Deep End Pizza
Fitzroy's deep-dish pizza paradise and craft beer haven, headed up by an ex-fine dining chef.
Overview
Pizza fiends will find a lot to love about this debut restaurant venture from Paul Kasten (Host Dining), Kate Paterson (Good Beer Week), Kyle Campbell (Beermash) and Rasmus Gundel, but they're certainly not the only ones.
Located just off Brunswick Street, Deep End Pizza is proving it's got more than a few tricks up its sleeve — pizza might be the headliner, but it's supported by a primo menu of snacks and share plates, and one heck of a craft beer lineup.
Three different styles of pizza feature a slew of classic and creative toppings between them. There's a New York-inspired thin-crust number — perhaps crowned with artichoke, roast capsicum and gorgonzola ($28), or whole clams and bacon ($40) — and a Detroit-style square pizza akin to a puffy focaccia with crispy cheese rim (from $26).
Meanwhile, the huge Chicago-style stuffed deep dish creation treads the line between pizza, pie and lasagne (from $42). There's a 30-minute bake time on one of these bad boys and you'll need a crew of mates to help you conquer it.
Kasten's fine dining background is even more apparent in the offering of clever small plates — think, saucy limoncello chicken wings ($16), whipped taleggio with charred spring onion ($18) and roasted marrow served in the bone ($15). There's a caesar salad reimagined with miso dressing ($15) and a chicken liver parfait brulée ($18).
Local craft beer rules the drinks list, featuring the likes of Deeds' hazy pale ($10) and a farmhouse sour from Molly Rose ($13). Or, you can team your pizza with an interesting vino or signature cocktail like the Lion's Tail, made on bourbon and an allspice dram ($20).
Deep End also boasts a lunch-only pizza window, slinging those Detroit-style pies by the slice.