Reviews Shop 225

Beautiful pizza, fresh ingredients, light base, absolutely delicious toppings. I'll miss this place when I move house. Delivery on time too.

Authentic Italian flavours, quality ingredients and maximal flavour makes the journey to the ‘burbs WELL worth it. Their pizzas are popular with locals - wood fired pizza bases with the perfect crispy and doughy bite, studded with an aromatic smoky char. But there’s more to Shop 225 than just pizzas - plenty of fresh and tasty salads, pastas and stuzzichini (appetisers) to eat… IN ADDITION to their pizzas, of course.

Vegan pizza? Okay, I’m in 🙋‍♀️🤩

I’m pretty sure that Lorenzo is one of those people that as a child, would be playing in his play dough kitchen and would stare at the empty space in front of him, thinking... how to fill that emptiness! 👌 Yes, he’s that type of person that looks at this world and thinks: what can I create that will make EVERYONE happy?

So, in 2016 he and his pal Roberto opened their humble pizzeria Shop225, in the one and only Pascoe Vale area. Honestly I don’t think the area would be more appropriate because every time I visit it, I always ALWAYS know I will have a great cosy and wholesome meal.

I had seen them in expos and other places, but to be honest, the line had always been WAAAAAY too long 😂 why? Because they are bloody amazing! 👏 yes, it’s been in my bucket list for ages, and finally I decided to visit their place and try their vegan pizza 🤩

And not just pizza! They have vegan arancini! Vegan lasagna and gnocchi! Vegan Nutella! Basically the whole menu is or has a vegan option! 👏🤩

And while the dough takes 72-hours to get ready, and you might need to wait a little while in line, OH MAN, IT IS WORTH IT 👏 an absolute pleasure!

The venue is slightly far from the city centre but like I said DEFINITELY WORTH IT. Let’s not be lazy and support the businesses that have fought so much to get to where they are now. They are so kind and into hospitality and costumer care that they even create menu items with bloggers. And that says something! Not every place would be 1-loved so much by us bloggers and ‘good’ enough so we would want to create a menu item for them and 2-be willing to work with ‘costumers’ and let them create something that they represent.

The thing is that, it works. And it makes everyone happy. And they are amazing just for that, not to mention the amazing AMAZING quality and interesting food 👌

The venue was packed and again that only reinforces my thoughts and opinion about these people. They have an outdoor area with some heaters, an inside main area, completely full and filled with movement and agitation characteristics of Italians 😂 as it should be for sure! And then next to it there’s a massive oven with their logo. There’s also a way to the back through what it seems a little laneway, leading to a more private dining area, with tables that are extremely colourful and with the characteristic European ‘azulejo’. The tiles! There are a couple of light above that are and it would be someone where I picture a couple going out for sure and have an incredible time.

When it comes to the food, I seriously wanted to try a couple of things but at the same time bed respectfully for the busy times so here’s what we ended up having:

- Calamaro Piccante - my friend had this meal and basically wasn’t what he expected! We thought that by the name, it would be some calamari like in most venues, crops and crumbly, with some sauces on the side. But no! It was actually one single large calamari filled with breadcrumbs, ‘nduja and potato, served with a cherry tomatoes and olive sauce. My friend said the spiciness to it was just right and absolutely perfect. I thought the size and portion was very adequate too and it came with a nice looking sourdough bread.

- Vegan Arancini - OMG OMG OMG. An absolute must. This is the traditional sicilian rice ball made vegan and to be honest I don’t really know what ingredients there were insane but WOW. Of course there is the rice but it seemed to be something like sticky rice? And then a sauce of mushrooms maybe and the cheese and WOW WOW WOW 🤩 not only are the ball sizes amazing but the actual taste is outstanding! This is actually one of their most popular meals and I completely understand why. I could eat a million of these. And a million more. It’s definitely a must try indeed. And wait, there’s more! It actually comes with a blue dip that is absolutely terrific. I asked what was in it and it’s actually a blend that even has vinaigrette in it which you would expect to have a more acidic touch but not at all! Absolutely nailed it - it’s a 11/10!

