New Italian joints are popping up weekly in postcode 2010, and you won’t hear any complaints from us. The latest to open its doors is Crown Street’s Pizza Fritta 180 by Via Napoli’s Luigi Esposito, whose Neapolitan flash-fried pizza is a first for Sydney.
Anyone who was out and about in Surry Hills on Mardi Gras weekend would have seen the swathes of party-goers spilling out of the eatery, which corners Crown and Foveaux Streets.
When I arrive at Pizza Fritta he’s in his chef whites, a tea towel hangs from his back pocket and he carries himself with infectious, gleaming energy.
Hanging above the bar is a framed photo of an eleven-year-old Esposito cooking next to his grandmother back in Naples.
“That’s the way I grew up. I would take pizza orders door-to-door. Back then there were no lifts, so people in high buildings used to lower a bucket on a string and I’d deliver it that way.”
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From the streets of Naples to the epicentre of Surry Hills, this new venture is a way for Esposito to pay respect to his grandmother and to introduce Australia to flash-fried pizza, a culinary tradition that dates back two hundred years.
His fresh organic ingredients are sourced locally, but the main ingredients – the Caputo flour, the cheeses and the tomato – are imported straight from Italy.
“In my experience I’ve found that the food is important, but the overall experience is more important. We want to create an easy, casual dining experience.”
I tried the pizza fritta Allegra ($13): ‘nduja, ricotta cheese, caciocavallo cheese and tomato. It was delicious, and pairs perfectly with the aperitivi, all priced at the very welcome $10 mark.
With the flagship now open for business, Esposito has plans to expand into Newtown and beyond. It’s safe to say that pizza fritta won’t stay a novel concept for long.
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Pizza Fritta 180
428 Crown Street Surry Hills
Follow on Instagram: @pizzafritta180
STOP PRESS: At time of posting, the globe is currently affected by the current COVID-19 global pandemic. Pizza Fritta remains open, and is adhering to all the government health and safety standards. If you’re currently WFH, visit this local business in your lunch break for a quick bite and support them if you are able to.
