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10/10/2026
From The Icehouse in 2012 to this moment in 2026. Fourteen years of learning, taking risks and building something I believe in.
Today, I stand at the new Dante’s by Enis Baçova in Ponsonby Central as a proud, award-winning business owner. Behind that pride are countless late nights, tough decisions and a commitment to my craft that has never faded.
Beside me is Andy Hamilton—my longtime friend and business mentor, who has been part of this journey since those early days.
Andy, thank you for your guidance, your honest advice and your friendship. Having you here to share this chapter means a great deal to me.
To our team, our customers and everyone who has backed us along the way: this moment belongs to you, too.
A new chapter for Ponsonby Central. A new chapter for Dante’s. And the same fire that got me started fourteen years ago. 🔥🍕
📍Dante’s by Enis Baçova — Ponsonby Central
30/09/2026
HIGH HYDRATION?
THAT’S MY PLAYGROUND. 💧🔥
People love talking about hydration percentages.
I prefer making the dough.
Push enough water into flour and suddenly there’s nowhere to hide. Your fermentation has to be right. Your temperatures have to be right. Your hands have to know exactly what they’re doing.
Mine do.
I’ve spent years pushing hydration higher, chasing that beautiful contradiction:
CRISPY. AIRY. LIGHT. FULL OF FLAVOUR.
At Dante’s, I take that obsession into Neapolitan pizza.
At Mulleti, I take it somewhere else entirely: Pizza Romana with a serious crunch underneath and an open, cloud-like structure inside.
Two styles.
Two ovens.
One dough obsession.
You don’t have to believe me.
COME AND EAT THE PROOF. 🍕🔥
📍 Dante’s by Enis Baçova
📍 Mulleti — Nonna’s Kitchen & Spritz
22/09/2026
🔥 PONSONBY, WE’RE OPEN. 🔥
And from now on, Dante’s by Enis Baçova Ponsonby is OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK.
🍕 LUNCH & DINNER. EVERY DAY.
That means YES, WE’RE OPEN TODAY. 🇮🇹
The ovens are hot.
The dough is ready.
The w**e is pouring.
And Dante’s Ponsonby is back doing what we love.
7 DAYS. LUNCH + DINNER.
📍 Dante’s by Enis Baçova
Ponsonby Central
See you today. 💙🍕
16/09/2026
NAPOLI 🇮🇹🍕❤️
Some moments belong to more than one person.
This year I couldn’t be in Napoli with the 50 Top Pizza family. Life had me exactly where I needed to be, back in Auckland, opening Mulleti and preparing to bring Dante’s Ponsonby back to life.
So seeing Michele De Luca standing there representing me and Dante’s means more than I can put into a few words.
Michele, thank you.
Thank you for carrying our name to Napoli. Thank you for standing there on my behalf, and for being part of this journey. This recognition belongs to everyone who has put their hands, heart and hours into Dante’s.
To be recognised once again by 50 Top Pizza, and to remain part of this extraordinary international pizza community, is something I will never take for granted.
Pizza has given me friendships, lessons, bruises, opportunities, sleepless nights and some unforgettable moments. Most importantly, it has given me a community that stretches far beyond the walls of any one restaurant.
And while this photo was being taken in Napoli, another chapter was being written back home.
Mulleti was born. 🇮🇹
And Dante’s Ponsonby is being reinvented. 🔥
For that, I also want to thank the entire Ponsonby Central team. Their belief, patience and support have given us the opportunity not only to create something completely new with Mulleti, but to rethink Dante’s and build its next chapter in the place we call home.
I’m proud of where we’ve been.
I’m grateful for where we are.
And I’m hungry for what comes next.
Grazie Michele. Grazie 50 Top Pizza. Grazie Ponsonby Central.
Napoli to Ponsonby.
The story continues. ❤️🔥🍕
15/09/2026
FIVE YEARS. STILL HERE. STILL FIGHTING. 🇳🇿🍕🔥
2022 → 9 Asia-Pacific / 65 World
2023 → 7 Asia-Pacific / 47 World
2024 → 6 Asia-Pacific / 46 World
2025 → 7 Asia-Pacific / 49 World
2026 → 13 Asia-Pacific / 77 World
I’m not going to pretend that dropping from 46 to 49 and now 77 in the World doesn’t hurt.
It does.
I’m competitive. I always have been. I want Dante’s climbing, not falling.
But then I look at the bigger picture.
For five consecutive years, a little pizzeria from Auckland, New Zealand has stood amongst some of the greatest pizzerias on the planet.
Along the way we’ve been recognised for Innovation & Sustainability, Best Fried Food, Top Pizzeria in New Zealand, and this year the Made in Italy 2026, Salumi Coati Award.
And today, at 77 in the World and 13 in Asia-Pacific, Dante’s remains the highest-ranked pizzeria in New Zealand. 🇳🇿
That I am incredibly proud of.
A massive thank you to 50 Top Pizza and its inspectors for recognising our work year after year. Being part of this family of incredible pizzaioli and restaurants around the world is something I will never take for granted.
A very special thank you to Michele De Luca, who was there representing Dante’s and accepting this recognition when I couldn’t be.
Grazie Michele. You stood there for all of us. ❤️🇮🇹
And why wasn’t I there?
Because I’m in Auckland doing something that means just as much to me.
I’m rebuilding Dante’s Ponsonby.
The place where so much of this story was written is getting ready to REOPEN. 🔥
New Dante’s.
