Meet Heartbreaker's New Internal Pizza Joint, Connie's Pizza

Put down that greasy kebab. We know you're hungry, but there's a new late-night food hero in town — and its offerings are a way better match to your 1am Negroni.

Michael Madrusan — the guy behind Fitzroy cocktail lounge The Everleigh and good-times den Heartbreaker — has opened a pizza joint inside the latter, serving cheesy slices to round out the CBD bar's late-night revelry. Named after Madrusan's Italian grandmother, Connie's Pizza pays homage both to the traditional, Nonna-style offerings of his childhood, and the one-hander, New York-style slices devoured during his time slinging cocktails in the US. And, available until as late as 3am, it's going to drastically improve your late-night dining game.

Madrusan's tackled this project with the same considered approach as he has his acclaimed cocktail ventures, enlisting the help of chef Ben Sisley (ex-Ovest and Mr Wolf) to design some truly cracking recipes, all of which are made with top-quality, Nonna-approved ingredients. Even the water used has the same pH as New York's in order to mimic the city's beloved dough.

The menu, which will give Heartbreaker a substantial food offering, will feature a trio of pizzas, each available by the slice or the pie, and for scoffing in-house or taking home. Choose from the classic cheese and pepperoni, and then there's the Sicilian, a deep-pan, square-cut pizza that does a switcharoo, layering the tomato on top of the cheese.

Connie's Pizza is now open inside Heartbreaker, at 234A Russell Street, Melbourne. Slices are up for grabs from 5pm till 3am Monday to Thursday, 12pm till 3am Friday and Saturday, and 12pm till 1am Sunday. For more info, visit conniespizza.com.au.

Images Brook James.