Pandemic start pays off for humble Bexley pizzeria My Mother’s Cousin

This ‘proudly pineapple free’ Bexley pizzeria is all about traditional toppings, and their pizzas are flying out the door.

There are two types of pizza eaters. Those who believe pineapple (and chicken for that matter) belongs on a pizza and those who don’t. A popular pizzeria in Bexley is for the latter.

My Mother’s Cousin is a casual pizza and chicken wing diner that opened it’s doors right in the middle of Sydney’s lockdown. It grew its customer base doing takeaways and now, with dining available inside, it sees people wait up to an hour on a weekend for a table. They also completely sell out by 9pm at night.

The new pizza and wing shop has capitalised on people's hesitancy to dine out and designed a "fancy takeaway" pizza shop. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“We tossed up whether to delay our opening because of lockdown, but we decided it was a chance to start slowly and refine our menu,” says owner Amani Rachid, who owns the pizzeria with brother Huss Rachid and business partner Sal Senan.

Amani Rachid, co-owner of My Mother’s Cousin in Bexley North, with their arancini and fries with chicken gravy and grated parmesan. Picture: Jonathan Ng

It paid off. Despite not yet opening a delivery service, and only accepting walk-ins, the pizzeria has grown incredibly popular. “We believed there was a gap in the market for good casual eateries at night.” said Senan. “There were plenty of cafes, strictly takeaway places or high-end restaurants. But nothing in the middle.”

The eatery, which calls itself “fancy takeaway” is heavily themed with giant murals running across the walls. “We wanted to create an experience and transport people to New York, especially considering for so long none of us could travel,” said Rachid.

My Mother’s Cousin is proudly chicken and pineapple free. Picture: Jonathan Ng

The trio used to own a bakery in Rockdale called Nineteen 43, before turning their attention to New York-style pizza. They refer to the pizzeria as the cousin to their first venue, hence the name. And like the more traditional style of pizza, you won’t find any pineapple on the menu, proudly declaring on the website it “doesn’t put fruit where it doesn’t belong”. Nor will you find any sort of chicken.

“It just doesn’t belong there,” laughed Senan. “We want to keep it classic and traditional pizzas have very few ingredients. It’s about letting the dough and sauce speak for itself.”