Sonny’s Slice Shop: A Welcome Addition to Hong Kong’s Pizza Scene or Hot Garbage?

Fresh out of the oven from Singapore and newly minted at the corner of Hollywood Road and Elgin, Sonny’s Slice Shop is the new pizza kid on the block serving up crispy, authentic New York-style pizzas (with both familiar and local homages) by the slice or whole pie, beef hotdogs, and freshly churned soft serve milk ice cream. If that isn’t pure nostalgia and comfort food rolled all into one little shop then I don’t know what is.

Sonny’s caught my eye after stopping by the 7-11 next door and noticing that yet another new eatery had popped up on Elgin. This location carries special significance in my life, as after moving back to the city in 2020, I spent one of my first nights standing outside where Sonny’s is now (formerly Dough Bros and some other random shop) shotgunning beers well into the early morning – with proper mask etiquette being practiced, of course. Coincidentally, that same night, a furloughed Australian Cathay pilot challenged me to hand-to-hand combat after I didn’t laugh at one of his jokes, to which I declined.

Out of sheer curiosity and insatiable hunger, I decided to swing by this saucy slice shop to see if it had any staying power in Hong Kong’s faltering gastronomic landscape. 

Here’s what I thought (and think) about Sonny’s Slice Shop and if it’s a sound addition to Hong Kong’s burgeoning (and evolving) pizza scene or simply hot garbage on a paper plate. 

Welcome to the Neighborhood, Sonny’s

Website, Address, & Details: https://www.sonnyspizzas.com/, https://www.instagram.com/sonnys.hk/  

• Location: Ground Floor, 68-70A Hollywood Rd, Central
• Price: $ – $$

If you’ve been in Hong Kong long enough then you know that the current “slice shop” landscape of Paesano’s and Big Pizza just isn’t cutting it. Sure, they get the job done but rarely do you walk away truly satisfied. It’s more of an acquiescence or impulse purchase in the heat of a heavy night out or when there are no other available options. Hence, why I understand (and echo) the hype behind ‘Sonny’s’ entrance into the slice game.

“The slice game, the slice game, I ain’t sellin’ my soul for this slice game.”

Having first popped up in Singapore, Sonny’s is an ode to the quintessential New York slice shop, minus the dollar slice prices and Big Apple attitude you get after stepping in the door and taking more than 3 seconds to order. 

Stepping into Sonny’s is a reprieve from the often overambitious, ornate restaurants that line (infest?) Hong Kong’s SoHo area. It sports the classic New York mirror polished display case highlighting the day’s fresh pies, metallic prep tables, DIY sauce station (complete with ranch), and signage with lettering that looks like it came straight off a 1950s gum packet. 

It’s straightforward, honest, and convenient, which is everything you want after a long day of getting spanked by [insert generic Italian or French VP at your bank] over fat-fingering some orders.

If you’re looking for somewhere to sit, this isn’t your place buddy, guy. Don’t call me buddy, guy. You can safely chalk Sonny’s up to being a takeaway spot where you (a) post up on the street with a few tins and slices, or (b) grab a full pie to go. 

To quote my dawg Big Body Bes (another fellow big body in this game of life, “You could see me at three in the morning eating steak in the street. Just leaning over an ‘effing’ livery cab eating a whole meal spread, having a whole picnic on top of an ‘effing’ ’98 Lincoln.” Replace that with pizza and that’s me outside of Sonny’s. 

Slicin’ & Dicin’ at Sonny’s in SoHo

“I wanna go to college for the rest of my life, sip Banker’s Club, and drink Miller Lite, on Thirsty Thursday and Tuesday Night Ice, and I can get pizza a dollar a slice.” – Asher Roth

I’ll be completely honest, the slices didn’t look that great when I first walked into the shop. They had definitely been sitting out for some time and it looked like most of the cheese had congealed and tightened up, lost some of that glowy, glossy cheese-ness that we’ve come to expect when staring down the face of a pie hot out the oven. 

However, as my mother taught me back when I was a stay-at-home son and she would reheat old pizza for me for my sacred Saturday ‘Premier League’ mornings and afternoons, you can breathe a lot of life back into a slice of pizza if you reheat it properly. 

Pale Ale Travel Note: You may have read that Asher Roth quote and said to yourself, “What a bozo quoting that frat rapper.” But I just want to get out there that his mixtape ‘Seared Foie Gras with Quince and Cranberry’ is a completely slept-on hip-hop gem.

The Kowloon Kid For the Hong Kong Island Man-Child

As a man who cherishes heritage and tradition, Sonny’s ‘Kowloon Kid’ pizza was calling my name the second I walked in. On this rebellious, lionhearted ode to “The Dark Side,” you’ll find lap cheong (a popular staple in dim sum), a smoked and sweetened Chinese sausage with hints of rose water, soy sauce, and rice wine, bacon, mozzarella, scallion, and onion. 

At first, I was a tad suspect due to what appeared to be a lack of toppings but upon biting in, I realized this was all in the name of balance. Too much lap cheong and innate toughness of the sausage along with high fat content would have it feeling more like a jerky with toasted bread. Too much bacon and the natural, full-bodied sweetness of the San Marzano tomatoes would be lost. Too much milky mozzarella and the sturdiness of the slice would have caved in on itself. 

Acting as a steadfast and stern vessel for these toppings was the dough. Sonny’s use of 48-hour fermented dough is deliberate. Just for reference, I personally don’t eat 47 or 49-hour fermented dough slices as they just don’t “taste right.” Also, if you think I’m being serious about that then let me sell you my “1 Week Millionaire” dropshipping course. 

