If the rate at which Rosalia’s pizza slices are selling out every day is anything to go by, I’d safely say that Aucklanders have been waiting for a spot like this for a long time. Opened by Bryan Anderson, Nick Fury and Sean Bone, the trio behind the ever-popular Parade Burger (with decades of hospitality experience between them), Rosalia’s is a new drop-in on Mount Eden Road with a simple concept that seems to be hitting home with local foodies.
“The inspiration for Rosalia’s came from our travels last year and in particular, the pizza al taglio stores littered throughout Italy,” Anderson tells me, “so when we took over this site to use as a bakery for servicing Parade and Bodega [the latter, a New York-style deli that is set to open soon — watch this space] we wanted to use the extra space to sell the food we had loved while abroad.”
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That food just so happens to be pizza al taglio and cannoli. For anyone unfamiliar, pizza al taglio is a Roman style of pizza that is baked in large, rectangular trays and served as individual slices, while cannoli are tube-shaped shells of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy ricotta mixture and finished with dustings of icing sugar and various tasty toppings. “The slices are pizza in its purest form, Anderson tells me, “with cheese made by us, sourdough bases made from our starters and everything else that we can make, handmade from scratch.”
As far as flavours go, Anderson emphasises that Rosalia’s offering will be an ever-changing and seasonally dependent one, with five different pizza flavours a day and three different cannoli options. “My team’s current favourite is the Italian sausage,” Anderson reveals, “and the pistachio cannoli,” telling me that his customers’ responses to the cannoli have been very enthusiastic. “It’s definitely one of the best things we ate when we were away,” he says, “and very few people do them here.”
Ultimately, Rosalia’s embodies the pure passion that Anderson, Fury and Stone have for their work. A small and understated but undeniably impactful spot, it offers its owners the chance to share what they care about deeply with their customers and affords them the space to create.
“It’s a real labour of love,” Anderson says, “and we just want our customers to enjoy the food that we love eating and making for them.” He continues, “If they can feel our passion through what we serve, that’s all we could ever ask for.”
Open now and available on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from midday until sold out, Rosalia’s is the perfect place to drop by for some lunch on the run. Add it to your must-visit list now.
Opening Hours:
Wednesday — Friday, from 12pm
