Best pizza & brew cardiff by the sea

Sydney has no shortage of world-class pizzas, but that wasn’t always the case. In the 1950s, you would have been hard-pressed to find a pizza outside of Leichhardt’s Norton Street (aside from CBD stalwart Beppi's, perhaps). And Pizza Hut, which preceded Domino’s and Eagle Boys by over 15 years, didn’t open its first Sydney shop ‘till the early ‘70s.

But we’ve made up for lost time. Since the late noughties, we’ve been treated to a constant stream of new pizzerias serving authentic woodfired Neapolitan-style pies – spearheaded by two Naples-born pizzaiolos: Lucio De Falco (Lucio's Darlinghurst, Lucio's Zetland) south of the bridge, and Luigi Esposito (Via Napoli, 180 Pizza Fritta, Amalfi Way) north of it. Thanks to them (and many others), Sydney has some of the best Neapolitan pizzas you’ll find anywhere outside of Italy.

That’s also paved the way for newer styles, such as pizzas made with type one flour rather than the traditional Italian tipo 00; or American styles, including New York and Detroit variants. Others still are jumbling it all together, making new kinds of pizza that you can only find in Sydney.

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Bella Brutta

Restaurant

Not quite Neapolitan, not quite New Yorker – the pizza at Bella Brutta is a style all of its own. Expect a puffy, blistered crust, a sag-proof base and a raft of creative toppings (a slice of the white clam pie with fermented chilli is a must). From the teams behind LP’s Quality Meats and Porteño.

Dimitri's Pizzeria

Restaurant

Dimitri’s first started as a lo-fi little pizzeria on Crown street; in 2019, it moved up to Oxford Street. The new digs feature an Italian-made woodfire oven, a bigger dining room, plus a dedicated small bar upstairs. The toppings here are a riff on Dimitri’s flavour-over-tradition approach.

215 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst

Westwood Pizza

Restaurant

This tiny pizzeria, run by two ex-Bella Brutta chefs, makes just 150 pizzas a day. So order your fermented-garlic honey, 'nduja or pepperoni pizza early – they sell out fast.

245 Australia Street, Newtown

Pizza Madre

Restaurant

The Two Chaps team have passed the baton to new owners, but their meat-free legacy remains. The seasonal menu changes weekly, with vegetarian toppings you’ve probably never tried on a slice of pizza. And – busy intersection be damned – an al fresco meal on the footpath outside is a quintessential Marrickville experience.

2/205 Victoria Road, Marrickville

Pizzeria da Alfredo

Restaurant

A pedantic master is behind the traditional Neapolitan pies at this Glebe mainstay. The thin, elastic bases are textbook perfect, with topping ingredients sourced from Campania in Italy’s south west. Faux grapes hanging from the ceiling complete the scene.

331 Glebe Point Road, Glebe

La Bufala

Restaurant

Flying the flag for Italy’s new-wave pizzerias. The pizzaiolos here employ stone ground, type-one flour in their dough, which isn’t as refined as the favoured 00 type flour. The result: La Bufala’s pies have more bite and less “flop” once cooked. And they’re healthier for it, too (as far as pizza goes).

Shops 17 & 18 19-33 Kent Road, Mascot

Vacanza Surry Hills

Restaurant

Vacanza embodies the Italian “less is more” approach to pizza. There’s a neat list of pies, a calzone for good measure, plus a dedicated mozzarella bar brimming with imported Italian cheeses. Also in Bronte.

414 Bourke Street, Surry Hills

DOC Pizza

Restaurant

The pizza bases here are proved for four days so they’re light and easy to digest, then topped with only a couple of ingredients, including buffalo mozzarella imported from Italy.

78 Campbell Street, Surry Hills

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Pizza al Taglio

Restaurant

Not every pizzeria can say it has an Italian flour technician at the pass. And the proof is well and truly in the dough here (there’s more than one kind depending on what you order). But it’s the genre-bending toppings that truly stand out: past pizzas on the menu have been loaded with anything from pureed pea to smoked turkey.

