Review Sempre Pizza & Calzone - Melbourne

I’m comparing my pizza to the photos I saw on google when checking this place out, it was also listed as one of the best pizzas you can buy in Melbourne. I was disappointed because it wasn’t an authentic Neapolitan pizza like I had seen, the pizza for $20 was quite small and not filling. I think it works well as a snack with some drinks, and if you aren’t fussy about pizza.

As an Italian person I am deeply disappointed about the quality of the pizza. Sempre used to be a beautiful pizzeria, pizza was tasting fresh and more importantly it was round and proper size. Pizza is now square, ridiscoulsly small and expensive. I would rate customer service as 0, as the owner was rude and very unfriendly. We paid $51 for those 2 pizzas, which didn't even taste good. For this money you would expect tap water to be provided on the table at least, nothing. When we left the owner didn't even ask how was it, didn't smile and didn't even say bye to us as his mouth was full of Sempre's horrible pizza. Honestly will never come back again, it was horrible experience. If you want to experience real Italian pizza, please don't go there as you will never want to eat pizza again. A message to the owner: please learn some manners and implement customer service as it doesn't exist in your restaurant. Regards.

This is like a restaurant you'd find in Italy. Their pizza is almost identical to the one my Italian grandmother produces. Cut in squares, full of flavour and crunchy on the bottom. I think the owners aren't actually aware of the quality of product they're producing - they are very humble. Definitely come here if you want to know what pizza in the Italian household is like. The restaurant is small and cosy, seemingly quiet and with good service. I came here by accident and I'm glad.

This place used to be the best pizza in town, went back for the first time in a year and the product quality as dropped dramatically. The base was thin and crunchy, dry as a biscuit and did not keep its heat, it was cold to eat 5 mins after it came out of the oven, the portion size is a much smaller square size now, but the price is still $25+ per pizza. When I opened the box I thought half the pizza was missing.

Delicious traditional Italian pizza, excellent Italian wine list and lovely staff. Took my Italian-born parents here and they were most impressed. Hard to find authentic pizza this good that meets their standards! We'll be back .

Made a stop over at this amazing restaurant. We ordered pizza and coffees, all delicious!!! Will definitely go again. Service was great & Frank and his wife were very welcoming. Look forward in going again. 👌

One of the best pizza in Melbourne. The owners are really friendly and the staff is super nice. You have to try it and it'll be your favourite cozy restaurant in the heart of the city. 10 stars!

The food was nice, if expensive - you'd expect that in the city. However, the service was pretty average. The man who seated us, took our order and brought our food (possibly the owner) was very terse, looked annoyed when we asked questions about the size of the pizza, and humphed around when we asked for water. It would have been a very enjoyable evening if not for his attitude.

Went here with a former work colleague. Big bird loved the food and she pecked away at it. Pizza was great and choice was also very good. It is lot often that the non Italians in my group are all pleased but they were. This deserves an Oscar. Compimenti ragazzi

Delicious crispy woodfire pizza for a fair price! Friendly and polite staff who are genuine, this is a great place to bring the family.<br/>Highly recommended.

Next door to The Mess Hall is Sempre, a pizza and calzone extension of the restaurant group. Also worthy of mention is Stellini Bar which I've enjoyed their pizza al taglio.<br/><br/>I got a strong latte to start me off, it was decent but I did notice a burnt and bitter taste, very subtle. <br/><br/>For myself I got a Firenze calzone stuffed with mozzarella, sweet capsicum, Italian sausage and mushrooms. The dough was pleasant to chew on but I do prefer the pizza counterpart, one because you can easily share and eat it and two, the ingredients are exposed to the oven. Still worth a try and you won't leave disappointed.<br/><br/>Also tried a slice of the prosciutto pizza, you can't go wrong once the fundamentals of the pizza dough is done well. Salty, slight bitterness from the rocket and burnt base, throw in some chilli oil for heat you're onto a winner.<br/><br/>This side of town sees less foot traffic and was only half full by the time we finished up. We wobbled back to work, it was one heavy meal and I was definitely feeling the food coma at my desk.

