Where To Get The The Best Pizza In Sydney

From the most staunch Neapolitan puritans to the dough-based risk-takers, with not a soggy crust in sight.

Is there a better meal than pizza? Probably not.

If you’re anything like us, you like pizza so much that even when you’re eating pizza you wish you were eating pizza. No matter your topping of choice or preference for crust-thickness, we’ve rounded up the city’s best pizzaiolos who blend tradition with creativity, bringing you pizza that’s beyond your gourmet dreams. Can we get a ‘mamma mia’?

Gigi Pizzeria
Location: 379 Kings St, Newtown

The Rundown: Good pizza doesn’t have to include animal products. Just ask Gigi’s owner and pizzaiolo, Marco Mattino. Here you’ll get your traditional Neapolitan pizzas…just without the cheese or meat.

Must Try: The flavour combinations Mattino has come up with are truly inspiring, but we can’t go past Gigi’s traditional marinara, with tomato, oregano, and garlic. So simple and so freakin’ good.

Hours: Daily 6pm – 10.30pm

Website: gigipizzeria.com.au

Pizza Frita 180
Location: 428 Crown Street, Surry Hills

The Rundown: The clue is in the name. Founded by Luigi Esposito, Founder and Head Chef at Via Napoli, Pizza Frita is offering up a redefined interpretation on the culinary art form by focusing on Pizza Fritas: smaller, deep-fried pizzas that have all the ingredients folded inside to make a gooey, unctuous pocket of flavour.

Must Try: The Fritta takes on Via Napoli’s faithfully rendered classics are a must, like the ‘Nonna Rosa’ which is filled with salame, provola e pomodoro and ricotta. Also indulge in the ‘Montanara’, a small, round flash-fried pizza loved for its crunchy and airy texture.

Hours: TBA

Website: instagram.com/pizzafritta180

Lucio Pizzeria
Locations:Darlinghurst, Zetland

The Rundown: Classic Italian pizza, prepared by the pizza master. The menu list here keeps it true to the Italian palette, with your Margheritas, marinaras and diavolas.

Must Try: Named after the chef and owner Lucio de Falco, the ‘Lucio’ is a half-and-half. Half a regular Margherita on a thin-base, the other half is a mouth-watering ham-and-ricotta calzone.

Hours: Daily 11.30am – 10pm

Website: luciopizzeria.com.au/zetland/

Rosso Antico
Location: Shop 2, 52-60 Enmore Road, Newtown

The Rundown: For some reason, there’s a belief that the crust is the worst part of the pizza. Perhaps that is the case for some. But at Rosso Antico, this is nothing more than a misconception as the swollen crusts, with the taste of char and salt, being so damn good you could eat them with no toppings at all.

Must Try: The margherita is such a basic pizza but when you come here, you realise why this classic is hard to turn down. The base is adorned with cheese, a delightful tomato base and fresh basil.

Hours: Monday to Sunday 6pm – 10.30pm.

Website: rossoanticopizzabar.com.au

Rosso Pomodoro
Locations: Bondi Junction, Balmain

The Rundown: Ok, it might not seem authentically Italian to use an electric oven, but this tiny little shop succeeds in producing quality, traditional pizza that is a slice of heaven. Electric oven aside, the rules here are strict. Don’t even think about ordering a ham-and-pineapple or a half-and-half unless you want to be laughed at.

Must Try: The ‘patate e salsiccia’ might be difficult to pronounce, but it is glorious. With cheese, Italian sausages, potatoes and rosemary – if you’re not drooling already, just wait ’til it’s placed in front of you.

Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 5.30pm – 10pm.

Website: rossopomodoro.com.au

Secolo Dining
Location: 161 Castlereagh Street, Sydney

The Rundown: If you time your arrival right, you might just see the production line of people making pasta. It makes for an entertaining evening, and the pizza here is top notch, all made in the Neapolitan pizza oven.

Must Try: Secolo Dining boasts an all-day-eating menu but it’s Southern Italian dishes are our favourite. Try the ‘porchetta foccacio’, a flat pizza-like bread loaded with suckling pig, grilled eggplant, cos and mayo.

Hours: Monday to Wednesday 6.30am – 5pm; Thursday and Friday 6.30am – 10pm

Website: secolodining.com.au

Vacanza
Location: 414 Bourke Street, Surry Hills

The Rundown: Once Bronte’s favourite pizza parlour, the Surry Hills arm boasts the same jovial atmosphere but is slightly more pared back. Similarly, the simple menu (iwith eight pizzas on offer) means the focus is on preparation and the finest ingredients. Oh, and did we mention there’s a mozzarella bar?

Must Try: Order the ‘Brandi’ – san marzano tomatoes, Campania Garofalo buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil.

Hours: Monday to Thursday 5.30pm – 11pm; Friday to Sunday 12pm – 3.30pm; 5.30pm – 11pm

Website: vacanza.com.au

Via Napoli
Locations: Lane Cove, Surry Hills, Hunters Hill

The Rundown: The home of the metre-long pizza, Via Napoli boasts an impressive menu and one of the best pizza crusts you’ll find in Sydney. The crust here is blistered and puffy and perfectly balances the traditional toppings.

Must Try: We know anchovies tend to divide audiences, but if you’re a fan you must try the Napoletana pizza. The sweet buffalo mozzarella is the perfect complement to the peppery capers, anchovies and olives.

Hours: Monday to Thursday 5pm – 10pm; Friday to Sunday 12pm – 10pm.

Website: vianapolipizzeria.com.au

Da Mario
Location: 36 Morley Avenue, Roseberry

The Rundown: Classic Italian cooking, at its very best. Simple as that.

Must Try: The ‘Salamino’ is a cheese-and-sausage pizza unlike any you’ve experienced before. With a thin, charred base covered in melted mozzarella, ricotta and spiced up with crisp curls of salami, it’s soft and rich, runny yet crunchy and every other mouth-watering sensation you could wish for.

Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 12pm-3pm; 5pm-9.30pm

Website: damario.com.au

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