Although it originated in Italy, countries all around the world have adopted pizza into their diets – and it’s easy to understand why, considering how delicious it is. Australia is no exception. We’re a nation seriously obsessed with pizza, making an average of 6,276,960 pizza-related Google searches per year.
But with countless pizzerias scattered across the country, which location reigns supreme as the true pizza capital?
We’ve done the research to find out. Our team at Gozney ranked the top 50 most populated locations in Australia based on the average number of pizza-related Google annual searches for each of them. The number of pizza joints rated four stats and above, as well as the volume of pizzerias, using TripAdvisor data for both, were also taken into account within the ranking.
Australia’s top pizza capitals
1. Sydney
Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, is known as one of the most diverse cities in Australia – and, according to our research, it’s also the country’s number one pizza capital. With 293 pizza places available, Sydney offers the highest number of all locations we looked at, and almost half of them are rated four stars or more on TripAdvisor – including the five-star Primi Italian, which is often labelled the best Italian restaurant in Sydney. But other popular places across Sydney count among the 293 restaurants the city has to offer: Bella Brutta, the pizzeria napoletana Tutto Vero, Dimitir’s Pizzeria and its wood-fired pizza located in the inner-city of Darlinghurst, or City Oltra, also located in an inner suburb of Sydney, Haymarket.
If the rising trend of street pizza is more up your street, The Pizza Cart will welcome you with open arms with delicious pizza.
There are also an average of 1,505,760 pizza-related searches made each year in Sydney, helping it crack the top 10 as one of the most pizza-obsessed cities in Australia.
“Pizza clearly gets Sydney’s taste buds tingling and it’s not hard to see why with a broad spectrum of flavours and types, from Neapolitana to deep dish. Overall, there are 293 pizza places in Sydney that offer a variety of flavours and styles, making it easy to get your hands on the best slice
2. Melbourne
Second place goes to pizza powerhouse Melbourne, which offers a huge selection of 278 pizza places – the third-highest numbers on our list.
Melbourne tops the list for online pizza interest. The city holds the crown for the highest average annual searches for pizza-related terms in all of Australia at 2,071,680, surpassing even the more populous Sydney.
Clearly, Melburnians love their pizza. Fortunately, the city offers plenty of quality choices. An impressive 99 of Melbourne's pizza places hold a four-star rating or higher, guaranteeing a good pizza experience is always within reach. For those seeking out the best of the best, street pizza places 48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar (4.5 stars) and +39 Pizzeria (4.5 stars) are some of the best-rated in town. Shop 225 (4 stars) also counts among the most popular, offering a good range of vegan pizza, as well as Capitano, offering gluten-free options.
3. Brisbane
Brisbane comes in third place. Residents here are searching for pizza-related terms like “pizza” and “pizza near me” an average of 605,760 times per year, so they’re clearly fans of the dish.
There are plenty of eateries to cater to this love, with 285 available – the second-highest number in the ranking. An impressive 92 of these eateries are rated four stars or higher, meaning there are also plenty of high-quality choices.
Tartufo Classic Italian is the top pick, with an average of 4.5 stars across 1,027 reviews on TripAdvisor. The restaurant offers authentic Italian cuisine (including some seriously delicious pizza, of course) and is frequently praised by reviewers.
4. Gold Coast
The Gold Coast may be famed for its beautiful sandy beaches and bountiful surfing opportunities, but it’s also a hotspot for pizza lovers.
On average, there are 211,920 Google searches per year for pizza-related terms in the Gold Coast. That includes terms like “how to make pizza” and “pizza recipe”, so clearly there’s some interest from locals in learning to make their own pizza at home. Maybe it’s a good time to invest in a pizza oven ahead of the summer season later this year?
Locals and tourists in the Gold Coast can take their pick from 196 pizza places, 106 of which hold ratings of four stars or above. A local favourite, Franc Jr’s, located in Coolangatta, a coastal suburb in the City of Gold Coast, is rated 4.5 stars.
5. Adelaide
Adelaide rounds out the top five. The city is home to 118 pizza places, with 69 of these eateries awarded a four-star rating or higher on TripAdvisor.
Adelaide is also home to some of the biggest pizza lovers. The city boasts the third-highest average annual searches for pizza-related terms in all of Australia at 621,600, right behind the more populous Sydney and Melbourne.
6. Perth
Heading west to Perth, you’ll find 98 pizza places overall, with 21 of these rated four stars or above.
On top of that, Perth rounds out the top five of the most pizza-obsessed cities across Australia, cumulating 553,320 pizza-related searches per year.
7. Canberra
In seventh place is the capital city Canberra. If residents might be less actively searching for pizza online (79,560 annual searches for pizza-related terms), their love for it is evident in the abundance of pizza places.
Canberra offers 93 pizza places to choose from. Quality is on point here too, with 45 of these rated four stars or above, ensuring there’s plenty of top-notch pizza readily available.
8. Geelong
Located southwest of Melbourne is Geelong, coming in eighth position. Residents can choose from 46 pizza places, with almost half of them rated four stars or above (20) - including the 4.5 star-restaurants Brunenzo's Italian Pizzeria, El Toro Pizza Restaurant, and Mr Matteo.
9. Wollongong
The coastal city of Wollongong ranks ninth. On top of offering surfing beaches and scenic views, Wollongong is also home to 40 pizza places, including 19 of them being rated four stars or above.
On average, there are 31,800 Google searches per year for pizza-related terms in the city, showing a decent interest from residents.
10. Newcastle
Rounding out the top 10 is Newcastle, offering up 33 pizza places to enjoy. 17 of these eateries have been awarded four stars or above on TripAdvisor.
Beyond brick and mortar: the rise of the street pizza scene
While traditional brick-and-mortar pizza joints have long been staples on the foodie scene, street pizza is now making waves and winning hearts across the country. The street food phenomenon has skyrocketed as foodies seek out unique and authentic, relaxed and convenient dining experiences, and street pizza does just that.
So, in light of this, we explored a non-exhaustive list of some of Australia's standout street pizza spots that are making a splash in the foodie world and quickly building a loyal following. These vendors are redefining the pizza experience, one slice at a time:
- The Pizza Cart, mobile woodfire pizza catering based in Sydney
- Panza Piena, a family owned and run catering company based in Melbourne, aiming at giving the full authentic pizza experience
- The Altana Chill, based in Melbourne, organises street pizza catering event across the country
- The Pizza Bros took over The Imperial’s Rooftop in Erskineville in the suburbs of Sydney, and serve from classic to more creative pizza like their popular Cacio e Pepe
- Mr Tom Pizza, baking wood-fired pizza in the Blue Mountains
Methodology and sources
To find out which location in Australia is the most pizza-obsessed, we put together a seedlist of the 50 most populated locations in the country. We then ranked these locations based on:
- Average annual search volume for pizza-related terms (Google Keyword Planner)
- The number of pizza places per 10,000 people (TripAdvisor)
- The number of pizza places rated 4 stars or above per 10,000 people (TripAdvisor)
