111C Flora Terrace, North Beach
Ph: (08) 9448 8851
www.maestropizza.com.au
Knead it again, Maestro
It is easy to guess the star ingredient at Maestro Sourdough Pizza. Until you hear owner Andrea Brunelli’s story, you might not realise that his award-winning recipe emerged from bittersweet love.
This is not a typical romance. When Andrea lost his job as a pizza chef during COVID, like any industrious Italian, he launched his own venture, offering pizzas to his neighbours in exchange for a $10 donation. As the waft floated over the neighbourhood from the oven on his balcony, the orders trickled in and before long, multiplied. One of his patrons, who happened to be a real estate agent, noticed Andrea’s popularity and suggested it was time to move into commercial premises. Serendipitously, a business on Flora Terrace had just closed, and the rest is history.
Entering Maestro’s is a bit like receiving a warm embrace, after all, there are few aromas as delicious as pizza cooking, especially when it is Andrea’s signature sourdough. By applying traditional Neapolitan techniques, Andrea brings a contemporary twist using higher hydration, different temperatures throughout the full process and a slightly heavier weight for his pizza balls (265g). He also applies double cooking some of his pizzas. Firstly, by frying the base to achieve a crackling shell that stays airy on the inside and then oven-bakes the pizza to crisp up the base, producing a nutty and buttery flavour, with a fermented tang. Forget any misconceptions about deep-fried pizza, I have never tasted a base so light.
His sourdough takes 40 hours to rise and features throughout the menu. Andrea says the secret to producing such a fluffy base is through a long fermentation process.
While twirling his impressive moustache, he adds that cooking the pizza quickly, at around 460 degrees for 90 seconds, contributes to its lightness and rich flavour. True to his Italian roots, ingredients from his homeland feature prominently throughout the menu including, the extra-virgin olive oil.
We begin with featherlight Arancini with bolognese sauce, mozzarella and house-made aioli. With just the right balance of sweetness and saltiness, some restraint is required on my part, although I could easily snack on this all night.
The sourdough pizzas fall into two categories: rossa (tomato sauce base) and bianca (mozzarella base). We indulge in the former with a Margherita 2.0 with San Marzano tomato sauce, freshly grated parmesan, fresh buffalo mozzarella and basil. The double-cooking process creates a subtle yogurt-like acidity that lingers behind the sweet tomato sauce and the milky cheese.
The luxurious Truffle Wagyu pizza has an airy crust beneath the rich wagyu bresaola and truffle paste, exuding an earthiness that pairs well with the creamy fior di latte. Adding mushrooms might seem like overkill however, they reinforce the umami profile, while the cured bresaola softens into a refined aged beef flavour.
We end with a plate piled high with Maestro Doughnuts, crafted from pizza dough dressed with pistachio cream and ice-cream. So inspired, they deserve to be savoured at North Beach metres away, as the sun sets.
Maestro’s awards are plentiful including, placing 38th for the second year in a row in the 50 Top Pizza Asia-Pacific 2026. As the only WA pizza restaurant to qualify, I am clearly not the only one who thinks Andrea is a maestro when it comes to pizza.
By Carmen Jenner
