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“I’m in love. I’m having a relationship with my pizza.” Those are the words said by Julia Roberts’ character Elizabeth Gilbert in the 2010 romcom Eat Pray Love as she bites into a thin, floppy slice of Margherita pizza topped with summer-ripe tomatoes and melted mozzarella. She’s dining at L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele in Naples, a family-run restaurant founded in 1870. That fleeting scene was enough to catapult Da Michele into global fame, with 80 pizzerias now found worldwide from London to Tokyo and Milan. Last December, L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele opened its first-ever Australian venture on Sydney’s Pitt Street near Circular Quay.
So, how does it stack up against the city’s already excellent scene? The pizzas are pretty great. And considering a classic – and ginormous – Margherita will set you back $18, it’s fantastic value. But it’s not all sunshine and tomatoes. We had to request serving cutlery for our starters. Our Montepulciano came in mismatched glasses, including one branded ‘Select Spritz’ (though, at $12 a pop, who really cares?). Instead of crisp cos, the ‘Original Caesar’ was made with what looked and tasted like a pre-mixed bag from Woolies.
Still, if you’re after affordable Napoli-style pizza in the CBD – minus the jetlag – smashable Limoncello spritzes and charming Italian hospitality, Da Michele delivers.
The vibe
The place is already buzzing with energy when we walk in. Black-and-white photographs of the family bring personality to the space, and there are at least two images of Roberts biting into a slice, her eyes smiling. Choose to dine alfresco, pull out a seat at the long communal table, take a table for four, or beeline it for the bar if you’re after a casual after-work drink and snack. It’s bright and relaxed, though I reckon the grey tiles wash the space out.
Service is a highlight. Warm, friendly and efficient, the Italians know hospitality as well as they know their food.
The food
Pizza-making in Naples is serious business – so much so the craft was recognised by UNESCO in 2017. L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele has taken its 155 years of pizza knowledge, passion and care to Sydney – and you can taste it. The dough is hand-kneaded and left to rise for at least 24 hours before being stretched into rounds, finished with toppings, and fired in the custom Neapolitan oven covered in little golden tiles. The Margherita ($18) features a base of crushed plum tomatoes ripened under the Italian sun, Agerola fior di latte, and a couple of basil leaves. The crust is subtly puffy with blistered spots, and the base is floppy and thin so you can roll it up and enjoy.
There are 19 pizzas all up, including the Regina ($28) with 18-month-aged Parma prosciutto, sweet bursts of cherry tomatoes, rocket and Grana Padano; and Marinara Napoli ($22) featuring Armatore anchovies from the Amalfi Coast. Vegan mozzarella is also available.
Elsewhere, antipasti include things like red rice arancini ($18) with melted cheese; fried prawns and calamari ($19) with house-made lemon mayo; and fried zucchini flowers ($18) stuffed with ricotta and pesto. Three soft meatballs ($18) covered in a classic sugo taste like comfort, though a bulb of veneer-white burrata with zucchini alla scapece lacks vinegar for zing. For dolce, the tiramisu ($13) and panna cotta with pistachios ($13) are my picks.
The drinks
The $12 glass of La Valentina Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is smooth and easy-drinking, and you’d be hard-pressed to find better value outside of happy hour in the CBD. Saying yes to a Limoncello Spritz ($16) to kick the night off is as easy as saying yes to second helpings of spaghetti alle vongole in Sorrento. And, as the drinks list is a collaboration between Da Michele and Bar Conte in Surry Hills, you can’t go wrong with a Negroni ($22). Plus there are four types of Peroni and your usual soft drinks.
Time Out tip
For an extra $4, go for the signature Margherita and get double the cheese (yes, please).
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