Etica Ethical Pizzeria & Mozzarella Bar

I don’t do reviews anymore, but Etica is worth driving dozens of hours for.
I know because I’ve driven 400 km there and home again about three or four times over the last few years specifically for a margherita pizza. In fact, those times where I had an option to drive to Melbourne or Adelaide, Etica entirely influenced my decision of where to go.
Pretty easily the best pizza in Australia. The staff and service can only be described as excellent and conscientious.

I’ll remember that pizza for a while, one of the best pizzas I have eaten. Staff were lovely. Do yourself a favour…

After signing in we waited about 10 minutes (7:00PM, Saturday night) which allowed us to people watch and observe the mastery of the cheerful and efficient wait staff. The 80s-​to current music mix (Phil Collins, Amy Winehouse, etc) was not at all overpowering despite the fully seated dining room, close quarters and TINY dining area. Our main server, Melissa, was excellent and knew her wines! In addition, the other staff was attentive and never let our slightly fizzy water carafe reach empty. Melissa recommended the vermentino which we thoroughly enjoyed and totally complemented the margharita extra (add salame) Neapolitan style pizza. The marinara was tangy and delightful. I only wish there had been more basil. Overall a wonderful dinner.

Well, my review is pretty much going to confirm all of the rest! I think that Etica has the best pizzas in Adelaide for sure.
Be mindful though, I think that a lot of Aussies do not really know what a traditional style of pizza is. Most Aussie pizza restaurants overload their pizzas with toppings and are quite experimental when it comes to choosing what ingredients to use. But, traditional pizza from Italy started out as a Margarita. Simple delicious sauce, perfect thin base and only the best cheese! This is what you will find at Etica, a true Italian Pizza. Now there are other styles you can chose from as well. My second choice was the Fungi, as I love mushrooms. Glad I got to try two!
It is hard to describe how much I really loved my pizza here; but I will give it a go:
— Base was thin and perfect, cooked enough just to let it start to puff up a little. Cooked in a wood oven pizza!
— The sauce was very flavoursome. There were some beautiful herbs in it, right amount of seasoning and background of onions and garlic. I could have just eaten a bowl of that and been so happy!
— Cheese was beautiful and not overwhelming. So as not to overload it with fat.
— Mushrooms where fresh and cooked just enough to wilt. Way too yummy!
If you want real pizza in Adelaide, this is your destination. Also, having vegan friendly menu is really just sharing the love to all.
The restaurant is not big and they do not take bookings after 6pm, so probably worth getting in early or prepare to wait a little for a table. But, in saying that, they cook those pizzas FAST! So, you shouldn’t have to wait for long.
Also, I should mention, that this pizza is not the cheapest. So for the budget conscious, be wary. But, I don’t mind paying for quality though. I will return Etica!

Finally made it here and Etica didn’t disappoint. We came on a busy Friday night and had to wait (I called and they did warn there would be a wait). 4 other guys walked off in disgust as they have waited three times longer than they were told and even though you had to wait in the outdoor courtyard (cool in winter but sheltered and nice atmosphere) they brought us drinks immediately and as there was only two of us they quickly found us a table.
1/​Fantastic staff and not under staffed
2/​Good wines by the glass and good Italian beers
3/​The Pizza maker is slow as he is an artisan pizza maker (I spoke to their competitor across town, he said he trialled the guy Etica use and he makes fantastic pizzas but didn’t hire him as he’s too slow! Guess what, I can tell you his pizzas are amazing!) True traditional Napolitano style, light then and minimalist wood oven pizza.
4/​Fantastic purist pasta and home made nap sauce
5/​Great beef carpaccio and radicchio salad

Mindblowing. The pizzas were to die for, music was incredible and great salads and drinks. Super cozy as well. A must visit in Adelaide.

I went back recently with friends and found their pizza has improved significantly. I would now put their pizza on par with anything I’ve had in Melbourne or Sydney.

