Adelaide by default is a small city, but that doesn’t mean its culinary options are small by any means. One of the most popular foods around the globe is pizza and Adelaide sure does love it’s pizza too. That elusive cheese to crust ratio is something this Adeladian is forever hunting, and in my adventures I have come across some excellent (and honestly also awful) pizzerias. To save you my dismay, and rather share my elation, here are 5 Pizzerias you will be glad to have dined in.
#1 360 Gradi, St Morris
I had heard about this place through the grape vine. A friend here and a colleague there, next thing I knew I was curb side in my car eyeing off the beautiful Ferrari red coffee machine perched atop the counter.
From the onset the restaurant feels familiar. The boisterous staff behind the counter greet you in Italian, then proceed to welcome you like family. My order included one “bufala” pizza (simple and classic) and one café latte. I sat and waited as my nostrils burned with cooking flour and ashy wood. Moments passed until my personal pizza was placed before me with the cheese still bubbling. The taste was exquisite: clean and fresh and alarmingly hot. I cleaned my plate happily and relished in the familiarity of the whole experience.
#2 Ética, Adelaide
Blink twice and you’ll miss it. This restaurant is something out of a Roman postcard: small, tucked away, made of wooden fences with hanging tea lights. As the name suggests, Etica prides itself on using ingredients that have been ethically sourced and cooking them in a wood fired oven that was specially made for them in Naples. The technique is easy and the recipes are too. Here you won’t find ground-breaking methods for baking a perfect crust or how to slice a good pepperoni. At Etica there is only fierce flavour, passionate cooks and an atmosphere you can’t buy. What more ingredients do you need?
#3 Est Pizzeria, Adelaide
In the heart of Adelaide on any given weekend, this place can be spotted sporting a line out the door, and for good reason. The pizza here is more gourmet and bookings are a must. There is no substitute for sheer quality and EST is a place that has quality in spades. The restaurant lacks area but makes up in height. The second floor gives you a perfect vantage point to admire the hard work the bakers put into their pizza and the pride you can feel when that oval masterpiece exists the burning oven. The wine menu is just as impressive and it’s worth asking the waiters what pairings they recommend. Who said wine and pizza don’t make Saturday nights?
#4 Basilico Café, Prospect
This was a surprise inclusion. When my dad came home from a day’s work he didn’t come ranting about his bad day, he came ranting about the pizza he had for lunch. More so to placate him than anything else, my mum and I followed suit when he invited us to dinner at Basilico and I being the pessimist I can be, thought the worst. “No pizza can be that good” I thought to myself. But oh how I ate my words. With a similar vibe to 360 Gradi, this spacious yet homely restaurant has something for all appetite sizes and likes. It’s child friendly and the owners are more than happy to chat and make you feel welcome. The pastries are also top notch.
#5 Melt, Adelaide
I couldn’t compile a pizzeria list without including Melt. It’s an Adelaide staple and a classic location for dinner pre-drinks time. Melt is nestled between two other fine dining restaurants right in the bustling business district of the city. With plenty of space for large groups the restaurant manages to keep it’s intimacy with dim lighting and cosy brick walls that make you feel like you’re a well-versed pizza connoisseur. The pizza here is a little higher end for those seeking truffle mushrooms and tomatoes imported from the coast. But with that quality comes quality flavour and Melt has never yet steered me wrong. And definitely order the dessert pizza.
Image source: 360 Gradi, Adelaide Now, Lisa Eats World, Broadsheet, Clique Mag.