Foodie guide to pizza in our slice of paradise

It's easy to knock out several iconic pizza spots around the beaches, but these picks will also lead you to must-visit stops in popular destinations like Ettalong, Toukley, Wyong, Gosford, Erina, Long Jetty and beyond. 

If you care more about pizza than you care about your second cousins, be inspired to dedicate your pizza loving life to eating your way through this complete guide to pizza spots on the Central Coast.

We searched high and low for places that make pizza a way of life and found these go-to joints guaranteed to deliver mouth watering pizza with different points of view but all exemplifying their genre.

The name says everything about this Hawaiian style pizza diner Tropicana Social Club. Tropical vintage decor, funky tunes, great pizzas and of course, an array of delicious cocktails, essential for that holiday vibe.

Try the Fisherman’s Wharf with local seafood marinara and the Tropicana Spritz with Averna Amaro, prosecco, grapefruit bitters and lime juice.

Deserving of emoji flames and hearts La Fiamma is the perfect place for pizza lovers with dishes guaranteed to fan the flame. Order their classic Margherita or new classic Verdure, and enjoy the ambience of the Galleria courtyard that feels more like a romantic getaway piazza style location in Naples.

One of the best in terms of the quality of dough (and choice ingredients you’d expect from their on-site deli premises) is Erina Heights' BamVino restaurant. A foodie’s delight! These innovative pizzas with non-classic ingredients and creative combinations are excellent, with a fanatical quality in everything from the raw materials to the service and the wine list. The only hard thing is choosing... try the Trio of Truffle with truffle salami, mushroom, truffle pecorino and truffle oil. You also must try their Special 15 Year Old Muscat from BamVino's own barrel.

Serving traditional style, thin-base, hand-stretched pizzas. The pizza base recipe served here has been perfected over the last four years to deliver a light crusty flavour. The topping options on the menu at Pinocchios are influenced by regions all over Italy taking you through a series of aromas and tastes. With over 120 wines to pair, you had better schedule this a long lunch – Sardinian style.

Whatever pizza you choose, a smart option for savvy foodies is to start with their widely praised arancini balls.

There’s a lot going on at Shady Palms! Four individual areas to choose from with an abundance of collective quirk, family manner, local brews, and live music.  This is the perfect place to gather around a woodfire pizza with friends.

They have a diverse and exciting range of toppings coupled with a perfect thin and crispy base that is nailed every time. A variety of delicious Cali inspired pizzas are on the menu and so are a great list of Magnums to get the whole gang dancing. The ideal place for a night out, the drinks and laughs will be flowing in no time.

Aptly named for its location between Wamberal beach and the lagoon Lagune. You’ll find pizza down to the basics, with southern Italy inspired pizzas. The pizza bases are perfect: in the rise, the consistency, the digestibility. The toppings are like real dishes chosen on the basis of a harmonic game of colours, flavours, and textures.

Try the Norma with Fior di Latte mozzarella, eggplant, Grana Padano parmesan, chilli flakes, and olive oil washed down with a glass of Italian Poggiotondo Chianti. Be sure to keep some room for their gelato.

Rhonda’s delivers a modern take on wood fired pizza, light and breezy cocktails and on the weekends, an open roof seating space, perfect to enjoy some coastal sunshine well into the evening in a Mediterranean setting.

Your choice of both traditional pizza like a classic Oz (with pineapple!) thrown in. Crispy fresh insalatas and what’s most excellent, build your own antipasti with all your favourites.

We can’t think of a better place for a sundowner staple with water views. Get started with a bucket of succulent local prawns and oysters for entrée followed by the Divola pizza with hot pepperoni, kalamata olives, mushrooms and tomato base. The Beachie's Hamptons-inspired ambience at The Beachie, exclusive pool-club, multiple eateries and bars, it’s the perfect place to eat pizza in holiday mode, even if it's just for an afternoon.

This fantastic establishment prides itself on community. A place that not only serves great pizza, but also makes you feel good to come and support their cause too. This Norah Head pizzeria Johnny Tapas is every bit as good as anything you’ll find around town and to make a visit worth while they offer pizza and funnies on standup comedy nights. To add or not to add pineapple? Their Johnny Hawaiian with double smoked ham and woodfired roasted pineapple may finally end that foodie debate.

A big weekend calls for a big pizza! A Sirones’ Pizza By The Metre is for the whole family to enjoy and will not break the bank. Dough is made fresh daily, and the tomatoes, capsicums and sweet potatoes sourced locally are roasted in their wood fired oven to perfection and unique flavour.

All the traditional options to choose from but if you’d like to try your hand at a bolder and more innovative combination try the Green Vegano – whipped peas, pine nuts, roasted sweet potato, capsicum, mushroom and rocket.

Expect innovative pizzas with seasonal ingredients to try at Four Hands Pizza like this chilli beef, beans, jalapeños, corn chips, sour cream weekly special. It’s also a great place to try a diverse range of craft beers, wines and cocktails. They also have fantastic group bookings menus that do all the hard work for you.

True American style pizza from the city that claims to be the birthplace of America’s first ever-pies.  No wonder why New York Pizza Bar & Grill feels like a place of pizza worship. These pizzas have the right balance of a floppy and crunchy crust, as well as tomato sauce that’s a little sweet, a little tangy and good enough to eat with a spoon. It's the bees knees on the Coast for New York inspired food.

Nero’s Woodfired Pizza have put a lot of energy into understanding what makes pizza so delicious. How is it possible for each bite of these pizzas to crunch like a cracker, despite the generous layer of sweet tomato sauce hugging its top? How does the innermost layers of their pizza stay so crispy? If we knew the answers we'd open a successful pizzeria like this one. To anyone who views the crust as the first, second and third most important aspect of pizza this is your number one spot.

The Salsiccia's tomato, grana, Italian pork and fennel bratwurst, wood roasted peppers, Fior Di Latte and EVO shines like a slip-n-slide you can't help but dive into.

The Savoy Long Jetty is a 1950s theatre converted into a bar and restaurant offering craft beer, cocktails, pizza, and share plates! Movie nights are just perfect for a pizza and night out but get there early for a cheeky $10 Margarita Pizza and $10 Margarita Cocktail combo.

Sorrento Pizzeria is inspired by Amalfi Coast. The puffy crusted, wood fired Neapolitan style pizza prides itself on its Rustica Napoletana dough that uses a careful blend of imported flours from Italy, elevated with mineral water, to take you back to the farmlands of the southern Italy with every single bite. It doesn't matter what you call the style. what matters is that you're going to come to their family friendly pizza joint every week.