Freo’s hot new pizza place weds Australiana cheek with a dose of New York slice shop ambition.
Set next to its sandwich-shop sibling Peggy’s and fitted out in retro-fabulous style, Lola’s brings a fresh dynamic to Perth’s pizza offer. Despite flirting with Italian influences, one thing should be made clear: Lola’s is anything but your classic Italian pizzeria. Instead it takes cues from classic NYC slice shops with a dose of nostalgia thrown in. That means the pizzas veer towards robust bases – some classic, others deep-dish – with enough structure to hold their own.
Pick the spicy sausage, and a red base comes topped with ’nduja, calabrese, pepperoni and pickled chillies, all dripping in fermented-garlic honey.
Chef-owner Harrison Peasnell spent months researching flour blends, fermentation times and organising for the PizzaMaster deck oven to be shipped from the US. Toppings, meanwhile, are what you might just call Australian, in that there are no rules (and yes, there is a ham and pineapple). Pick the spicy sausage, and a red base comes topped with ’nduja, calabrese, pepperoni and pickled chillies, all dripping in fermented-garlic honey – perfectly cut by the freshness of a cracking panzanella salad.
Starters lean to seafood, with yellowfin tuna crudo featuring guanciale and smoked peppers, or “KFC-style” calamari with miso ranch. Drinks are good value and geared to refreshment. And even though its early days, the vibes are already exceptional.
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