MELBOURNE | Melbourne’s pizza scene is one of the most dynamic in the world. When I first put together this guide as part of a collaborative “North v South” series with local publication Local Eyes, the city’s pizza landscape was heavily defined by classic Neapolitan styles. While Local Eyes is no longer around, my search for the best slices across the city has never stopped. I have updated my list, expanding beyond the northern suburbs to include the best pizzerias on the southside to reflect how much the scene has evolved.
Today, Melbourne offers an incredible diversity of pizza styles. Alongside traditional wood-fired Neapolitan pizzerias, you will find crisp Roman-style crusts, Detroit-style deep dish pie, 72-hour cold-ferment sourdough bases, and Italian-American style pizza parlours. Here is my updated guide to the best pizza in Melbourne.
At-A-Glance: Melbourne’s Best Pizza
| Venue | Suburb | Style / Speciality |
| Garfield Pizzeria | Carlton | 72-hour fermented Tokyo-stretch dough & wood-fired pies |
| Leonardo’s Pizza Palace | Carlton | Italian-American retro pies & ranch dip crusts |
| Figlia | Brunswick East | 48-hour sourdough wood-fired pizza & bistro |
| 400 Gradi | Brunswick East | World-champion authentic Neapolitan pizza |
| DOC Pizza & Mozzarella Bar | Carlton | Traditional Neapolitan with imported D.O.P. ingredients |
| i Carusi | Brunswick East | Pioneer of traditional wood-fired Melbourne pizza |
| Hotel Lombardo | Coburg | 72-hour slow-fermented thin-crust NYC-style pies |
| Shop225 | Pascoe Vale South | Award-winning wood-fired Neapolitan (Coeliac-accredited) |
| Deep End | Fitzroy | Chicago deep-dish, Detroit-style & New York slices |
| Romo Pizza Bar | Melbourne CBD | 48-hour biga Neapolitan pizza & laneway dining |
| Sunnyside Sliced | Docklands | 18-inch NYC thin-crust & Sicilian Grandma slices |
| i Carusi II | St Kilda | Classic wood-fired Neapolitan pizza in St Kilda |
| 48H Pizza & Gnocchi Bar | South Yarra | 48-hour dough fermentation & Italian classics |
| St Domenico Pizza Bar | Richmond | Neapolitan dough with creative artisan toppings |
| Pizza Religion | Hawthorn East | Thin, crispy bases & inventive gourmet toppings |
Inner North & North
Garfield Pizzeria (Carlton)
Garfield Pizzeria brings a fresh perspective to Lygon Street, combining Italian pizza traditions, Tokyo’s precise stretch techniques, and Melbourne’s Italian-Australian heritage. Culinary director Karen Martini, head pizza-maker Sangsub Ha, and executive chef Mark Glenn work with Molino Casillo wheat flour dough fermented for 72 hours before hand-stretching and baking it in a custom Marana Forni ‘Rotoforno’ wood-fired oven. The result is a light, airy base with fantastic char. Try the classic Margherita, the lasagne-inspired ‘Garfield’ topped with Donati’s beef and pork sausage meatballs, or the Hawaiano featuring lacto-fermented roasted pineapple and mortadella.
297 Lygon Street, Carlton VIC 3053
Leonardo’s Pizza Palace (Carlton)
Housed in a retro venue that was formerly Da Salvatore Pizza By the Metre, Leonardo’s Pizza Palace delivers a fun Italian-American diner atmosphere with 1970s wood panelling and classic rock. The pizzas feature light, springy, charred bases cooked in a custom-built rotating wood and gas-fired oven. Toppings are generous, from classic pepperoni and pork and fennel sausage to a cheese pie topped with fior di latte, monterey jack, mozzarella, and provolone. Every pizza arrives with small cups of house ranch dressing to dip your crusts into.
29 Grattan Street, Carlton VIC 3053
Figlia (Brunswick East)
From the team behind Tipo 00 and Osteria Illaria, Figlia is a wood-fired pizzeria and wine bar taking inspiration from Brooklyn institutions like Roberta’s. Head chef Flavio Argenio uses a 48-hour fermented sourdough base that yields a light crust cooked quickly in a hybrid gas-woodfired oven. Standout toppings include house pork sausage with radicchio and scamorza, Moreton Bay bug with tomato and marjoram, and ox tongue with roasted garlic and pecorino.
335 Lygon Street, Brunswick East VIC 3057
400 Gradi (Brunswick East)
Founded by pizza master Johnny Di Francesco, 400 Gradi famously took home the prize for the World’s Best Pizza at the Campionato Mondiale della Pizza in Italy for its Margherita. The secret lies in strict Neapolitan discipline: high-grade flour, hand-stretched dough, high-hydration proofing, and a wood-fired oven blast at 400 degrees Celsius for 90 seconds. Expect soft, pliable bases with delicate blistering and pristine San Marzano tomatoes.
99 Lygon Street, Brunswick East VIC 3057
DOC Pizza & Mozzarella Bar (Carlton)
DOC remains a benchmark for Neapolitan pizza in Melbourne. The focus here is entirely on pristine, certified D.O.P. Italian ingredients, from San Daniele prosciutto aged for 24 months to fresh buffalo mozzarella imported weekly. The crusts are delicate, slightly charred, and light, making it a timeless favourite for traditionalists.
