The Side Hustle and Tonino Team Brings Neapolitan Pizza to North Adelaide With Falcone

When a pizzeria is named after a nonna, you know it’s going to be good.

Falcone – named after Anna-Lisa and Nick Barone’s nonna, Teresa Falcone – is an ode to the woman synonymous with good food. “When we think of our nonna, she’s in the kitchen,” says Anna-Lisa. “Food was how she showed love.”

Falcone is set to open in early February as a city counterpart to Side Hustle Pizza, the team’s cult favourite Carrickalinga operation. Just like Side Hustle, it’ll be run by siblings Anna-Lisa and Nick as well as Anna-Lisa’s husband, Leo Triantafyllidis. The trio also operate Tonino in Goodwood.

“For me, Falcone is like the accessible version [of Side Hustle],” Anna-Lisa says. “With Side Hustle, it’s kind of niche because we do a limited amount of pizzas and we sell out fast.”

Expect a menu that mirrors Side Hustle’s – “same pizza, same recipe” – but tweaked to cater to a bigger crowd. Unlike Side Hustle, which only opens on Friday and Saturday nights, Falcone will trade from Tuesday to Saturday, with a focus on takeaway and casual outdoor seating.

“From day one of Side Hustle, our goal was always to open a pizza place in the city,” Anna-Lisa says. “Apparently, we have a knack for pizza, and once we saw how well Side Hustle was going, it felt like a calling.”

At the heart of the operation is a strict adherence to Neapolitan technique. “Neapolitan pizza actually has rules and guidelines,” Anna-Lisa says. “A lot of people call themselves ‘Neapolitan’, but to actually be Neapolitan, you need to follow the rules.” Those rules dictate everything from dough weight and thickness to cooking method. “Fire is the key, and after that, fresh mozzarella. We’ve only ever used fresh mozzarella,” says Triantafyllidis.

The menu will stay deliberately tight: seven or eight pizzas – including the namesake Falcone pizza with garlic prawns – a small selection of sides, garlic bread, and classic desserts like tiramisu and panna cotta. Weekly specials will provide space for experimentation.

The fit-out was inspired by “small hole-in-the-wall places in Europe”. The one-room space will be lit by the glow of the woodfired oven and plenty of candlelight, while a large street-facing window puts the pizza-making process on display.

“You eat with your eyes first,” Anna-Lisa says. “And we’ve got nothing to hide. It’s an art form and we’re pretty proud of it.”

Falcone (58 Melbourne Street, North Adelaide) is set to open in early February.

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