11 Good Food Guide approved pizza parlours with a difference (and yes, there’s pineapple)
No matter if you like your pizza Roman, New York or Detroit-style, Melbourne’s got you covered. Here’s where to get a slice of the action.
A good place to start your expedition is Pizzateca Lupa at South Melbourne Market, where thin Roman-style pizza tonda rules. Grab a table and go facedown in the prawn with pickled zucchini, or grab a rectangular slice finished
with a drizzle of cold-pressed olive oil to take away.
It’s a Roman love affair at Glen Iris newbie Grazia D’Asporto, too. Dough fermented for 72 hours is fired in an Italian-made Castelli oven for both daytime pizza al taglio (rectangular slices) and round bases after dark. The latter come in devastatingly effective combos like mortadella, pistachio pesto and a knob of burrata.
In Balaclava, Tomi is another champion of the Roman pizza by the slice cause,
although the bianco-based gorgonzola and speck with olives is compelling enough to order by the tray.
For a splice of Roman and Aussie traditions, Brunswick’s Madonna Electric does a standout Hawaiian on a light base. Called “disgraziato!” it’s lovingly made with house-smoked ham and charry pineapple. Dipping sauces (including
gorgonzola) ensure crusts don’t go to waste.
For splashy nights, it’s still impossible to ignore the offerings at Di Stasio Carlton – especially lobster with lardo and house-made fior di latte.
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Sign upStylish Mister Bianco in Kew pays tribute to the Sicilian pizza gods with scaccia alla ragusana. Airy woodfired dough is lasagne-fied with layers of sauce, basil and smoked provolone.
A New York state of mind rules the 18-inch beasts at Mentone’s Sunnyside Sliced. Try the Brooklyn-certified Hella Honey, with hot honey sauce, provolone, chorizo and jalapenos.
In Carlton, Capitano continues to channel Detroit with its grandma square pies featuring caramelised cheesy crusts that almost demand to be eaten first.
New York-style pies are also the play at Meyers Place stayer Pizza Pizza Pizza, serving until 1am, and at Thornbury newcomer Pizza Elettrica where big and blowsy crusts rarely go uneaten. On Wednesdays, the super-crisp New Haven
specialty ‘apizza’ gets its moment, perhaps topped with clams, pecorino and
a truckload of garlic.
Still love a Naples-style pie? West Footscray’s Harley and Rose has faithfully
fed the area’s families on a diet of pepperoni, margherita and quattro-formaggi
since 2017.
Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.
Larissa Dubecki is a writer and reviewer.