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All Fired Up

Features Order of the Day

November 11, 2012

Story By: Kyle Galdeira | Photos by: Lawrence Tabudlo

With a large brick oven stocked with kiawe wood and its resulting sweet, smoky aroma at its disposal, Inferno’s Wood Fire Pizza has ignited Hawaii’s hunger for quality pizza pies.

Each pizza at Inferno’s is hand crafted and prepared with the finest, freshest ingredients, and baked to crispy perfection at 800 degrees in the distinctive dome-shaped oven. The business concept started as a mobile wood fire pizza operation, and the pizzas’ popularity led the company’s owners to open the Ward Center location.

“The pizzas are really just based on what people like here, and feature local ingredients,” says Kyle Okumoto, who owns the eatery along with Jon Wong. “We make the dough fresh daily with flour from Italy. We use kiawe wood in the oven to create that flavor from the smoke, and the pizza cooks really fast so the crust is nice and crispy.”

One of the distinctive pizzas offered up at Inferno’s is Guava Smoked Pork ($15.50), which features fresh mozzarella cheese, local Shinsato guava-smoked pork, fresh mushrooms, Maui onions and a locally crafted Kilauea barbecue sauce available in both spicy and mild. The sweet and savory pork coupled with the tangy barbecue sauce and crisp onions creates a must-try assortment of flavor.

For those diners who prefer a hearty assortment of fresh vegetables, Inferno’s serves up a Veggie ($14.75) pizza, which includes fresh mozzarella, fresh mushrooms and Maui onions, local tomatoes and olives. Similarly, Spinach Garlic Tomato ($13.50) features plenty of flavorful garlic, fresh mozzarella, spinach and local Roma tomatoes.

Diners craving an extra level of heat can reach for Chicken Ranch Jalapeno ($16) pizza, which features jalapenos, spinach, mushrooms, olives and roasted chicken.

“It’s a way different pizza, a much better product than what you get at other pizza establishments,” says Okumoto. “You’ve gotta try it. It’s an authentic, Neapolitan style pizza,” which is heralded for its hand-kneaded dough that bakes crispy on the outside while remaining tender and fragrant.

The multiple pizza selections at Inferno’s pair perfectly with the seven locally brewed beers crafted and served at the eatery. Hawaiian Islands Brewing Company has partnered with Inferno’s, tapping into a host of local flavor profiles that come through in the freshly brewed beverages.

Lei O’ Mano IPA, HI Brew, Diamond Head Gold and Kona Coffee Stout have drawn rave reviews from customers this far, the latter of which features hints of authentic Kona coffee that provides a bold, full-bodied flavor that truly embodies one of the state’s most popular exports.

The ice cold brews are available from Inferno’s full bar, and diners can order them by the glass as the piping hot pizzas are brought to the table. For $5, customers receive a collectable pint glass full of their favorite creation that also includes $3 refills on the same day of purchase. The beer also is available to go in the form of 64-ounce growlers ($18), which can be refilled over and over for $12 — a delicious and cost-effective option for tailgating and large gatherings.

Inferno’s Wood Fire Pizza

1344 Kona St., Honolulu (additional location at Newtown Golf Driving Range in Aiea)
375-1200
Monday-Saturday, 5 p.m.-3:30 a.m.
Sunday, midnight-3:30 a.m.

Honolulu, HI 96814

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