PIZZA RELIGION

493 Tooronga Rd, Hawthorn East - ph: (03) 9882 2555

We came across Pizza Religion by chance the other night on our way back from a friend's house.

We were looking for a BYO place around Hawthorn, saw they had pretty good reviews on urban spoon and only charged $2 per head in corkage (were were sold on the corkage!!!)


The restaurant is really small, with a large communal table at the front overlooking the kitchen and some more tables in the outdoor backyard. Weather was lovely the night we went there, so we were happy to sit outside. (I'm not so sure how well the backyard atmosphere will work during winter...)

Staff were lovely - we could clearly see the lady serving our table was one of the owners - and working hard to please customers. I love it when you get that seamless eagerness to please in new family restaurants.

We ordered one the day's special entree:

Battered calamari with rocket and lemon

The calamari were a bit soggy, not great.

Pizzas were a much better choice:

Mushroom, thyme, talleggio, balsamic vinegar, Spanish onions ($17)

The mushroom pizza had a very nice, slightly sharp taste. The base was thin and crispy, the pizza was very moist and mushrooms were well cooked.

Sicilian salami, tomato, goats cheese and mint ($17)

Sicilian salami was great. I liked the (slightly weird) combination of pork and mint. The flavors were well balanced and goats cheese and tomatoes added some lightness to the salami.

There is nothing over special about Pizza Religion's pizza making. They don't have a wood fire oven and probably don't use expensive Italian mozzarella on their pizzas. But they do have a great, relaxed atmosphere, nice staff, decent pizzas and you can bring a nice bottle of wine to share with your friends.

Since our first visit, we've already been back twice with friends and had a great time each time. Kudos on the owners for their hard work in creating this 'hidden gem'!