295 Drummond Street, Carlton VIC 3053
i Carusi (Brunswick East)
As one of the original pioneers of Melbourne’s modern pizza wave, the small and unassuming i Carusi on Holmes Street continues to champion stripped-back authenticity. Dough is cooked rapidly at high temperatures in a wood-fired oven to achieve a thin, pliable base with dark leopard spots. Toppings are minimalist, rarely exceeding four high-quality ingredients per pie, allowing the rich tomato base and creamy fior di latte to shine.
46A Holmes Street, Brunswick East VIC 3057
Hotel Lombardo (Coburg)
Hotel Lombardo captures the feel of a Brooklyn neighborhood dive bar and Italian-American pizza joint. Owner Travis Lombardo uses a 72-hour slow-fermented dough cooked fast over fire, yielding thin bases with puffy, charred crusts. The simple classics hit the spot, including a great Margherita, charred Pepperoni, the spicy Picante with nduja and sopressa, or the Calypso Mortadelle topped with red sauce, crisp mortadella, mozzarella, and golden syrup.
11-13 Sydney Road, Coburg VIC 3058
Shop225 (Pascoe Vale South)
Shop225 holds global acclaim, having been recognised among the best pizzerias in Asia-Pacific by the 50 Top Pizza awards. Owners Lorenzo Tron and Roberto Davoli bake wood-fired Neapolitan pies made with 72-hour proofed dough in a custom Melbourne-made Giuseppe Colosimo oven. It was the first pizzeria accredited by Coeliac Australia, offering an outstanding gluten-free base option alongside vegan cheese variants developed with local Coburg cheesemakers Damona.
225 Melville Road, Pascoe Vale South VIC 3044
Deep End (Fitzroy)
Deep End brings regional American pizza styles to Fitzroy. The menu showcases three styles made true to tradition: half-hour baked Chicago deep-dish pies with defined cheese and tomato sugo layers, crisp Detroit-style square pizzas like the ‘Thyme Crisis’ with confit garlic and guanciale, and thin New York-style crusts featuring their popular Clam Pie.
412A Brunswick Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065
CBD & Central
Romo Pizza Bar (Melbourne CBD)
Hidden down a CBD laneway, Romo Pizza Bar is an intimate trattoria opened by childhood friends from Lyon, France. Head chef Alex brings fine-dining technique, including experience at Vue de Monde, to Italian classics. The Neapolitan-style pizzas feature house-made dough prepared with a strict 48-hour biga fermentation, resulting in a light, crispy base. Try the Prosciutto pie with San Marzano tomatoes D.O.P. and gremolata, or the white-base Gamberini topped with garlic cream and prawns.
21 Katherine Place, Melbourne VIC 3000
Sunnyside Sliced (Docklands)
Following the success of his original Mentone shop, owner Ali Cengiz brings proper New York slice shop culture to Docklands with Sunnyside Sliced. Specialising in thin-crust, 18-inch NYC-style pizzas and Long Island Sicilian-style ‘Grandma slices’ with crispy, springy thick bases, both are available as whole pies or par-baked slices finished to order, featuring toppings like the Pepperoni Prince with Bippi Hot Honey or the BK Greenpoint with provolone, mushrooms, and olives.
2/685 La Trobe Street, Docklands VIC 3008
South & East
i Carusi II (St Kilda)
Carrying forward the heritage of the original i Carusi, i Carusi II in St Kilda delivers traditional, wood-fired Neapolitan pizza in a vibrant Bayside dining space. Operating independently from the Holmes Street location, they serve light, blistered bases topped with pristine ingredients, remaining a standout favourite for southside pizza lovers.
231 Barkly Street, St Kilda VIC 3182
48H Pizza & Gnocchi Bar (South Yarra)
As the name suggests, 48H lets its pizza dough ferment for a full 48 hours, resulting in a light, highly digestible crust. The menu balances classic Italian topping combinations with rich cheeses and cured meats, cooked in an imported high-heat Italian oven.
373 Malvern Road, South Yarra VIC 3141
St Domenico Pizza Bar (Richmond)
St Domenico combines authentic Neapolitan crusts with creative topping pairings based on owner Roberto Tarquinio’s grandmother’s recipes. A standout is the Salsiccia, topped with pork and fennel sausage, roasted apple, fior di latte, sage, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
428 Bridge Road, Richmond VIC 3121
Pizza Religion (Hawthorn East)
Known for thin, golden bases and non-traditional toppings, Pizza Religion takes a gourmet approach to pizza. Their signature 18-hour braised beef cheek pizza with celeriac and truffle oil won Best Pizza in Australia at the Global Pizza Challenge and remains a local favourite.
493 Tooronga Road, Hawthorn East VIC 3123
Closed But Not Forgotten
Mr Wolf (St Kilda)
Celebrity chef Karen Martini’s long-running St Kilda pizzeria was famous for its thin, crispy Roman-style pizza crusts and balanced toppings. While Mr Wolf has now closed its doors, it remains a celebrated part of Melbourne’s pizza history.
9-15 Inkerman Street, St Kilda VIC 3182
check out my guide to the Best Places To Eat & Drink In Brunswick & Brunswick East for more local food spots.