North Parramatta pizzeria Fratelli Pulcinella wins ‘world’s best’ award at Caputo World Pizza Championships

Fresh mozzarella, perfectly prepared dough and golden, blistered crusts. Turns out the world’s best pizza is made in western Sydney after the restaurant owners claimed an international gong.

Alessio Zullo at his North Parramatta pizza restaurant Fratelli Pulcinella that has been crowned the best in the world. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Fresh mozzarella, perfectly prepared dough and golden, blistered crusts.

You will find some of the world’s best pizza not only in Naples but along the main drag of North Parramatta after pizzeria Fratelli Pulcinella claimed the crown for the world’s best classic pie.

Simone Zullo, who co-owns the Church St wood-fired pizza restaurant with his younger brother Alessio, collected the gong at the Caputo World Pizza Championships in Naples at the weekend after his impressive contribution of a burrata pizza with cauliflower and cherry tomatoes claimed the classic category.

“I was jumping everywhere, I was so happy and I need to be honest, I started crying,’’ Alessio said at his North Parramatta restaurant with his mama Rosaria and papa Enrico.

“We’re super excited. We brought Australia on the podium.’’

Fratelli Pulcinella pipped 500 rivals to claim the classic category which Alessio said required extra creativity to stand out in the challenge involving the globe’s professional pizza makers.

Alessio Zullo and his proud mama Rosaria Mormile. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“With the classic pizza classic, you have to be creative with products, what you put in the dough – everything is important,’’ Alessio said.

He said the dough was fermented for 24 hours, while peeled Salerno Marzano tomatoes from Italy were crushed and anointed with Tonda Del Matese’s finest olive oil to make a prized pie.

And it’s all in the toss of the dough, which Alessio insists is not just for theatrics, but to keep the dough clean.

“It’s not about showing off for me, it’s part of the process. Everyone thinks it’s about the show, they don’t believe me,’’ he said.

The Zullo brothers began selling fried pizza at Wynyard before expanding in Gladesville and Kingsford. They opened in a backyard at O’Connell St, North Parramatta in 2019 before expanding and running their sole restaurant at Church St in 2023.

Originally published as North Parramatta pizzeria Fratelli Pulcinella wins ‘world’s best’ award at Caputo World Pizza Championships