Delicious. I first went to Etica a few years ago, I thought «this place is nice, and I really like what they’re trying to do. but I’m not sure it’ll last, it’s a bit different» and luckily I was wrong. On my last visit I was very happy to see tables full of happy pizza and mozzarella enthusiasts. And why not? You really can’t go wrong with a seasonal menu made up of ingredients from better, nicer more ethical origins.
The flavours in the pizza were all awesome, we went with a topping with buffalo mozzarella, which was a great choice. The staff were super friendly and more than happy answer my stupid questions about the toppings.
Unfortunately I was on a break from alcohol on my last visit, so I wasn’t able to sample any of the wine list. But there’s always next time. I’ll definitely be back for some more of that simple yet delicious tastebud tempting pizza.

The mozzarella is superb! You can taste the quality and freshness of the locally sourced ingredients that they use.
I absolutely loved the wood-​fired pizza and the learning about the restaurant’s ethical principles and this is at the top of my list to return to each time I’m in Adelaide!
Great pizza, mozzarella + ethical to boot = foodie favourite!

Went there a while ago. Its very busy on weekends and a tight squeeze as people are packed into a tiny space.
The food was great — simple, fresh italian.
They ran out of mozarella the night we were there which was disappointing

If you are looking for fantastic wood ovened pizza — then this is the place to be!
Was at dinner here recently with a friend of mine, we werent particularly hungry — so we shared a pizza. We had a tomato pizza with tomato sauce and a buffalo cheese :)
The service was great, and the atmosphere was lovely — I particularly love the open kitchen :)
The only thing I will say is if you are planning on coming here — a booking may be a good idea, otherwise be prepared to stand in a queue for a while.

OK, when it comes to pizza I can be picky, and don’t even get me started on mozzarella di bufala which has to be high quality for me. After all those years in Italy I just get disappointed when I anticipate one thing and I’m served something completely different. You’ve already seen the 5 big red stars (well ok, the stars are technically white…) I’ve slapped on this review so you know what’s coming. To say I was blown away by this place would be spot on.
A simple meal done very very well. Impeccable service, and we brought our own wine which they have no problem with, and even seemed to encourage.
Great ambience too. Some live jazz was happening out the front where the tables were filled of people want to be seen. We were ushered towards the rear of the restaurant and had a more quiet location near the kitchen (which is open and chic) and the jazz still wriggled it’s way into our eardrums. Lovely experience all around.
Highly recommended

I’ve been looking forward to going here and trying their pizzas. I love the concept.
The staff were all very friendly and helpful. The atmosphere was warm and it was busy on a Saturday night.
The pizza… Well. It was disappointing I have to say. The base was cooked but was chewy and sloppy covered in tomato purée that wasn’t cooked. I had the marinara as it’s vegan, plus olives. My friend had one with cheese blobs swimming in the tomato soup with a sprig of basil.
I’m guessing the oven was too hot. They were ready in 10 minutes max. They needed to cook properly a bit longer or maybe don’t work well take away but really, they weren’t done.
$ 40 plus for two very simple pizzas? I’d expect it to be awesome pizza.
I don’t like giving a mediocre review but when you pay for good pizza, that’s what you expect.
Lovely place, just need to get the pizza right.

How have I not written about this place before! I first visited a year ago and when I had the opportunity to come back to Adelaide, all I could think about was if I would get a chance to get back in here to devour a fresh cheese plate and a pizza.
This is what my pizza dreams are made off. Exceptionally well made bases, minimal seasonal toppings, lashings of great Italian wine and kind friendly service. I love that the menu changes each week depending what’s in season and while it may seem expensive, you can easily share a pizza between two with a little cheese and side dishes thrown in — the salads are a highlight.
Mad props for the terrarium and the aperitvo selection.