I ordered my pizza with a gluten free base. The edges came out thick, doughy and with black charred burnt parts... the main part of the base was tissue thin- so thin the juice from the tomato sauce dissolved the base. I had to roll it up to eat it. It was messy and unsatisfying.<br/>Not only did I pay extra for the base, but I'm lucky I paid extra for buffola mozzarella- as there was barely any normal mozzarella.<br/>The topping on my Calabrese was so minimal it was like eating an entree bruschetta.<br/><br/>After paying for my soggy collapsed pizza one of the staff asked me how the pizza was. I gave him this above feedback. He smiled and replied that the reason it collapsed was because they put too much topping #lol I replied that the base was much to thin and soggy, that I couldn't pick it up. He then said "yes that's how we do our pizzas here". If that's the case I don't know how they have customers.<br/>I then pointed out I couldn't pick mine up, that it was swimming in liquid... he then smiled, turned around and said something in Italian to the pizza chef, they went back and forth a few times without saying anything further to me. #UNPROFESSIONAL<br/><br/>A pizza that cannot be picked up is an intended result? How are you supposed to eat it? Obviously something went wrong with the gluten free base.<br/><br/>Also why argue with an unhappy customer and tell them that a pizza that was like SOUP was done on purpose?! I am THAT annoyed with the ridiculous and unprofessional response that I downloaded this app to leave a review. Hands down the #worstpizza #glutenfree that I have had in #Melbourne. Also the staff reply was smarmy, patronising and #rude. In this day and age arguing with an unhappy customer is just cheeky. Never again. I will be spreading the word to #everyone I know.

Don't get a gluten free pizza here. I got a gluten free pizza here and paid the extra 2.50 and the base tasted like it hadn't been cooked at all. I know it can be hard to cater to dietary requirements but it just wasn't cooked. The pizza also took quite a while to come out. Other than that, the ingredients seemed fresh and it may have been nice if the base were cooked.

Awful. Just awful. Totally Lygon street oriented with no food sense at all. Other places much better . <br/>The service is always self serving... ie cannot be refectory nor self improved upon. Attitude massive. Just an underwhelming experience on the strip.

Delivered a Mari pizza .. Pizza base so thin it was almost paper. One prawn on each large slice. Temperature not hot. Disappointed. And I check reviews first 😞

Sempre makes pizzas with simple and fresh ingredients. I've been a few times and they're pretty consistent. This time we had some cured meats, the sausage pizza and the mushroom pizza, they didn't disappoint as usual.

Pizza was absolutely delicious - generous sizes, obviously quality ingredients. Came out really fast, great location just a short walk from princess theatre. Small restaurant but nice intimate atmosphere! No split bills was kind of annoying though!

Nice staff and pizza was nice also, we went here at lunch time.. we had a great time with Italian pizza. The restaurant was look cute and relax.

Real Italian Pizza: Good ingredients, simplicity and tasty!<br/><br/>I tries the rockets salad with pear (delicious) and I hd the Firenze Calzone. Very good as well it feels like Italy!

with the whole family we had pizza night. Pizza is very nice thin base and crispy no too much topping and not to heavy well done guys. Only think  the service need to step up.

Same same but better. Sempre ('always') has been on this site for years. It used to be a much different restaurant, albeit with the same name. Now the pizzas are tasty, interesting and the service charming.<br/><br/>My Sole ('sunshine') pizza - $25, had yellow tomato passata, zucchini, two types of delicious cheese and pancetta. With some bubbles it made a fast pre-theatre dinner on a Friday night with friends. Three dinner plate-sized pizzas, two bottles of prosecco and an antipasto came to about $140 - definitely worth going back again.

Great stone baked pizza. Particularly the capricciosa. Would say the menu was a smidge over priced. Very casual , chilled atmosphere , service average. In a perfect location to the city, parliment station and the theaters.<br/>Perfect if you have pizza on the brain.

We had a pleasant early dinner on a Friday night, no booking was necessary. We chose the Sempre Margherita and Snow White - a thin base, slightly overcooked, nice flavour but some areas of the pizza were fairly dry and lacking in toppings, particularly basil on the margherita and cheese of the bianco pizza. Wine is on the somewhat pricey side. Service was friendly and efficient, except for over charging us for pizzas we didn't eat, which we picked them up on only after our card was ran though the machine, offered only a cash refund.

Good restaurant, had a Milan calzone and a Tiramisu to share as a dessert. My boyfriend had the calzone with artichoke, ham and olives (can't remember the name), that one was great! However, I was still feeling a bit hungry afterwards (and I'm not the kind of big eater). Service was okay.

Good Italian style pizzas. Base is excellent. Took me back to my trip to Italy. Service good, but it was quiet so don't know how they'd go when busy. But we will be back.

Good place for a spot of breakfast while watching the foot traffic on Bourke St rush by. A very enjoyable strawberry and chia seed pudding, while my friend loved the honey and ricotta with her fruit toast. Great service and functional setup.

