Hawke’s Bay takes its pizza dough seriously, and the best Italian restaurants in Hastings include a Roman pizza al taglio bar, a pasta bar making its own noodles daily and a Neapolitan pizzeria running a wood fire at 450 degrees. Two are in central Hastings and two are five minutes away on Joll Road in Havelock North. Bambina Pizzeria and Sazio are the two you can walk to from Heretaunga Street.
1Sazio
Sazio is a pasta bar on Heretaunga Street East, named for the Italian word for full or satisfied, with a stated philosophy of eat well, eat often, eat pasta. Fresh pasta is made on site daily by Dan, kneaded, rolled and extruded into a changing selection of shapes from semolina or from 00 flour with free range eggs. It is dinner only from Tuesday to Saturday, with restaurant tables, bar seating and an alfresco area when the weather allows.
Services
- Dinner service Tuesday to Saturday from 5pm
- Online table reservations for parties up to 10
- Sazio’s Larder, selling fresh pasta, sauces and cheeses for next day pickup
- Gift vouchers
- Dietary and allergy requirements catered for, with options for children
Highlights
- Pasta made by hand on site every day
- Egg pasta uses 00 flour and free range eggs, while the semolina pasta is dairy free and vegan friendly
- Take home pasta shop selling pappardelle, gigli, ricotta gnocchi and panzotti
- Gluten free and dairy free sauces including Pomodoro, lamb ragu, and pork sausage with fennel
- Pet friendly alfresco area
Location & Contact
Name: Sazio
Address: 215 Heretaunga Street East, Hastings 4122
Phone: 06 650 7717
Website: sazio.co.nz
2Bambina Pizzeria
Bambina is a pizzeria on Heretaunga Street East led by Stefano Fuggiaschi, a chef from Como. Its speciality is Pizza Romana, the large rectangular pizza al taglio displayed in glass cabinets, cut to order with scissors and wrapped in waxed paper, alongside classic 30cm Neapolitan pizzas. It is a walk in pizza bar rather than a table service restaurant, and the Romana line up changes daily with what is available locally.
Services
- Pizza by the slice for walk in customers
- Whole 30cm Pizza Napoletana made to order
- Click and collect online ordering
- Phone orders
- Delivery through Delivereasy and UberEats
Highlights
- Led by chef Stefano Fuggiaschi, from Como in Italy
- Neapolitan pizzas cooked in an oven made in Naples
- Dough at a minimum 80 percent hydration, left to rise for 72 to 96 hours
- Italian flours, and tomatoes grown in the volcanic soils around Vesuvius
- Roman style pizza al taglio cut with scissors, with vegetarian slices always available
Location & Contact
Name: Bambina Pizzeria
Address: 211 Heretaunga Street East, Hastings
Phone: 06 211 2180
Website: bambinapizza.co.nz
3Alessandro’s
Alessandro’s is a Pizzeria Napoletana on Joll Road in Havelock North, about five minutes from Hastings, specialising in wood fired pizza and pasta. The kitchen sets out its method plainly: type 00 flour, dough kneaded and shaped by hand without a rolling pin, raw hand crushed San Marzano tomatoes from Italy, fior di latte or mozzarella di bufala, and a bake of 60 to 90 seconds in a wood fire held at a minimum of 450 degrees. The menu runs beyond pizza to pasta, antipasti, salads and dolci.
Services
- Dine in, Wednesday to Sunday from 4pm
- Takeaway
- Bookings for groups of eight or more, by phone or text
- Full Italian menu covering pizza, pasta, antipasti, insalate and dolci
Highlights
- Wood fired oven with a 60 to 90 second bake at a minimum of 450 degrees
- Dough hand kneaded and formed without a rolling pin, from type 00 flour
- San Marzano tomatoes imported from Italy, with fior di latte or mozzarella di bufala
- Rustic 12 inch Neapolitan pizzas made by Alessandro himself
Location & Contact
Name: Alessandro’s
Address: 15 Joll Road, Havelock North
Phone: 06 877 8844
Website: alessandrospizzeria.co.nz
4Pipi
Pipi is a pizza cafe, bistro and restaurant on Joll Road in Havelock North that also runs its own pizza truck. The menu is built around twelve named pizzas, from margherita to marinara and salsiccia, alongside potato gnocchi with tomato ragu, old fashioned meatballs with penne and garlic seafood pasta. It is licensed, and the wine list carries a dedicated Italian red section.
