‘Ostentatiously fun’: Would you tackle one of these supersized American-style pizzas?

Pizza Elettrica’s 15-inch pies are the pizza for right now, when the Ford Ranger is the most popular car and people are “maxxing” everything from protein to joy. But size aside, there’s a balance to their “bite-maxxing” toppings.Things that are bigger than a 15-inch pizza: the silver plate presented to the Wimbledon women’s champion (18.75 inches); the tunnels used by Viet Cong fighters during the Vietnam War (at least 23 inches); a Weber kettle barbecue (about 22 inches). Things that are not: an NBA basketball (9.5 inches); a vinyl record (12 inches); a dinner plate (10 to 11 inches).At Thornbury’s Pizza Elettrica, 15 inches (38 centimetres) of dough, sauce and toppings is the norm. There’s no large, no family-sized. This is the pizza for our times, when the Ford Ranger is the most popular car in Australia and people are “maxxing” everything from protein to joy.Andrew Winson was loosely inspired by New York pizzas (which are a monstrous 18 inches, at least) when he honed his recipe, quit the craft beer industry and, in 2024, opened Elettrica with his partner, Ainhoa Barriola Fontana.Peppi (pepperoni pizza).Bonnie SavageThe “Peppi” pepperoni pizza might be the gateway drug of Elettrica’s offerings. Chilli-laced “hot” honey is an add-on, but I would argue it’s not optional at all. Its sweetness and tang mirrors the tomato sauce while also dialling up the pepperoni’s saltiness. Together with the cheese, you’ve got a topping family where every member knows their place.Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.Sign upPork sausage and mushroom pizza, humming with a little fennel seed, displays the same alchemy. It also shows off what might be Elettrica’s secret weapon: its red sauce, nothing but tomatoes blended with confit garlic, oregano and salt.When the pizza comes out, you might think, “Us? Finish this? Impossible.” And then there’s only one piece left and it seems cruel to leave it sitting on the steel tray. There’s something ostentatiously fun about these supersized pizzas, the excess kept in check by the balance in the toppings.Potato on pizza is often a bit mushy, cut too thick and paired with too many rich flavours. The Light & Tangy has a sour cream base showered with snipped chives and pickled red onion, plus mozzarella and finely sliced ruffles of potato. It’s not just the flavours that work together. Ingredients are cut to a similar size so the textures also play nicely. Stodge: no. Style: yes.A slice of the Light & Tangy.Bonnie SavageElettrica’s dough feels sturdier than what Melbourne knows from its long-running romance with flimsy, airy, Neapolitan-style pizza. At some point, we forgot this might be the most widely adapted food across the globe. Deep-dish, thin, squidgy, Roman, Detroit-style, Sicilian, Tokyo – the variations go on and on.The tip of an Elettrica slice will barely droop, and the only reason you need to fold a piece in half is because it’s so damn big. On Thursdays, the restaurant embraces another regional style, New Haven pizza from Connecticut, which is thin, chewy and deeply charred. “Ugly and understated” is how Winson describes it.When the pizza comes out, you might think, ‘Us? Finish this? Impossible.’ And then there’s only one piece left and it seems cruel to leave it.The space exudes its own local style: Australian suburbia. The bar is framed by stock-standard 4 x 4 blocks of timber painted to look like a pair of elegant Roman columns. Wedged into a corner are two shelves displaying spirits and liqueurs, like a home bar that a house-proud dad would show to every guest. A disco light throws patterns across the orange ceiling, and the word BEVERAGINOS signposts the drinks fridge.Wines range from lightly chilled crunchy reds to silly and fizzy pet-nats and big dry chianti. The list’s tasting notes are chatty and direct – “so good” or “pizza wine personified” – and staff are just as warm, keeping an eye on tables without ever looking stressed or rushed.Obsession is the number one job requirement of a pizzaiolo. They cook partly with science, partly with intuition, constantly adapting their methods to the weather, the water, the flour that day. The person who blends two kinds of tomato for his ideal sauce, who thinks about what size to cut the toppings for more enjoyment (bite-maxxing?), who spent four years refining his skills at home before this venture: that’s what you can taste when you bite into a slice at Elettrica.The low-down Atmosphere: Kitschy 1980s suburban palace Go-to dishes: Peppi ($35), Margy ($33), Light & Tangy ($32), New Haven tomato pie ($26, Thursdays only) Drinks: Easy-drinking wines from small producers, Italian cocktails and aperitifs, craft beers Cost: About $95 for two, excluding drinks This review was originally published in Good Weekend magazine.Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.From our partners