What I can tell you about 48-hour fermented dough is that it results in an especially developed and refined taste in the crust, as the yeast (naturally) has more time to metabolize the sugars and disperse throughout the dough. Further, proteins and starches in the dough are broken down, which yields a soft, elastic texture and upon cooking, a light, airy crust. Considering I was able to fold this slice like a paper plane and could have easily gotten at least twenty or thirty feet of hang time, I’d say Sonny’s wasn’t blowing smoke up my you know what. 

This ultimately resulted in one of the most balanced slices of pizza I’ve eaten in Hong Kong. No one element overpowered another. It retained the pliability and crispness of the New York slices we all know and love, without some of the over-doughiness that sometimes turns soggy, unable to withstand the milkiness of the mozzarella. It also wasn’t overly greasy, which caught me off guard due to the presence of both the fatty lap cheong and bacon. 

My recommendation is that while yes, slices are the signature of the shop, if you truly want to be economical and enjoy the quality and vigor of Sonny’s, then opt for a 12-inch or 16-inch pie – which will clock in anywhere between HK$160 and HK$330 (depending on the size and toppings). While HK$330 may seem steep for a pie, I think it is actually far more on the reasonable side when it’s a goliath 16-inch steak and cheese with bechamel sauce (a contender for one of the most drinkable sauces). 

On top of steak and cheese pies, and classics like cheese, pepperoni, and mushroom, you and the “gang gang, ice cream so good” (now that’s a rabbit hole you don’t want to go down) will also find Sonny’s ‘Garlic Gang’, a black garlic and pork pepperoni creation layered with a spicy marinara. Just know that you and the gang won’t be tonguing each other after you throw back a few slices of this bad boy. 

The Womp Womp: Sonny’s Hotdogs

While Sonny’s emphatically “slaps” when it comes to pushing out delectable, authentic New York slices (and pies), it whiffed majorly when it came to their hotdogs. As I’ve mentioned before, this blog is a celebration of fantastic places I’ve been and I try to stay away from the negative so this comment is not meant to be taken as a nullification of everything that I think Sonny’s Slice Shop is doing right. 

I’m just a hotdog maniac who grew up on these things. From my old man firing up Hebrew Nationals by the dozen on weekends to more steamed dogs than one boy should ever eat in his life at a New Hampshire food truck staple (at the University of New Hampshire), a quality hotdog has always been within arm’s reach for this Big Body. So, I was optimistic and genuinely foaming at the mouth when I saw that Sonny’s serves up 100% beef dogs.

Pale Ale Travel Note: I feel like instead of Big Body, I could have gone by the moniker ‘Beef Dog’. Let me know if I need a name change in the comments.

Sonny’s crew may have been in the throes of the dog days of the beginning of summer but the dawg found little redeeming about the dog itself. “The dog days are NOT over here,” said Florence and her Machine (boom, still got it). 

There was surprisingly a lot of nostalgia to their dogs but not that type of nostalgia you sit and reflect on fondly, like when you (as a grown adult) accidentally squiggle one of those special ‘S’s’ your friend taught you in 4th grade or when you hear Weezer’s ‘Blue Album’ in the mall after a long day. It was more of a wave of nostalgia that brought me back to the years of overcooked, rubbery hotdogs prepared by whatever unlucky father got stuck manning the grill at the local Little League snack stand. 

Specifically, Sonny’s ‘dogs’ possessed an overpowering alcoholic pilsner and/or lager-esque taste, meaning there was definitely some sort of fermentation brought about by mistimed marination. If it’s the case that Sonny’s hotdogs aren’t soaked or marinated in any sort of beer then (a) I either was having a stroke while eating them or (b) something went very wrong on the back end (in the kitchen). 

On second thought, maybe they took a similar approach to how lap cheong is made, and flavored or soaked the dogs in rose-infused, fermented sorghum and sugar – which is what gives lap cheong its distinct slightly alcoholic floral taste. In reality, this is pure speculation and I have no idea so let me know your thoughts in the comments. 

Pale Ale Travel Tip: If you’re looking for other quality pizza joints in the city, make sure to check out my completely arbitrary list of the top pizza restaurants in Hong Kong.

Sonny’s Staying Power: Time Will Tell

At Sonny’s, come for the slices, stay for the…slices and ice cream. While the hotdogs leave much to be desired, Sonny’s slices bring da metaphorical and gustatorial ruckus that would have The Aquabats hopping back in the studio to record ‘Pizza Day 2.0’ (this may be way too specific of a reference) and Mac Miller sleeping soundly knowing that that the frozen pizza you’re heating up with your glass of Kool-Aid is of the highest pedigree. 

Unfortunately, all shops that once occupied Sonny’s current location have closed due to what I assume is a lack of business and I’m guessing increased rents. It’s surprising as it sits at the corner of one of the most bustling intersections in SoHo. This always makes it a bit tough to grow too attached to anywhere with the volatility of Hong Kong’s F&B landscape. No matter its fate, this is a spot that I hope the best for and will do my part to patronize. 

If you’ve been to Sonny’s in Singapore, let me know how it compares to Hong Kong’s slice shop in the comments. Also, let me know your favorite pizza in the city as I’m always on the lookout for new spots. Finally, I need a quality hotdog recommendation in Hong Kong, so if you point me in the right direction, I’ll be forever indebted. 

Eat well everyone,

Big Body