Ladro is a restaurant with a reputation, and one to be proud of – perfect pizza. Many restaurants have come and gone since the beginning of the great Melbourne pizza craze. But Ladro has proven a winner; it’s a sleek operation that has been winning acclaim with locals and journalists since 2003. With a simple black and white interior, tightly packed marble-topped tables and sophisticated staff kitted out in tidy red and black, it’s clean, uncomplicated and all about the flavours.

From pork to porcini there’s a pizza for every taste and the DIY approach of serving the pizza uncut with a slicing wheel takes playing-with-your-food to a whole new level. The open kitchen provides a great show when it’s busy and the noisy clatter in the minimalist space creates a welcoming cacophony of happy diners.

You may come for pizza, but it would be a mistake to overlook the specials menu, written on the white tiled wood-fire pizza oven. Here you might find a roast of the day or desserts that encourage you to leave a bit of room for something sweet.

Roll on in after work, or gather a group on Saturday night. But we recommend you make a booking, because after all these years it’s as popular as ever.