Bandit Pizza & Wine

Published on 10 January 2023

There’s a new player in Unley Road’s food scene - Bandit Pizza and Wine. The pizzeria and arrosticini bar – nestled in the Hyde Park Place complex – is a sibling of popular Prospect haunt Anchovy Bandit.

Shane Wilson is executive chef and co-owner. He says at Hyde Park, the focus is on woodfired pizzas, Italian skewers (or arrosticini), wine, and cocktails.

Co-owner Oliver Brown says ‘It’s an inspired spin-off from Anchovy Bandit but more centred around fire. So, we’ve got the wood oven doing open-fire cooking, and next to that we’ve got a big hearth.’

‘It’s really seasonal produce, cooked over fire, all inspired by Italian cuisine. The entire back of the restaurant’s this big, open kitchen - it’s definitely a spectacle.’

The pizzeria, which opened its doors in November, is part of The Big Easy Group. Run by good mates from the hospitality scene, the team also operates venues NOLA Adelaide, Yiasou George, and The Stag Public House.

Their new eatery has ‘great energy’ says Oliver. ‘It’s humming and buzzing, and we like a bit of hip-hop playing. The roof is sound-attenuated though, so, while it can be a bit loud, it’s part of the whole atmosphere, which is paramount.’

As for the pizza, it features 72-hour fermented Neapolitan dough, which gets ‘really puffy edges.’ Oliver’s pick is the margherita with salami. ‘That’s like the benchmark. You taste the sauce, the texture of the crust, you get a really good feeling for the style of pizza we make.’

Complementing the cuisine, the restaurant’s striking décor, by Auckland firm CTRL Space, is ‘Art Deco, sixties-inspired, Italian’.

Bandit Pizza and Wine is located at 248 Unley Road, Unley.