Perfect pizza: Why these five stand out from a very accomplished crowd

Choosing Sydney’s best pizza is a mighty task, but these five might just stand out from a very accomplished crowd.

Choosing Sydney’s best pizza is a mighty task, but these five might just stand out from a very accomplished crowd. Picture: iStock

Traditional or “Aussie” fan, carnivore or vegetarian, you’ll find something to your taste among these contenders for Sydney’s best pizzas.

Bella Brutta

Newtown

Bella Brutta.

Step inside Bella Brutta and you’ll find a den of happy noise, a glowing wood-fired oven and a roomful of diners ignoring their dates over the blister-edged pizzas crowding the table. The dough here is seriously well fermented; the toppings seasonal and generous. The clam and hot sauce pizza gets all the buzz, and for good reason, but every other option is just as worthy. Service is speedy, but the experience is worth lingering over, and you’re guaranteed to emerge smelling faintly of smoke, mortadella and happiness. Prefer to eat at home? There’s a dedicated takeaway kitchen just around the corner.

135 King St, Newtown

My Mother’s Cousin

Bexley North

My Mother's Cousin.

Don’t let the suburban strip-mall exterior fool you. Inside this popular diner is booth seating, vintage signage and New York-style swagger. The pies are big, bendy and bursting with character, all silky tomato sauce and blistered pepperoni cups on chewy crusts with perfectly crisp undercarriages. There are a good whack of white-based pizzas on offer, and the line-up features cool takes on classic combos. It’s fun, it’s nostalgic and it’s got just enough edge to feel cool without trying too hard. Weekends get busy, but there’s always someone cracking a joke behind the counter to make you forget the wait.

9 Shaw St, Bexley North

Pizza Madre

Marrickville

Pizza Madre.

This vegetarian-only spot flips the script on what a pizza needs to be great, and does such a solid job of it that even the most ardent carnivore won’t miss the meat. Think toppings like charred broccolini, San Marzano tomato, fior di latte, confit garlic, fermented chilli and ricotta salata, all stacked on the one pizza. The dough is slow-fermented and full of life, and the ever-changing menu means that no two visits are ever the same. They don’t do delivery, and they don’t do substitutions, but they do crank out some of the best vegetarian pizzas in the city.

2/205 Victoria Rd, Marrickville

DeVita

Manly

DeVita.

Just a block or two from the sand, this seaside trattoria channels southern Italy in both style and spirit. The pizzas are wood-fired, soft-centred and loaded with traditional toppings – no gimmicks, just fresh produce, well-sourced cheese and a dough that’s been allowed to breathe. The menu is broken into Neapolitan classics and the “Thank you Aussie” selection, so you can order a marechiaro and a ham and pineapple without being turfed out. It’s a sit-down kind of place, best enjoyed with a carafe of house wine. If you’re lucky, you’ll score a window seat just in time for golden hour.

Shop 1B/4-8 Darley Rd, Manly

Da Orazio

Bondi

Da Orazio.

Bondi’s got its fair share of pizza, but few do it with the swagger and polish of this long-running favourite. The wood-fired oven turns out chewy, leopard-spotted bases, topped with everything from simple San Marzano tomato and buffalo mozzarella to rich porchetta with salsa verde (you can also order the succulent roast pork by the slab) or wagyu brisket pastrami with three types of cheese. The space is airy and chic, with an attached aperitivo bar for pre or post-pizza drinks. Expect big flavours, punchy cocktails and the kind of goodtime, beachside energy that turns any dinner into an event.

The Hub, Boheme, Shop LG 08 & 09, 75/79 Hall St, Bondi Beach