After a wave of recent openings – from hatted fine diners to all-day eateries and sandwich shops – South Melbourne has put itself back on Melbourne’s dining map.

But it hadn’t yet realised its pizza potential, according to Italian-born brothers Lino and Gabriele Torre, who previously worked at Carlton institution D.O.C (as a manager and head pizza chef, respectively), for about seven years.

“I love South Melbourne and I’ve always been looking to do another venue here,” says Lino, who also co-owns Park Street Pasta & Wine in the suburb. “In terms of pizza, there’s not much around, which feels like a shame.”

So, he and Gabriele opened Pizzateca Lupa, a 34-seat Roman pizzeria in a prime street-facing South Melbourne Market site. Named after a she-wolf in Roman mythology, Lupa is also backed by Salvatore Malatesta, owner of nearby coffee stalwart St Ali.

What was once greengrocer The French Quarter is now an all-out Italian destination, seamlessly transitioning from day to night and serving two different types of pizza.

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The first, pizza “in teglia”, is essentially the same as the better-known Roman favourite “al taglio”, Lino says: it’s cooked in a tray and served by the slice. “We call it pizza, but it’s really just focaccia,” says Lino.

A 48-hour-fermented dough produces a firm, thick base for rotating toppings including margherita, and mortadella crowned with a tiny ball of burrata. The square slices sit in a glass cabinet so the market crowd can grab and go.

There’s also pizza tonda: a light, crisp-crusted style that’s like what you’d find across Italy, Lino says. “It’s ... much more hydrated compared to others you would find in other pizzerias in Melbourne.”

Unlike the pizza in teglia, Lupa’s pizza tonda is cooked to order. Options include Norma, a riff on the Sicilian pasta dish of the same name, with fried eggplant, cherry tomatoes and ricotta salata; the Tradizionale with tuna, endive and Tropea onion; and one with 24-month-aged San Daniele prosciutto.

The 13-inch pizzas are available to dine in, or takeaway via online pre-order.

The Lupa experience goes beyond pizza, though. Street-side tables offer excellent people-watching, over Venetian spritzes and suppli (Rome’s arancini-like rice balls encasing molten mozzarella).

Inside, find a cosy refuge of walnut timber and burgundy hues by Melbourne-based architect Jackson Clements Burrows (Her, Arbory Bar & Eatery, St Ali Melbourne Airport). Bar seating looks down into a slightly sunken kitchen.

There, chefs (including Sammie De Leso, ex-Bau Bau, Donna Maria) turn out a handful of classic Roman pastas – from cylinder-shaped tubettone carbonara to fusilli all’amatriciana – using dried pasta from legacy pasta makers Pastificio Liguori.

Housemade seasonal giardiniera (an Italian pickled vegetable mix) comes in two forms: as is, for a snack; and in a cocktail, the pickling liquid lending a saline edge to a gin martini.

To finish there’s tiramisu in a coffee cup, and dessert pizzas topped with seasonal fruit.

Open lunch and dinner Wednesday-Saturday

116 Cecil Street, South Melbourne, pizzatecalupa.com.au