2024 update: This pizzeria was ranked highly among the best in the world in Italy's most prestigious pizza competition. Congratulazioni! The below review was written by Kelly Eng in September 2015.
Prepare to be charmed when you call +39 to make a reservation. No doubt you’ll hear a gorgeous Italian accent and shouts of ‘ciao!’ in the background. A valuable addition to Melbourne’s burgeoning pizza scene, +39 is open for lunch and dinner daily and embraced by CBD workers as evidenced by the deafening noise on a Thursday night.
The long rectangular shaped restaurant has stark white walls, an exposed ceiling and a glass cabinet full of giant Italian cheeses and cured meats (vegetarians may need to avert their eyes). Although pasta dishes are available, pizza is the darling here.
We go for the tartufata: truffle paste, topped with sliced mushrooms, finished with parmesan cheese and a little bundle of rocket in the centre. The bases at +39 are outstanding. They’re thin, chewy, beautifully puffed up round the edges with a wonderful buttery flavour. A side of radicchio salad is also lovely: it’s fresh, sweet with a truffle honey dressing.