Food, Top 10

Best Pizza Restaurants in Melbourne 2024

Written by Melbourne Food Blog on 02 January 2020.

We have established our best pizza restaurants in Melbourne and conclude that Melbourne is a worthy pizza capital. Where is the best pizza in Melbourne? Wood fired pizzas, gourmet pizzas and Italian style are fashionable. 

Leonardo's Pizza Palace - Carlton

Leonardo's is a pizza revelation in the charming location of Grattan St Carlton. Having experienced the joys of Leonard's House of Love we love the good times pizzeria vibe of Leonardo's, and the pizza is some of the best in Melbourne. With retro Italian feels, this old school looking pizzeria has loads of character, with modern pizza offerings. We love the old pictures on the walls and timber panelling. 

Meat lovers is epic featuring tomato and nduja, cheese blend, bolognese, pork & fennel sausage, pepperoni, pancetta, onion, honey, thyme. This pizza has it all with delectable dough and crust, cheesy and tomato hit, some heat and top quality meat with a hint of sweetness. The sort of pizza you would drive across town for. Also hearing great things about the Pepperoni pizza, the Pork and Fennel Sausage pizza and the Ramblr Chinese Bolognese pizza.

Zero95 - Doncaster East, Pascoe Vale, Dromana

Zero95 is a fabulous pizza destination and it's menu is wide ranging if you are also after other Italian inspired dishes. The dough on the pizzas is exceptional as is the quality of produce used on the toppings, and they make good use of wood fired pizza ovens. Staff are friendly and you are bound to have a fun night dining in. They won best pizza in the world for their Margherita pizza in 2016 but the other pizzas also shine. Worht a drive to the eastern side of our city, but also their restaurants have become favourites with locals.

Farro Pizzeria - Thornbury, Windsor and Fitzroy

Farro clearly uses high quality ingredients, many of which are organic. An example is the quality of the prawns on the Gamberi seafood pizza. This pizza was a highlight with sun dried tomato, S Marzano DOP tomatoes, Fior de Latte mozzarella, fresh chilli, garlic, basil and E.V.O oil. 

Another key ingredient of pizza of course is the flour/dough. Farro uses 100% organic spelt flour which makes a big difference. The pizza based was wonderfully chewy yet with some crispiness, as we love it. Yet you don't feel bloated after eating these pizzas. The combination of spelt flour and organic ingredients means you leave satiated, satisfied but not bloated and "heavy".

Bontempo, Fitzroy

Bontempo has burst on to the pizza scene with a huge splash (or flame). This is the perfect place to go for a casual meal; not only is the pizza top notch but the fit out is modern and the drinks are super affordable. The Bont pizza is spectacular and one of the best pizzas in Melbourne and the pizza dough is superbly light and airy in Naples style from the imported pizza oven.

From the team behind South Yarra institution Fratellino, Bontempo (meaning ‘good time’ in Italian) is a smart, modern Italian eatery specialising in quality wood-fire pizza and pasta.

We recommends the eponymous The Bont, with whiskey-infused Western Plains pulled-pork, fresh basil, garlic, sage, tomato and mozzarella. Or the Salsicce e Funghi with pork and fennel sausage, mushrooms, garlic, parsley and mozzarella. The smallgoods are supplied by good friend Mick Nunn at  Salt Kitchen Charcuterie  in Ballarat.

And we love The Fitzroy - a top notch pizza with stand out ingredients and pizza base featuring tomato, mozzarella, ham, hot salami, mushrooms, capsicum, olives, onion, pineapple and oregano.This is one I would come back to - a Naples style pizza but with a generous amount of ingredients - and it works. We have reached peak Melbourne when a pizza is named after Fitzroy.

400 Gradi, Brunswick East, other locations

400 Gradi lays claim to being among the best pizza restaurants in Melbourne. The restaurant is modern if not chic, the wood oven pizza amazing in the Naples style, and the service engaging with a sense of festivity. We have visited 400 Gradi several times as a destination of choice when it comes to Naples style pizza.   This is authentic Italian of the highest order. Quality ingredients, pizza cooked perfectly at 400 degrees for around 90 seconds, and even a pizza dance by the staff several times during the night.

 

 

 

400 Gradi is the brainchild of chef and V.P.N. Principal Johnny Di Francesco, who’s family hail from Naples in Southern coastal Italy – the home of ‘world’s best’ pizza. Johnny has a series of Pizza and Calzone outlets with the 400 Gradi restaurant being the flagship of the group.

