Melbourne's 48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar Has Claimed the Title of Best Pizza In Australia

The winning pizza features ingredients specific to Italy's Parma region, including mozzarella fior di latte, rocket, prosciutto di Parma and Grana Padano parmesan.
Libby Curran
May 04, 2019

Every Australian city has its fair share of standout pizza joints, but only one is home to the country's best pizza. If you had an inkling you were chowing down on some world-class pizza, Melburnians, you might have been onto something — with the head chef and co-founder of South Yarra's 48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar taking out top honours at the recent Campionato Mondiale Della Pizza (World Pizza Championships).

In April, pizza maestro Michele Circhirillo made the trek to Parma, Italy, to battle it out against the big guns in the internationally renowned competition. He claimed the title of Australia's Best Pizza overall, with 48h's Di Parma creation. It's a menu favourite featuring ingredients specific to the Italian region: mozzarella fior di latte, rocket, prosciutto di Parma and Grana Padano parmesan. For Circhirillo, who himself grew up in the northern Italian region of Piemonte, this was the third time competing in the revered pizzaiolo challenge. "It's such a great experience to live and breath pizza for a week," he muses. "All everyone does is talk pizza."

Having named their pizza bar 48h, after the minimum time required for natural pizza dough to rise, it's clear that Circhirillo and co-owner Fabio Biscaldi are pretty serious about their dough. Even more so now that their careful concoction of flour, water and yeast has scooped them the ultimate bragging rights in the world's most serious pizza competition.

Melburnians can sample Circhirillo's award-winning pizza skills at both the South Yarra and Elsternwick restaurants, any day of the week. But how about some expert tutelage so you can recreate the magic at home? Among its series of hands-on kitchen masterclasses, 48h also offers pizza-making workshops, most taught by the master himself. The next one's coming up on Saturday, June 29.

Find 48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar at 373 Malvern Road, South Yarra and 15 Gordon Street, Elsternwick.

Published on May 04, 2019 by Libby Curran
Tap and select Add to Home Screen to access Concrete Playground easily next time. x