The 20 best pizzas in Australia

Order the: Burrata Special

‘Amore Mio’ means ‘My Love’ in Italian and provides a pizza heaven in Maylands. Their style of pizza dough is hand-stretched and risen over 48 hours, per Italian tradition, and cooked on stone to the point where there is just enough crunch. You’ll be absolutely spoilt for choice with more than 65 pizzas on offer, including the OG regulars (shout out to the Hawaiiana), seafood selections, gourmet Aussie chef specials and deluxe pizzas with more toppings than you can fit in your mouth. Just save room for the Burrata Special, topped with creamy fior di burrata, melted and surrounded by premium prosciutto, fresh basil and tomato sauce.

Order the: Big Tony

It’s been almost a decade since Hobart’s cult-followed pizzeria first opened in Berridale, which means they’re clearly doing something right. It’s impossible to go wrong when ordering a pizza here, with gluten-free folks and vegepals well looked after too. Risk it all with the Big Tony, featuring a tomato base, mushrooms, pepperoni, red onion, jalapenos, LP cheese blend and cracked black pepper. PS: Their weekly specials also slap and we won’t judge you if you opt for one of those instead.

Our pick: Nduja, ricotta and thyme

This tiny Inner West pizza parlour is making a whole lot of noise in Sydney’s crowded carb scene. Getting your hands on a Westwood pizza might require more forethought and planning than your average takeaway dinner, but the rewards more than outweigh the costs. There are only seven woodfired pizzas to pick from, including a spicy nduja or rich spanner crab, along with two side salads and some chilli XO to dip your crusts in. You’ve got to be in it to win it, so set your alarm for 3pm when pre-orders open.

Order the: Milliano

Even your nonna would approve of Monsterella. Warm and welcoming, this little family-owned pizzeria has something for the whole clan. Their handmade woodfire pizzas are Naples in style, with dough naturally risen for 48 hours, stretched out thin and cooked until the crust bubbles with beautiful burnt bumps. The Milliano is a must-try with fior di latte, Italian pork and fennel sausage, caramelised onions pecorino and truffle oil, but if we had to pick a second favourite, it’d be the Diablo with smoked mozzarella, hot salami, nduja and chilli.

Order the: #04 with chargrilled pineapple and gabagool

A retro bar that serves pizza? Sounds like a place we want to spend the night, stuffing our faces with pizza, washing it down with beer and staying late for a boogie. Sunny’s no-fuss menu is split between ‘Pizza’ and ‘Not Pizza’, with seven crispy discs to dive into. The chargrilled pineapple, gabagool (pork), mozzarella and green chilli verde pizza could stir some heated debates, but if you can convince your mates that pineapple belongs on pizza, then it’s well worth the fight.

Our pick: Pizza Patate e Pancetta

Pizza fit for a Roman ruler is what you’ll find at Julius, the hip younger sibling of Brisbane’s Beccofino restaurant and pizzeria. Its beating heart is a custom-made Stefano Ferrara woodfired oven from Naples, which pumps out a creative yet classic range of both rosse (Napoli sauce base) and bianche (white base) pies. We suggest ordering one of each, leaving lots of stomach space for the Patate e Pancetta with potatoes, pancetta, mozzarella, scamorza and rosemary.

Our pick: Di Parma

With numerous awards under its belt including the crown of ‘best pizza in Australia’ in 2023, this spot takes pizza seriously and it shows. It’s named for the amount of time the natural dough takes to rise which results in a tender, flavourful crust paired with just the right ratio of toppings. There’s no bad option and as you might expect, they take every element of pizza preparation very seriously here. If you can only choose one, make it Di Parma, which was named the number one pizza in the Australia Pizza World Championships 2019 (tomato sauce, mozzarella, prosciutto di Parma, Italian buffalo mozzarella, rocket and grana padano).

Our pick: Funghitown 

This funky pizzeria sitting a few streets back from Sydney’s famous Manly Beach gets top marks across the board for its kitschy vintage styling – from the red-and-white check tablecloths and sheer, lacy curtains, to a solid wall of framed black-and-white photos. Wines by the glass are kept at budget-friendly prices; bottles are easy to access for under a 50; and there’s a self-service fridge for crafty brews. The Funghitown is the talk of the town and for good reason. It starts with a tomato and mushroom base, is topped with generous proportions of field mushrooms and fried kale, and the dried ricotta and fior di latte balance it out.

Order the: Salami

Southern Italian traditions, South Australian conditions. That’s the name of the game at this much-loved institution tucked away in a rustic-chic McLaren country house, which is reminiscent of a welcoming Italian family home. The pizzas here are made most traditionally, with recipes passed down from generations and given an ‘Oztalian’ twist. The soft, thin crusts are stretched out by hand – no rolling pins in sight – and cooked in a woodfire oven imported from Napoli, until the crust is puffy, charred and spotted. It’s hard to pick a favourite, but you won’t be disappointed with the Salami pizza, featuring homemade sugo, hand-pitted olives, portobello mushrooms and fior di latte.

Order the: Mortadella pizza

This glam little Italian pizzeria and wine bar is a rising star in Brisbane’s pizza scene. Every pizza is a labour of love, hand-made from a six-year-old wholemeal sourdough starter and fermented over 48 hours. There’s only one place to start your meal, and that’s with the Mortadella pizza bread, featuring a heavenly combo of stracciatella and pistachio crumble. Follow it up with classics like Margherita and Diavola, or specials like the veg-friendly broccoli base Verde or the truffle cream base Tartufata with prosciutto and slow-cooked onion.