Son of a Pizzaiolo,Thornbury

Son of a Pizzaiolo (SOP) in Thornbury is the masterstroke of brothers Frank and Roque Romano, and resounds with pizza savvy. 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.

Be impressed by a warm and inviting restaurant with pizza that excites. 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.

Baby Pizza, Richmond

Baby Pizza is another fab restaurant that is part of the Lucas Group and it delivers in terms of pizza (and other rustic dishes). Baby offers a delightful range of pizzas featuring quality produce and savvy skill in the kitchen. 

We also love the convivial vibe and natural light during the day.

Pizza is king but pastas and other Italian style dishes also feature. Image Baby Facebook.

And who doesn't love a Calzone?

DOC Pizza & Mozzarella Bar, Carlton, Mornington, Albert Park

DOC is a standout when it comes to all things Italian cuisine, and shines with its traditional pizza. DOC is one of the forerunners of the pizza revolution since 1997. Check out Pizza Speck with smoked prosciutto or the Pizza Tiger Prawns or the Pizza Salsiccia with the DOC pork sausage. Here is one of their pizzas (with truffle) we enjoyed at the Lavazza Italian Film Festival. DOC respect tradition and produce pizzas with perfect base, quality ingredients and cooked to perfection in the wood oven in Italian style. Images below: DOC Instagram.

Ladro , Gertrude Street Fitzroy 

Ladro is a gem on Gertrude St delivering a casual yet fabulous dining experience and some of the best pizza and pasta in Melbourne. We were there for the Melbourne Pizza Festival running in June - showcasing top notch Melbourne pizza establishments. Ladro has been one of the top pizza houses in Melbourne for several years. My previous function here was with family where we enjoyed the spaciousness of the large table that could accommodate all 9 of us.

Here at the Pizza Festival the restaurant is packed and cheerful (pizza does that methinks) and Matteos the festival organiser is in his element. A personable guy he has brought together the best pizza houses in Melbourne - but his question always seems to be "how was the pizza?"

What do you look for in a gourmet pizza? Well definitely it’s about a whole lot more than just how many ingredients are on your pizza! Certainly when it comes to the Italian experience! You look for gourmet ingredients and interesting artisan made pizzas. You look for wood oven perfection and that the crust is not burned. You look for thin and crispy quality bases. Ladro gets the big tick on all this. 

Check out the wood oven in full flight...

Interesting gourmet pizzas – the menu sometimes changes according to seasons and design! Great pizzas including San Daniele with gorgonzola, leek, parsley and basil.  Any pizza with gorgonzola is a hit. Also popular are the Salumi cured meat (you can even choose air cured Wagyu beef or top notch Prosciutto or Salami) and the Porcini pizzas.

I like the pork sausage Badabing and the lemon garlic prawn Gamberi Pisseli.  A key is the pizza crust and here it is great. Vive the wood fire pizza.

Let's be clear - it's not just about pizza at Ladro even though it's so good. Ladro have a comprehensive menu and deliver on dishes including great Ravioli, Risotto, Pesce and Tortellini filled with ox tongue! The pasta is hand made - a mission of love by Zia. 

Check out the Badabing below... I sat at the bar and demolished this baby...

Ladro has a great kitchen staff and the chef has an excellent pizza philosophy - they don't overdo it but keep to the Italian style. They use the best local and sustainable ingredients as well as source produce from Italy.

I spent some time at the invitation of the owner imbibing the kitchen action on a busy night...

Ladro has a certain sophistication but also a rustic charm... It gets burning hot around the oven and the strong heat enables the crispness of the pizza.

Ladro has 2 locations - Gertrude St Fitzroy as well as Greville St Prahran...

Check out their website at ladro.com.au – it’s a classic with an old Italian black and white movie!

 +39 Pizzeria , Little Bourke Street

Having walked past a packed +39 Pizzeria several times I had to see what it was all about. It’s been years now since I gave up eating run of the mill pizza. I refuse to go down the road of cheap pizza without gourmet style, taste and presentation. 

Call me a pizza snob if you like but I rather eat the cardboard of some of the pizzas I’ve been exposed to. Here at +39 Pizzeria it’s all pizza class and style. It’s also about the experience – dining in is wonderful. The places buzzes mostly with office types. Who knows how many deals have been done in +39 Pizzeria.

How cool that the name bears a reference to the international dialing code of Italy.

