BEAVERTON, Ore. — A new restaurant in downtown Beaverton is putting a unique spin on Neapolitan-style pizza by blending flavors from Asian cuisines.
Aaron Truong and his wife Natalie are the owners of Hapa Pizza. The couple describes their food as Asian-inspired Neapolitan pizza. The spot opened up a few months ago at 12755 Southwest Broadway Street.
"It's a Hawaiian word that means 'mixed' or 'half and half,' so since we're combining Italian pizza with Asian toppings, we figured it'd be a fitting name for what we're doing," said Aaron Truong, giving an explanation behind the restaurant's name.
The inspiration for the restaurant came when Aaron Truong ventured into pizza making. Since he grew up eating Asian food, he began to experiment with adding Asian food from his childhood as toppings to pizza.
Truong said he and his wife started selling pizza at the Beaverton Farmer's Market. Before they knew it, one thing led to another and they opened up their brick-and-mortar pizza shop.
Their menu includes Massaman curry pizza made with lemongrass pork or fried tofu, banh mi pizza with Vietnamese barbecue pork and pickled radish, and pho pizza with slow-cooked brisket and pho sauce. For anyone who wants a more classic pizza slice, they also serve margerita pizza which can be made vegan.
Aside from their brick-and-mortar restaurant, customers can also purchase their pizza at the Beaverton Farmers Market on Southwest 5th Street.
As part of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, KGW has been highlighting Asian-owned businesses and events in the Portland area.
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