Good pizza and service. Restaurant was full when we arrived but we were taken care of in the meantime. <br/>Margarita was delicious, my friend ordered a bianca pizza and they offered to add tomato sauce with no extra cost which was nice :)

Such a different pizza! Minimal toppings and a thin crusty base. Pizzas are awesome. Recently found out it's run by the same owners as Mess Hall and you can tell as it's all quality.

Went here for dinner with a friend. Service was quick and quite friendly. We tried the capricciosa pizza and thought it was ok. Good if you're looking for something hassle free and easy.

This is a quiet place with great pizzas and good service. Pizzas have a nice thin base, made fresh and topped with simple and tasty ingredients. My husband loves the tiramasu.

This place definitely has the best authentic pizza in the CBD. If you can't get to Lygon St, this is the next best. I had the Capricosa, which was fantastic! Great service too and reasonable pricing.

Sensational people and the best pizza I've had in years. Great quiet dining and experienced and happy staff make this place a must for a casual place to eat. Highly recommended..😊😊😊

I went two mornings and had the homemade granola with yoghurt and poached rhubarb both times. Best granola I've ever had and would highly recommend. The coffee was good both mornings too.

Best pizza in Melbourne CBD served by friendly staff, pasta is just as good so always a hard decision on what to eat. An espresso always caps off a great meal. Yum!

Shared the margherita pizza and francesco calzone with a friend. Ah-ma-zing!! I would come back here in a heartbeat, the food was unbelievable and the service was great!! Fresh, authentic and moreish!!

Food was good however was busy so slow. <br/>For the fritters i would suggest only have 2 but slightly larger (20%) and increase the amount of tomatoes, avocado and cream cheese as after i got thru the first 1.5 fritter there was none left so could not experience the completely flavour. Its a filling dish so 2 is enough just more of the accompaniments

Delicious food, lovely location, very friendly staff and awesome host. Highly recommend the antipasto platter, great value with lots of different yummy ingredients.

Sempere is one of my recent discoveries near the Parliament end of Bourke St. It's owned by the same owners as its neighbour, Mess Hall, and specialises in pizzas and calzones.

Super authentic pizza!!! Stopped in when we were very short on time asked to be in and out in 45mins. Waiter said it was doable but helpfully recommended we ordered off the standard menu and not the specials. Specials looked great but was our fault for cutting things so short! Great service. Right on the ball with drinks orders. Kept us informed on timing. We were out within 30 mins!!!

Delicious calzones! Prior to this I thought, nup, calzones are greasy and stodgy, but these calzones are fresh and light-tasting, and easily big enough to fill you up.  $20 lunch special is a real winner, and service is prompt and pleasant.  Highly recommended.  Why you wouldn't try a calzone at this place is beyond me.

I came here for an attempted lunch. Didn't get my food and there was no explanation why. I ended up having to leave without getting anything. My recommendation is to never come here.

The pizzas are really nice here, great portions, quality ingredients and a lovely $20 pizza and drink lunch special. However the waitress ruined the experience with her attitude and slugging our group for a cake charge after we had already eaten it. Great food cannot make up for appalling service.

Always lovely to be greeted with a smile by the waiter and not to mention a distant smile from the pizza chef. A laid back but also quick to respond waiter service added with a remarkably close resemblance of my favourite pizza restaurant, D.O.C has hooked me in for future rounds. The Sempre Margarita with it's buffalo mozzarella and perfectly cooked thin based pizza is genuinely Italian. Often a serving of warm olives as a topping adds a little bit of saltiness and finely balances a well textured base. Thumbs up!

Friendly and welcoming service. Pizza was great! Chilled atmosphere. Loved the after work Friday vibe. Now to use 140 characters..seriously this needs to be amended

For some reason I didn’t consider that it would be Italian style pizza rather than American style pizza. Silly I know, but it was a bit of a surprise when there were no meat lovers style pizzas. We made the trek down Bourke St to go to Sempre and were seated promptly when we walked in. We were offered water – sparkling, still or.. tap – I chose ‘still’ before hearing the option for tap and that meant paying $6.50 for a bottle of water. At least it was tasty bottle water, right? The water came back to the table quickly and we ordered our food and so began the wait. <br/>The food took a very long time to come out and we were starving. We watched eagerly as food came out for tables that arrived and ordered after us – in fact some of them finished their meals before we even started.  Finally our bread came out and it was light and delicious.

Great little Italian eatery in Melbourne CBD. Very friendly small restaurant in the Melbourne CBD with great pizzas. My friend and I chose Calzoni - Francesco and Napoli - both were great. The serving was very large so that was all we had plus very good coffee. I also had the Lucky Duck apple cider - a very good cider. The staff were very friendly and the service was good and prompt.

