Best Restaurants in Udon Thani – Pappagallo Pizza Italian Restaurant
Whenever I’m in Udon Thani city, I like to make the most of the occasion by treating myself to a type of cuisine that’s only a dream when I’m staying in a rural Thai village. Pappagallo Pizza is rated as one of the best restaurants in Udon Thani. That said, one I had never visited before. So, with a camera in one hand, and a cornetto in the other, I decided to sample real Italian cuisine by checking out Pappagallo’s Pizza Italian Restaurant.
My trip to Pappagallo’s would be my first taste of authentic Italian food in Udon Thani. And I wasn’t sure whether to hail down a taxi or look for a retired expat gondolier hawking a three-wheel gondola. Instead, I telephoned my partner, and we headed off to sample a slice or two of Italy in dear old Udon Thani.
Pappagallo Pizza Italian Restaurant is on Udon Dutsadi Road, a ten-minute gondola ride from Udon Thani’s Nong Prajak Park and less than an Italo Dance tune from the city’s CAT International Telephone Office. Dress code is footloose and fancy-free but like anywhere else in Thailand make sure you bring your wallet. Not that you’ll need too much in it because Pappagallo Pizza has a very reasonably priced menu. The restaurant opens seven days a week from 11 am to 11 pm and sits with a striking Mediterranean street café likeness among more traditional and old-fashioned looking Thai shops and businesses.
The restaurant is clean and pristine. The decor wrestles a light colour scheme against dark wood tables and light teak coloured seating. There’s also enough wall pictures to blow a paparazzi photographer’s flashbulb. The picture stills and wall gewgaw are a pleasant pastime while you await your food. We visited Pappagallo Pizza late afternoon and my hunch that our arrival would be at a quieter time of day turned out to be right. The restaurant was in a period of peaceful siesta.
Pappagallo’s speciality is pizza, but the menu has more than a crust base and Mozzarella cheese to it. There’s lasagne, spaghetti and macaroni to keep the Italian flag flying, sizzling steaks for homesick western souls and a good range of Thai dishes too. Main orders are prepared in Pappagallo’s in-house kitchen by an Italian chef and restaurant owner Elio. There is a takeaway and home delivery service (40 baht surcharge) as well. You can mix and match your pizza toppings, and Pappagallo Pizza’s drinks list includes coffee, soft drinks, beer, spirits and Italian wine.
We ordered a takeaway 12-inch Seafood Pizza, and the service was prompt and the staff very friendly. Our giant seafood pizza was topped with shellfish (Thai: Hoy) and tasted delicious.
A Tongue Twister – Pappagallo Pizza Prices
Here’s the range and price list for Pappagallo’s pizzas:
- Pizza Vegetarian 150 baht
- Pizza Hawaii 160
- Pizza Seafood 170
- Pizza Tuna 150
- Pizza Pepperoni Sausage 160
- Pizza Margherita 150
- Pizza Devil Diavola 150
- Pizza Parma Ham 180
- Pizza Napoli Anchovies 150.
My overall impression of Pappagallo Pizza Italian Restaurant was that the oven-baked pizza we bought was tasty and excellent value and I’ll be returning there again in the future. The staff were polite and pleasant, and the restaurant’s appearance is a delicate balance of modern meets mediocrity. A first-class, well run business and an asset to Udon Thani’s expat and Thai community. And its tourist sector too.
Summary & Map
If you are planning to visit Udon Thani, then I can recommend Pappagallo Pizza restaurant as an excellent choice of where to eat in Udon Thani. View directions to the restaurant on the map below. Those who wish to order home delivery (within city limits) view the telephone details:
Papppagallo Pizza Italian Restaurant: Tel 0836773816 & 0846026468
Map source udonmap.com
I love these mouth watering pizzas. The restaurant looks neat and well maintained. I love vegetable pizzas as they contain less calories and offer more nutrition.
Cammille – I’m not much of a vegetarian myself but with a pizza it’s not a problem. Cheese, tomatoes and pineapple are all big favourites of mine. And less calories too.
Nice to see you applying your unique style to restaurant reviews now, Martyn. Sounds very tempting. I also make for one or other of Ubon’s two Italian restaurants when I’m there. In Udon though, I might go for that cheeze and onion sandwich in preference.
Lawrence – The cheese and onion sandwich does look more tempting but the 12-inch pizza would last longer, in my case anyway.
I’m trying to put lots of informational reviews onto the site. Hotels, restaurants, bars, tourist attractions and such. It’s going to take time but I’m hoping to make ‘The Juice’ a decent hub of information for anyone visiting Udon Thani.
Good idea, Martyn. But not entirley ‘decent’, perhaps.
Lawrence – I take it by ‘idea’ you mean tackling the sandwich head on and not the hub of information.
I love pizzas. I must say that rather than going for Dominos I would go for the local pizza restaurant. This one here looks wonderful and I want to have it. But oops I am on a weight loss plan. I wonder if they could offer a low fat cheese pizza.
Victoria – Best of luck with your diet and staying off the pizzas will only help with that plan. Maybe you could look at the pizza and nibble on the takeaway box.
Martyn, I love a luscious pizza dripping with cheese but I’m afraid they don’t like me. The cheese is ok. The pepperoni is fine too. And anchovies. YUM! But what everything sits on is not fine. And as I like what I sit on to be as small as is practical… well, you know.
Catherine – I wouldn’t say I love pizza but I do like one now and then. Wilai’s not too keen on them though.
What I do like about a pizza, for me anyhow, is that I can eat a slice or two next morning and I don’t care if it’s hot or cold. I probably actually prefer cold.
I take it you’ve now fully recovered from your bout of ‘definitely not going to anywhere that has only got squat toilets’.
Martyn, the last time I had an honestly good pizza was in Pau, France. The shop was barely wide enough to fit the oven. A real pizza oven. Thin crust, pepperoni, oozing cheese, hot spicy oil dribbled over top, with fresh herbs scattered about.
In my younger days I’d have pizza and beer for breakfast but no longer. The man loves pizza so finishes the box. But no matter, I can’t eat the crust anyway so I’m not complaining. I usually pretend that I don’t like pizza at all. It’s only occasionally I remember that I do.
Have I recovered? Well, yes and no. I recovered from that lot of food poisoning but acquired another (not sure what to call this one). But really, I don’t mind this round. I spent last week in Chiang mai on expenses, being able to eat and drink what I wanted, and all without gaining enough to matter. Food poisoning is good like that.
Catherine – Beer and pizza for breakfast. That has university, the good old days and partying written all over it.
Chiang Mai. Memories for me. Good ones, but unfortunately I didn’t see enough of the city itself. I’ll put that right one day.
I’m pleased to read you’re well on the mend.