The Best Italian Restaurants in Sydney
Sydney’s Italian dining scene is one of the country’s strongest. We’ve got waves of post-war migration to thank for that, along with a coastal advantage that gives us incredible seafood and ocean vistas that – if you squint hard enough – give more than a little Amalfi coast energy. Where to find the city’s best pizza, pasta and vino are longer conversations, but our favourite Italian joints live right here.
Restaurant
Fratelli Paradiso
Whether you’re stopping in for that iconic lasagnette bolognaise or just a snack, Frat Paz nails it every time. Its groundbreaking wine list introduced the city to many minimal-intervention styles we're now obsessed with.
Restaurant
Pellegrino 2000
At this garage-style trattoria from the team behind Bistrot 916, you can disappear into delicate prawn ravioli, a list of mainly Italian vino and a lively soundtrack spanning afrobeat and Italian pop. The seats on the footpath are, ironically, some of the best in the house.
Restaurant
Vin-Cenzo's
This friendly neighbourhood Italian restaurant occupies the space that once housed the beloved Bar Vincent. But if anyone can fill those impossibly large shoes, it’s the owners of Bessie’s and Bar Copains.
Restaurant
Grill Americano Sydney
A sprawling Venetian grill with enough beef and marble to sink a ship. Polished service and a lengthy menu of surf, turf and hand-made pasta add sizzle to the city’s steakhouse scene.
Restaurant
Flaminia
The sibling venue to northern beaches institution Pilu delivers tastes of the Italian coastline, with harbour views and a dedicated crudo bar.
Restaurant
Postino Osteria
A heritage former post office is now home to a casual neighbourhood Italian joint by the Ormeggio team. Come for a spritz and a plate of Milanese meatballs, stay for handmade pastas up there with the best in the inner west.
Restaurant
Neptune’s Grotto
The Pellegrino 2000 team’s underground pasta cave is a love letter to northern Italy. It’s where you can lose track of time over a bottle of Barolo and a plate of handmade pasta, in one of Sydney’s vibiest dining rooms.
Restaurant
Palazzo Salato
The team behind Ragazzi have taken cues from their favourite Roman trattorias and New York's Gramercy Tavern to create their dream Italian joint – with a walk-in bar area and a beautiful art-filled dining room spanning 120 seats. Slide into a velvet-and-leather booth for a plate for lovingly made pastas, and a choice of 600 wines from Italy and beyond.
Restaurant
Cicerone Cucina Romana
The best of the eternal city inspires this graffiti-covered pasta cave. Enter for classic Roman pastas including carbonara and cacio e pepe. Plus, blistered slabs of Roman pizza recognised by a prestigious Italian food authority.
Restaurant
Pilu at Freshwater
Masquerading as a beach house, Pilu does Sardinian-inspired fare including pasta shapes unique to the Italian region. It’s a place of long lunches and refined dinners, with sea views that can’t be beaten on a cracking Sydney day.
Restaurant
Paski Vineria Popolare
A bar and bottle shop styled after the enotecas of Italy. And a colourful upstairs restaurant with pasta and panache. Paski is a three-part stunner by wine importers Giorgio de Maria and Mattia Dicati, and chef Enrico Tomelleri.
Restaurant
Fontana
A visit to Fontana is like taking a Mediterranean holiday. The menu is a love letter to regional Italian dishes, backed up by a thoughtful curation of natural wines and aperitivo. To find it, ascend the classic red-carpeted staircase between a Mexican diner and a kebab shop.
Restaurant
Fior
This family-friendly, group-ready 120-seater from the Arthur and Jane team has antipasti aplenty. Plus, house-made pastas and a roaming cart scooping gelato tableside.
Restaurant
Bar Infinita
Go to infinita and beyond at this north shore hotspot, which is serving up good wine, steaks and house-made pasta. Just don’t expect any slices from that woodfire pizza oven.
Restaurant
Lana
The centrepiece of Circular Quay’s Hinchcliff House is an ambitious Italian diner that incorporates native ingredients and broad influences from the Asian continent.
Restaurant
Busta
Whether you visit this lively Italian spot for lunch or dinner, you can be sure the pasta has been handmade fresh that morning. Pair your plates with a drop from the healthy selection of natural vino courtesy of Winona around the corner.
Restaurant
Cibaria
With dedicated kitchens spanning spaghetteria, bisteccheria, friggitoria and more, the piazza-style spot balances breezy as-you-wish dining with a flash fit-out. Start with woodfired pizzettas before moving onto pasta and gelato.
Restaurant
A’Mare
For the theatre of a Michelin-starred meal without the stiffness, look no further than Alessandro Pavoni’s elegant Italian diner. Come for Genovese pesto pounded tableside, a roving gelato cart and sparkling harbour views.
Bar
10 William St
Set over two storeys in an iconic Paddington terrace, Sydney’s most experimental wine bar has Italian swagger in spades. Come for pastas that are anything but traditional, and a pretzel with whipped bottarga that’s so spectacular it’s never left the menu.
