Slowly but surely Pocket Pizza is making the Northern Beaches a better place to eat pepperoni. What started as a Brooklyn-inspired bar and pizzeria in Manly is now keeping a broad church of customers chuffed with margheritas in Brookvale and this snug candlelit pocket in Avalon, too.

Couples come to share an affordable shiraz, vodka sauce fusilli and the crumbled lamb sausage, eggplant and fresh mint-topped (ahem) Lamborghini pizza; families load the tabletops with cacio e pepe arancini and calamari fritti of requisite crunch.

The Netflix and Chilli (they really like a pun here) supercharged with salami, ‘nduja, honey and ricotta is a strong contender for best slice, but it’s worth asking about the daily specials, such as the Everyday I’m Brusselin’ (we know) built on a white sauce with charred sprout leaves, crisp pancetta and sweet caramelised onion. Bases, importantly, are sturdy enough for leftovers to become breakfast the next day.

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