Johnny Gio’s opens in New Farm
The film, which was a hit in Sydney during the pandemic, has now arrived in Brisbane, with big plans for the Queensland capital.
Considering the abundance of food and drink outlets in Brisbane every month, you’d be forgiven for thinking there’s no gap in the market.
But of course this is not true.
Take New Farm. Although this beautiful, idyllic, cashed-up suburb is just over five minutes from the CBD, its food options have tended to be a bit spotty over the years.
You had a few local favorites and destinations – your Gertie’s, Himalayan Cafes, New Farm Delis, and Bar Altos of the world – but other operators came and went, and the scene always seemed to struggle to coalesce into a cohesive whole. This is starting to change.
New Farm Fish Market, Cartel Del Taco and Idle have arrived on the main strip on Merthyr Road, and Andrew and Amelie Gunn are doing some good things at The Policers Mess.
Now comes Johnny Gio. This Sydney import opened on Tuesday in the same Little Lane complex that is home to Idle and recent arrival Luna Gelato. Is there a gap to be addressed here? Hand-stretched, wood-fired Italian pizza.
“There are great pizza places in Brisbane, but not as many as I thought, given how strong the food scene is here,” says owner Jonathan Faro, who opened his first Johnny Gio’s in Bondi in 2019. “And New Farm really made sense. It has such a strong Italian heritage, yet we didn’t see many options for pizza in the area.”
Johnny Gio has a difference; First of all, there is a takeaway service.
“That was always the idea behind the brand: to create a reliable, premium, authentic takeaway pizza chain,” says Faro. “When you think about it, you only see mainstream conveyor pizza chains. There are more unique spots, but they tend to be single-operator.”
So it’s fair to assume there will eventually be a cluster of these places in Brisbane. But first, New Farm.
Occupying a corner tenancy on Little Lane, the store is little more than a striking red-tiled counter, a pizza oven and a few tables out front. The pizza oven is a giant wood-fired Marana Forni number with a rotating plate that allows some stores in Sydney to turn out 400 pizzas a night (the same one at Sasso Italiano at the Gabba).
The pizza menu is a mix of classics like margherita and el diablo, as well as signature toppings like Johnny Vodka (vodka sauce, stuffed mozzarella, crispy pepperoni, and parmesan), Sonny Honey (spicy sopressa, red onion, ricotta, basil, and hot honey) and Burrata Queen (cherry tomatoes, garlic confit, and basil, finished with a hefty burrata filling).
Aside from pizzas, there’s beef ragu lasagna and vodka macaroni and cheese, as well as a variety of side dishes like ricotta meatballs, arugula and parmesan salad, and caprese salad.
For beverages, a selection of sodas, Peroni beer and pre-made Aperol spritzes are available.
“We’re doing really well in Coogee because people come and get pizza and sit on the beach,” Faro says. “It’s the same in New Farm. Get a pizza, sit by the river in New Farm Park, have a spritz, have a beer. That’s what it’s all about.”
Open Mon-Fri 16:00-22:00, Sat-Sun 12:00-22:00
5/84 Merthyr Road, New Farm, (07) 2141 7725
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Matt Shea is Food and Culture Editor at the Brisbane Times. He is a former editor and editor-in-chief at Broadsheet Brisbane and has written for Escape, Qantas Magazine, Guardian, Jetstar Magazine and SilverKris, among others.
