Lino Torre has been visiting South Melbourne Market for a decade. And while there is a takeaway shop at the market selling pizza slices and Italian baked goods, he’d always noticed a lack of a dedicated pizza restaurant.

Enter Pizzateca Lupa – a new venue Lino (who owns Park Street Pasta and Wine) opened with his brother Gabriele Torre (former head pizza chef at DOC) and St Ali's Salvatore Malatesta.

The kitchen is led by the Torre brothers and chefs Diana Desensi (ex-Saint George) and Sammie De Leso (ex-Bau Bau). Pizzateca Lupa serves antipasti, pasta, Italian street snacks and tiramisu, all drawn from the Torres’ memories of nights spent around the family dining table. Naturally, the speciality is pizza. And here, it’s done three ways.

Stay in the know with our free newsletter. The latest restaurants, must-see exhibitions, style trends, travel spots and more – curated by those who know.

SIGN UP

At lunchtime, Roman-style pizza baked in teglia (rectangular trays) and cut into rectangular slices is available from the takeaway window. The dough is made using a high water ratio of 80 per cent water to 20 per cent flour, resulting in an especially crisp base. The slices are served with toppings, such as fresh basil and pre-cooked tomatoes, which change daily.

Come dinnertime, there are 13-inch round thin-crust pizza tonda for dine-in and takeaway. These Neapolitan-style serves come in the classic varieties, including margherita and calabrese. As a weekly special, Gabriele also makes harder-to-find pizza al padellino (a Torino specialty), which has a thin, soft crust and is typically baked in a small pan. The dough takes at least 72 hours to make but, Gabriele says, it produces a much crunchier pizza than the tonda.

To drink, there’s Molecola (Italian cola), chinotto, wine, beer and a short list of Italian-style aperitivo cocktails. The space seats 34 and was refurbished by Melbourne designers Jackson Clements Burrows (Her, Arbory). With relaxed timber and maroon facades, the restaurant evokes the quaint yet convivial feel of a streetside Italian eatery.

Pizzateca Lupa
116 Cecil Street, South Melbourne
0490119490

Hours:
Mon & Tue 5pm–9pm
Wed, Thu & Sun 9am–10pm
Fri & Sat 10am–9.30pm

pizzatecalupa.com.au