Pho Pizza Creates Asian Sensation in Portland

• Hapa Pizza offers a Pho Pie featuring brisket braised in pho broth, bean sprouts, hoisin, green onions and cilantro.
• Other signature items include the Bahn Mi Pizza, topped with grilled Vietnamese pork and pickled radishes and carrots, and a Breakfast pizza featuring Cantonese-style scrambled eggs.

Related: East meets west in Indian-style pizzerias across San Francisco

Tucked away in the Beaverton Farmers Market in Beaverton, Oregon, Hapa Pizza has staked its reputation on Asian-inspired Neapolitan pizza—and they’ve had so much success, owners Aaron and Natalie Truong are planning to take their show on the road.

Hapa Pizza will become a food truck in 2022, according to Eater.com. Aaron’s parents came to the U.S. from Vietnam and Taiwan, and he has combined those culinary influences in the fare at Hapa Pizza, along with a Neapolitan-style Margherita pizza with fresh Thai basil.

The Truongs have already created buzz with their Pho Pie, featuring fatty brisket braised in pho broth as well as bean sprouts, cilantro, hoisin and green onions. “There’s this hearty, beefy flavor, the crunch of the bean sprouts—it creates this really unique blend,” Aaron told Eater.com. “When my wife and I first tried it, we looked at each other, eyes huge, like, ‘What is this?’”

Meanwhile, their Bahn Mi Pizza is topped with grilled Vietnamese pork, pickled radishes and carrots, and cilantro, plus sriracha aioli and cucumber white sauce. “The key is really the sauces,” Aaron said. “The fresh cucumber sauce … really makes it pop along with the sriracha aioli.”

The Truongs took a break from Hapa Pizza during the 2020 pandemic but came back in May of this year after the birth of their daughter. One of their latest creations: a vegan version of the Bahn Mi Pizza made with marinated jackfruit, vegan cheese, pickled daikon and carrots, cilantro and a drizzle of cucumber sauce and sriracha aioli.

They’ve also introduced the Thai Peanut Chicken pizza, featuring mozzarella, a house-made peanut sauce, marinated Thai chicken, pickled vegetables, bean sprouts and cilantro, with peanuts sprinkled on top. Meanwhile, their Breakfast Pizza comes topped with mozzarella and cheddar, Cantonese-styled scrambled eggs, a house-made sausage, lap cheong, bell peppers, green onions and a house-made tomato sauce.