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Victoria
22 of the best winery pizzerias in Victoria
Tianna Nadalin
February 11, 2021
Enjoy a slice of the good life at one of Victoria’s myriad winery pizza restaurants.
If there’s one thing that goes down well with pizza, it’s a glass of wine. And where better to combine the two than at one of Victoria’s many cellar doors.
From Geelong to Gippsland to Macedon and the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria’s wine country is teeming with authentic pizzerias. Whether you’re a fan of Neapolitan-style woodfired wonders or crispy, stone-baked flatbreads, you’re sure to find a cellar door that’s rolling out your perfect pizza match.
Here’s our guide to some of the best winery pizza restaurants in Victoria.
Carlei Cellar Door
Bennetts on Bellarine
Zonzo Cellar Door
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22 of Victoria’s best winery pizzerias
Yarra Valley
Innocent Bystander
Pucker up for pizza and prosecco at Innocent Bystander’s urban cellar door in Healesville. The uber-hip industrial eatery – with its exposed, fairy-lit roof, impressive architecture and vibrant atmosphere – is the ideal spot for a casual family lunch. Wines are available by the glass, half-litre or carafe, and are poured straight from recyclable kegs for optimum freshness. Plus, the service is friendly, wine tastings are free and they take bookings.
Perched at the top of a hill, with a backdrop of vineyard rows that seemingly stretch into the rolling Kinglake ranges, you’ll find the Nillumbik Estate cellar door. Stop in for a slice of rustic pizza (the mushroom comes highly recommended) and sit out on the sprawling back deck as you take in the breathtaking views.
If authentic, woodfired pizza is what you’re hankering for, Zonzo, in Yarra Glen, offers some of the state's best. Zonzo, which loosely translates to ‘wander’, seamlessly blends rustic ambience with contemporary architecture. Sip on small-batch, estate-made wines while stuffing yourself with authentic, woodfired pizzas. Don’t miss the potato pizza or the pizza alla salsiccia (pizza with Italian sausage). Bookings recommended.
Head for the hills for a laid-back, woodfired feast. Whispering Hills, in the Upper Yarra Valley, is slinging scrumptious seasonal pizzas that are made from scratch by chef Marie Anne Lyons every Saturday and Sunday. Her handcrafted sourdough is also a local favourite and often sells out before lunch, so get in early if you want to get a guaranteed slice.
Take a trip to Tuscany without leaving the state by heading to Olivigna, at Pietro Gallo Estate in Warrandyte South. The cobblestone courtyard, which is framed by manicured hedges, lush greenery and crawling grapevines, is the ideal setting for long lunches, while the rustic restaurant imbues all the spirit of a Tuscan villa. Kick back with a glass of estate-grown wine (or house-made grappa), a bowl of fresh pasta or share a few woodfired pizzas. Buon appetito.
What do you get if you combine southern Italian architecture with Aussie scenery? Panton Hill Vineyard and Winery. The rustic, slate and sandstone cellar door (the sandstone from the same quarry as Parliament House) is an idyllic escape just half an hour from the hustle and bustle of the CBD. Stop in for a smoky kransky pizza or a classic potato, garlic, rosemary and cheese pizza.
A kid-friendly cellar door might seem like an oxymoron. That is until you head to the fabulously quirky Mount Buninyong Winery, just 30 minutes' drive from RACV Goldfields Resort. Here you’ll find puzzles, ping pong and even a trampoline for kids, as well as a deliciously different pizza offering, including falafel, cheeseburger and parma pizzas. They also cater to vegan, gluten-free, low-FODMAP and keto dietary requirements. The winery is currently closed due to COVID-19 so be sure to check the website for updates before visiting.
Award-winning wines and a focus on regional produce combine at Werribee’s Shadowfax Winery, where the menu is designed around what’s in season in the kitchen garden. Here, four simple yet scrumptious wood-fired pizzas round out a mouth-watering Italian menu. The chilli and garlic prawn pizza with chorizo and roasted tomato is a must-try or, if pasta is more your style, twirl your fork around the spanner crab spaghetti with squid, zucchini and chilli.
Step into a rustic Italian trattoria at Carlei Estate Cellar Door and Pizzeria, where it’s all about warm welcomes, generous hospitality and traditional Italian fare. The ‘Nonno’ – a tomato-based pizza topped with Fiorello mozzarella, truffle salami and aged asiago cheese – is a real showstopper.
Keep it casual with a laid-back lunch at Leura Park, on the beautiful Bellarine Peninsula. The crispy, stone-baked pizzas (all under $20) go down a treat with the refreshing Leura Park wines. Try the No.7, (house-made pesto, Leura Chardonnay-poached chicken, caramelised onion, baby bocconcini and mozzarella) with a glass of the 6 Rows Sparkling Shiraz.
If you prefer to enjoy pizzas against a backdrop of rolling vines and classic cars, look no further than McGlashan’s. Though the cellar door is open year-round for regional cheese and produce platters, from Easter through Christmas, they rev their woodfired pizza engine. Make a weekend of it and stay in one of their luxury eco villas.
