Gili Trawangan main strip (east coast, central)
★ 4.5(1,180 reviews)
Mama Pizza Gili Trawangan is a long-running pizza joint on the main island strip serving wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizzas, simple pasta dishes, and Italian wines. Mid-range pricing for Gili T (pizzas 110-180k IDR), open late, with a covered open-air dining terrace overlooking the foot-and-bicycle traffic of Jalan Pantai.
# Mama Pizza Gili Trawangan: Wood-Fired Pizza on the Main Strip
Mama Pizza is one of Gili Trawangan's two serious pizza restaurants (the other being Regina Pizzeria), occupying a corner spot on the main strip Jalan Pantai. The owner Marco is from Naples — moved to Gili T in the early 2010s, opened the pizza oven in 2014, and has been running it personally six nights a week since.
The pizza is the real thing — proper Neapolitan-style with leopard-spot blistering on the crust, San Marzano tomato sauce, and dough that goes through a 36-48 hour cold fermentation. On a small island where most restaurants run generic Western-Indonesian fusion menus, having a serious pizzaiolo is a real differentiator.
Pizzas (110-180k IDR) — wood-fired, 28cm Neapolitan-style:
Pasta (95-150k IDR) — fresh-made daily:
Antipasti and salads (55-130k IDR):
Desserts (55-75k IDR):
The wine list is decent for Gili T — about 15 Italian wines plus a few French and Australian. By-the-glass options 95-150k IDR. Bottles 480-1.2M IDR (Indonesian alcohol tax inflates everything).
By-the-glass picks: Chianti, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Pinot Grigio, Vermentino. House wines (75k IDR/glass) are drinkable but uninspiring.
Beer (Bintang) 55k IDR. Cocktails 95-130k IDR.
A typical dinner for two:
Premium Gili T pricing — comparable to Pearl of Trawangan and Casa Vintage, more expensive than the casual cafes (Kayu, Pesona). You're paying for quality and Marco's wood-fired oven, not for the venue (which is a road-facing terrace, not a beachfront).
Open-air terrace facing the main strip. About 18-20 tables under a high thatched roof, ceiling fans, simple wooden furniture, paper place mats, candles in the evening. The kitchen and pizza oven are visible at the back — you can watch Marco working the oven if you're seated in the right spot.
The crowd is mixed — European tourists from Gili T's hotels, Italian visitors who've heard about the place, dive crews from nearby shops grabbing post-dive dinner, occasional Indonesian families. Conversation volume is moderate during the dinner rush (7-9pm) and quieter after 9:30pm.
The main strip outside is constant motion — pedestrians, bicycles, horse carts (cidomo) — which is part of the Gili T vibe but means it's not a quiet venue. If you want quiet, sit at the back near the kitchen rather than the front edge facing the strip.
The kitchen runs until midnight, which is unusually late for Gili T. Useful for:
Vegetarian: marinara (vegan if you skip cheese add), margherita, vegetariana, quattro formaggi pizzas; aglio e olio, arrabbiata, lasagna alla vegetariana pastas; bruschetta, caprese antipasti. Solid options.
Pork warning: carbonara, prosciutto, salami, the antipasto board contain pork. Not halal. Vegetarian options and most seafood pastas are pork-free if you specify.
Strengths: best wood-fired pizza on Gili T (tied with Regina); Marco's hands-on quality control is genuine; pasta is fresh-made daily; vegetarian options are real; late hours are useful; wine list is decent.
Weaknesses: pricing is high; main strip location is loud and traffic-heavy; pork on much of the menu means halal travelers have a narrower selection; service slows on busy nights; not a destination atmosphere — it's a functional dinner restaurant, not a romantic venue.
Best for: travelers craving Italian food after Gili snorkel meals; pizza enthusiasts; Italian-speakers wanting to chat with Marco; couples after a casual dinner; late-arrival travelers who need a kitchen open past 10pm; vegetarians wanting substantial Western options.
Skip if: you want a quiet dinner (this is the main strip); you're on a tight Gili budget (warungs are 30-40% cheaper); you only eat halal (pork is on much of the menu); you want a beachfront sunset dinner (try Pearl of Trawangan or one of the west-coast restaurants); you want Indonesian/local food.