Hefty pizza by the slice? Or a lighter, crisper Roman style? Why not both at this new south-side pizzeria, by a co-owner of Park Street Pasta & Wine.
Updated , first published
After a wave of recent openings – from hatted fine diners to all-day eateries and sandwich shops – South Melbourne has put itself back on Melbourne’s dining map.
But it hadn’t yet realised its pizza potential, according to Italian-born brothers Lino and Gabriele Torre, who previously worked at Carlton institution D.O.C (as a manager and head pizza chef, respectively), for about seven years.
“I love South Melbourne and I’ve always been looking to do another venue here,” says Lino, who also co-owns Park Street Pasta & Wine in the suburb. “In terms of pizza, there’s not much around, which feels like a shame.”
So, he and Gabriele opened Pizzateca Lupa, a 34-seat Roman pizzeria in a prime street-facing South Melbourne Market site. Named after a she-wolf in Roman mythology, Lupa is also backed by Salvatore Malatesta, owner of nearby coffee stalwart St Ali.
What was once greengrocer The French Quarter is now an all-out Italian destination, seamlessly transitioning from day to night and serving two different types of pizza.
The first, pizza “in teglia”, is essentially the same as the better-known Roman favourite “al taglio”, Lino says: it’s cooked in a tray and served by the slice. “We call it pizza, but it’s really just focaccia,” says Lino.
A 48-hour-fermented dough produces a firm, thick base for rotating toppings including margherita, and mortadella crowned with a tiny ball of burrata. The square slices sit in a glass cabinet so the market crowd can grab and go.
There’s also pizza tonda: a light, crisp-crusted style that’s like what you’d find across Italy, Lino says. “It’s … much more hydrated compared to others you would find in other pizzerias in Melbourne.”
Unlike the pizza in teglia, Lupa’s pizza tonda is cooked to order. Options include Norma, a riff on the Sicilian pasta dish of the same name, with fried eggplant, cherry tomatoes and ricotta salata; the Tradizionale with tuna, endive and Tropea onion; and one with 24-month-aged San Daniele prosciutto.
The 13-inch pizzas are available to dine in, or takeaway via online pre-order.
The Lupa experience goes beyond pizza, though. Street-side tables offer excellent people-watching, over Venetian spritzes and suppli (Rome’s arancini-like rice balls encasing molten mozzarella).
Inside, find a cosy refuge of walnut timber and burgundy hues by Melbourne-based architect Jackson Clements Burrows (Her, Arbory Bar & Eatery, St Ali Melbourne Airport). Bar seating looks down into a slightly sunken kitchen.
There, chefs (including Sammie De Leso, ex-Bau Bau, Donna Maria) turn out a handful of classic Roman pastas – from cylinder-shaped tubettone carbonara to fusilli all’amatriciana – using dried pasta from legacy pasta makers Pastificio Liguori.
Housemade seasonal giardiniera (an Italian pickled vegetable mix) comes in two forms: as is, for a snack; and in a cocktail, the pickling liquid lending a saline edge to a gin martini.
To finish there’s tiramisu in a coffee cup, and dessert pizzas topped with seasonal fruit.
Open lunch and dinner Wednesday-Saturday
116 Cecil Street, South Melbourne, pizzatecalupa.com.au
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