Image: +39 Pizzeria Instagram. Now, every time I need to dial Italy, I need only think of this pizza joint in Little Bourke St for the code. Can someone start a restaurant referencing the code for South Africa, as I seem to be ringing there quite a bit…

 The point is that to understand +39 Pizzeria you need to understand something about Italian pizza. It’s not about how many ingredients you can cram on the pizza. It’s about elegance and subtleties of the dough and sauces and cheese. These guys measure up to the authenticity of Italian pizza (having visited Italy myself).

Pizza here is creative, interesting and tasty. I counted about 10 great pizzas. Sure you can have Margherita – but it’s a good one! Or you can go the Aragosta with lobster for something extra special.

My favourite is the Cappriciosa Italiana with tomato, mozzarella, artichokes, olives, leg ham and mushroom. So delish. The artichokes being a highlight.

 They get the base right. They get the flavour combinations right. They get the cheese right.

Image: +39 Pizzeria. You can choose some great pasta dishes, salads, ciabatta and piadinas. As for desserts, the Tiramisu is labelled “Best in Melbourne.” Or try the sweet pizza.

Love the brick walls and the large door. Love the fans. Love the concrete floor. Love the large windows. Love the use of metal. Love the marble counter. Love the boards, one with the caption “Pizza is the new black.”

The pizzas are reasonably priced. The service is friendly and attentive.

The ambience is great. Like Italy it exudes character, expression and loud conversation. So good.

Zonzo Estate, Yarra Valley

Zonzo Estate is a worthy destination to visit from Melbourne, or from anywhere else. If you're looking for somewhere to relax and enjoy picturesque surrounds, while imbibing a decent menu and wine, then this is for you. It's bright and cheery, with a buzz of dining groups, and even weddings and hot air ballooning abound.

The World Loves Melbourne was invited to Zonzo Estate to experience a lazy lunch and enjoy rustic cuisine, notably the amazing wood-fired pizza. To be honest we enjoy this relaxed style of dining at a winery. We'd heard great things about Zonzo Estate with our friends telling us it's a great option in the Yarra Valley and that the pizza is some of the best around. There's charm in spades as you enter the grounds and cross the old train track, from which the Train Trak wines derives it's name.

The restaurant is open and airy, with large windows taking advantage of the stunning view, and with rustic theme throughout. Enjoy a lazy meal inside or relax on the outdoor terrace. Looking for family friendly wineries? Zonzo Estate is a place you can take your children; with the lawned area a place to watch your children run around as you imbibe your meal. Or indeed run around with them. (Zonzo Estate acquired the word "zonzo" which means in Italian "to wander about or stroll around".

Pizza is the big drawcard with a variety of first class Italian style wood-fired pizzas with outstanding base, perfectly cooked, with quality gourmet ingredients. The Napoletana was a delight, featuring Pomodoro, buffalo mozzarella, Sicilian green olives, basil and anchovies. As the song says "It's all about that bass (base)." The World Loves Melbourne is an anchovy fan so we appreciated this nuance.

Radicchio salad was the perfect complement to our pizza. All food was professionally presented by the kitchen team. 

A big thing for us is the attitude of the staff in a busy winery restaurant and here at Zonzo Estate we experienced professional, warm and welcoming service. As the restaurant was pumping (and it seemed that 100 people arrived at once) the staff were taking the high activity in their stride, gracious and keen to please, explaining the menu and attentive to our table. Head chef and owner Rod Micallef spoke with us (pictured in front of the wood fired oven) while in the throes of service to a packed restaurant, calm and cheerful, proud of his food and service. The World Loves Melbourne always thinks there's something about an owner operator running a business, and the passion and care is seen at every level with hands on application.

Zonzo Estate is a keeper; a popular Yarra Valley destination that gives the punters what they want in smart affordable cuisine (Italian style pizza a hit), excellent service and stunning Yarra Valley views. 

A25, South Yarra, Docklands, CBD

South Yarra and Dockland’s popular crazy pizza place, A25 is extending its unique Italian fare to the heart of Melbourne’s CBD, continuing to deliver the brand’s contemporary twist on traditional favourites.

Taking prime placement on the bustling corner of Lonsdale Street and Hardware Lane, the city A25 will have a focus toward Italian coffee and ‘on-the-go’ breakfast offerings, created for early-morning CBD workers and residents. The glass encased front window cabinet will showcase a mouth-watering abundance of Italian pastries like custard bombolonis, as well as more savoury bites like paninis filled with pancetta and egg and porchetta and Italian apple slaw.