102-104 Albion St, Surry Hills

Gigi's Pizzeria

Restaurant

The first pizzeria in Sydney to go completely vegan. And if anything, the lines to get in are bigger than ever. Umami-rich, plant-based toppings here go above and beyond mere substitute status. You won’t miss the meat and cheese, that’s for sure.

379 Kings Street, Newtown

Rosso Pomodoro

Restaurant

The rules at this Balmain joint are simple: Italian toppings only and no half and half. There’s no corkage for BYO either, which is rare for a place this good. Some say it’s long been the best Napoli-style pizza in Sydney.

20-24 Buchanan Street, Balmain

Frankie’s Pizza

Bar

Everyone ends up at Frankie’s eventually. The menu at this late-night parlour copped a serious revamp in 2021. Now it’s a snapshot of New York’s next-level pizza scene, which you can enjoy until the wee small hours – just like in New York.

My Mother’s Cousin

Restaurant

A big wallop of nostalgia informs this retro-tinged pizza-and-wings parlour. It’s doing New York-style pizzas, wings drenched in hot sauce and a riff on a famous fast-food apple pie. Proudly pineapple-free since ‘83.

9 Shaw Street, Bexley North

Rosso Antico

Restaurant

Enmore Road’s finest pizza from a veteran of Sydney’s Italian food scene. Neapolitan tradition is on show here, in an exposed brick space beneath the Urban Hotel in Newtown.

2/52 - 60 Enmore Road, Newtown

Via Napoli

Restaurant

Lane Cove’s answer to true Neapolitan pizza. And it’s the got the accreditation from the highest authority of Neapolitan pizza-making to prove it. The metre-long, triple-topped pizzas here are a showstopper.

141 Longueville Rd, Lane Cove

Matteo

Restaurant

The spiritual successor to its former tenant, Limoncello. The southern Italian vibe here has been nailed, which is no surprise given the hospitality guns running the show. But it’s all about the pizza – perfectly light, elastic dough that won’t leave you bloated and lethargic.

29 Bay Street, Double Bay

Da Mario

Restaurant

A three-tonne woodfire oven from Naples powers this Rosebery pizzeria. It’s housed inside a refurbished warehouse and - much like the dining space itself – the pizza toppings are minimal, allowing the ingredients to truly shine.

Shop 1 36 Morley Avenue, Rosebery

La Coppola

Restaurant

Sicilian-style pies made to a secret recipe. Not as thick as a Roman pizza, but not as thin and sloppy as Neapolitan either. La Coppola’s has a crisp base with a satisfyingly puffy and blistered edge. A small joint with big Italian heart.

4 152 Redfern Street, Redfern

Happy as Larry

Restaurant

A pizza truck so good, it turned into a full-blown restaurant. Pizza is front and centre, topped with twists on classics. A middle eastern bent elsewhere on the menu is another surprising turn.

23 Jamison Street, Sydney

The Dolphin Hotel

Restaurant

This Surry Hills pub bucks a fews trends. It looks and feels more like a high-concept wine bar for a start. But in the pizza department, it eschews all-Italian ingredients in favour of fresher local alternatives. And the results speak for themselves.

412 Crown Street, Surry Hills

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Coogee Pavilion

Restaurant

This sprawling mega-venue is Merivale’s most ambitious. Here you’ll find a family-friendly pizzas, a tapas bar, a cocktail den and a fine diner that spiritually succeeds the now closed Est.

169 Dolphin Street, Coogee

Johnny Gio's

Restaurant

A brother to Bondi’s Society Pizzeria, it’s serving American-Italian style pizzas, a three-cheese mac’n’cheese and pre-batched Negronis.

Glorietta

Restaurant

A breezy North Sydney Italian spot with an produce-driven menu, classic pizzas by a former Frankie's chef, an extensive wine list and a killer roster of Negronis.

100 Mount Street, North Sydney

Lucio Pizzeria Zetland

Restaurant

Expect super-traditional Neapolitan pies with a few welcome accompaniments at this Zetland joint. Pair a slice with fresh, homemade pastas and do-it-yourself antipasto, featuring cheeses all the way from Campania, Italy.

2-4 Defries Avenue, Zetland

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