Good pizza, good efficient and very pleasant service! <br/>Dining alone - was made to feel very comfortable and welcome. Thank you.

Real italians making real italian pizza...who would have thought!!!!. Can't really say one bad thing about this place. The service we received was amazing and consistent, we were asked numerous times if we were pleased with our meals. And we defiantly were! The pizzas are simple, (not too much topping) but delicious and light-weight. Fairly priced, convenient location, and authenticity. Thank you.

Visitor from Italy. The pizza I had in sempre, was the best I've ever had also comparing it to pizza in Italy. Friendly staff and an excellent pizza ,the base is superb and very light it just melts in your mouth, thanks to the young talented pizza chef. I highly recommend it, you won't be disappointed. Give it go

Lives up to reputation!. Chose to have lunch here based on the reviews and was not disappointed.<br/>Easy to find, Sempre boasts great service and a very welcoming appeal.<br/>I would recommend this establishment any day.

Excellent Italian without the wankery. It's been years since I've had such good pizza and pasta. Not since I lived in Italy. And there was none of that horrid wankery -- and the even more horrid prices -- that you often find in even half-decent Italian restaurants in Australia. In fact, the staff were friendly, helpful, lovely people, and the prices were excellent.<br/><br/>We started with squid ink pasta. It was absolutely delicious and really tasted Italian. We then had the Diavola pizza. The base was light, crisp, and puffy around the edges, while the toppings were perfectly balanced. It was perfect!<br/><br/>I'll be back soon to try more of the menu, but I couldn't fault what we had tonight. Thank you!!!

Pizza that rivals D.O.C and 400 Gradi! Amazing and Honest food.. I went to Sempre Pizza and Calzone with two friends and we each got a pizza. It was delicious! Comfortable dining space and friendly staff. If you are looking for a hidden/secret authentic Italian pizza restaurant, then Sempre is where you want to go. The Calzone look incredible too! Definitely coming back some time very soon!

Attentive and friendly service with awesome food. Highly recommend.

Check it out you won't be disappointed. I had dinner at this very inviting pizzeria restaurant this evening, fantastic service not to mention the pizza, just the right pizza base, living in Italy I've been to many pizzeria, however I claim that the pizza I had this evening was far more superior. I highly recommend it. Go and enjoy a pizza as it should be.

So beautiful in every way! The food, the service, the atmosphere. I had the prosciutto pizza and within 10ish minutes I was served. The staff were all Italian which was a plus. Highly recommend!

Great. I can only add to all the other positive reviews of Sempre...Delicious calzone and pizza, and the service was also great.

Amazing food!. The food was amazing, the staff were nice and the service was quick.. 10 out of 10.

Amazing pizza!! Good to see something of this caliber on this side of the city

Yes Mate!. First visit, very impressed.<br/>Thin traditional artisan style pizza, I had the Napoletana with the buffalo mozzarella upgrade.<br/>Very nice

Best. Pizza. Ever. Cute lit.... Best. Pizza. Ever.<br/>Cute little place that we just managed to stumble upon. Will definately be coming back!

Food was delicious but the service was even better! Stefan doesn't mind a late night cappachino!!

Visiting from Sydney & we were thrilled to find this gorgeous slice of Italy! Great food & attentive staff. We loved the welcoming atmosphere so much that we returned to Mess Hall (next door, same owners) the next night. It's equally as fantastic!

Wonderful pizzas with perfect thin crust. Tiramisu divine. Venue has beautifully designed interior. Service was attentive.

Very disappointing. After reading the reviews, we were looking forward to eating here. Although the service is very friendly, the pizza (a capricciosa) was very bland. I won't say it's bad pizza, just tasteless. We were sadly disappointed.

Best pizza in CBD by far.. .... Best pizza in CBD by far..<br/>I think the owner is from Naples, classic style pizza.<br/>Wine and coffee, great!<br/>The night we visited the place was hammering !!!<br/>Great addition to the city offering.

Great. Sensational pizza and sweets were just delicious. Fantastic service and very friendly staff. Definitely will go again.

Really good food, lovely service!!! <br/>Great experience!

Fantastic experience! Delicious pizza's, sensational salads and delightful service. Will definitely return soon..

It's only been open a couple of weeks and it has a similar ambiance to its sister restaurant next door, the Mess Hall. We ate a selection of pizzas (4 between 5 people was spit on) and they were great. Snow White was delicious but my favorite was the Sempre Margarita. That yellow tomato base is so sweet. Nice to finally have a great pizza place up this end of town.