- The Miri - I had one of the special pizzas made by a blogger of course! And one I absolutely admire and although I have yet to met her in person, I truly respect her and her work 🙏 she is absolutely fantastic and she has created a winner pizza too for these guys! I wouldn’t expect anything else to be honest and I’m even surprised with some of the ingredients used but it definitely reflects her personally and what I think she represents in person. The pizza has flor di latte, some cute little cherry tomatoes that match very nicely with THE BEST vegan salame. This was actually my first time having vegan salami and I am a total fan. I am actually not a lover of salami and I tend to avoid it due to being an animal product but I remember the taste when I have tried it in the past and I know I didn’t particularly like it. But this? OH MAAAAAAN 👌 it also comes with friarelli, chilli pistacchio pesto and truffle oil and the pesto in there is just to die for. As it is the vegan cheese. Portion size, these guys are absolutely generous and my friend could only even eat half a pizza (he took away the other half ☺️)! I would not get tired of this, ever and I cannot recommend it more. It is special edition so it will only be available for a few weeks/time, so if you’re reading this, I encourage everyone to pop by and try it for themselves! It is A BLAST!
One final note for the dough - terrific! In all pizzas that were coming out, I could see that they do pay a lot of attention to this and the fact that the dough rests for 72h before being cooked slows it to become more digestible and easier on the gut. Actually Lorenzo explained to us the whole story why they did it and how it helped with his wife’s gut issues 🙏 and you can also see how personalised and loved each pizza is because they make it such those iconic and undoubtedly Italian style, with their hands on and imperfect in circle shape but absolutely perfect in being imperfect 👌 I don’t think I could love a pizza more 😂

- Il Dottore - my friend had this pizza and it wasn’t vegan, as they also have ‘normal’ ones 😂 but I’m sure it can be made vegan because as I’ve mentioned almost everything can be turned into a plant based option! With pomodoro, fior di latte and home-made calabrian sausage, italian porcini and parsley not only does it look similar to a margarita, the classic Italian pizza, but it looks like that with a tiiiiiiiny special touch 👌 of course. He loved it and even though he couldn’t finish it, since the size is indeed relatively large (what can I say, I’m a big eater 😂) he said it was perfect!

- Vegan Nutella Pizza - to finish off the meal, I couldn’t leave without trying the famous nutella pizza. I had heard waaaaaaay too much about it and it sure makes justice to it. The dough is slightly thicker than the savoury and main pizzas and I think it makes sense since you want it to be a little more consistent for the vegan nutella be nicely spread over it. The pizza is quite simple itself and with that 72h dough base, they spread with a large pencil the vegan nutella. On top you can have the option of strawberries and some sugar icing or pistachio. Since I wanted to try the pistachio spread (because looooooooove) but at the same time wanted a little crunch to it, we added the spread and the strawberries 😂 can I get a truck of these? 😍😂 I was also told that Lorenzo sells the spread to other pizzas as they have the best and one of the only vegan nutella version available around the area. Next time, I’m sure to stock up on a little jar indeed!

As a final note, I just want to reinforce again that basically everything in this place can be made vegan upon request, and they have all alternatives that you could ever think of. The cheese that it is used is dairy free (their local brand is called localcraft for all of their products) and the meat components are also plant based. Because they literally make their own nutella too and if you want you can take it home with you too in little pots that they have for sale. Their pizzas can also be made gluten free and all of their gluten free menu options are Accredited by Coeliac Australia and they have many checks in order to minimise any risk of cross contamination.

Make sure you visit them ASAP and ask for the Miri because that thing is NEXT LEVEL INDEED 👌🤭 this place has so much love and care that I will definitely visit again and is on my top favourites 🤗 A MUST!

Nearly everything on the menu can be made vegan and gluten free.

What do you think when you’re visiting Authentic Italian Restaurant? Surely most of you will be thinking of Pizza, Pasta and Arancini. Yeap, that’s what came inside our mind when we’re on the way to Shop 225 Pizzeria to attend our invitation. Shop 255 Pizzeria, Pascoe Vale. Shop 255 Pizzeria, Pascoe Vale

Yay: Zio Pino, Spaghetti Alle Vongole, Gnocchi Zucca E Salvia
Nay: Tiramizu

Coeliac Aus certified and easily the best GF pizza you’ll find in Melbourne. The food was exceptional with so so so many GF vegan options (which is hard to find that as a combination), great organic wine and fantastic customer service. We will be back and have already decided what we’ll order next time so we can work our way through the menu!

I was invited to try the food at Shop 225 Pizzeria and I was very impressed with what they had to offer. They have a lot of really awesome dishes prepared the traditional way which I loved to try. Shop 225 is located almost at the corner of Bell Street and Melville road. When I went there, tram works were going on and it was a bit hard to find a parking spot near the restaurant. The restaurant was pretty busy for a weekday night. They have indoor and outdoor seating available. The menu had a lot of options and on top of their regular menu, they have a weekly specials menu as well. I ordered A Modo Mio ($25) from the specials menu and Arancini ($15), 4 Formaggi Pizza ($24), A Modo Mio ($25), Spaghetti Carbonara ($21), Cassatta ($13), and a Tiramisu ($10) from their regular menu.

