Restaurant Sparks Controversy by Charging $120 for Pineapple Topping on Pizza
Few culinary decisions have sparked as much controversy as the choice made by a Canadian chef in the 1960s to place tinned pineapple atop a ham pizza.
Sam Panopoulos, alongside his brother and business partner, dubbed their creation “Hawaiian pizza.” This bold fusion of sweet, tangy pineapple with a savory Italian staple broke with traditional culinary norms and ignited a debate that still rages on six decades later.
The divisive question of whether pineapple belongs on pizza continues to split opinions worldwide. It’s a subject capable of dividing nations, communities, and even families.
Now, a pizzeria in Norwich, England, has entered the fray with a provocative move: adding pineapple to its online delivery menu at an eye-watering price of £100 (approximately $122).
Interestingly, this isn’t the highest price for pineapple seen recently. Last May, a red-hued variant was sold in California for $395.99. Still, the £100 price tag dwarfs the typical £1 cost of a tinned pineapple at UK supermarkets.
The cheeky listing on Lupa Pizza’s Deliveroo menu reads: “Yeah, for £100 you can have it. Order the champagne too! Go on, you Monster!” It appears alongside more conventional offerings like Napoli, Meatball, and Pepperoni pizzas, all priced under £17.
A Divisive Move
“I say ‘no’ to pineapple,” declares Lupa’s head chef, Quin Jianoran, speaking to CNN Travel. Jianoran views the creation of Hawaiian pizza as a daring blend of “Chinese sweet and sour flavors with a traditional Italian product.” While acknowledging its polarizing nature, he says Lupa’s high-priced pineapple offering is meant to take a firm stance.
So far, no orders have been placed for the £100 pizza, but the menu addition has generated significant online buzz. A poll conducted by the local Norwich Evening News shows 62% of respondents in favor of pineapple on pizza. Should this sentiment translate into demand, Jianoran hinted that pineapple could make it to the restaurant’s monthly specials board.
“My views might change!” he joked. “It could be £200, it could be £2 — who knows.”
The Broader Pineapple Pizza Debate
While pineapple pizza remains taboo for many Italian purists, attitudes are gradually shifting. Last year, celebrated Neapolitan pizza chef Gino Sorbillo introduced a pineapple pizza to his menu, aiming to “combat food prejudice.”
Even world leaders have weighed in on the debate. In 2017, Iceland’s then-president Guðni Th. Jóhannesson had to clarify that he lacked the power to ban pineapple pizza after expressing disdain for the combination.
Jianoran, despite his preference for traditional toppings, admitted a fondness for the experimental spirit of New York-style pizzas. “There’s not really any limits to what they put on theirs,” he said.
Notably, a New York pizzeria, Una Pizza Napoletana, was named the best in the world in 2024 by the Italy-based 50 Top Pizza Awards, underscoring the city’s reputation for pushing culinary boundaries.
The pineapple pizza debate remains one of the most enduring controversies in the world of food — and it doesn’t look like it will be resolved anytime soon.
