The hype has barely settled after the opening of Pizzeria Violetta and already she’s shaking things up again. This latest venture operates out of the same space at Violetta with the same people and the same oven but comes bathed in the brightness and possibility of the early morning. Benzina is Violetta’s day job.
Though adhering to the same DOC Napoli standard of pizza craft as Violetta, Benzina comes with a few added features to combine the best of European and Australian breakfasting habits into a bipartisan flurry of coffee and dough.
In the spirit of Benzina’s namesake, let’s cut right to the chase with a bit of zest, shall we? The fresh juices on offer are proper zingers to rival coffee and cool your tank ahead of summer’s sticky heat. We strongly recommend the coconut, pineapple and chia seed fiasco, but be warned, it can change your life so make sure you sip it. But the caffeine committed won’t be denied their daily fix; Benzina makes a phenomenal brew on locally roasted beans sourced from Brisbane roastery, The Odyssey Project.
Moving on for a bit more substance and at the heart of the operation is the same custom-made, completely wood-fired oven from which the pizzatronic wonders of Violetta emerge. This time the blistering crevice brings you a veritable revelation: the breakfast pizza feat. gooey-yolked eggs and crispy pancetta. Smaller appetites get raring on Benzina’s panuozzo, which is basically a smaller scale calzone made with thinner dough. The result is a crispy baked parcel packed with cheese and salami for the Euros, or avocado and lemon for Aussies. And let’s not forget mouth-watering sweet things courtesy of Jocelyn’s Provisions, which are great to grab on the go for that Holly Golightly feeling.
Come down and check out the melding of two glorious breakfast cultures into one smart and snappy operation but take heed: the pivotal secret to Benzina’s operation is a kickstarter attitude. Don’t expect her to hang around until the leisurely mid-afternoon, Benzina offers a brief window of charge between 7am and 11am for punters to fuel-up and hit the road.
Want the location, opening hours, and all the details? Find Benzina on The Directory here!
Image credits: Ariana Gillrie