The math is unusual. Pattaya has a permanent population of around 320,000, and somewhere north of 80 Italian restaurants — perhaps as many as a hundred if you count the small pizzerias. That ratio is roughly two to three times what you'd expect to see in any non-Italian city of similar size.
The reason traces back to the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the original wave of Italian expats in Pattaya was strong enough to support a serious independent restaurant scene. Once you have ten good Italian restaurants, the next ten are easier; once you have twenty, the produce supply chain reorients to support them. Imported tomatoes, real Parmigiano, proper flour, fresh ricotta — all of these are easier to get in Pattaya than in many larger Thai cities.
What's noticeable in 2026 is the sorting. The casual chain-pizza segment is in retreat; the proper independent pizzerias are thriving. The mid-tier 'Italian-ish' tourist restaurants are losing ground; the genuinely-good independents are gaining. Markets, given enough time, separate.