opping in for an impromptu chat at 6pm with Kaprica owner Pietro Barbagallo was a mistake. With the place already filling up with customers, it’s hard to imagine that he’ll have a chance to stop. You see, Pietro Barbagallo, the man who opened beloved eateries Barbagallo and I Carusi, is not the kind of guy to avoid getting his hands dirty. In fact, now, he is hard at work, arms elbow-deep in flour. When he’s not creating circles of dough, he’s cutting toppings or managing the oven. It’s quite the performance and it’s all done without breaking a sweat.

Descriptors like “rustic” and “charming” are thrown around all to flippantly when describing traditional, home-style eateries. But in the case of Kaprica, they’re both valid. There’s nothing overly fancy about the space and there needn’t be, with a selection of mismatched wooden tables, unpolished floors and a couple of outdoor window seats with a view over Lincoln Park in Carlton for balmy evenings. You could easily get carried away here, as it’s just as cosy as being at home, yet still tinged with enough theatre to ensure you have a good time.

It’s a given that the food is good, as we always knew it would be – the man can even make a broccoli pizza look enticing. Any time of the day is good for a visit too, with a couple of breakfast specials at your disposal, a couple of yummy looking Italian mains and some heavenly looking desserts like tiramisu and Campari granita all at extremely reasonable prices. You really can’t go past the pizza though, and after watching the labour and love that goes into each and every one in the exposed kitchen, you won’t want to.

Kaprica
19 Lincoln Square South, Carlton

Hours
Mon 8am–4pm
Tues to Sun 8am–10pm

Cash only.