In a relaxed beachside community in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, a pizza rebellion is happening.

Former Bella Brutta head chef Dale Mann decided he didn’t want to make slices a certain way anymore, and craved more freedom when it came to toppings.

So he opened Ribelle (rebellion in Italian), a small, tucked-away pizza shop where he could make and break the rules.

Located in Freshwater, the open shopfront with its bright sunshine-yellow paint job feels right at home in this part of Sydney. Worn timbers and slate tiles create a laidback vibe for dining in, while many locals simply swing by for a takeaway box and head back to the beach.

Owner and pizza provocateur Dale Mann uses his own dough recipe, which is a variation of the one used at Bella Brutta in Sydney’s inner west. “The methodology of how I mix the dough is pretty much the same, but I use different flours,” he explains. The dough is made primarily from an imported Italian flour called Dallagiovanna “It gives me a little more wiggle room with the fermentation” as well as a heritage grain Khorasan flour and fine semolina. “The base is not quite as bready as Napoletana pizza. It’s a little bit New York-inspired and has a bit more crunch. It’s the best of both worlds.”

The pizza menu also features a range of influences. There’s classic Italian toppings like Margherita and melanzane, family favourites like supreme and BBQ meatlovers, plus a few renegade flavours like cheese and hot garlic honey.

There’s also a pizza special every month. If the team is feeling particularly rebellious, you might find a Reuben pizza, topped with 12-hour smoked beef brisket and pink peppercorn sauce or an octopus pizza layered with Dutch cream potatoes and salsa verde.

“We once did a mustard veloute chicken pie pizza. Let’s just say it wasn’t my most successful special,” Mann jokes. “I like to think of a pizza as an open-faced sandwich – you can be as creative as you want.”

There’s nothing particularly revolutionary about the pepperoni pizza – it’s just good pizza. The base is nice and elastic with that signature crunch, topped with sweet tomato sugo, mozzarella and old-school piles of pepperoni salami. It’s a crowd-pleaser and quickly devoured.

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Supreme gets a similar glow-up. Stacks of ham and a cabanossi-like sausage are layered with spicy green chilli and Zuni pickled eschallot. The flavours are similar to the Pizza Hut classic, just a little bit more primo.

“I also wanted to play on people’s nostalgia. Everyone wants meatlovers. Everyone loves pepperoni. I wanted to take the options that we used to have as kids, like Dominos, and make it restaurant quality.”

An XO prawn is an easy choice this close to the beach, the sweet, well-cooked prawns are lightly lifted with fishy, fermented chilli – we add a bit more chilli oil from the table to really boost the flavour.

The menu also includes burrata and a tin of Ortiz anchovies that you can order separately and add to your pizza. Or go rogue, like us, and just eat them on their own.

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