Alice Pizza is not your average pizza restaurant chain, nor does it obey the rules set by its local competitors and progenitors.
Its pizza is of Roman origin, pan-baked, and served in rectangular segments, not imperfectly round and expectantly Neapolitan with a formula that has succeeded in recent years.
The countertop at Alice Pizza – the second name of the daughter of the founder and the Roman way to say ‘fish’, pronounced a-lee-chay – shimmers with colour and freshness. Two dozen-plus pizza flavours pack the front of the store to be served in seconds after a hit of heat from the pizza oven.
Table service and thick circular pizza shapes is not accustomed here; diners are invited to select their flavour and size of pizza cut from the counter, with recipes ranging from traditional – carbonara, margarita, gricia, and diavola – and signature – mortadella, salsicca & porcini, and truffle – to a vegan and vegetarian selection and sweet toppings with Nutella spread.
Hong Kong was the first port of call for the Roman-born Italian pizza chain in Asia. Alice Pizza is the largest Roman-style pizza chain in Italy in terms of stores, sales, and profitability. Last year, it ranked 27th in the 50 Top World Artisan Pizza Chains 2025.
“Our success story is based on a product that comes from Roman culture, a square pizza packed in a tray, sold by weight, and served in a non-traditional or conventional way. This discovery experience of pizza sets Alice Pizza apart from its competitors,” Alice Pizza CEO Claudio Baitelli shared in an interview with Foodie.
Alice Pizza launched its first location in Wan Chai in August 2023, coinciding with the ballooning trend of takeaway meals consisting of rice with two to four stir-fried meat or vegetable sides.
The sides, prepared in the dozens, are also laid out on the counter at these takeaway stores and served hot for takeaway or immediate consumption.
Providing freshness and abundant choice at any time, any size, and any price, Alice Pizza has succeeded with a takeaway model familiar in Hong Kong. Their pizza is authentic and sold at an attractive price and experience.
“What we saw in Hong Kong was a super exciting city with a lot of energy and a deep culture around food. Hong Kong customers are able to appreciate the quality of pizza simply from looking outside our shops or from the counter at the ingredients and colours.”
Operating six locations and with plans for a dozen by the end of 2027, the Italian brand has achieved an immediate cultural and culinary fit. “We are confident to say that the format [of Alice Pizza] is a fit for the Hong Kong market.”
“We are able to generate a revenue stream all day long and our pizza can be adapted to multiple consumption occasions that are relevant for how the city eats.”
Alice Pizza’s restaurant design invites prying eyes from street level to witness the counter-level pizza through large windows, “reducing all the barriers between the customer and the product.”
This intentional design “brings reality to the customer,” Claudio says. “You see the abundance of the product, the color, the vegetables, the meat, and the different flavours. We think that this type of approach makes us a little stronger than other competitors or pizza experiences. This is a part of Roman culture.”
Preceding Alice Pizza’s arrival, roman pizza was only the rare experiment of entrepreneurial local Rome-born chefs; Hong Kongers have long demanded their pizza in pie shape and topped high with classic ingredients.
Hong Kong counts four of its pizzerias in the 50 Top Pizza Asia-Pacific 2026 rankings, a guide to the regions’ leading pizza establishments, including Fiata at number three. All four venues serve Neopolitan-style pizza.
“We don’t feel directly in competition [with Neopolitan pizza] offering this type of experience – not table service, but quick and easy. The flavours we offer are very different from a traditional Napolitana pizzeria.”
Roman pizza, owing to its less doughy, chewy taste than Neapolitan style, has benefitted Alice Pizza’s drive in delivery sales. It travels farther with flavours remaining consistent. “We do not serve frozen pizza, we start from water, yeast, and flour every single day!”
Hong Kong’s local pizza scene has shaken up with international flavours, with Vincenzo Capuano opening his name-brand restaurant in Hong Kong in the summer. For Alice Pizza, Claudio anticipates steady growth of their network, seeking expansion across Kowloon and the New Territories.
“We still have huge room to develop in Hong Kong, we believe this city is our day for entering Asia and to understand the market.”
Sindy Wong, head of consumer and hospitality of InvestHK, welcomes Alice Pizza’s local expansion amidst growing demand for international pizza flavours and brands. “Hong Kong is a market primed for experimentation for international businesses, suitable for companies like Alice Pizza to structure their logistics, marketing, and IT operations to expand locally and grow regionally,” she says.
In partnership with InvestHK.