Order the: Pizzica

This not-so-secret spot makes appearances on almost every round-up of the best pizza in Australia. The rustic brick restaurant has lots of character and will transport you straight from Margaret River to the charming region of Salento in Southeast Italy. On any given night, Pizzica is fully packed with people travelling across the state for a slice of their infamous woodfired pizzas. The namesake Pizzica is a go-to, loaded with mozzarella, friarielli (broccoli rabe), Italian sausage, fresh chilli and pecorino cheese, which is sprinkled on after cooking. Just make sure to eat it while it’s hot.

Order the: Frutti di mare

You’ll find an unassuming slice of Napoli at this casual pizzeria, located just a street back from the waterfront in Darwin’s city centre. The team serves pizza the way it is served in the streets of Napoli, following traditional 17th-century methods. Every disc is hot-to-trot with a leopard-spotted puffy crust, soft and saucy centre, and toppings appointed in all the right places. The Fruitti Di Mare nails the brief with San Marzano tomatoes, marinated octopus and prawns, black olives, leek, parsley oil and garlic. It’s best enjoyed the traditional way with a knife and fork in Alfonsino’s relaxed outdoor patio.

Order the: King Kofta V2.0

Come get a slice of Italy at this bright pink pizzeria, also by the team behind Local Pizza. All pies are cooked in a disco-ball oven, which makes sense considering that there are disco balls of all shapes and sizes dotted around the dining room. The pizza menu is as playful as the decor, with names like Bubby G, BBQ Bird, Wild Child and Spuf Lyf. However, the King Kofta V2.0 is the most popular, with a capsicum base, lamb kofta, mozzarella, roast capsicum, herb yogurt, red onion, za’atar and chopped herbs.

Our pick: Frutti Di Mare

As a past winner of the World Pizza Championships with locations scattered around Melbourne, you’d expect 400 Gradi to know what they’re doing. And they do. With the pizza oven cranked up to 400 degrees, the bases are chewy and puffed up around the edges. It’s a beautiful canvas for the Frutti Di Mare, where prawns, mussels, clams and fresh fish unite harmoniously on a tomato base.

Order the: Margherita

It was love at first slice for locals at this neighbourhood pizzeria with locations in Scarborough and Subiaco. Hot, fresh and fired up in an oven straight from Italy, these pizzas are true Neapolitan doughy goodness. The pizzaiolos ferment their dough for three days and bring the party to town with lots of toppings – burrata cheese, prosciutto crudo, pineapple, you name it. The Margherita is a local favourite, and we suggest dressing it up with bufala cheese and ordering a garlic aioli dip to dunk your golden crusts.

Our pick: Melanzane

Turns out, pizza without cheese is still bloody excellent. Sure, there were a lot of naysayers on the internet when Gigi in Sydney’s hipster suburb of Newtown changed to a plant-based menu, but they were wrong, because a chewy, wood-fired pizza base covered in San Marzano tomato, grilled eggplant, tree nut ricotta, basil salsa and green vie parmesan is delicious. We swear you won’t even miss the mozzarella. Don’t believe us? Just try getting a table – it’s a packed house every night.

Our pick: The 'Roni Square

This big and bright pizzeria pulls influence from New York and Italy but is undeniably Melbourne. The sourdough pizza base, made with flour from South Australia, is fermented for 48 hours, rested for six and baked in an electric oven, giving it a light, blistered, crunchy, pliable and complex crust. In addition to your standard pies, you’ll also find Roman-style pizza al taglio, which is baked in large rectangular trays and is arguably the eatery’s biggest draw. Trust us and go for the ‘Roni Square with tomato, pepperoni, pickled onion and a vodka sauce dipper for your crusts.

Our pick: Pizza Tartufo

Tartufo is the gold standard of traditional Naples-style pizza in Brisneyland and one of only two pizzerias in Queensland to boast membership to the ‘True Neapolitan Pizza Association’. Needless to say, they take pizza very seriously, and you will be seriously impressed before even tasting a slice; just watching the chefs in the open kitchen expertly tossing dough is enough to get you salivating. Trust the name and go for the Tartufo with prosciutto, porcini mushroom purée, cherry tomatoes, shaved parmesan and mozzarella – plus the stand-out pork sausage and truffle paste stuffed crust.

Order the: Prosciutto and roquette

When the sun goes down and the oven heats up, Mama Dough is where you want to be. The cosy space sits only six people inside but does a roaring takeaway trade and serves their pizzas directly to diners at the local pub, Edgar’s Inn, just next door. Mama Dough gets its name from the ‘mama dough’ used to create their original pizza base, which gets fired up in an imported Forno Bravo pizza oven. Picking a favourite pizza here is like picking a favourite child, so we’ll have to settle on the prosciutto and roquette for carnivores, or the mushroom, caramelised onion and sticky balsamic version for herbivores.

Our pic: Pizza Salsiccia

Expect a queue and a charismatic Italian welcome at DOC, which boasts outposts around Victoria plus one in Sydney. Thin crust pizzas are pumped out promptly and feature traditional toppings with a twist: see the verdant Salsiccia, combining broccoli cream, mozzarella and housemade pork sausage, or the Pomodoro with yellow tomatoes, anchovies, Ligurian olives and capers.