Restaurant
Ormeggio at The Spit
There’s nowhere else quite like chef-restaurateur Alessandro Pavoni’s waterside institution. While the trifecta of seafood, crisp Italian wines and house-made gelato mostly succeeds in capturing the essence of a coastal Italian diner, those Middle Harbour views from Ormeggio’s breezy dining room make for a quintessential Sydney experience.
Restaurant
Bastardo Surry Hills
The Porteno group’s Holt Street eatery pays tribute to the group’s seminal venue Bodega (which used to be right around the corner) of the early noughties, combined with a ’60s-era Italian trattoria. Pull up for vibrant antipasti, seasonal house-made pastas and a knockout drinks list.
Restaurant
Matteo
The spiritual successor to its former tenant, Limoncello. The southern Italian vibe here has been nailed, which is no surprise given the hospitality guns running the show. But it’s all about the pizza – perfectly light, elastic dough that won’t leave you bloated and lethargic.
Restaurant
Kindred
A tiny neighbourhood restaurant that feels like an Italian family’s living room. In the kitchen, a former A Tavola chef is hand-rolling pastas, churning butter and making gelato in a tiny kitchen that punches well above its weight. It’s all accompanied by a crowd-pleasing mix of Italian and Australian wines.
Restaurant
Civico 47
In the former home of Paddington institution Lucio’s, this homey diner carries on its predecessor’s legacy with classic Italian dishes, non-traditional pastas and a selection of mainly Italian wines.
Restaurant
Restaurant Leo
This laneway eatery is a collaboration by top Sydney chefs Federico Zanellato (Lumi Dining) and Karl Firla (ex-Oscillate Wildly). While they’re both renowned for innovative fine-dining concepts, Leo is their ode to rustic Italian cuisine.
Restaurant
Beppi’s
This is the godfather of Italian dining in Sydney, ticking since 1956. Immortal dishes include clams and mussels with garlic, olive oil, white vino and tomato; and zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta, basil and mushrooms.
Restaurant
Machiavelli
Part of the pantheon of Sydney’s Italian joints and the attention to detail and fresh produce is just as sharp now as it was back in 1988 (fish is still delivered twice-daily and the pastas are all house-made). CEOs and prime ministers past and present aren’t just framed on the walls – you might just catch them dining here, too.
Restaurant
Buon Ricordo
The old-school Italian with the iconic green door has been kicking hard since 1987 with honest Napoli-style fare including hand-made pastas, fish and beautifully prepared meat courses. The tablecloths are white, the upholstery is floral and the service is pitch-perfect.
Restaurant
Da Orazio
At this pretty corner spot just back from Bondi Beach, one of the city’s best Italian chefs is serving perfectly puffy woodfired pizzas and a Sydney-famous porchetta roll. Plus pastas, carafes of wine and tiramisu.
Restaurant
Bella Brutta
Not quite Neapolitan, not quite New Yorker – the pizza at Bella Brutta is a style all of its own. Expect a puffy, blistered crust, a sag-proof base and a raft of creative toppings (a slice of the white clam pie with fermented chilli is a must). From the teams behind LP’s Quality Meats and Porteno.
Restaurant
Osteria di Russo & Russo
It’s styled after an old-school trattoria, but this enduring eatery serves thoroughly modern interpretations of Italian cuisine – often with native produce. And though the wine list reveres the classics from Piedmont and Tuscany, Australian producers are given equal weighting here.
Restaurant
Otto Ristorante
Otto has been celebrating la dolce vita for more than 20 years. Also, seasonal produce in the form of modern Italian dishes – best enjoyed from the seats that spill out onto the wharf overlooking the sparkling harbour.
Restaurant
Il Baretto
One of the city’s Italian stalwarts, Il Baretto made the move from Surry hills to the Paddo Inn a few years back. Otherwise, it’s barely changed since 1999. The generous bowls of beef-cheek-ragu pappardelle are still here, along with the same convivial family feel.
Restaurant
Sagra
Sagra is one of Darlo's quiet achievers. The dining room is laid-back, the menu wallet-friendly and there's something here for just about everyone. The tight pasta selection is particularly worth your time, as is the sharp curation of Italian vino.
Restaurant
Antica
This Italian eatery, from the brains behind Entrata, oozes old-world charm. Dishes take a luxe twist on tradition: Twirl buttery linguine with a half-lobster that's been simmering in saffron, or try the squid ink spaghetti with 'nduja.
Restaurant
Passeggiata
Years living and working in Italy, and a dedication to local produce, have inspired the menu at this bright Italian joint by former Sagra owner Nigel Ward. Come for house-made limoncello, ricotta ravioli and pappardelle with braised lamb.
Restaurant
Osteria Mucca
The grill is king at the Continental Deli team's Italian stallion. Inside a revamped butcher’s shop, take on nose-to-tail dishes and a wine list stacked with heavy-hitters from The Boot.
