Son of A Pizzaiolo (SOP) Brings Pizza Savvy to Thornbury
Son of a Pizzaiolo (SOP) in Thornbury is the masterstroke of brothers Frank and Roque Romano, and resounds with pizza savvy, being one of the best pizza restaurants in Melbourne. On a cold winter's day there's nothing better than the warmth of Italian hospitality and rustic cuisine. In a sea of sameness SOP stands out with standout wood oven pizza.
While you might think this is a pizza specialist, there is more to SOP than pizza. This is the sort of place you will frequent for breakfast, come back for lunch, then return some time for dinner. The World Loves Melbourne was invited to SOP to sample both the breakfast and lunch menu! This is how we roll.
Choosing a pizza from a tempting array of excellent looking pizzas is not an easy task. First world problems. We usually enjoy a Prosciutto pizza but this time we were drawn to the Gamberi seafood pizza; cooked on a wood fire with Neapolitan base. The Gambero featured Napoli sauce, Fior De Latte, baby spinach, prawns, Blue Swimmer crab meat, Grada padano, and chilli oil. We don't judge pizzas by the amount of ingredients (some Italian styles have relatively scarce ingredients) but this was a sensational cacophony of taste. As we were eating two main dishes we were supposed to "pace ourselves" but I couldn't put this pizza down.
The pizza was simply top notch with standout large prawns, sweet crab meat, kick of chilli oil and pools of Grada Padano. The dough was delicious in itself. We find some of the pizzas in Melbourne are quite similar but this Gambero pizza arrested our attention.
After being on a "high" after the pizza, we also enjoyed one of the star dishes of the breakfast menu, the You SOP. This was like everything you want in a hearty breakfast, served on a board. For the price it was great value. The You SOP features Eggs your way, smashed avocado, house smoked salmon, Italian pork sausage and Prosciuto di Parma, on fresh sourdough bread. For us this was about quality ingredients in generous portions; you won't leave hungry. Presentation on the board was excellent; a dish we would order again.
Fit out is attractive with the neon sign of Son of a Pizzaiolo and exposed brick, plants, tables and intimate booths.
The You SOP breakfast dish was so pretty...
Various attractive dining spaces add to the flair of SOP.
We enjoyed wine and coffee, noticing the availability of Italian craft beers. Service was friendly and welcoming, with noted food savvy.
Coffee was also on point, with a cheerful barista showing us again that this is a warm place in terms of food and hospitality. You will want to return.
SOP is a compelling destination in Melbourne - get on it!