Camberwell residents can now afford to be really picky about their pizza. When it opened 18 months ago, Firechief was the only decent place for miles. Now it has a real contender in Boss Pizzeria, thanks to siblings Julien and Monique Moussi, the same team behind Collective Espresso, 30 Mill, Annoying Brother and My Other Brother.

"We took over the space without really knowing what we wanted to do,” says Julien Moussi. "We didn't want to do a cafe, because Collective is only a few doors down.” Luckily, the duo had a friend in Ricky Giammario, a pizza veteran who earned his crusts working at Bimbo Deluxe, Basilico and Blue Train Cafe, “in its heyday.” After getting him onboard, the Moussis found two Italian chefs through local newspaper Il Globo, and Boss was born. “The boys are so passionate about pizza-making,” Moussi says. “It's all they want to do."

As you might guess, “the boys” don’t use a lot of pineapple. The venue’s highly authentic pizzas take their cues from D.O.C and Fratellino, using ingredients such as fresh Fior di latte, San Marzano tomatoes, and San Daniele prosciutto. In the Naples tradition, they’re crisped in a custom-made woodfire oven.

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That said, there are surprises. The Pancetta e Gamberi is topped with bacon, prawns, goat’s cheese and maple syrup; and the Ananas has pineapple, albeit in caramelised form. Gluten-free bases are even available.

But the best part might be the layout. A dedicated takeaway window stops blow-ins squeezing through the restaurant’s tables, leaving diners to enjoy the warm space imagined by Jean-Paul Ghougassian of COMMEdesignoffice. With just 11 seats – there are 30 more outside – it’s far more intimate than the high-ceilinged Firechief. Whichever setting they choose, though, Camberwell residents will enjoy enviable pizza.

Boss Pizzeria
25 Cookson Street, Camberwell
(03) 9813 1894

Hours
Sat to Wed 4pm–10pm
Thu & Fri 12pm–10pm

boss-pizzeria.com.au