Really good pizza, and friendly service. Le conto sulle dita delle mani le pizzerie così buone, in Italia...

The staff were absolutely beautiful and the meals were cooked with love. 10/10 recommend this place !

Very busy shop, even on a Tuesday night. Lots of sit-in customers plus a steady stream of Uber drivers collecting take away. Warm, friendly welcome. Quick, efficient service, both in taking the order, delivering drinks, and delivering food (and later, dessert). Pizzas are big, nice chewy crust. Many different varieties available on the regular menu plus specials. We tried the carbone (a carbonara on a pizza) and the capricciosa. Recommend sharing the tiramisu as the serve is very large. Very reasonably priced and overall a nice little night out.

An absolute treat and worth every calorie! This is our usual pizza place and I love their mushroom and truffle oil pizza. The dough is light and beautiful! We have also had the Nutella pizza and tiramisu and both were great. When it’s pizza..it’s just shop225..can’t be disappointed!

The good ratings on Zomato took us to this local pizzeria and wow was it good or what?!
So ecstatic to have such a yummy pizzeria in our hood.
The pizza and pasta were top class - the cheese just melted away in our mouth. The Tiramisu was utterly delightful.
If I had to find fault in anything, I would say the arancini was a bit too dense.. but the rest of the meal was so good that this place deserves a 5! We know we’ll be frequenting this place now..

The only reason there isn’t more photos to go with this review is because the food was SO DANG GOOD there was no time for photos on top of enjoying our meals.

I’m so glad we came across this little local gem. The restaurant itself doesn’t seat many people and we watched people come in and out picking up takeaway pizza. We were seated near the window and all five of us were impressed with all the food that came out. We ordered two pizzas and two pastas and dessert. The standout dish for myself was the pumpkin gnocchi with butter and sage. Even bae who is predominantly carnivore loved the dish. The pannacotta we had for dessert was silky smooth and just the right amount of sweet. But the tiramisu was one of the best I’ve ever had. Not too much liquor not too much chocolate and not too creamy. Just the perfect balance. Been craving that pasta and tiramisu since.

Food and service here was great. The arancini was moist and cheesy, and the seafood pizza I got was delicious. The pizza bases here were one of the thinnest I've had (for those that like that sorta thing). Recommended.

So good !!
Was highly recommended to us.
Really authentic Italian atmosphere , Real Italian people running the joint.
Bloody good Pizza .
The service is fantastic.
We booked over the phone & was told they could only give us outdoor sitting.
As we got there early by half an hour, (we came all the way from Sandringham !) they kindly put us in the back court yard provided we finish within an hour.
When the hour up, we were ready to move to the outdoor sitting for dessert but
they told us to sit as they will shuffle the seating around for us!!
The staff are so friendly & attentive (especially the waitress), goes all the way out to makes us feel at home  & the food is absolutely worth the hour drive to savour the pizza . Will definitely come back here again.

This is the best pizza I have tasted in Melbourne. The pizza base is very tasty and light. I love the prawn pizza but all pizza I have tasted from here are good.

Looking for an authentic Italian place in the inner suburbs of Pascoe Vale? Shop225 have an amazing range of delicious Italian! The must haves include the clam and tomato linguini and the amazing tiramisu!! Vegan and vegetarian options are available too!

Superb!
As a vegetarian, it's tough to find places with options but this restaurant is amazing!
Delicious food. The carbonara (which we gulped before we could photograph it) was especially amazing.
Friendly staff and cute ambience make your meal even more enjoyable.
Would definitely recommend 👍🏼

What a hidden gem on Melville road! Not only was their pizza second to none, their customer service and restaurant atmosphere was so inviting. Lorenzo was one of our servers tonight, being one of the most down to earth, friendly shop owners we have ever come across. Thank you for a memorable and enjoyable experience, we will be seeing you again.

Excellent dough, one of the best (if not the best) I’ve tried in Australia! And quick service too. Brings me back to Italy! Will definitely go back, only had a Margherita take away

If Bell street was a real bell, then this place is the clapper (the swinging bit that makes the ringing sound). Intelligent food for forward thinking clientele who want to look after the environment by going veggo. Somehow these geniuses make everything on the vegan/ veggo menu taste super creamy and meaty even though there is no meat involved. Have a feel of the round bellied pizza oven as you swing past- so lovely and cosy and covered in a gorgeous mosaic. I love this little business.

