Where to Find the Best Pizza in Sydney

Luigi Esposito, the pizzaiolo who helped ignite Sydney’s love of woodfired pizza through his wildly popular Surry Hills institutions Via Napoli and Pizza Fritta 180, has added yet another venue to his mozzarella-topped empire, this time serving up a slice of Rome. Located on the corner of Crown and Foveaux streets, 170 Grammi is so named for the exact amount of dough — just 170 grams per 13-inch pizza — required to create the thin and crispy base that distinguishes Roman pies from their Neapolitan counterparts. Rather than the pliant, doughy chew and bubbly, charred crust that Sydneysiders are familiar with, 170 Grammi’s pizzas are all about the crunch, and the counterpoint of textures between the molten toppings and the crisp base beneath. Among the toppings on offer are clever translations of Rome’s most famous pasta dishes, including cacio e pepe and carbonara.

Image: Trent van der Jagt

We’re accustomed to the idea that every slice of pizza worth its weight in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles requires decent lashings of mozzarella. This is why the news that the famed Newtown pizzeria Gigi is a cheese-free haven of vegan goodness might be a bit of a shock to the unknowing Sydney pizza fan. According to owner Marco Matino, the tradition of the Neapolitan woodfired pizza “is an art form which will always be relevant no matter how times change”. That said, the King Street digs decided to kick the double-smoked ham and stringy mozzarella to the curb years ago in favour of a plant-based menu and have never looked back. The pizza here is both sustainable and ethical, with fresh, locally grown produce and key ingredients imported from Italy.

Dimitri’s Pizzeria and its eye-catching red-and-white sign had been a permanent fixture on Crown Street since the 70s; while it moved once (around 20 years ago), it had never left the strip — until 2019. That’s when the Surry Hills stalwart uprooted its tables (literally) and relocated to Oxford Street, setting up shop in the building previously home to Hunky Dory Social Club. Here, the woodfired oven can get up to 150 degrees hotter than the restaurant’s previous oven (meaning the pizzas only have to spend a third of the time inside), and the pizza is made with a 100-percent sourdough base that is fermented for a minimum of 48 hours. On the menu, you’ll find unorthodox toppings including brussels sprouts, honey (from Co-Owner Ken Williams’ mum’s beehive), onion and fennel jam, and corn atop the pies — as well as the necessary mozzarella, which is stretched daily in-house.

Image: Kimberley Low

As it turns out, Luke Powell of LP’s Quality Meats had a long-held dream of opening his own pizzeria. Mates Joseph Valore and Elvis Abrahanowicz over at Porteño had similar fancies, and it just took a trip to the USA to seal the deal. Out of the trip blossomed one of Sydney’s best pizza joints: Bella Brutta. The style of pizza served up at this King Street go-to isn’t traditional. The bases are a mix between Neapolitan and Roman style — blistered and chewy like the former, but crisp enough that it can be eaten with your hands, like the latter. Toppings vary widely, taking inspiration from America and Italy — you’ll find elevated takes on classics, like the pie topped with LP’s mortadella, garlic and green olives, or the potato-topped ‘za featuring gorgonzola and confit garlic. But the clam pizza, an ode to New Haven, Connecticut, is the show stealer. This white-based pizza is heavy on the chilli and garlic, and unlike anything else we’ve tried in Australia.

Image: Kitti Smallbone

This snug Marrickville eatery is immediately inviting, radiating a warm glow that spills out onto the busy intersection of Victoria and Sydenham roads. Pizza Madre is brought to you by the culinary legends behind cafe and pasta mecca, Two Chaps, and is similarly characterised by effortless simplicity — a handful of cleverly constructed dishes done to perfection. The plant-based ingredients are seasonal and exceptionally fresh, taking centre stage on a regularly rotating menu. Each month, there are six or seven pizzas on offer, which are shuffled, altered and revised based on the availability of local produce. But rest assured that no matter what’s on the menu when you visit, you’ll be eating one of the best pizzas in Sydney.

