So, you feel like pizza tonight, and it has to be a great one, but you’re dining with someone who would prefer to lay off the pizza dough. We’ve got you covered.
Lilian loyals love this Grey Lynn osteria for its pizza but also know there are
Farina
Farina (Italian for flour) goes hard on the Italian theme and we kind of love it. The restaurant is wall-to-wall red, white and green including a bright green-tiled bar with neon lights, red booths, Italian comics lining the walls and tabletops, and a traditional Italian menu to match. The spot to be is the red banquette down one side of the restaurant, where you can watch the comings and goings of the bar and the food on the pass. Founded by Sergio Maglione of Toto restaurant fame (which has since closed and now operates as a pizza-by-the-metre eatery on Graham St, which is also seriously worth your time and money), Farina is known for its authentic Neapolitan-style pizza, having been certified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana — which honours restaurants that stick to traditional Neapolitan ingredients and processes. You’ll find pizze alle Napoletana on the menu including Margherita, diavola, boscaiola and more — all delicious. Farina also specialises in antipasti and house-made pasta, so you could happily dine here and avoid pizzas altogether — but why would you? 244 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby.
Al Volo
Al Volo has been consistently turning out great Neapolitan-style pizzas since 2004 from its well-known spot at the top of Mt Eden Rd, opposite Gailbraiths. There are 20 pizzas to choose from made with Italian cured meats, handmade mozzarella and OO Neapolitan flour. Try the chorizo (mozzarella, spicy chorizo and red onion), the namesake Al Volo pizza (buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, rocket, parmesan and olive oil) or the romana (mozzarella, green olives, anchovies, capers and oregano). But it’s not all about pizza here, there’s also pasta, picolli piatti (small plates), salad and antipasti, Peroni on tap, Italian wines and cocktails (hello, negronis). 27 Mt Eden Rd, Grafton.
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Advertise with NZME.The name says it all really. Non Solo not only does pizza, but antipasti, pasta, secondi, dessert and more! This Parnell institution is known for its sun-soaked courtyard with an outdoor fireplace, lush greenery and banquette seating, which had a chic makeover a couple of years ago. The menu is Italian, and in the pizza section you’ll find classics such as capricciosa (salami, olives, capsicum, mozzarella, anchovy, parsley) and Margherita (tomato, for di latte, parmesan and fresh basil) and some not-so-classic options like the porchetta (slow-cooked pork belly, onion jam, mushroom, rosemary and kale). There is plenty here to tempt non-pizza lovers, with a long menu of Italian classics. In the city, you’ll find sister venue Bar Non Solo in the Seafarers building in Britomart, which has an edited list of Non Solo pizzas and antipasti, and which throws a fun aperitivo hour from Tuesday-Saturday from 5-7pm. 259 Parnell Rd, Parnell, and Level 2 Seafarers, 52 Tyler St, Auckland CBD.
La Spiaggia
In Murrays Bay on the North Shore, La Spiaggia is a gem of an Italian restaurant in an unassuming building across the road from the beach. It’s a spot well-loved by locals who enjoy its menu of Italian classics and wood-fired pizzas made with authentic ingredients sourced from Italy — jars of Vecchio Molo anchovies, Antica Napoli tinned tomatoes, olives and grilled artichokes — as well as fresh local produce. There are 18 pizzas to try, from funghi to pear and prosciutto to romana, as well as a long list of pasta and comforting main meals like slow roast lamb shoulder and pork belly. There’s also a nice list of Italian wines to sample alongside your pizza. 470 Beach Rd, Murrays Bay.
This pizza restaurant from the talented team behind Pici restaurant made Viva’s Top 50 Auckland Restaurants list for 2022, the pizzas are that good. At Ooh-Fa they perfectly time the delivery of the pizzas so they come out as different courses, and you can happily get through all six pizzas on their list with a table of four — they’re not huge. The sourdough bases here are fermented for 72 hours and hand-rolled before being sent into the wood-fired pizza oven where they emerged slightly charred, crispy and blistered. While the offering outside of pizzas isn’t extensive, it is definitely worth ordering, with the carrots and whipped ricotta dish getting a special shout-out in Viva’s round-up of the best restaurant dishes in town. You’d be wise to order the bresaola (cured beef) and the endive, radicchio and parmesan salad. The wine list is worth a mention too, heroing natural varieties from Aotearoa and around the world. 357 Dominion Rd, Mt Eden.
