Italian

REVIEW Consistent – no word sums up better the appeal of Beccofino’s blend of easy elegance, attention to detail and ability to deliver pizze, primi and secondi as good as the night, month or year before. Cheeky young waiters are attentive, alert to co-owner Paolo Biscaro’s commands. He runs the floor most nights and his […]

REVIEW This contemporary riverside venue sits on the first floor of a repurposed power station turned performance hub, and delivers much more than its nominal bar status might imply. Sure, there’s ample appeal for drinkers – the bar area floods with theatregoers at interval time and a clipped, aptly Italian-leaning wine list consistently engages. But […]

Neil Perry’s osteria is a welcome addition to Sydney dining, delivering straight-up Italian food with plenty of sophistication.

Beechworth local Project Forty Nine brings a slice of Italy seasoned with regional Victoria to Collingwood, writes Michael Harden.

Pino’s Vino e Cucina delivers on robust Italian flavours and a cracking drinks list with the dial set firmly to good times.

Alessandro Pavoni’s northern beaches trattoria rolls out thoughtful dishes, a summery vibe and the best garlic bread in town.

REVIEW Sardinian warmth meets assured technique and an Italian-leaning wine list in this cosy South Yarra dining room. Pietro Porcu may not be in the kitchen full-time these days, but his mark is still on every meal. His farm at Yarck informs much of the menu, showcasing sweet Dorper lamb, suckling pig and kid goat. […]

REVIEW There’s romance aplenty in the Old-World grandeur of gilt-edged mirrors and stained-glass windows, and the genial Italian-accented waitstaff. Traditional Roman dishes are given a modern flourish, whether it’s lightly battered zucchini flowers yielding anchovy dotted mozzarella or saltimbocca alla Romana, elegant as it gets, the veal edged with fine prosciutto and scattered with fried […]

REVIEW Ever wondered why friends who live in Bondi never leave? A few slices of pizza from Da Orazio might help you understand their predicament – fewer than three years after opening, it has locked itself in as one of Sydney’s top pizza joints, and probably the fanciest, too, the grey-and-white industrial fit-out attracting a […]

REVIEW If you want to start a fight with an Italian, strike up a conversation about spaghetti Bolognese. At this charming laneway trattoria, scores can be settled over a bowl of tagliatelle ragù – the hand-cut pasta ribbons in a lusty pork and beef sauce leave no room for debate. Not that you’ll want to […]

REVIEW There is no shame in popping into The Dolphin Hotel for a postwork snack and a glass of wine at the bar to help you wind down. Pizze champion the toppings without crowding them, and boast a 48-hour ferment on the dough. Or you could sneak into the wine room, which takes influence from […]

REVIEW Like the love-child of a Hamptons beach house and a Cotswolds garden manor, Bells at Killcare offers the kind of setting that demands long lunches and languorous dining experiences. A sprawling veranda and an interior of cream and blue with lots of timber frame expansive views across Bells’ manicured lawns and gardens. In true […]

REVIEW Like Mario Testino working with Kate Moss, a certain magic happens when Stefano Manfredi meets flour and water. Hand-rolled pasta, be it trad ravioli (bouncy with burrata and basil) or experimental maccheroncini (earthy from kamut flour and salty with ricotta salata), is consistently excellent, and comforting (eyes on you, veal ragù). Yamba prawns, smoky […]

REVIEW Every neighbourhood needs a place like One Ford Street. Not too fancy, not too plain, it’s as welcoming and comfortable as a friend’s kitchen with an easy-to-love menu and a wine list with depth and surprises. In an annexe behind the Cricketers Arms Hotel, in an indoor-outdoor room with pickles on the shelves and […]

REVIEW It’s a Fitzroy dining landmark, but Ladro still pushes a welcome combination of tradition and surprise. A pancetta and pear bruschetta is an inspired entrée, polenta chips with Gorgonzola sauce hit all the right spots and precision-charred Black Angus scotch fillet with horseradish and  Volcanic salt is even better with triple-cooked potatoes. But Ladro’s […]

Grossi Florentino Grill bids arrivederci to tablecloths while turning up the heat on its authentic Italian cuisine, writes Michael Harden.

REVIEW The name may sound a little pretentious, yet this buzzy venue is anything but. A merging of the Cavalier Supper Club and Justin Lane has created a rambling, eclectic space, which includes a hip rooftop bar offering ocean glimpses, savvy bartenders and mist sprays to keep things super-chilled in summer. It delivers on many […]

REVIEW Warning: visiting Julius may prove highly addictive. It’s not just the team’s crisp-based, wood-fired pizze, which always emerge from the wood-fired oven all puffy-edged and nicely charry. It’s also the flirty drinks list – the snappy yet smiling service – and the theatre of Italian dining in a space that skips clichés in favour […]

REVIEW The namesake humble concrete brick favoured by Italian-Australians building their suburban dreams in the ’70s is a trigger for long lost memories at this friendly eatery: of backyard gatherings, family meals, the comfort of home. They’re good memories, and the sense of fun is evident in a floor painted lawn-green, the retro plastic chairs, […]

The home of balsamic vinegar, lambrusco and the Ferrari is the focus of Emilia, where the Modenese cooking is the real deal, writes Michael Harden.