Restaurateur, Remo Nicolini has devised a ‘traderne’ menu alongside industry stalwart, Raymond Capaldi, delivering a mix of traditional and modern cuisine. For the new venue, it’s all about quality dough. The duo has experimented with innovative fermentation methods to produce pizzas that are yeast free, light and easy to digest.

 90 Secondi, Docklands

Johnny DiFrancesco at the helm reaches a pizza zenith with a Naples style pizza cooked for 90 seconds at 400 degrees.

Johnny tells us the secret to great pizza is in the quality of the dough as well as the use of fine and fresh ingredients. Having been to pizza estblishments all over Melbourne 400 Gradi and 90 Secondi are firm favourites.  

I'm not alone. After only 14 days of operating I visited a packed 90 Secondi on a Thursday lunchtime. With a large group leaving next to me after their meal, it was only a couple of minutes until another took their place. This was Docklands coming alive. 

 I enjoyed lunch as a guest of 90 Secondi and here is my interview with Johnny DiFrancesco - 

The 90 Secondi concept is similar to 400 Gradi, the quality of the food the service and of course the pizza, remains the same.

 

2. How is Melbourne embracing Naples style pizza?

Five years ago when I introduced Melbourne to the real Pizza Napoletana style the consumer was not familiar with the product at all. Over the past three years my pizza Napoletana has become more loved by pizza lovers and people can now appreciate the difference in quality, texture and taste. I believe that pizza Napoletana needs to be eaten three times to really become familiar with it. 

 

3. What is the secret to a great pizza?

Definitely in the pizza dough and the dough making process, and the use of the highest quality and freshest ingredients. 

 

4. Johnny are you looking to attract sporting crowds before and after games at Etihad? And corporates in nearby offices?

The corporates and sport crowds will come naturally at lunch time and on event days. Our aim is to also attract people to this part of the Docklands during the week for lunch and dinner and on the weekends, the Docklands has a lot of offer and we are excited to be part of such an exciting location. 

 

5. Who do you support in AFL?

Essendon but I also have a soft spot for Carlton

 

6. Will there be a "dough dance" like at 400 Gradi? Ha ha

You never know, I'm always working on something special! 

 

I dined for lunch as a guest of 90 Secondi and thoroughly enjoyed my experience. The waiter Vito was engaging, professional, helpful offering recommendations and an absolute champion. He enlivened the experience by speaking to customers in the odd phrase of Italian. The Zucchini flowers stuffed with goats cheese and mint with a hint of chili were firm and the filling was generous, creamy and rich. as far as Zucchini flowers go these were top notch and full of flavour. The entrees were superb. I was beginning to realise 90 Secondi is not a one hit wonder specialising in pizza but the menu pleases across the board. I wanted to experience the whole album. The Lamb ribs were melt in your mouth cooked on the bone char grill style and marinated in oil and herbs.

Johnny has a penchant for Margeurita pizza claiming it's the best pizza in the world. I was tempted to go there. But I couldn't resist the Caserta with  san marzano tomato, mozzarella di bufala (air freighted fresh from caserta), levoni prosciutto di parma, and rocket. Levoni is known to be top notch prosciutto di parma and I was all over it. The dough is perfect in the Naples style with flecks of char. I always think if the dough is a standout you can eat it on its own with pleasure.

The ingredients of this pizza are quality and generous but not overdone. The levoni prosciutto combining with the creamy mozzarella di bufala is a sensation, and further enhanced by the quality of the dough. I surmised that the quality of this pizza matched the zenith that 400 Gradi was able to achieve on the same pizza.

Italian wines enhance the meal and aren't overly expensive... Thanks Vito!

I can't believe how much I ate at 90 Secondi. But with Vanilla panna cotta up for grabs with strawberries and delectable prosecco (poured on top) - I rose to the occasion. The panna cotta had a slight sweetness and the advent of prosecco was brilliant together with the strawberries. There was something festive about this dessert and would be a winner served at a Melbourne Cup luncheon methinks.

90 Secondi has several dining spaces including the stools facing the window to Gate 3 of Etihad Stadium. 

And the coffee here is excellent... 

The fit out is modern with produce on display, large red light fittings, funky red chairs, great use of timber, a black fleck floor and high ceilings. I remember sitting at 400 Gradi with Mathias (ex SBS media personality) who organises the Melbourne Pizza Festival discussing pizza in Melbourne and Italy. His comment was that the pizza from 400 Gradi (and I'm sure 90 Secondi) would excel and be super popular in Italy. Ciao!

What do you think? Where is Melbourne's best pizza?

Posted in Top 10 Lists

• Prev
• Next