Nomad
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Advertise with NZME.Nomad in Point Chevalier is expansive and relaxed, with seating options to suit any mood or group, from outside in the sun, to a cosy spot on the mezzanine or an armchair by the fire. The menu is described as Mediterranean-style but really there’s something for everyone with platters, dishes to share, burgers and a long list of wood-fired pizzas that are worth a try. Okay, so yes, there’s a smoked chicken, brie and cranberry number on there but that combination has stuck around for a reason — people love it. On the more classic side is La Bella Italia (tomato, mozzarella, prosciutto, parmesan and rocket) and the capricciosa (tomato, mozzarella, ham, mushrooms, olives, anchovies and oregano). 5 Point Chevalier Rd, Point Chevalier.
Prego
The classic choice. The O.G. The institution that is Prego. The menu is a list of tried and true Italian classics, which Viva’s dining out editor Jesse Mulligan describes thusly: “You come here for familiarity and consistency and if the worst you can say is that the whole thing is a bit safe, well, none of the people queuing for tables were going to go home and complain about it.” There are 10 pizzas on the menu which have been there forever and are always a good time, from the alla salsiccia (pepperoni, kalamata olives, tomato, chilli) to the Gamberi (prawns, chorizo, semi-dried tomatoes and parsley), and of course there are the “Prego classics” like surf and turf and caesar salad, as well as an extensive list of pasta and secondi to please almost everyone. 226 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby.
The Hunting Lodge Lawn Bar
West Auckland winery and restaurant The Hunting Lodge is known for its sauvignon blanc, its stately restaurant and its picturesque grounds. It’s also a great spot for pizza on a sunny day when its more casual eatery, the Lawn Bar, cranks up the wood-fired pizza oven. Visitors can grab a picnic table, a bean bag or a spot on the grass for a slice of classic Margherita pizza, a cold smoked salmon pizza with creme fraiche, capers, rocket and pickled red onion, or the Mediterranean pizza with chorizo, olives, roasted capsicum and mozzarella. Elsewhere on the menu there are burgers, salads and grilled cheese sandwiches, and a selection of charcuterie and antipasto. This is the kind of place where the pizza is secondary to the wine, so settle in for a great afternoon. 307 Waikoukou Valley Rd, Waimauku.
Settebello
Bringing a taste of Napoli to New Lynn, Settebello is a charming spot with chequered tablecloths, huge red-tiled woodfired oven, kitschy artwork and tables that spill out onto the footpath. it also has really great pizzas. Owner Francesco Acri brings his pizza-making skills to the venture, having worked as a pizzaiolo at the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana and Associane Pizzaiuoli Napoletana. Neapolitan-style means pizza made with specific tomatoes (San Marzano or Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio) and mozzarella, with strict rules on how the dough is made and cooked — wood-fired at a high temperature for 60-90 seconds. At Settebello there are 22 varieties to try, and if none of them float your boat there’s also calzone, homemade pasta and salad. 9 Totara Avenue, New Lynn.
Bivacco
Holding court on the impressive Viaduct corner once home to the notorious Headquarters bar, Bivacco is the place to be for a long lunch, afternoon drinks or a multi-course dinner. The waterside location is great and the restaurant is huge, with seating for 300 people, but be sure to book at this busy eatery. The menu is “unfussy Italian food” and that includes a solid list of wood-fired pizzas, alongside handmade pasta, antipasti, and “phenomenally good plates”, that, “like the best Italian, is mostly incredibly flavoured food, prepared comparatively simply,” says Viva’s dining out editor Jesse Mulligan in his recent review. Opt for the potato pizza with red onion, burrata, caviar and dill, or the mushroom pizza with truffle, gorgonzola, walnut and radicchio, and leave happy. Bellissima. 115 Customs St West, Auckland CBD.
