Singapore’s Evolving Pizza Scene
I’ve been following the pizza scene in Singapore even before L’Operetta managed to get its Vera Pizza Napoletana accreditation. Back then, the pizza trend was still thin and crispy and the first waves of the Neapolitan tsunami had just reached our shores. In those days, spotting a bona fide Italian wood-fired oven was a novelty. Operators even had to import their own firewood since it couldn’t be sourced locally!
Today, every self-respecting pizzeria is doing Neapolitan. In fact, we have already progressed beyond Neapolitan to Neo-Neapolitan. Now that a pillowy, leopard-spotted crust is the norm, pizzaioli are starting to modify their dough recipes to develop their own signature style. Nobody is chasing a Vera Pizza Napoletana accreditation anymore.
The focus has also shifted away from the crust. Italian pizza flour and a long fermentation with a mother starter is almost a given now at any pizzeria claiming to serve authentic Napoletana. If you study the pizzas making the Asia Top 50 list, the focus is shifting to more innovative toppings. At least that’s what I observed having tried Asia’s top-ranked Pizza Bar on 38th in Tokyo last year, as well as La Bottega Enoteca and Fortuna right here in Singapore.
That’s exactly what Anto Pizza e Aperitivi on Jiak Chuan Road is doing. And the results show. Having opened in late 2024, they have already claimed the No. 15 spot in the 50 Top Pizza Asia-Pacific 2026 list! That makes it the top-rated in Singapore.
The Man Behind the Oven
The man behind the oven is Antonio Brancato, a pizzaiolo with 16 years of experience. He’s originally from Pignola in Basilicata, the rugged hill country of southern Italy. He spent 2 years working under Franco Pepe, one of the most respected names in the pizza world.
Franco’s pizzeria, Pepe in Grani in Caiazzo, is on my bucket list after I discovered him on Netflix. What sets Franco apart is his obsession with toppings. He has long championed the idea that great pizza starts with exceptional ingredients, sourced with the same rigour you’d expect at a fine dining table. That philosophy continues with Antonio, and you can taste it in every combination he puts on his pies.
What really surprised me about Anto was the oven. I had assumed, given the accolades, that he was running some serious wood-fired Italian setup. But no. It’s an electric oven. Not even gas. Well, at least it isn’t a deck oven!
What really surprised me about Anto was the oven. I had assumed, given the accolades, that he was running some serious wood-fired Italian setup. But no. It’s an electric oven. Not even gas. Well, at least it isn’t a deck oven!
The real surprise with the pizza base is how ordinary it is. The dough is fermented for 24 hours using Italian flour. The sauce is made with canned San Marzano tomatoes and for the cheese, fior di latte. But it is on this very basic canvas that Antonio’s culinary imagination is brought to fruition. The flavour combinations he puts together are things you won’t find anywhere else.
The Pizzas
The Rustica
This is the pizza that’s been popular from day one. Antonio created it ten years ago and it has been a hit everywhere he has served it. It’s built on tomato sauce with salsiccia fresca, smoked Scamorza, radicchio, and rosemary.
Fennel sausage is a common enough pizza topping, but it is the combination of the fresh fennel pork sausage with the radicchio that makes this one unique. Radicchio is a cultivated form of leaf chicory. Its bitter, slightly spicy flavour mellows beautifully when baked. The smokiness of the Scamorza, the fat of the sausage, the bitter edge of the radicchio is a lovely combination. 4.25/5
New Pizzas on the Menu
The Lucana Ritrovata
This one is named after Lucania, the ancient name for Basilicata, Antonio’s birthplace. It is essentially his ode to his roots. The toppings include fava bean cream, escarole, artichokes, Alife onion cream, smoked bacon, and crusco pepper flakes.
It’s a flavour combination I haven’t come across before in Singapore. Good, but probably not for everyone. The escarole reminded me of Chinese preserved vegetables, which I found a little odd on a pizza. But still worth trying, especially if you have been to that part of Italy. It might just conjure up some nostalgia. 4/5
The Bosco
This one we liked quite a bit. The flavour combination of ham and mushrooms is tried and true, but Antonio made a few creative twists. By using Provola affumicata, porcini mushroom, coppa, and truffle perlage he took the ham and mushroom pizza to another level.
It’s meant to be reminiscent of a rich, forest-floor depth. The truffle perlage is a smart touch. Instead of drowning everything in truffle oil, you get these little bursts of truffle flavour which was quite enjoyable. This is one which we’ll be ordering again! 4.25/5
The Anatra Quasi All’Arancia
This is a different style of pizza entirely. The pizza is made in the teglia style, essentially a personal pan pizza, baked in a small pan, giving you a thicker, crispier base with oil underneath. It was inspired by Singapore duck rice, which Antonio says is his favourite local dish. However, the only thing it has in common with duck rice is the duck itself. And it isn’t braised duck either, but smoked duck breast.
I’ll be quite frank here. This one didn’t quite work for me. The base was thick and doughy, and the toppings kept sliding off. In the end, it felt like eating hum chim peng with slices of duck and fennel on top. Except the hum chim peng would have been more airy. 3.5/5
Conclusion
If you are a pizza lover, Anto deserves a visit. It is after all the top rated pizzeria in Singapore. But know what you are walking into. This is not the place to go if you are seeking the familiar. It is about the creative topping combinations that Antonio has put together, each one telling a story about where he comes from and what he has learned.
We haven’t quite found that one pizza we would go back for again and again. But with such an extensive menu and the quality of ingredients he works with, chances are you will find yours. And if all else fails, there is always the Parma ham pizza, which we were told is the most popular on the menu.
Disclosure: This was a media tasting. Opinions expressed are those of our own.