New energy.
New chapter.
But the same hands.
The same fire.
The same obsession with the impasto.
So yes, today we are 77.
I respect the number.
I accept the number.
But I’m not settling for the number.
Thank you to my team, my family, our suppliers and every single person who has eaten at Dante’s, supported us, criticised us, pushed us and believed in what we do.
Five years among the best.
Still 1 in New Zealand.
And Dante’s Ponsonby is coming back. 🇳🇿🔥
The countdown has started.
Back to the impasto. We have work to do. 🍕
12/09/2026
🇮🇹 THE COUNTDOWN HAS STARTED.
This plate means more than a recognition.
It carries Napoli. Tradition. Craft. Responsibility. Belonging.
And the recognition of the Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani for Dante’s Pizzeria Napoletana di Ponsonby.
But right now, it means something else.
We’re coming back.
After weeks behind closed doors, dust, demolition, rebuilding, arguing over millimetres, moving ovens, chasing details and refusing to compromise on what Dante’s should be…
🔥 THE COUNTDOWN TO THE REOPENING OF DANTE’S PONSONBY HAS OFFICIALLY STARTED.
This isn’t simply reopening a restaurant.
We are reopening the place where so much of our story was written.
A place built around dough, fire, Napoli and the belief that pizza deserves the same respect as any great cuisine.
The doors have been closed.
The fire never went out.
Ponsonby, get ready.
DANTE’S IS COMING HOME. 🇮🇹🔥🍕
And this next chapter will be our strongest yet.
See you all very, very soon.
12/09/2026
THE IMPASTO ALWAYS SPEAKS. 🇮🇹🍕
After all these years, I still sit down next to the dough.
Not because I don’t know what I’m doing.
Because the moment you think you know more than the impasto, you’ve already stopped learning.
You stay humble.
You watch it.
You touch it.
You listen to it.
You smell it.
The sound when your hands work through it.
The way the surface changes.
The smell of fermentation telling you where it is.
The tension. The softness. The air inside.
A recipe gives you numbers.
The impasto gives you answers.
Temperature changes. Flour changes. Humidity changes. Fermentation has its own clock. So sometimes the best thing a pizzaiolo can do is stop, sit beside it, and pay attention.
I’ve spent a lifetime making pizza, and I’m still a student of dough.
Because you don’t command the impasto.
You follow it.
And when it’s ready…
you know. 🇮🇹🔥
11/09/2026
WE’RE HIRING AT DANTE’S PONSONBY 🇮🇹🔥
We’re growing, and we need experienced people to join the Dante’s family.
We’re looking for:
🍽️ Front of House
🍸 Bartenders
👨🍳 Chef de Partie (CDP)
🍕 Pizza Chefs
If you’re experienced, passionate about hospitality, love working in a fast-paced environment and want to be part of the next chapter of Dante’s Ponsonby, we want to hear from you.
🔥 IMMEDIATE START
Applicants must be eligible to work in New Zealand. 🇳🇿
APPLY NOW
📍 Apply in store at Dante’s Ponsonby
📩 [email protected]
Know someone who should be part of the team? Tag them below, share this post or send it directly to them.
Pizza. People. Passion. Dante’s. 🇮🇹🍕🔥
Address
Multiple Locations: Ponsonby, Takapuna & Mission Bay
Auckland
For Takapuna: The pizza place and Italian restaurant is located near the intersection of Lake Road and Hurstmere Road. If taking public transport, take the bus to Takapuna Bus Station and walk north towards Hurstmere Road. If driving, there is street parking available on Hurstmere Road or nearby off-street parking options.
For Mission Bay: The pizza place and Italian restaurant is located near the intersection of Tamaki Drive and Patteson Avenue. If taking public transport, take the bus to Tamaki Drive/Patteson Avenue stop and walk south towards Tamaki Drive. If driving, there is street parking available on Patteson Avenue or nearby off-street parking options.
Opening Hours
| Monday |
12pm - 3pm |
|
5pm - 9pm |
| Tuesday |
12pm - 3pm |
|
5pm - 9pm |
| Wednesday |
12pm - 3pm |
|
5pm - 9pm |
| Thursday |
12pm - 3pm |
|
5pm - 9pm |
| Friday |
12pm - 3pm |
|
5pm - 9pm |
| Saturday |
12pm - 3pm |
|
5pm - 9pm |
| Sunday |
12pm - 3pm |
|
5pm - 9pm |
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What people say
Dante's NZ is a must-visit for pizza lovers in Auckland. This Italian restaurant and pizza place has been recognized and accredited by L'ASSOCIAZIONE VERA PIZZA NAPOLETANA, making it the first pizzeria in New Zealand to receive this honor. The quality of their pizzas is evident in every bite, with hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes from Napoli, fresh Bufala Mozzarella from Napoli, and Caputo Nuvola Super from Napoli used to create their sourdough pizza base.
Their Eastridge Burrata pizza is a flavor explosion in every bite, with tangy tomato sauce, sweet red and yellow daterini, fresh basil leaves, and creamy burrata cheese on top of a crunchy-spongy crust. And if you're looking to join the team behind these delicious pizzas, Dante's Pizzeria Napoletana is currently hiring experienced and passionate kitchen staff for their three Auckland locations: Ponsonby Central, Takapuna, and Eastridge.
Don't miss out on the opportunity to experience the savory goodness of Dante's NZ for yourself. Visit one of their locations today and indulge in a slice of heaven.
