4 Italian Restaurants in Sydney That Will Blow You Away

Sydney is a city with an incredible diversity of fine dining restaurants and cuisine. But amongst the city’s impressive variety, Sydneysiders have long been spoiled for choice with some of the best Italian eateries this side of the Mediterranean.

Whether a local, intimate trattoria or upmarket osteria is on your list of ideal dinner spots, Sydney’s Italian dining scene has got you covered. Read on for a brief list of the best Italian restaurants where you can scarpetta your way back to the motherland of honest food and warm hospitality.

The Best Italian Restaurants in Sydney

Fratelli Paradiso

At first glance, Fratelli Paradiso is an unassuming, hole-in-the-wall amongst the jewels of Potts Point. Darkly lit and with barely any exterior features to speak of, a stranger to the city’s most chic fine-dining district might pass this place over for its showier neighbours.

All the better for the ever-present locals and travelling gourmands in the know. In reality, this understated osteria has been plating up some of Sydney’s most celebrated Italian dishes, artfully blending tradition with vision and soul with service.

This institution of two decades has served a bedrock suite of classics, including mussel tagliatelle, pesce spada and a host of inspired daily specials scrawled messily on the restaurant’s blackboard-walls, to the delight of Sydney’s most discerning diners and local high-flyers alike. With an extensive Italian wine list sorted by shade and region, Fratelli Paradiso has the perfect drop to suit any palette.

Booking is highly recommended, although late-night wanderers can usually score an alfresco table towards the end of the night’s service.

Otto

Otto Ristorante has certainly earned its place in Sydney’s canon of fine dining. Nestled on the premier strip of high-end venues on the Finger Wharf in Woolloomooloo, Otto proudly focuses on classic Italian fare and simple, elegant flavours with a fun, contemporary twist. Think classic beef tartare served in dollops on delightfully crisp crostini or saffron linguine with Australia’s very own Moreton Bay bugs.

One of the elder siblings of the venerated Fink group (of Quay and Bennelong fame), Otto has garnered a reputation and fiercely loyal clientele while remaining fresh and relevant two decades since opening.

Otto has also recently developed a stunning array of animal-free dishes available from its vegan a la carte menu. These spectacular additions certainly don’t skimp on flavour and interpret some of Italy’s most famous dishes in complete plant-based glory.

Otto Ristorante is a highly coveted venue and reservations are highly recommended day and night at. Perfect for the sophisticated date-night as much as the grand family catch-up. Alfresco dining at its finest!

Alberto’s Lounge

What do you get when you combine an inner-city nightclub with an upmarket trattoria? Probably something like Alberto’s Lounge. Door lines, pumping tunes and jostling crowds all set in a boozy, energetic haze. The top-ticket item at the youngest Swillhouse venture certainly is free-wheeling fun.

The inspired menu at Alberto’s lounge fits right into this atmosphere, with small but punchy, full-flavoured dishes that unashamedly encourage a whole lot of indiscreet table-reaching and sauce-swapping.

Intensely flavoured share dishes including the affettati misti (mixed plate of salami, bresaola and pickles) and bigoli in salsa (anchovy, sardine and black pepper) are well complemented by Alberto’s irreverent wine list, which boldly fronts a suite of lesser-known winemakers from all over Italy, as well as some rising stars in Australia’s natural and low-intervention wines market.

The modest size of Alberto’s lounge means that bookings come highly recommended for guests seeking a table-dining experience. Single diners and couples without a booking may have their boldness rewarded with a bar seat towards the end of service times.

The Amalfi Way

A slice of Southern Italy in the heart of Sydney Harbour, The Amalfi Way brings the famed cuisine and warm hospitality of Naples right to our doorstep. The newest member of the esteemed Finger Wharf restaurant promenade, The Amalfi Way lovingly serves classic Southern Italian fare, paying particular homage to the renowned seafood of the Amalfi Coast.

Head chef Luigi Esposito’s simple, elegant menu foregrounds the freshness and quality of its ingredients.

The antipasto list features a range of seafood crudi, perfect for kicking things off, including a delicate kingfish carpaccio and rich yellowfin tuna tartare, or my personal favourite, the fritto misto of calamari, whitebait and prawns. The menu is also well-populated with international favourites including pasta all’amalfitana and an impressive suite of Esposito’s first love, Pizza Napoletana.

The Amalfi Way proudly features a range of Bellavista Franciacorta at the top of its wine list. Often touted as Italy’s “answer to champagne”, these citrus-forward sparkling wines make for a perfect match with any fresh seafood dish on the menu.

Given the picturesque setting of the restaurant and its location on the always bustling Finger Wharf, bookings are strongly recommended to avoid disappointment.

While this is just a shortlist of top-line Italian restaurants in Sydney, there are countless more that populate Sydney's vibrant fine-dining scene. Keep an eye out for further restaurant round-ups on The Outlet, and be sure to visit these restaurant’s websites for full booking details.

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