First Look: Sugo Pasta Bar Adds More of the My Mother’s Cousin Special Sauce to Bexley North

An older and much wiser person once told me – a young suburbanite with a chip on his shoulder about not living closer to “the action” – to change my tune about the place I grew up in. “The suburbs,” they told me, “is where people get ahead.”

And wow, look how far Sal Senan and siblings Amani and Hussein Rachid have come. The trio behind Bexley North pizza joint My Mother’s Cousin have just opened Sugo Pasta Bar, their third nostalgic venue in the suburb. It’s also their sixth in total – once again in a postcode outside the reach of the big hospitality groups they’re gunning for.

When Broadsheet spoke to the team back in 2024, the ethos then was the same as it is now: to “give something back to the area we grew up in.” Except today, “real estate agents are dropping our name when they’re selling property in Bexley North,” laughs Hussein.

Sugo – Italian for sauce, of course – is proudly “for the neighbourhood, by the neighbours”. And locals have been knocking like Tony Soprano on Janice’s door. “When we tell people we’re doing Italian-American with big fresh pastas, the response is always, ‘Say no more’,” says Senan. “It’s everyone’s favourite.”

Sitting pretty between a Woolies and a pub, Sugo looks swish but approachable. Amani led the fit-out, with all the hallmarks of a red-sauce Italian diner. Moody lighting creates a golden glow that washes over a car park filled with SUVs and the odd Mercedes Benz. It’s also cosy, with around 25 seats inside and 35 al fresco shared with Snack Shoppe next door.

The pasta menu has 10 substantial options including prawn linguine and napoletana lumache.  Plus two baked options, including conchiglie with beef ragu and bechamel, in place of lasagne. All shapes – from wide ribbons of pappardelle to shells of conchiglie – are handmade daily.

To all of these, one can add sides of Calabrian chilli, stracciatella or even a golden tranche of fried chook. The latter makes up the “larger classics” section of the menu, served with golden fries and classic toppings – like a parmie with fresh mozzarella and Reggiano.

Of the snacks, the southern-Italian-inspired smoked mozzarella in carrozza – with its god-tier cheese pull and bed of red sauce – is not to be missed. Nor is the wedge salad showered in pangrattato. Desserts include a seasonal sorbet, choc hazelnut sundae and baked cheesecake with banana cream.

Takeaway is coming, but the team won’t start until the dine-in experience is locked. “We don’t want to compromise on quality,” says Senan.

Like all the team’s venues, Sugo doesn’t serve booze, not even in the house “nodka” sauce – smeared over cutlets and baked with tubes of rigatoni. They want to create family-friendly spaces. “We like to fit in the middle,” says Senan. “It’s not a fast-food joint. It’s not a high-end restaurant. It’s just a place where everyone’s welcome.”

“Come in on a nice date or just wearing your flip-flops,” adds Hussein. “We’re going to serve you.”

Sugo Pasta Bar
Shop 3, 8–20 Sarsfield Circuit, Bexley North

Hours:
Tue to Fri 5pm–10pm
Sat 4.30pm–10pm
Sun 4.30pm–9pm

@sugopastabar