The World's Best Pizza
- neighbourhoodmedia
- Aug 22
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 27
From a backyard in North Parramatta to a podium in Naples, meet the two brothers making the world's best pizza in Parramatta (399 Church St).
By Adeline Teoh
I first heard about a secret Parramatta pizza place from a friend who’d found it by accident. He tried to describe it to me (“sorta near the stadium” was the best he could do) but without a venue name or an address I had no hope of finding it.
Until one evening I too was walking “sorta near the stadium” and smelt telltale baking dough and cheese, saw a string of fairy lights and heard a low hubbub in a suburban backyard. My capricciosa came out on a cardboard tray and I ate it perched on a wooden folding chair that tilted on a slightly sloping bit of lawn.
That backyard operation was catering business Fratelli Pulcinella, which is now a proper restaurant on Church Street. And an award-winning one at that.
Brothers Alessio and Simone Zullo specialise in classic Neapolitan pizzas cooked in a traditional woodfired oven. Earlier this year, Simone competed in the Neapolitan Pizzaiuoli Association’s World Pizza Championships and placed first in the Classical category, meaning that his pizza was considered the most authentically Neapolitan by judges in Naples. (He also placed a creditable fourth in both the Fried Pizza and Pinsa-style Pizza categories, and 13th in Gluten-Free.)
However, it was not the first time Simone had been crowned champion. It was his 2010 win that kickstarted his move from Naples to Australia, where the title opened doors for the pizzaiolo to find work. “It was my grandfather’s dream to come to Australia,” explains Alessio, who initially stayed behind and learnt the basics at their uncle’s pizzeria.
Alessio says he learnt everything else from Simone. “My brother called my uncle and asked if I was ready and my uncle said, ‘he’s ready’ and so I booked a ticket.” His first foray as a pizza chef in Australia was a bit of a disaster, though.
When Alessio was tasked with helping out at a festival, Simone soon found out his brother was no good at stretching the dough, twirling the bases. “He said ‘how come uncle said you were ready?!’” recalls Alessio. “He was seriously mad.”
The newly arrived brother crewed the oven instead and Simone “looked for a job where he was able to get me beside him,” to teach Alessio all the tricks. Eventually, the pair asked themselves, “’Why don't we open our own?’ So that's what we did,” Alessio says.
The business began as a stall at Parklea Markets and also provided catering at festivals, weddings and parties. In 2022, the brothers opened their O’Connell Street location, with a hand-built woodfired oven, which was zoned as a takeaway joint (hence the pizza served on cardboard trays) but with the option to hang out in the backyard to eat.
Today Fratelli Pulcinella is a restaurant three blocks east from that space, on the light rail route. Instead of a lawn, it’s a three-level affair – though a turfed outdoor area is a nod to their backyard roots. Forget the traditional Italian neighbourhoods of Sydney like Haberfield and Leichhardt, a true slice of Italy is found right here in Parramatta.
Fratelli Pulcinella
399 Church Street
North Parramatta NSW 2150
Ph: 0420 667296
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