By Hollie Harris
Serving up delicious wood-oven pizza that transports you to Naples and a welcoming retro vibe, the new look, Zacharys is drawing crowds to the end of Hastings Street.
With so many options on Hastings Street, it’s often hard to choose where to take your rumbling tummy but Zacharys is taking pizza and pasta to a level sure to satisfy the rumble (plus some!)
With a son on each arm, off to I go, to dine family style and check out what all the fuss is about. Co-owner Mike Evans offers a warm welcome and invites us in to this super laid back, yet stylish restaurant .
The funky street side seating feels light and beachy, fun for people watching and tantalises those design senses with warm, modern decor. Downstairs feels like an old school family pizza restaurant. It’s a great space for large groups to pile in, feel the coolness of the air-con and get that authentic experience of sharing food with those you love.
There are quite a few tables with children being around 6pm, which is like a nice change in Hastings Street. My boys say they feel very welcome and at home.
Then came the food. With house made pizza bases and meat bought locally, we were excited to try a selection of Zacharys best sellers.
The fried calamari, served with a super creamy aioli wins my kids over, who don’t usually like calamari. This was super tender and had a perfect crisp on the outside with the serving size being enough to share for the three of us as an entree.
The pizza from the wood oven is so good you might imagine you were in Naples, except for the narrow street and Vespas (oh, wait, there is a row of scooters outside).
Zachary’s food is about as colourful, fresh and hearty as one fantasises about when that craving for an Italian feast kicks in. Transport to Naples in an instant with a super simple classic like their Margherita and Milanese or satisfy a big appetite with the deluxe range of pizzas bringing in a trans-continental twist to traditional flavours.
Hoison Duck pizza may sound unusual but the flavours are a perfect combination of sweet and salty, fresh and hearty, spicy and cool all at the same time. It’s quite a flavour sensation.
The base is thin, crisp, and fluffy at the outside edge. The second flavour, Posh Chicken, is rich and sweet with a serious hunger busting topping of avocado and camembert.
My boys tackled a bowl of Carbonara. This is one dish they have eaten a hundred times as one of their favourite meals and the thumbs go up after one forkful.
“This is the best Carbonara. So creamy and so much bacon,” said my nine year old.
The two of them don’t quite get through one serve – the servings sizes here are seriously good value and there was loads of bacon. A main meal on Hastings Street under $30 (and was big enough to share with my boys) is impressive.
The kids and bubs have eaten and gone before 7pm. With Flume playing in the background and the clinking of ice cold Asahis, I get the feeling that the place is going about get nice little buzz happening.
As we leave, satisfied and smiling as you do after a good Italian feed, we find a crowd of people rolling in for good times and good food. Not bad on a Thursday night.
