Pizzeria Magma

Pizzeria Magma is a vibey, neon-lit pizzeria in the old Supermaxi space. It’s by John-Paul Aziz, a former Market Lane barista who swapped cappuccinos for capricciosas in 2020 to start roaming pizzeria The Travelling Pizza Pie, before opening his first brick-and-mortar here in 2023.

The first thing you notice on entry is the wood oven, where staff stretch out dough and cook pies to blistery perfection. The imposing Melbourne-made Mesiano wood oven was made to replicate Naples-style pizza ovens, which achieve the kind of high heat required to successfully pull off Neapolitan pizzas. Its inside isn’t quite as hot as magma, but it comes as close as pizza ovens get.

The rotating menu spans starts with small, share-friendly plates. You might order Sicilian panelle chickpea fritters or something from the rotating roster of charcuterie and antipasti.

As for pizza, the Magma Margherita – with its classic trio of San Marzano tomatoes, DOP buffalo mozzarella and fragrant basil – doesn’t put a foot wrong. Pillow of the Pig’s crumbled potatoes, guanciale and Calabrese chilli has also won fans. The Menta combines roast eggplant with mint pistachio sauce, while vegan option the Patron Saint, with pine nut cream, pickled fennel and salsa verde, might even see some of its slices swiped by the omnivores at the table. Each pizza takes a minimal approach – anything that doesn’t need to be there isn’t there – and has a cloud-like dough.

The drinks list, much like the menu, keeps it simple and has a clear focus on fun. That’s evident in everything from the fizzy reds to the approachable northern Italian whites. It’s all rounded out by a tight selection of vermouth and amari.