Image: Kitti Smallbone

Located in a former cannery, Da Mario inhabits a large and open space — possibly selected to house the big red oven. Toppings are minimal yet deliciously paramount, too, which is a big part of why we’ve named Da Mario as one of Sydney’s best pizza joints. Take, for example, the cheese and honey pie that features mozzarella, scamorza, gorgonzola, parmesan crisps and Evermore honey, or the full-flavoured Calabrese with hot salame, mozzarella and black olives. Traditionalists will love the margherita, while calzone fans can take their pick of the salame, the funghi and the cotto e funghi, all of which are oozing with soft ricotta, melted mozzarella and black pepper.

A fan-favourite south of the border, DOC Surry Hills is Sydney’s first taste of this beloved Victorian hospitality group, which has a wide-spanning collection of delicatessens, espresso spots and pizza bars spread across Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula. DOC is known for its crisp pizzas and commitment to timeless Italian simplicity. On the menu, you’ll spy plenty of top-notch imported Italian ingredients, which are all displayed on a map — so you know exactly where each tasty morsel has come from. Each ingredient sits atop crisp and springy bases in the 14-strong pizza offering. Truffle oil is splashed on the pizza ai porcini (with wild mushrooms, mozzarella and pecorino), while the Napoletana stars San Marzano tomatoes from Campania, Ligurian olives and anchovies.

Occupying the old Limoncello digs in Double Bay, this Sydney pizza spot is a labour of love for chef Angelo Malerba. The hero of the restaurant is the matte white cladded woodfired pizza oven with forest green panelling encasing it. Classic pizza lovers should love the formula here: a charred, soft base and sparse, quality ingredients. You can never go wrong with a margherita, and this one does not disappoint. But we are also big fans of the mushroom and pork sausage creation finished with truffle cream and truffle oil, as well as Matteo’s Amalfitana pizza, topped with zucchini puree, prawns, seasoned ricotta, semi-dried tomatoes and pistachio. Pair this with a cheeky spritz for the ultimate summertime meal.

Images: Steven Woodburn.

The quality of a good pizza lies predominantly in its base — and the bases at Rosso Antico are legit. They have that perfect crispy, chewy balance, and the toppings that amply adorn those bases are on point. Highlights at one of Sydney’s best pizza joints include the Norma, with a generous portion of caramelised roasted eggplant, islands of salted ricotta and a hefty amount of fior di latte and the excellently executed capricciosa, elevated with double-smoked ham, artichokes and basil.

For a more low-maintenance option when you don’t feel like a full meal, City Oltra has you covered with huge pizzas available whole or by the slice. The casual eatery is situated in the EDDY precinct by Central Station, ideally located for you to grab a bite on your way into the city or before a commute home. Pizza options include Poor Tom’s gin sauce with cheese and basil, hot pepperoni with cool ranch, soppressata Siciliana with pickled peppers, among. host of changing specials. Drinks-wise, there are craft beers, Poor Tom’s cans, aperitivos like a strawberry gin and grapefruit highball or Baba’s rakija and tonic, plus a selection of fun wines.

Opening a restaurant at any time is hard, but your back is really up against the wall if you try to do it in the midst of a four-month lockdown. Despite that, Amani Rachid, Huss Rachid and Sal Senan pulled it off, opening My Mother’s Cousin in the middle of Sydney’s lockdown to great success. The Bexley North spot is a classic Sydney pizza and wing joint that nails the simple things. The dough for each of My Mother’s Cousin’s pizzas is fermented for 48 hours and topped with high-quality ingredients that stray from the mundane while staying true to flavours Sydneysiders love to see on their doughy rounds. Simple classics like a pepperoni with fior di latte or white cheese, garlic confit and caramelised onion are here, alongside pies like a prawn and nduja creation that’s given a lift by black garlic and fresh chives.

