Shop 225 Pizzeria

The Overview…

Food: Antipasto platter, garlic foccacia, Il Dottore, Zio Pino, Pizza Nutella (Minus the nutella, plus the awesome, house made, vegan friendly version)

Ratings:
Food: 5/5
Atmosphere: 4/5
Service: 5/5
Value: 4/5

The details…

I’m going through a bit of an Italian food phase at the moment, so I was delighted to head into Shop 225 (accompanied by the Italian food expert @knowingmelbourne) to try some of their dishes.

Humble and unassuming, it looks like any suburban restaurant where you’d pop in if you were local, but boy! – I’d make the effort to travel for this one. Despite long careers in the food and hospitality industry, this is the team’s own first venue and they’re certainly batting for a home run.

We started with the antipasto platter – and reluctantly added a garlic foccacia, which we weren’t sure our stomachs could handle, however, once it arrived and we realised it was possibly the best garlic foccacia we’ve ever eaten in our lives, the regret soon went out of the window. The dough is rested for 72 hours to create this perfect light but crisp pizza base.

The antipasto was beautifully presented and full of authentic Italian produce – if you need any convincing how unbelievable the cheese was, check out that pic! Generous portions of sliced Italian meats accompanied this and it was such a great way to start a meal – close your eyes and you could be in the back streets of Florence.

We had the Il Dottore and Zio Pino pizzas. At up to $25 each, they’re a little more expensive than the average pizza, but there’s no mistaking the quality. The pomodoro sauce really highlights the sweet flavour of the tomatoes, and the generous toppings pleased us both, with just a touch of fresh herbs to finish it off. They do vegan and gluten free bases too for those with dietaries – and the amount of ingredients on the menu that are “house made” is a little mind blowing.

Even though we were slightly defeated after all this, we found our second stomach just in time for dessert, where we tried their dessert pizza topped with their in-house made hazelnut spread. This nutella-style spread is made with just 4 ingredients, is vegan, and tastes amazing! Thankfully you can buy jars of it in store, so you don’t have to wait for your next pizza fix to enjoy it.

From a meal filled with highlights it’s hard to pick a favourite course, so what I will say, is just get down to Shop 225 and try something – you’re sure to be glad that you did – and be sure to take advantage of the beautiful courtyard out back if the weather is warm enough!

Everything else…

Website: https://www.shop225.com.au/

Address: 225 Melville Road, Pascoe Vale South

Opening Times: 

Mon       5pm to 9:30pm
Tue        5pm to 9:30pm
Wed       5pm to 9:30pm
Thu        5pm to 9:30pm
Fri         11:30am to 9:30pm
Sat        11:30am to 9:30pm
Sun       11:30am to 9:30pm

Parking: It’s on a small row of shops in a mostly residential area, so finding street parking out the front was pretty simple.

Getting here on PT: The 58 tram runs right by the front door and is definitely the most convenient way to visit on public transport, however, buses 503 and 913 also both run along nearby Bell St.

Disclaimer: We dined as guests of Shop 225, Pascoe Vale. Reviews are honest and based on our own personal experiences. We cannot guarantee things at a cafe won’t change including, but not limited to, menu items and opening hours, so please confirm any details with the venue before visiting