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
RestaurantNot 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
RestaurantDimitri’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
RestaurantThis 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
RestaurantThe 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
RestaurantA 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
RestaurantFlying 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
RestaurantVacanza 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
RestaurantThe 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
RestaurantNot 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
RestaurantThe 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
RestaurantThe 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
BarEveryone 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
RestaurantA 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
RestaurantEnmore 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
RestaurantLane 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
RestaurantThe 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
RestaurantA 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
RestaurantSicilian-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
RestaurantA 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
RestaurantThis 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
RestaurantThis 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
RestaurantA brother to Bondi’s Society Pizzeria, it’s serving American-Italian style pizzas, a three-cheese mac’n’cheese and pre-batched Negronis.
Glorietta
RestaurantA 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
RestaurantExpect 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