Coming Soon: Mortadeli’s New Pasta Bar Will Bring ’70s Roman Style (and a Top Chef) to Torquay

Mortadeli occupies two shopfronts on either side of what owner Jake Cassar calls a “piazza”, just off Gilbert Street in Torquay. One is a stellar sandwich cafe. The other is a deli and grocer with modern Mediterranean Wholesalers vibes. But both feel like a trip back in time, with meticulously retro (but on-trend) style.

As of recently, the deli and grocer have closed temporarily – with a small selection still for sale in the cafe – while Cassar transforms part of the space into a laid-back pasta bar.

Due to open next month (pending liquor licence), it was always part of the Mortadeli master plan, but a recent trip to Rome really dialled up the inspiration for Cassar – in particular, a spot called Roscioli.

“You’re dining inside a deli with salami hanging above your head and your table pushed up against the cabinet,” he says. “It was just such a vibe! That’s really what I’m going for here … And I feel like Torquay’s crying out for something like this.”

Running the show alongside him will be powerhouse husband-and-wife duo Glenn Laurie and Lolo Hanser. It’s a good get for Cassar: the chef and front-of-house whiz, respectively, worked at London’s famous River Cafe. They come to Mortadeli after a few years at La Cantina , the Mulberry Group’s rustic Italian restaurant at Freshwater Creek’s Common Ground Project , a social enterprise and regenerative farm.

Every day, pasta will be made fresh, by hand and in full view of diners. The menu will be centred around the usual Roman suspects (cacio e pepe, amatriciana), plus seasonally driven specials. The offering will also be heavy on the antipasti, all sliced to order in the adjoining deli. And, Cassar stresses, it’ll be a casual affair: pop in for a plate of mortadella and an Americano at aperitivo hour, or stay for a full-on pasta feast.

Architect Fowler and Ward will make sure the space shares design DNA with the cafe (there’ll be a big booth and a 15-seat bar), while channelling the old-world trattorias of ’70s Rome. “Essentially,” Cassar says, “I want it to look like it’s been here a while.”

Mortadeli’s pasta bar is due to open at Shop 8 4-6 Gilbert Street, Torquay in mid-July.

@morta.deli