Hawaiian Pizza at Paia Flatbread Company

When one thinks of Hawaiian pizza, ham and pineapple typically come to mind. But rest assured, Flatbread Company brings their own slice of authenticity to the island of Maui. In fact, it very well might be the best pizza on the island.

After a long day of driving the Road to Hana, we were downright exhausted. Having driven all the way to the Seven Sacred Pools, we headed back to town around 3:30pm. By the time we reached Paia, we were starving and looking for a casual place to eat. Flatbread Company fit the bill: pizza, beer, and plenty of seating.

I actually had no idea that Flatbread was a miniature chain as the restaurant has nine locations, all of which are located in New England for the exception of their Maui outpost. The company touts the use of local, organic ingredients and bakes their pizzas in a wood-fire, clay oven grill.

We started the meal off with their organic house salad as well as some local beer brewed by Maui Brewing Co. I had the Bikini Blonde Lager while Rachel got the CoCoNut Porter. Meanwhile the salad featured mesclun and sweet leaf lettuces from Kula, green papaya and carrots from Hale Akua, toasted sesame seeds, arame seaweed, and homemade pineapple vinaigrette.

As for the pizzas, we were torn on what to get considering our patented indecisiveness, but thankfully Flatbread Company has a solution for that: they will let you split your order so you can enjoy two varieties on one pie. Problem solved!

We decided on the Mopsy’s Kalua Pork which featured smoked free-range pork shoulder, pineapple, red onions, goat cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, and mango BBQ sauce. It was exceptional to say the least. The smoked pork was tender while the tangy sauce perfectly complemented the rest of the ingredients, giving the flatbread a nice twist on traditional Hawaiian pizza.

The other half was the Pa’ia Bay Ohana and was topped with caramelized onions, mushrooms, mozzarella, parmesan, and tomato sauce. This half resembled more of a traditional pizza in respect to its components, but the quality was of a higher caliber given the quality of the local ingredients.

Oh, and let’s not forget about the crust. Its thin, crispy texture practically transported me back to the east coast. Sliced into long pieces, it proved difficult to stop reaching for another slice. I really enjoyed both, but the pork/BBQ sauce combo made the Mopsy’s pie the clear winner in my eyes.

Overall, we had a great time at Flatbread Company. Our waitress was very helpful when we were deciding what to order and possessed that contagious, laid-back attitude that is so prominent in Hawaii. If Paia wasn’t so far from our hotel in Kaanapali, we would have come back at least a few more times. Next time we travel to New England, a stop at Flatbread Co. is a must.