During the week Coeliac Australia announced their most recently accredited restaurant. Shop 225 in Pascoe Vale has been a favourite amongst the community and now they have recognition. Located at you guessed it Shop 225 on Melville Road in Pascoe Vale South to be specific. This accreditation is extremely exciting as the shop is a pizzeria. We all know how risky pizza can be, but with the Coeliac Society Accreditation behind them, we can eat with confidence.

Best pizza I have EVER had!! This cute little piece of Italy blew me away with their vegan options, and I cannot recommend it enough. The owner, Lorenzo is the sweetest guy ever and makes the dining experience just that much better. Service is great and the food is even better. My favourite dish here is the vegan Zio Pino. I also recommend picking up a jar of Local Craft hazelnut spread while you're there, that stuff is amazing! *Sponsored free meal

The vegan pasta here was boarder-line nostalgic ♥️ Service was great and the pizza was almost perfection! Sitting next to the front door on a cold night is not recommended, however this was our choice haha. Will be back!

I visited Shop 225 the other day for lunch before going to DFO Essendon and ordered the Bufula Pizza ( bufala mozzarella, cherry tomatoes , basil and prosciutto) and the home made fettucine with porcini.

I really liked the fact Shop 225 specialises in Vegan and Gluten free pizza and pasta, although I am neither I think it is extremely important in this day and age to be conscious of the many dietary requirements and to be so inclusive

The pizza came out piled with prosciutto which my partner enjoyed very much, although there was so much the flavours were balanced and the dough was also very nice and fluffy

The pasta was also a crowd pleaser, the home made fettucine although on the thicker side was cooked perfectly and soaked up the sauce nicely , I loved the porcini flavour and enjoyed the simplicity of the dish.

Thanks for having us!

Love the gluten free options here! Pasta and pizza are both amazing. Nutella pizza is a great simple dessert. Pizza oven is out in front of you too which is nice to see. Also friendly service.

The best pizzas in this side of town. My husband and I wouldn’t go anywhere else for pizza. Maybe the prices are slightly pricey but totally worth it. My favourite is the Zio Pino, mushrooms with grana padano cheese topped with truffle oil. Sooo delicious. I’ve also tried the classic margerita but it’s not as good as the other margerita pizzas in the CBD, though still very nice. Their tiramisu is also another notable mention - it is huge, so tasty, smooth and creamy without being too creamy if that makes sense.

Humble and homely, these guys sure know how to make a pizza dough (and a few other things). Shop 225 is a must visit for any Italian food lover. Humble and unassuming, it looks like any suburban restaurant where you’d pop in if you were local, but boy!

This place is legit. Authentic wood fired pizzas and great service. Ordered my pizza and it was ready in 5 minutes! 👌🏼 I got the Barone pizza - nice cheese and salami and cooked to perfection. Do yourself a favour get here it’s worth it.

Best choice of Vegan pizza so far in Melbourne. The place is extremly cozy and warm. Is definetly a "modern italian pizza shop", of course they don`t make just pizza. Highly Raccomended

Lovely service, food came out fast and was absolutely delicious, we got the vegan zucca and vegan capricciosa, all the vegan “meat” and cheeses were brilliant. Also got a vegan eggplant parmigiana which was thrilling. Can’t wait to come back.

This venue is perfect for all dietary requirements. Most items on their menu can be made vegan or gluten free by request. You will need to ask though otherwise you might receive a non-vegan item instead (this didn't happen to us but I have heard of it happening and it was because the VGO on the menu was mistaken as 'vegan' and not vegan option available on request). 

I tried the vegan lasagna. You couldn't tell it was lacking meat. The lasagna was less cheesy than usual but was to be expected. It also was slightly saltier than usual. I felt the serving size was a bit small compared to other places. Despite this the over all taste was nice. I definitely think vegetarian lasagnas (with actual vegetables inside the lasagna) are better and more filling but it's still good if you are looking for a meat free traditional lasagna option. 

My friend ordered the vegan parma. She enjoyed it, however also stated it was too salty. My other friend who ordered a vegan pizza also said hers was too salty but our other friend who got the non-vegan pizza said it was perfect. Both friends who had the pizzas loved the base. One friend claimed the gluten free base was better than non-gluten free bases she had tried in the past.

Shop 225 also has vegan chili oil and vegan Parmesan! The vegan Parmesan tasted very nice! 

We also tried the vegan tiramisu. My friend had ate there before and tried the non-vegan tiramisu previously and said she had preferred the non-vegan tiramisu. I liked the vegan tiramisu because I couldn't taste the coffee - I normally don't order tiramisus because I don't like coffee but was willing to try this one and was very surprised! Unlike the parma and the lasagna, the serving size of the tiramisu was huge! Luckily we shared. One serving is enough for two people.