Venture down to the southernmost point of King Street, and you’ll find hot pinsa romana emerging six days a week from Casa Mia Osteria. This inventive style of pizza is a contemporary reinvention of an ancient Roman technique that’s growing in popularity across Italy. The fluffy oval-shaped pizzas have a distinctly different appearance from their circular Naples-style cousins, but that’s not the most important distinguishing factor. That would be the dough, which combines three different types of flour. This means that it rises more when cooking compared to the Naples-style pizza base Sydneysiders are familiar with, and results in the pinsa romana’s signature light and crunchy bases. When it comes to what’s on top of the dough, the restaurant will have a new seasonal menu every few months, but might include the likes of a pizza topped with pumpkin, pine nuts, sun-dried tomato and goat’s cheese or pork sausage with mushrooms and smoked provola cheese.

One-metre-long wood-fired pizza should be all the explanation you need as to why you should visit Via Napoli. But then there are also the ever-friendly, enthusiastic servers (most of whom are Italian), the delicious three-cheese-stuffed zucchini flowers, the flashy, gold-tiled pizza ovens and meatballs drenched in ragu. But back to that one-metre pizza: the veritable edible promenade enables you to select three different pizza types — think classic diavola with fior di latte, hot salami and olives or the chiara with burrata, prosciutto and black truffle — before it’s baked in the roaring hot wood-fired oven. It’ll land on your table with a molten centre and blackened, blistered bready edges.

With sites in Manly, Brookvale and Avalon, Pocket Pizza pays homage to New York’s Little Italy with red-and-white tables and plates, exposed brick walls, vintage NYC photos and a hip hop playlist to boot. The hand-tossed pizza pies are the star of the show here — most of which come topped with fior di latte, and all of which are given punny titles. There’s the Netflix & Chilli (nduja, ricotta, chilli flakes and honey), the Gordon Hamsey (double-smoked ham, pineapple, pickled jalapeño and red onion) and the Funghitown (field mushrooms, fried kale, dried ricotta and thyme). Gluten-free bases and vegan cheese are available for all pizzas, as is a very American ranch dipping sauce for the crust.

Shlomi Palensya has been mastering dough throughout his career. Formerly the Executive Pastry Chef at the Ritz-Carlton in Israel and Sydney’s Park Hyatt, Palensya has turned his attention towards a different kind of dough with his first solo venture, Ta Ta Ta Pizza in Bondi. The takeaway spot specialises in thick, fluffy, and crunchy Roman-style al taglio pizzas. This airy pizza is perfect for those who like their pies thicker without being too doughy. The easiest way to attack the menu is to get a few friends together and opt for the chef’s selection, which includes three to six different styles of pizza, depending on how big your group is. The selections range from Roman favourites like an artichoke, goat’s cheese and parmesan pie, as well as less orthodox combinations like a trio of mushrooms with kale, chilli and parmesan cream sauce.

Pizza Fritta 180, as the name suggests, specialises in a lesser-known Neapolitan dish: fried pizza. The corner store is the brainchild of Luigi Esposito — the pizzaiolo behind the aforementioned Via Napoli — who grew up selling pizza fritta on the streets of Naples with his grandparents. And he’s still using his nonna’s recipe today. Expect to tuck into the calzone-like Nonna Rosa (stuffed with salami, provolone, ricotta and pomodoro sauce) and the Pizza Elena (stuffed with pork cheek, provolone and creamy ricotta).

Since 1975 — when Salvatore Leo opened his first pizza parlour in Little Neck, Queens — Sal’s has been producing pizzas that fuse Italian recipes, passed down through the Leo family, with American produce. The same is true at the chain’s Australian outlets, with pizzas featuring sustainably farmed premium Wisconsin mozzarella, vine-ripened Californian tomatoes and the same New York-milled spring wheat flour used in the States. The only locally sourced ingredient is the water used to make the dough — and even this was thoroughly vetted via blind taste tests to ensure Sydney’s H2O didn’t undermine quality or flavour. All the recipes on offer in Sydney were developed by Sal himself, showcasing timeless toppings like pepperoni, buffalo chicken, Italian sausage and meatballs, as well as more contemporary inclusions like black garlic and chilli-infused hot honey.