Alta Trattoria

Alta Trattoria is based on the humble and intimate trattorias in Piedmont, Italy – where the menus are simple and the wine is abundant. Restaurateur Carlo Grossi (Ombra, Grossi Florentino) and sommelier James Tait (King and Godfree) opened the trattoria in 2023, crediting their frequent trips to Piedmont and love for its barolo wine.

The food is faithful to the trattoria vibe, heroing classically made seasonal dishes from the region. You might go for vitello tonnato with fried capers, or its take on steak tartare served with egg yolk and lingue di suocera (mother-in-law’s tongues), a crispy flatbread with olive oil and rosemary. There are also the region’s two main types of pasta: tajarin (long ribbon tagliolini) which might be served in a rabbit ragu, and ravioli del plin (tiny, pinched ravioli), which might come with sugo d’arrosto, a simple sauce prepared with the drippings and juices from a roast.

The wine list has a strong Piedmont focus and also features drops from Tait’s favourite Italian, French and Australian producers. For beers, Alta is keeping it local with Molly Rose and Hop Nation on tap.

Just off Brunswick Street, the venue – previously home to Little Odessa – has dark wood, forest green features and cream walls offset by a Marian Drew still life memento mori. There's also a large and riotously colourful abstract by Catherine Clayton-Smith, plus interior olive trees and a rosemary bush at the door.