In these heady days when that perfect thin-but-chewy Neapolitan-style pizza is within the grasp of the average Aussie urban dweller, does anyone still have a hankering for those suburban slices of yore, with their thick and doughy, super–sauced-with-salad-on-top stylings? Apparently so, if you ask Melbourne's Old School Pizza in Brunswick West.
Forget classic Italian pies - these are the kind your mum brought home on Fridays so she didn’t have to cook, and who probably had a plastic Giuseppe out the front. Think thick pizza bases, loaded with the flavour combinations you knew weren’t authentic, but somehow tasted pretty good anyway; from barbeque chicken or tandoori sauce to smoked salmon or wilting rocket, there’s something about nine toppings on a pizza that makes you yearn for the pre-internet days.
And if you’re into the ‘gram, then get that filter ready - this place is built for likes. Sure, there are suburban pizzas, Lady & The Tramp mountains of spaghetti and the usual Australian pizzeria suspects, but if you’re after spectacle, then you’ve reached your destination. Start with a Jawbreaker pizza slice; each is about as big as a large pizza (or your head) and you’re encouraged to take a selfie with it. For afters, try a fully loaded box of doughnuts buried beneath chocolate sauce, strawberries and candy, or a unicorn frankenshake that defies logic.
Owner Majed el Moustafa says it’s all about channelling nostalgic Australian-style pizzas, but recreating them with quality ingredients. And the giant pizzas and milkshakes?
“We want to encourage people to dine in and have some fun and share that with their friends on social media,” he says.
So why not go a more authentic route?
“We found that pizzas were either old-school and not very good quality, or super high-end and authentic… we wanted to do Aussie-style pizzas, but better.”
So what can you expect from a trip to Old School Pizza? “It’s a busy experience – there’s always something going on!” Majed says. The vibe is buzzy, the crowds are frenzied and the sugar buzz is palpable – it’s pizza like you knew it… only less camera-shy.
Wed - Mon 4:45pm - 10pm
436 - 438 Moreland Rd, Brunswick West, VIC