It doesn’t get much better than Bennett’s Winery. This barn-style Bellarine belle is a total triple threat, boasting delicious food, live music and a majestic backdrop. Housed in a 100-year-old milking shed, with views across the bay to the You Yangs, it’s a slice of Bellarine brilliance. Order a woodfired pizza or choose your own adventure with build-your-own cheese and charcuterie platters. Got a group booking? You can also pre-order local lamb or pork roasts – which come served with roast vegies, peas and gravy – for something a little bit fancy.
When it’s not hosting world-class musicians (Fleetwood Mac, Don Henley, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Elton John to name a few), this family-friendly winery is dishing up delicious pizza, wine, beer and ambience. Adults will love the industrial, Barrel Hall dining room, while an indoor sandpit, chalkboard and dedicated menu will keep the kids happy. Weather permitting, bring your furry friends and pull up a picnic table overlooking the vines in the Garden Bar.
For a pizza paradise, look no further than this Bannockburn beauty. Clyde Park, which is perched atop sweeping Bannockburn hills, offers not only some of the state's best lunch views – but also lays claim to Victoria’s most magnificent toilets. Trust us – it’s worth the visit just for the pleasure of being able to experience (yes, experience) the bathrooms. And though we’re not quite sure when Italo-Asian cuisine became a thing, we’re all about the Peking duck and chilli caramel pork belly pizzas. Stop in on Sundays for live music sessions.
This hillside stunner – owned by Richmond footballer Dylan Grimes and his wife, Elisha – is nestled into the foothills of Mount Macedon, making it the ideal spot for weekend wandering (or, as we prefer to call it, winedering) Sit out on the sun-drenched deck, share some flatbreads (or a house-made sausage roll) and lap up the serenity.
If you need any more proof that a glass of wine a day keeps the doctor away, then make your way to Mornington’s Morning Sun Vineyard and ask for founder Mario Toniolo. Now 92, Mario bought – and hand-planted – the vineyard in the 1990s and, to this day, he can still be found tending to the vines. Stop in for a chat, a glass of vino (try the 2012 pinot noir) and a slice of the good life, which – at Morning Sun – is a piece of capricciosa pizza.
For a lively lunch spot, T’Gallant’s Spuntino Bar is a lovely place to sit back and savour the Mornington Peninsula. The rambling winery offers plenty of Insta-worthy photo fodder and, if you’ve got more than 10 people, you can book in for a bottomless Roman-style pizza feast (which includes a guided wine tasting, glass of wine, sides and dessert) for $49 per person. Afterwards, if you find yourself slipping into a pizza coma, bliss out with a masssage at RACV's stunning One Spa retreat, at nearby Cape Schanck Resort.
Giddy up for a wine and pizza party at Arundel Farm Estate in Keilor. The history of this working farm and horse agistment, which is just half an hour’s drive from Melbourne, dates to 1868, when a stunning, bluestone manor house and service wing was built on the property. These days, it’s home to a rustic, 150-seat restaurant and cellar door that is dishing up yummy pizzas, pillowy gnocchi and old-vine shiraz.
When it comes to wineries, Gippsland is hiding some of the state’s best. And Ripplebrook Winery is one of the region’s best-kept cellar door secrets. Step inside for a smattering of old-world charm, old-school hospitality and organic wines. The relaxed, family-run restaurant, named Giuseppe’s in loving memory of founder Catena Raffaele’s nonno, is housed in a modest tin shed, and the menu (pizzas are named after Aeolian islands) nods to her family’s Italian heritage. Oh, and did we mention the cannoli? Drool.
Keep it cheap and cheerful at husband-and-wife-run Harman Wines, just 15 minutes' drive from RACV's Inverloch resort. As well as a range of woodfired pizzas, the regionally focused menu also offers Bassine and Prom Country cheeses, Prom Coast ice-creams and sorbets, olive oil and dukkah tasting plates, grazing platters and woodfired potato wedges.
This South Gippsland stunner, on the outskirts of Leongatha, is planted on the rolling slopes of Knox’s Hill and, from its rustic red cellar door, offers panoramic views of undulating mountainscapes. Sit out on the sunny patio and sink back a silky pinot noir and a slice of woodfired pizza with Mirboo North pasture-fed chicken, basil, asparagus, mozzarella, almonds and tomato.
Head for the East Gippsland hills for a cellar door date at Blue Gables. The relaxed bistro-style eatery boasts dramatic views over lush Gippsland pastures, making the ideal spot to while away the afternoon over award-winning wines, woodfired pizzas and live music. Visiting in summer? Dine outside overlooking the vines. Or head down in winter and warm up in front of the crackling fireplace. Bookings recommended.
Get out and explore Victoria's food and wine-soaked backyard from the convenience of one of RACV's five luxurious Victorian resorts. Members save 25 per cent on standard room only and bed and breakfast accommodation rates when booking direct.
