Image Credit: gambero rosso
A tiny Adelaide Hills pizzeria has been recognised on the world stage, with That’s Enrico in Lobethal named among the winners in Gambero Rosso’s 2026 Top Italian Restaurant Awards.
The awards were announced following Gambero Rosso’s Top Italian Wines Roadshow in Australia this month, which brought together more than 450 industry guests, including wine trade, hospitality and media representatives. The day of tasting, networking and celebration culminated in the Top Italian Restaurant Awards, recognising Australian venues championing Italian food, wine and hospitality.
Among this year’s record 26 recognised venues, including 10 new entries, That’s Enrico was awarded Tre Spicchi, or three slices. It is the highest ranking given to pizzerias in Gambero Rosso’s international guide, placing the Lobethal venue among the standout Italian dining destinations in Australia.
For South Australia, the recognition is a huge win for the Adelaide Hills and another sign of the state’s growing reputation for exceptional regional dining.
Gambero Rosso’s international Pizzerie d’Italia guide has branded itself as a “compass for Italian flavour”, claiming its searches for “quality and freshness of ingredients, respect for cooking single ingredients, cleanliness of flavours, apt combinations, and an exquisitely Italian creativity”.
That’s Enrico Head Chef Enrico Sgarbossa, shared what it means to him to receive the award.
“It’s the highest rank of achievement… one of the biggest compliments on what you’re doing. Especially if you are Italian and you know the food guide, you know how much value it has.”
Originally receiving the award while running a restaurant in Sydney, Enrico says the recognition carries even more meaning this time around.
“I was one of the few having Three Slices back then, and I kept it for three years.
“Then COVID hit and they didn’t come back internationally until this year, and this year we were awarded again.
“It means that what I’m doing is being appreciated, and it keeps moving forward to give something good to people.”
What makes this win even more special is that the majority of the ingredients used at That’s Enrico are sourced locally from South Australia.
Images via That’s Enrico
When asked how South Australian ingredients compare to the Italian produce he grew up working with, his answer made us incredibly proud, but not at all surprised. Any South Aussie would agree that our local produce is world-class.
“The flour is Australian, the cheese is Australian, the salami is South Australian,” he said.
“The quality of the ingredients we have in South Australia and Australia are really lifting the game now.
“To win an Italian food guide with Australian produce is something that means a lot to me, even more, to be honest.”
Enrico isn’t just proud of the outstanding quality of SA ingredients, but of his small, local-focused Hills location as well.
“To be honest, I much prefer having a restaurant in Lobethal, it resonates more with where I come from, a little town in Italy.
“It’s much more cosy, you get to connect with people.
“It’s like a home-style restaurant where people come into my space, I really enjoy having a restaurant here more than in the CBD.”
Over the years, Enrico has developed into what you could call a bit of a pizza connoisseur, collecting several awards throughout his career, including Best Pizza in Europe in 2014 and multiple Three Slices titles between 2017 and 2020.
More recently, what he describes as his “most cherished feat”, the Slow Food South Australia award, showing he’s not just concerned with making the best pizza for people, but for the planet as well.
Perhaps one of his proudest innovations is his “Zero-Waste Bread”, described by the pizzeria as a “revolution in the way we think about food waste”.
“The bread is made using leftover pizza dough, water, flour, and yeast, proving that reducing waste can be both simple and delicious.
“Whether you’re looking for an ethical culinary option or just love great-tasting bread, the Zero-Waste Bread offers the best of both worlds,” shares the pizzeria.
Enrico explained that the inspiration came from the unfortunate amount of food waste he constantly witnessed in kitchens.
“Every time I saw perfectly good dough being thrown away, it struck me how wasteful the process was.
“I knew there had to be a way to repurpose it, and that’s how Zero-Waste Bread was born.”
When asked how he operates the restaurant day-to-day with sustainability in mind, his answer gave us hope for the future of sustainable slow food in South Australia.
“We have a young team of people with us, and we pass on the philosophy of recycling and never wasting food if it’s not necessary,” Enrico said.
“We give all the food scraps to farms that can use it for the soil.
“Quality food should never be wasted.
“If we can twist scraps of vegetables into something else, that means a lot.
“It’s respect first for the people who grow the food with patience and hard work, and second, respect for the food itself.”
Images via That’s Enrico
For those who haven’t yet ventured to Lobethal to have a taste of this world-class pizza, take this as your sign.
Here’s what Enrico recommends for first timers.
“The double baked is something unique that I created and brought to Australia. It’s a double-baked sourdough base with multigrain.
“We bake it twice — seven minutes first, then another seven minutes in the oven.
“On top there is fresh stracciatella, tomato and Italian prosciutto.
“The dough itself is something quite unique. Definitely I recommend the double baked pizza for the first experience at Thats Enrico.”
That’s Enrico
Where: 53 Main St, Lobethal
When: Friday 5pm–9.30pm, Saturday 11.45 am–3 pm and 5 pm–9 pm, Sunday 11.45 am–3 pm.
For more information, click here.
