Vinny's Pizza Pasta Ribs in Waikiwi is Invercargill's home of comfort food done right — cheesy pizzas stacked with your favourite toppings, hearty pasta bowls, and tender ribs, all prepared fresh with quality ingredients. Part of a family brand that began in Tweed Heads in 2010 and opened its first New Zealand store in Invercargill in 2024, the kitchen hand-stretches its pizza bases, makes its sauce homemade, and slow-simmers the sauces behind its pastas.
The menu spans pizza (Meat Lovers and Vinny's Supreme lead the way), best-selling pastas like beef lasagne, carbonara and spaghetti bolognese, BBQ ribs that customers say melt in your mouth, parmigiana, crisply seasoned chips and a well-loved brownie. Everything is made to order, with generous portions that suit everything from a cosy night in to feeding the whole family.
Delivery and takeaway are at the core of the service, with delivery reaching Waikiwi, Gasemere, Prestonville, Gladstone, Lorneville, Wallacetown & Otatara and the rest of Invercargill. Reviewers consistently highlight the friendly local team, the fast service, and thoughtful touches like helping diners who are newly gluten-free navigate the menu. The store opens from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM, seven days a week.
Walk into Vinny's Pizza Pasta Ribs on Ruru Street and you'll find exactly what the name promises: oven-fresh pizzas, hearty bowls of pasta, and ribs that regulars insist melt in your mouth. Tucked into the Waikiwi Shopping Centre in Invercargill, this store is the New Zealand outpost of a family brand that has been feeding neighbourhoods since 2010 — and in its time in Southland it has already become a regular takeaway for many local families.
The Vinny's story began in Tweed Heads, NSW, in 2010 and grew through Queensland — Beenleigh in 2016, Springwood in 2021, then Bundamba and Townsville in 2022 — before crossing the Tasman to open in Invercargill in 2024. Across those years the company has held to three guiding principles it sums up as uncompromising quality, community connection, and consistency and care. In practice that means fresh ingredients, a genuine presence in the neighbourhood, and the same passion going into every order, whether it's a quick weeknight dinner or a spread for a houseful of guests.
That ethos shows in the cooking. Pizza bases are hand-stretched and made fresh every day, the pizza sauce is homemade, and slow-simmered sauces underpin the pasta dishes. Customers repeatedly single out how un-greasy and generously topped the pizzas are, and how the food arrives hot whether it's picked up or delivered.
The menu covers a lot of comfort-food ground. On the pizza side, the Meat Lovers and the Vinny's Supreme are the headline acts, alongside favourites like the chicken, pesto & avocado pizza — one diner called it the best pizza she'd ever had. The pasta lineup includes beef lasagne, carbonara and spaghetti bolognese, all counted among the store's best-sellers. Then there are the ribs: BBQ ribs reviewers describe as melting in your mouth, and a parmigiana one customer ranked alongside the pizza and pasta without being able to fault any of it. Round it out with chips cooked just perfect and crisp, finished with a seasoning locals rave about, and a brownie that earns its own five-star mentions.
Vinny's Invercargill is a delivery and takeaway kitchen at heart, with the option to eat in. Reviews consistently mention the polite, friendly staff and the fast service — including the little touches, like a complimentary dessert for a first-time diner or a patient walk-through of the menu for someone newly gluten-free. The owners get name-checked too, with customers describing them as super friendly.
The store opens from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM, seven days a week. You can order online through the website, via the Vinny's app on Google Play or the App Store, or the old-fashioned way — by phone on 03 215 4555. Delivery covers Waikiwi, Gasemere, Prestonville, Gladstone, Lorneville, Wallacetown & Otatara and the rest of Invercargill. Friday and Saturday nights get busy, so regulars have a trick: order before 5 o'clock and heat the pizza in your own oven later. Planning a larger occasion? Vinny's also offers full-service catering for professional and private events, working around dietary and scheduling requirements — and it's worth keeping an eye out for the Vin-Win offers and deals the brand runs.
Whether it's a cosy night in, a family fix of pizza, or a tray of ribs for a celebration, Vinny's Waikiwi keeps it simple: fresh-made food, generous portions, and service with a smile.