, and the place that serves it best in Ha Noi for me is Pizza Belga.

Located in the expat heavy area of Tay Ho, Belga might not be the most convenient restaurant to get to if you’re coming from the city centre, but I can guarantee you the trip is worth it.

Spread over several floors of a spacious building at 225 Au Co Road, this pizzeria can easily accommodate big groups. Besides indoor space, there is also a nice terrace on the first floor, and a small balcony on the second if you prefer to sit outside.

The menu is quite simple and straightforward with only one page. There is only salad for starters, pizza and pasta for the main course, plus some dessert. I have always liked simplicity in a restaurant, since most of the time it’s a good sign that whatever few options they have will be high quality. Indeed, the descriptions of each are already mouth-watering.

For starter, there are only two choices of vegetarian salad, however both of them sound interesting: Goat cheese salad (VND160,000) with greens, arugula, toasted cashews, fried goats cheese and orange dressing; and the Beetroot salad (VND130,000) with candied walnuts, beetroot and gorgonzola dressing. I decided to go for the Beetroot. It was indeed a perfect starter – all the ingredients were fresh, and the cheese dressing was of ample quantity, and matched perfectly with the other ingredients. I would definitely recommend this one, although I’m equally tempted to try the Goat cheese salad next time around.

Next came the star of the show: an authentic wood-fired Neapolitan style pizza. This style made easily recognizable by the signature crust made with fresh hand-made dough, which produces an airy, slightly crispy rim, and a thin, soft centre that droops when you pick a piece up by hand.

There are around 10 choices of wood-fired pizza, plus a few chef’s specials that are updated frequently. We opted for a half 4 formaggi (with tomatoes, mozzarella, gouda, parmesan, gorgonzola) and half capricciosa (tomatoes, mozzarella, pancetta, mushroom, black olives and artichoke). Our pizza arrived looking perfect, and upon taking the first bite, I have no doubt this is one of the best ones I have had in Ha Noi. The crust is light and airy, and we could easily tell all the ingredients were fresh, of high quality and came with a good balance of each which is not something all pizzerias succeed to achieve. The price is also very reasonable, with each pizza ranging from VND160,000 to VND250,000.