The Friday before Christmas and after-work festive drinks became a last-minute decision to go for ‘the best pizza in Sydney’ as is Lucio Pizzeria’s claim to fame (according to some  local rag). I had dined at Lucio Pizzeria previously with three (attractive) girlfriends and had really enjoyed it, although I definitely noticed that my partner and I received less attention from the wait staff on this particular visit!

One thing that I had remembered fondly was Lucio’s awesome antipasti platter and I definitely had to have it again. $26 isn’t cheap but I think it’s value for money given the broad selection of goodies on offer… Mini pizzas with tomato and parmesan (with the light and crispy base giving a hint of what was to come), grilled aubergine and garlic, grilled pumped, grilled courgette with mint, olives, melon wrapped in prosciutto, roasted capsicum, arancini balls and potato croquettes (my least favourite) – this antipasti has something for everyone! It’s described as a platter for two but I definitely think it would do three.

antipasto misti ($26)

The menu unsurprisingly revolves around their pizzas which is the star of the show and some salads and starters to provide back up support. Prices range from $17-22 and topping combinations are simple and minimalist with no ‘Supreme’ option in sight- according to EF2, the way pizzas are supposed to be. We went with the Diavola pizza – olives, salami, and chili. Their wood-fired oven ensures that the base is cooked to perfection, and not too crispy and not too doughy. I would LOVE their recipe for the base tomato sauce, which hits all the right flavours. The Diavola had a subtle chill spice and while toppings were minimal, they were delicious and top quality.

diavola pizza ($18)

Unfortunately the salad didn’t reach the same standard as the pizzas. While the flavour combination was a timeless one – parmesan, rocket and pear – the dressing was just too oily and we were unable to finish it. I have ordered this salad previously and can’t recall having the same problem though.

rucola, parmigiano e pera insalate ($7.50)

As hinted at earlier, service was pretty patchy. Water was not readily served and I was not asked if I wanted another wine after finishing my first and (therefore) only glass. There was a long wait to take our main order and an even longer wait to take a dessert order – by which stage we changed our mind and decided to flag the tiramisu that we had pre-selected and leave. This is indeed a shock horror, as I never ‘flag’ dessert’!

mainly alfresco dining

Return factor? It’s a tough one, on-average service but they do a bloody good pizza! And their antipasti platter is pretty satisfying too… so despite the variable service quality, yes I would recommend Lucio’s as your one-stop-pizza-shop. There’s always the option of takeaway (thus avoiding the service factor), but the alfresco dining is rather pleasant too.

Eatfreaks dined at Lucio Pizzeria in December 2012