The manager was also very talkative and nice. He made sure our dietary requirements were catered for. We also liked sitting in front of the shop outside. It had a nice atmosphere. 

I definitely want to return to try some of their other pasta dishes!

One of the best pizzas we’ve had since Italy! We have driven past this place plenty of times and always thought about trying it, I am so glad we finally did. Can’t wait to go back.

This place is fantastic, a small place in Pascoe Vale that serves one of the best pizzas in Melbourne.

We had the Bufala, Zio Pino and a special which had prawns, chilli with basil and cheese and Rigatoni Alla Bolognese.

The pasta was well balanced and the tomato sauce was well balanced that I enjoyed the minced meat within it.

Best of all, the pizza dough was really well made and was soft like fresh bread as well as the delicious toppings. I highly recommend the Bufala with the prosciutto as it had the richness of the meat and complimented the rest of pizza.

Would definitely come again some time to try out more of their pizzas!

Without a doubt the best vegan pizza in Melbourne and it's so good to have a great restaurant where I can bring my vegan and non vegan friends to eat too. The vegan Barone, Melo and Capricciosa are all so delicious.

Went to Shop 225 for dinner as a group of 11 for the first time. We sat in the courtyard which was very cute and ordered pizzas and pastas. I really liked that the food came out all at the same time - this was very much appreciated considering the fact that we were such a large group. Gnocchi was delicious (made in house) and the wood-fire pizza is to die for with a beautiful light and crunchy crust. Also ended our meals with some desserts and coffee which were also fantastic. Especially the Tiramisu. Wish I had taken some photos to add to this review, but I would definitely recommend and hope to return soon.

Shop 225 may be the new kid on the block but these guys have already quickly established themselves as maestros of the Melbourne pizza scene. If you are looking for quality pizzas of the gourmet kind, this pizzeria should be at the top of your list. The menu is grounded in strong Italian heritage whilst introducing some innovative vegan and gluten free options which are concocted without a single sacrifice to flavour.

One of the best authentic pizza joints. Crust is crispy and soft inside. The base is thin, not soggy and holds the toppings well. Pizzas are flavoursome, aromatic and amazing.

The pizza every time!! Only recently discovered this place! Genuinely Italian!! I’m literally addicted!!!! Thank u guys!!!! The best pizza I’ve ever had!!! Base thin, outside nice n crusty.. great combination of topping and really good quality cheese!!.. all just melts nicely together in ur mouth!! Highly recommend to everyone!! :)

Pizzas, who doesn’t love them? Now, what about wood-fired pizza? Yep, I’m salivating too! Well you  lucky north-siders, there’s a pizzeria called Shop 225 which is located on the main street of Melville Road (park on the side peeps!) which not only serves up wood-fired pizza but they’re also VEGAN and VEGETARIAN friendly!! It’s a cosy little joint so first in first served bros.

Easily the best pizza in Melbourne!! The pizza base is perfectly light enough so you don’t feel guilty the next morning. Their cannoli was so tasty and the perfect way to finish off the meal. Super friendly service and just an overall excellent experience.

Yummo! Kid friendly pizza joint, super authentic pizzas made with warm smiles & delicious quality ingredients! One pizza perfect for a family of four-Will be back for more (and to try the tiramisu)!

I had the best time today for lunch! The food was delicious and the service was outstanding. There are so many things on the menu, and the tables/scenery make you feel like you are in Italy. Definitely the best in the area!

The wafting smell of wood fired pizza @Shop_225 right opposite the tram stop made me place a takeaway order. Il Dottore Pomodoro, fior di latte, home-made calabrian sausage, italian porcini and parsley Delicious pizza, lovely thin base, love the tomato sauce, you can taste the parsley, soft tender mushrooms, excellent flavour. Shame it wasn't all that hot, must have got missed in the flurry of orders coming through despite arriving early. Tiramisu I love tiramisu and this was excellent. Soft, light, creamy, chocolatey, and the coffee hit of soaked sponge fingers. Excellent. #ItalianFood #pizza #woodfiredpizza #ItalianSausage #Pomodoro #tiramisu #sweettooth #dessert #foodie #melbournefood @zomatomelb

Incredibly tasty pizzas! Plenty of vegan options! This pizza shop gets busy! And it’s for good reason. Generous toppings, flavoursome food and their pizza bases are perfect! Thanks for the great feed!

Had yet another excellent pizza here tonight. Brilliant atmosphere and service. Incredibly welcoming and authentic too. Always our number one choice for good quality pizza. Would try the other items on the menu but the pizza is too good.