Services
- Dine in bistro, Tuesday to Sunday from 4pm
- Takeaway and online ordering
- Pizza truck
- Licensed bar and wine list
Highlights
- Runs its own pizza truck alongside the cafe
- Gluten free pizza base available, with gluten free options across most of the menu
- Wine list carries a dedicated Italian red section, plus limoncello and grappa
- Sells signed copies of its own cookbooks
Location & Contact
Name: Pipi
Address: 16 Joll Road, Havelock North
Phone: 06 877 8993
Website: cafe.pipi.co.nz
Italian Restaurants in Hastings at a Glance
| Business | Based in | Highlight |
|---|---|---|
| Sazio | Hastings | Pasta made by hand on site every day |
| Bambina Pizzeria | Hastings | Led by chef Stefano Fuggiaschi, from Como in Italy |
| Alessandro's | Havelock North | Wood fired oven with a 60 to 90 second bake at a minimum of 450 degrees |
| Pipi | Havelock North | Runs its own pizza truck alongside the cafe |
How to Choose the Right Italian Restaurant in Hastings
- Decide whether you want pizza or pasta as the main event, because these kitchens specialise rather than trying to do both equally well.
- Check the trading days before you plan around them, since most open late afternoon and several close on Mondays.
- Ask about the pizza style if it matters to you, as Roman al taglio sold by the slice and Neapolitan cooked in 90 seconds are quite different things.
- Mention gluten free or dairy free when booking rather than on arrival, since one restaurant makes dairy free semolina pasta and another offers a gluten free base in one size only.
- Factor in the drive to Havelock North if you are choosing one of the Joll Road restaurants, and book ahead for a group.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hastings Italian Restaurants
What is the difference between Roman and Neapolitan pizza?
Neapolitan is the round pizza cooked very fast in a very hot wood oven, giving a soft, blistered base. Roman al taglio is baked in large rectangular trays, cut with scissors and sold by the slice, with a lighter, airier crumb from a much wetter dough. Hastings has both, within a couple of doors of each other on Heretaunga Street East.
Is any of the pasta made fresh?
Yes. One Hastings pasta bar makes its pasta on site every day, extruding a changing selection of shapes, and also sells it uncooked to take home along with sauces and cheeses. That is unusual outside the main centres.
Can I get gluten free?
Yes, with limits worth knowing. One restaurant offers a gluten free pizza base in the medium size only, with gluten free options across most of the menu. Another makes semolina pasta that is dairy free and vegan friendly, and offers gluten free sauces. Flag it when you book rather than at the table.
Are they open for lunch?
Mostly not. These kitchens are evening focused, with several opening from 4pm or 5pm and closing Mondays. The pizza bar is the exception, since it sells by the slice through the day. Check before making a lunch plan around one.
Do they deliver?
Some do. One pizzeria delivers through Delivereasy and UberEats as well as taking click and collect and phone orders, and another offers takeaway and online ordering. Ordering direct rather than through an app generally means more of the money stays with the restaurant.
Are they licensed?
At least one is licensed with a full wine list including a dedicated Italian red section, limoncello and grappa. Others vary, and BYO policies differ, so ask when you book if you want to bring a bottle. Your consumer rights around bookings and orders are explained by Consumer NZ.
How far is Havelock North from Hastings?
About five kilometres, or five to ten minutes by car. Two of the restaurants here are on Joll Road in Havelock North rather than in Hastings itself, which is worth knowing if you are walking rather than driving.
Should I book?
For a weekend evening, yes, particularly at the smaller dining rooms. One restaurant takes online bookings for parties up to ten and asks larger groups to phone. The walk in pizza bar does not take bookings by design.
How We Chose the Best Italian Restaurants in Hastings
Every business in this guide was found by searching for italian restaurants in Hastings, then checked against its own website. Names, addresses and phone numbers are taken from the business’s own site rather than a directory feed, so what you see here is what they publish themselves. We also check that each one is actually based in or genuinely serving Hastings, rather than a national operator running a local landing page. A business with no website of its own is not listed, because there is no primary source to verify it against.