Hapa Pizza, the Beaverton pizzeria known for its Asian-inspired toppings, was named one of the 22 best pizza places in the United States by The New York Times on Tuesday.

In a text message, co-owner Aaron Truong called Hapa’s appearance on the list a “huge honor,” while saying he hoped not to “put too much stock” into it.

“I feel like we still have a lot to learn and improve on, so we’ll just keep plugging away and getting better,” he wrote.

The Times list includes a pointedly diverse mix of pizzerias both in terms of cuisine (Neapolitan pies are represented, as are those inspired by Cleveland and Bangladesh) and geography (locations range from Berkeley to Baltimore to Mountain Brook, Alabama). Some of the best-known pizzerias in America (Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, Roberta’s in Brooklyn) sit alongside modern hits (Pizzeria Sei in Los Angeles, Young Joni in Minneapolis) and more under-the-radar finds (Leña Pizza in Cleveland — which isn’t the Cleveland-style place — and Bird Pizza in Charlotte, North Carolina, which is).

Even so, our readers might find it refreshing to see a different pizzeria land on a national list after Ken’s Artisan Pizza seemed to rack up all the awards last year. Speaking of, the Top 50 Pizza organization plans to announce its 2024 picks for America, which last year included Ken’s (304 S.E. 28th Ave.) at No. 3, Apizza Scholls (4741 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd.) at No. 20, and Nostrana (1401 S.E. Morrison St.) at No. 29, at a ceremony Tuesday evening.

The Oregonian first wrote about Hapa Pizza back in 2022, when we found food industry newcomers Aaron and Natalie Truong cooking their pizzas in backyard Gozney Roccbox ovens at the Beaverton Farmers Market. Though the calling card was a phở-style braised brisket pizza complete with hoisin and bean sprouts, we were just as impressed with the simple cheese pie, which already ranked among Beaverton’s best pizza.

The pizzeria started with an “impulse buy,” Aaron told us then, after he spotted an online fundraiser for the Roccbox, one of several new counter-top pizza ovens capable of cooking with blistering heat. After several tasty experiments — with an assist from “The Elements of Pizza,” the influential pizza book from former Ken’s Artisan Pizza owner Ken Forkish — an “aha” moment came when Aaron made a bulgogi pie for a group of friends. Those friends soon encouraged the Truongs to go pro.

In 2023, we named Hapa one of the metro area’s best new pizzerias. That year, the Truongs opened their first brick-and-mortar restaurant (they continue to operate their Saturday farmer’s market stall). Last month, Eater PDX reported that the duo planned to expand with The Collab, a bar and dedicated pop-up space next door to their pizzeria that will play host to local snack and dessert vendors.

Hapa, which the Truongs see as an expression of their “experience of growing up as Asian Americans and being a hybrid of multiple cultures,” takes its name from the Hawaiian word for “half and half,” a term “used colloquially to refer to people who are half Asian and half white,” Aaron Truong explained. “It’s a fitting name for the kind of pizza that we make,” he said, “because it’s blending two different cultures together in Italian and Asian.”

One of the pizzeria’s hallmarks is the way sweet beef, bean sprouts and other things that might sound odd as pizza toppings end up tasting delicious when you try them on a Hapa pie. Or, as The New York Times put it, “Mr. Truong manages to get a lot on his pizzas without them seeming gimmicky or overloaded.” Agreed.

Visit Hapa Pizza for lunch Wednesday-Friday and dinner Wednesday-Saturday at 12755 S.W. Broadway St., Beaverton; or Saturday mornings at the Beaverton Farmers Market; hapapizza.com.

— Michael Russell; mrussell@oregonian.com

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