Incredible pizza restaurant hidden in the suburbs

It’s a treasure hidden away south of Brisbane and hunted for by keen foodies, and after eating the wood-fired pizza there, our reviewer knows why it’s so in demand.

Anooska Tucker-Evans

2 min read

June 24, 2021 - 12:16PM

QWeekend

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“This is the best wood-fired pizza I’ve ever had,’’ my dinner date proclaims.

Normally a fierce critic of Neapolitan-style pizzas, declaring most too dry, soggy, doughy or littered with myriad other faults, he can’t stop raving about this version: “It’s just so good.”

We’re at Matteo’s Wood Fired Pizza and while its name is a strong indicator of its pizza prowess, its location is anything but.

The neighbourhood trattoria is tucked into a small suburban shopping complex in the backstreets of Clear Island Waters.

The Duck Ragu and Mortadella pizza at Matteo’s Woodfired Pizza. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Far away from the Gold Coast’s major dining precincts, this isn’t a restaurant you simply stumble across, but a treasure that is hunted for by keen foodies.

A narrow veranda topped with curve-backed chairs and tables wraps around its sandstone-looking facade, while inside a classic Italian black and white checkered floor lines the tight, minimalist dining space and long timber bar area.

But it’s through an archway where all the action happens.

Enclosed in glass and a marble and oak-hued counter is what’s considered the Ferrari of pizza ovens – a Marana Forni imported from Italy. Stoking its wood-fuelled flames is the restaurant’s namesake, pizzaiolo Matteo Finotto.

Finotto has worked at top Gold Coast restaurants Gemelli and Burleigh Pavilion, but it was his stall at Miami Marketta that saw him develop a cult following for his classically made crust creations.

Matteo's Woodfired Pizza. Picture: Nigel Hallett

So popular were they that he teamed up with Queensland hospitality veterans Andrew DiMattina (ex-Mario’s, Broadbeach and Dante in New York City) and Marlon Pirie (ex-Mario’s and Beachside Pavilion, Broadbeach) to launch a permanent, bricks and mortar location late last year.

And the crowds, it seems, have followed, with all but two tables holding reserved signs when we visit at 5pm on a Saturday.

DiMattina and Pirie are on the floor welcoming guests with a laid-back familiarity, while an enthusiastic, young, Italian-accented waiter is on hand to help diners with wine matchings from the strong, Italian-heavy list with plenty of options by the glass and most at a price point well suited to the suburban location.

A handful of Italian beers, spritzes and classic cocktails are also available, chosen to complement the simple menu, which runs from antipasti to pasta, mains and white and red-based pizze.

Matteo's Woodfired Pizza. Picture: Nigel Hallett

If dining with a group you’ll want to start with the puffy, salty anchovy and bottarga-topped gnocco fritto fried bread ($14) ready to be torn open and slid through oozy burrata ($12) and wrapped in hot, well-spiced salami ($12).

Or if dining as a couple, leave the carb loading for the duck ragu ($28). Starring butter-soft chunks of the tomato-lacquered gamey meat twisted through the thick and bouncy Venetian-style, spaghetti-like pasta bigoli, it’s rich, hearty and oh so comforting.

But, of course, the real must is the pizza.

There are six white-based options including a classic quattro formaggi and a mushroom and truffle number, and a dozen red versions such as the traditional margherita and diavola.

Sending my date into raptures is the mortadella ($26) rendition – the base bubbled and charry, pooling with melted fior di latte, under a blanket of buttery mortadella and the lush fresh curds of stracciatella.

Crumbled pistachios add crunch, while freshly torn basil delivers anise and peppery brightness. It’s bloody terrific.