Restaurants

Here’s Where To Find Sydney’s Only Neapolitan-Approved AVPN Pizza

By Rebecca Mitchell
26th Apr 2021

A Napoli-style Margherita pizza being retrieved from a stone pizza oven.

There is plenty of excellent pizza in Sydney but only a handful can be called authentically Neapolitan.

The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN)—or The True Neapolitan Pizza Association—has the task of verifying and authorising “true Naples” pizza from across the world, ensuring they adhere to the traditional pizza-making methods.

A series of strict regulations and guidelines are enforced, standardising base size (between 22 - 35cm in diameter), the ways the dough is fermented, proved, and stretched, the various ingredients, and the ultimate look, taste, and texture.

AVPN accreditation is a long journey for a pizzaiolo, who will face a series of tests and checks while making a traditional Neapolitan Margherita or Marinara pizza.

Master pizzaiolo and owner of Lucio’s Pizzeria Darlinghurst and Zetland (both AVPN-accredited, of course), Lucio De Falco, is the vice president of AVPN Australasia. He is often tasked with reviewing pizzas in NSW—occasionally Australia wide—alongside president Johnny Di Francesco (of Melbourne’s 400 Gradi).

“It’s not an easy process. To get involved, to get membership, it’s a long process. People have to use certain ingredients, they have to have a woodfire oven, the dough has to be proved in a certain way—there are all these rules that need to be followed,” Lucio explains.

“A good AVPN pizza, that meets all the criteria, should be cooked in a woodfire oven,” Lucio says, though he admits, in recent years, gas ovens have been occasionally permitted, but are not preferred. “The dough has to be well fermented. It should be soft, elastic to touch, and has to have roughly 1cm, maximum 2cm, of a golden brown, puffy edge.”

That’s before we get to the topping ingredients, which should be of the highest quality. This typically means sourcing them from the Campania region in Italy—including San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, and the best olive oil.

“Pizzaioli in this organisation should know which ingredients to use,” Lucio assures me. “They should know which brands and the level of quality of the ingredients.”

Interestingly, and undoubtedly due to this rigorous assessment process, there are only a handful of determined pizzerias that can claim to serve to “Verace Pizza Napoletana” (“true Napoli pizza”). 

Here’s where to find AVPN-accredited pizza in Sydney.

Aperitivo

Leichhardt

Leichhardt is well known as Sydney’s Little Italy. So, it might surprise some that Aperitivo is the only pizzeria in the area with AVPN status. Thanks to its green neon signage, you can’t miss this Norton St venue—it’s spacious and family-friendly, seemingly purpose-built for those large social gatherings. Aperitivo, like other establishments on this list (Da Mario), offers two Margherita pizzas on the menu, with seemingly minor but notable differences. At Aperitivo, the Margherita STG is made to the true Naples style (as indicated by the ‘STG’ label) but with Fior di Latte—mozzarella made from cow’s milk. Meanwhile, the Margherita Bufala DOP is made from verified buffalo mozzarella carrying the “Denominazione di Origine Protetta” or Protected Designation of Origin (DOP) status. Both are acceptable to use on a verace pizza Nepolitana, but die-hards will no doubt want to gobble up that buffalo mozza.

Da Mario

Rosebery

In 1999, Pizza Mario in Surry Hills introduced true Neapolitan pizza to Sydney being the first pizzeria in Australia to receive accreditation from the AVPN. Leading the charge was owner and chef David Cowdrill. Since then Pizza Mario has closed but its legacy continues at Da Mario in Rosebery.  Opening at The Cannery in 2013, Da Mario has different owners with David remaining at the helm and maintaining the AVPN standards. Da Mario has a stunning reputation across the city with a legacy of exceptional fare, now in a modern, sophisticated space. With Lucio Pizzeria (see below) just around the corner in Zetland, this pocket of Sydney may quickly become our new Little Italy.

Gigi Pizzeria

Newtown

Some may wonder how this vegan restaurant can have true Neapolitan pizza status given it can’t use vital animal-produced ingredients, like mozzarella. “Our plant-based menu, created by Marco [Matino], aligns with Gigi Pizzeria’s ethics whilst staying true to the traditional Neapolitan pizza by using fresh, quality local produce, combined with key ingredients imported from Italy, as specified by the AVPN,” explains co-owner Daniela. “The traditional Marinara pizza is one of the two pizzas that the AVPN will test the pizza makers' skills on which is traditionally vegan by default.” The rest of Gigi’s pizzas all adhere to the rigorous base guidelines as well, ensuring the pizza is stone-roasted under 90 seconds, which requires a consistent 400-degree wood-fired oven temperature. The potate (potato) pizza is a personal favourite!

