Paulie’s Pizza Pezza Cracks The Code On Nonna-Approved And Foldable NYC Slices

If you ask us, New York City runs on momentum.

It’s a city built on hardcore proximity. The economy of time. With a mythology built on people arriving with nothing, and making something, fast. I believe the French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir once put it as “there is something in the New York air that makes sleep useless”.

And nowhere does that ring more true than in the way the city eats.

Food is crafted to be held in one hand, consumed standing, folded, wrapped, stacked or poured into something you can carry. And despite their undeniable cultural imprint from the 1930s to the 1960s, no one's lapping up any smidgen of la dolce vita, taking their sweet time like the Italians do. 

Pizza, oddly enough, has been the clearest expression of this. What started as an ode to tradition, quickly became a foldable, grease-stained, eaten by the kerbside thing of beauty in its own way—served by the piece, not the pie, more specifically, thanks to Patsy Lancieri back in 1936 as a way of accommodating workers who needed something to neck down quickly between shifts.

Ask enough people, and some might say, New York did to pizza, what Berlin did to the döner, but that’s another conversation.

Be it so, the New York pizza is truly a work of art and a form that’s always evolving no matter where it is. So, when we got word that Sydney was scoring a proper late-night slice shop, serving hot, crispy and foldable slices until 1am, our ears perked up. Yet, it did beg the question, with Sydney’s current state of affairs (a Lockout Law hangover, patchy late-night foot traffic and hefty fuel prices pulling weight in pockets), how does one bring the concept of the Big Apple signature to a city like ours?

“Now felt like the right time because there’s a clear gap for quality late-night food in Sydney, especially something casual but done properly,” owner Paul Allam tells us.

“The concept also reflects how people want to eat—quick, high-quality food that works just as well on-the-go as it does sitting in, without costing a fortune.”

If Paul sounds somewhat familiar, you’d be bang-on. He’s hospo royalty in Sydney, planting seeds like the Bourke Street Bakery empire, Marrickville’s The Bread & Butter Project, as well as Hi Hi Burger in Bondi Junction. If that doesn’t credit the man enough, he was a bona fide Neuw Yawkah for almost seven years, eating close to what he says could have been a thousand slices. 

“As a chef and baker and a live-to-eat kind of guy, I spent a lot of time thinking about the big questions in life like what makes a truly great slice?” he explains.

“After so much Neapolitan pizza in Sydney, I was really drawn to the utility of a proper New York slice. That crispy base, the structure, how you can eat it standing, sitting or walking. It’s foldable, it holds, and when it’s done well, it’s instant—you take a bite and boom, you’re happy. That’s what we wanted to bring here.”

You’ll find Paulie’s Pizza Pezzo’s old-school New York cues on Darlinghurst’s Oxford Street strip, just a few rungs up from the newly opened Eef Coffee and Mapo Gelato joints (and you’re right to think it’s very much part of the City of Sydney’s revitalisation of the area, too). Ironically, the build has replaced an old health food store.

Now, it’s counter-led service with a mix of perch-and-go standing bars and a few low-commitment upholstered vinyl seats; a vision board of Mid Century Italian-American New York with its stainless steel detailing, hand-painted signage and terrazzo-inspired flooring. The space itself is a neat little collab between Paul and Cave Urban, a design and art studio responsible for Iggy’s original Bronte bakehouse, as well as Seminyak’s Sunset Beach Bar.

At its core, Paulie’s is really all about the dough. Paul’s vast trials and tribulations through baker and chef mean he’s worked with fermentation and sourdough for years. It’s not kosher for this style of slab, but the idea is a 24-hour fermented sourdough, so while conceptually it rings true to the classic grab ‘n’ go, there’s a lot more going on under the hood. 
 
“It’s a naturally fermented sourdough using a 22-year-old levain, developed over months to get the structure right while still keeping it light,” adds Paul.

“The base is incredibly crispy, really satisfying, and full of flavour. It’s not a typical slice shop pizza, there’s a different level of care and technique behind the dough, so it stays light and never feels heavy.”

Pizza slings from 12pm onwards, with slices cut from a jumbo 18-inch pie. The line-up plays with a Margherita and Pepperoni for the purists, with a pork and fennel sausage loaded with pickled peppers for anyone who likes a punchier kick. A spicy vodka features on the menu too.

When it comes to making the final call though, Paul recommends the Grandma slice. Large, thick and rectangular, it's a welcomed airy counterpoint to the core roster.

“It’s simple, rustic, deeply satisfying, and has that nostalgic quality” he mentions.

“All the Sicilian nonnas in New York would approve.”

And, if you thought you had figured this place all out, think again. Pre-midday, the team is baking a rotating selection of small-batch pastries in-house and serving coffee from 7am. There’s a healthy stock of shakshuka and even bacon and cheese flatbreads (“like breakfast pizzas,” says Paul), cinnamon buns and custard tarts too.

The world is truly your oyster (or pizza).

Paulie's Pizza Pezzo

• Shop 5/90 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst NSW
• Monday to Wednesday 7am-10pm | Thursday to Saturday 7am-1am | Sunday closed |Coffee 7am-2pm

​Image credit: Alan Benson