Review: Sale Pepe Pizzeria in Brookvale on Sydney’s northern beaches

Brookvale is worth a visit, and not only for building supplies. Go at night and you can enjoy authentic woodfired pizzas at Sale Pepe.

Apple calzone, ravioli of the day and the roasted pumpkin pizza special. Picture: Adam Yip.

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Industrial Brookvale is throwing off its tradie hi-vis mantle and turning into a concrete playground for foodies.

It already has two boutique breweries, an artisan distillery, a fancy sourdough bakery and New York burger joint. Now you can add pizza to the growing list.

Tucked away, deep in this industrial heartland, is another great little find.

Pizza special bianca with roasted pumpkin fresh spinach and truffle ricotta cheese. Picture: Adam Yip.

You’ll need to program the sat nav to find this one, it’s so well hidden. Sale Pepe is in a side street business complex and right under the vehicle access ramp.

On the plus side, night-time parking is easy for blase first-timers like us, who rock up without a booking.

And on a cold and windy Thursday night, the cosy interior is busy with book groups, date nights and family groups.

Sale Pepe is also popular with some of the beaches’ best known Italian chefs. Alessandro Pavoni and Giovanni Pilu might have their own fancy restaurants but they cannot go past an authentic taste of home, too.

Enrico Sini and Claudio Lo Pinto in their Brookvale pezzeria.

Sardinian Enrinco Sini and Sicilian Claudio lo Pinto are responsible for the game of Italian hide and seek in their out-of-the-way dinner spot.

Brookvale is actually venue No. 2 (Seaforth Sale Pepe came first in 2012).

The pair actively sought out the venue and decorated it with rustic-industrial furniture, lots of wood, pops of colour from Italian posters and some serious benchtop gadgetry.

They welcomed the first guests in March 2015.

And they know a thing or two about woodfired pizza and fresh pasta, both have years of experience — Sini made his first pizza as a teenager as his dad’s pizzeria in Sardinia.

Business partner lo Pinto journey from Sicily to Sydney’s northern beaches has included time in a pizzeria when he was 16, work in a five-star hotel in northern Italy and a stint as head chef at Cavallino.

Sale

Sale Pepe’s interior is rustic and cosy.

Pepe lives up to half of its name, starting salty, not peppery. Out comes a complimentary bowl of olives and the salumi board, which follows, is topped with prosciutto, cured pancetta, salami, rocket, more olives and two slices of woodfired bread. It’s an ample feed, but not too filling, for three to share.

Then it’s time for a hearty plate of carbs — what Italian pizzeria doesn’t have generous portions? The young couple next to us a much more restrained, sharing a main course pasta between the tow of them.

Apple calzone with ice cream for dessert.

There are pizza and pasta specials — our roasted pumpkin, fresh spinach and truffle ricotta cheese ravioli is one of them. It is waist-expander of seriously rich ingredients, personally I prefer tomato-based sauces, but there’s also simpler fare, after all we are in authentic Italian pizzeria. Bomba is a pizza with a tomato base with fior di latte, cacciatore salami, gorgonzola, eggplant and rocket. It has big flavours and plenty of salt.

Simpler still is a classic margherita. Fresh tomato sauce, fior di latte, basil and nowhere to hide.

ESSEINTIALS

Sale Pepe Pizzeria

44/9 Powells Rd, Brookvale

Open: Mon-Fri 7am-3pm; Wed-Mon 5-10pm

Bookings: 8542 4990

Coffee: Pablo & Rusty’s

BYO: Yes, $3.50 a head for wine

Go for: Spaghetti allo scoglio with calamari, mussels and prawns $26; bomba pizza with salami gorgonzola, eggplant and rocket $23

Bottom line: $101 for three

Or try: DeVita, Manly