The Takeout

Il Buco Fitzroy Lounge Bar, 61 Mackelvie St, Ponsonby

Ph: 021 02271052 Cost: $48 for 8 slices

IN: I really did want to stay in, at the Fitzroy Lounge Bar. It was a warm Friday afternoon and there was a perfect outdoor table going free. Tantalising. But there were also people to feed at home.

OUT: Technically this is not a takeout joint but a very cool bar, serving cool tunes, cold beer and hot pizza (among other offerings). This is the best pizza in town. You can order by the slice — or slices, get it in a box, take it home and heat. Or you can curl up in a cosy sofa at the bar, which sort of feels like home or sit outside with a glass of rosé and a slice and watch the shiny, happy people go by. The Fitzroy is redolent of a hip-af Wellington or Melbourne bar, with character and colour.

THE TAKEOUT:

Il Buco was an award-winning institution on Ponsonby Rd for 17 years. The owner, Jonny Rudduck, has passed on the mantle (the secret recipe) to Josh Gair, who now kneads and rolls and tops the dough using Rudduck’s famed recipes at The Fitzroy. Il Buco serves a traditional roman-style pizza by the slice. We chose the prima vera — asparagus, caramelised onion, mozzarella and brie — the patate e salsiccia, with potato, rosemary and Italian sausage and the vegan-friendly ortolana, with capsicum, onion, potato and courgette. There’s a reason Rudduck’s famous pizza garnered so much love. There’s a gorgeous balance of flavours, the ingredients are seasonal and fresh and simple. There are also meatballs on pizza. Jonny, you may have gone already, but your legacy lives on.