This isn’t a place you take someone or go to if you can tolerate takeaway pizza from any of the normal cheap pizza haunts around Adelaide/​Australia. They simply won’t appreciate what’s on offer.
The bases are light, the toppings fresh and sourced ethically from local vendors.
This means a great deal to me and it should to anyone that has any interest in where the food they’re eating originates from and how its cared for and managed before it reaches your plate.
You want to allow some time and have 1 – 2 drinks and slowly take everything in over what’s presented (don’t apply normal pizza-​consuming logic here). The owner was more than happy to explain to us differences in some of the cheeses noted on the menu and gave advice on drink selection also.
We had a mushroom and margherita pizza and a salad I can’t recall. The margherita was the highlight, all the flavours combined so well. Surprisingly enough the salad was a great side, I remember fennel and pear but the menu appears to have changed so I can’t recall/​say specifically what it was…
Will definitely be back here.

This place knows how to make pizza, no thick crusts here. Thin and puffy in all the right places — just how it should be. I’m a fan of the fit out too., it reminds me a lot of Italian restaurants in London.
Don’t visit without getting into some mozzarella. They take their cheese VERY seriously here, which is a trait I admire. Get yourself the mozzarella platter, it’s so many kinds of wonderful!

I’ve never been a fan of pizza because the asian in me has such a huge crush on rice. But this could be an exception. I love everything bout this place — the atmosphere, decoration, friendly staff and of course I love their pizzas.
Do you know that feeling you get when you just finish a big Domino/​pizzahutt/​whatever-​it-​is pizza? The feeling like all the cheese and fat and bacon are gonna clog your blood vessels and you’re gonna die at your 50s due to a heart attack? Well this place doesn’t make me feel that way. My stomach was screaming for more. And even if it does make you feel that way, it would be totally worth it though.
The only downside is that the place is quite small and noisy so if you come in a group of approx 10 people or more you gotta wait for them to rearrange some tables for you. And the price is slightly higher than your regular pizza but you sure get what you pay for.
So in conclusion, even an asian who has never loved anything but rice like me would still highly recommend this place.

From start to finish this place is a delight.
The waitress who greeted us was friendly and welcoming. It was busy so we sat at a table or four with another couple, which worked out well as another man’s unwanted olives are another man’s treasure (you know how the saying goes).
The wine was vegan friendly cheap and nice! So a win on all fronts.
We started with a vegan antipasto which was well worth the $ 17. Followed by the marina pizza (vegan not seafood surprisingly, but I don’t speak Italiano)
The pizza was great and big enough to share. My omni boyfriend loved the vegan meal we had, and the atmosphere was lively but not overly so that you couldn’t have a conversation. The cosiness with the couple next to us was fun too! Just hope he made it through the first day screening :-P.
I can’t wait for the weather to warm up so I can sit in the delightful looking outdoor area.

They weren’t joking when they added «Mozzarella Bar» to their name and good Lord am I thankful for it. Any business that has a «mozzarelle» tasting platter on their menu is bound to get a good rating from me. When said tasting platter involves hefty slabs of fior di latte, scamorza affumicata, scamorza bianca, mozzarella di bufala, squacquerone, ricota di bufala and burrata and they are all explained to me by a sexy man with an equally sexy accent, you’d better believe I’m doling out 5 stars.
Seriously, I insist you take time to admire this beauty before finishing the review:
Since the rest of the review will be anticlimactic after that vision of glory, I’ll just say this: pizza? Amazing. Atmosphere? Perfect. Ingredients? Straight from an episode of Portlandia (i.e. the cow grazed on biodynamic pastures and the chickens were not only raised on idillic Kangaroo Island but likely all had names. Here’s hoping mine was named Batman.)
Eat here now.

This place is now my local, my ‘if only I could cook like this,” my brag to interstate friends about place.
The more stories I hear from Frederico about how and why the food is the way it is at Etica — including the fact that they don’t cut the pizza because this is true «Nap style» way of eating pizza, that the pizzas (despite only 3 or 4 toppings) are consistently bursting with flavour — the more I appreciate what this place is trying to achieve.
This place is worth the «dough,» and the 5^th star!