Lucio Pizzeria

Darlinghurst and Zetland

Chef and owner Lucio De Falco was raised in Naples and started making pizza at 14. “I come from a hospitality background. My aunt and uncle had a couple of restaurants in Naples and at the age of 14, I started working with them—not making pizza but washing dishes, [being a] delivery boy, that kind of thing,” he shares. “Because I liked the industry so much, I decided to keep going. Since opening Lucio Pizzeria Darlinghurst, it has been a great success.” Being the actual VP of AVPN Australasia, De Falco knows a thing or two about true pizza Napoletana. While his pizza is understandably irresistible, his restaurant philosophy guarantees an excellent experience every time. “I think the key to success is consistency. It’s the key to any good business. I train my staff to be consistent so there isn’t one day that’s good and another day that’s not so good,” he says. “There’s never any point of difference [at Lucio Pizzeria]—it’s always good.”

Napoli Corner

Lawson

Napoli Corner opened in Lawson in the Blue Mountains in July 2019, not long before a time of ongoing crises. “We had the bushfires, then we had floods, then we thought ‘we can do business, finally!’ and then COVID strikes,” owner and chef Luca Alvano shares. However, a turbulent year didn’t stop Luca from going for AVPN accreditation, which was awarded to them in October 2020. Due to the restrictions of COVID-19, Luca completed his accreditation process via video calls and emails—making an already arduous journey even longer. But the Naples-born pizzaiolo made it work. Now, they are the only true Napoli pizzeria for miles, and locals are loving it. Although you will find a range of delicious entrees and desserts on the menu, the pizza is king here. “The pizza is our main goal. [Our goal is] to create something as close as possible to what you would find in Naples,” he says. It’s not only the best pizza in the mountains, thanks to Luca’s tireless work, Napoli Corner is one of the most authentic pizzerias in the state. 

Postcard From Napoli

Oatley

Owners and pizzaioli Davide Piscopo and Dino Fonzone are making their mark on Sydney’s leafy southern suburbs with a culinary tribute to their homeland. Their passion for Naples, particularly the food, infiltrates everything at Oatley’s Postcard From Napoli. “We are very proud Neapolitan boys. We are very proud to be members of AVPN because we really believe in our tradition and in our product that is not just a pizza—it is a Pizza Napoletana,” Dino shares. “I think this is very important for the customers, as it guarantees them that the product and the techniques that we use are the same used in Napoli. In this time with overseas travel restrictions, it allows the customers to travel with the flavour of our food.” While authenticity is the main priority, customers are also guaranteed service with a smile and loads of energy from this delightful pair. 

Queen Margherita Of Savoy

Cronulla

Heading further south again, we find ourselves another AVPN-certified venue in The Shire. The name, Queen Margherita of Savoy, pays homage to the woman for whom Margherita pizza was created. In 1889 Queen Margherita went to Naples where local chefs made her a “pizza” that celebrated the colours of the Italian flag with red tomatoes, white mozzarella and green basil. Her favourite dish of the trip (she obviously had excellent taste!) meant it was named in her honour and thus the Margherita pizza was born. Like other pizzerias on this list, QMOS has rules: one size only, no half/half, and no pineapple. While pizzaiolo Lee Carroll isn’t from Naples, the story goes that he became so enamoured with true Neapolitan pizza after eating at Pizza Mario (Da Mario’s predecessor), that he sold his restaurant franchise and studied pizza-making in Naples. Now he’s upholding international traditions back in Sydney and sharing his efforts with Cronulla’s pizza-hungry populous.

Verace Pizzeria

Macquarie PaRK

Finding Verace Pizzeria amid the office buildings and industrial estates of Macquarie Park is like stumbling upon an oasis in a desert. The setting is a head-scratcher, but with local workers, students, and plenty of suburbanites in the surrounding areas, Verace Pizzeria isn’t short on customers. Pizza is the go-to menu item, of course, with owner and chef Stefano Cirene being highly decorated for his efforts. So critically praised are Verace’s pizzas that even the gluten-free base has an award!

For more of our favourite (though non-AVPN accredited) pizza joints in Sydney, head over here. 

Image credit: Verace Pizzeria

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