Top Italian restaurants in Sydney, Australia

Great atmosphere and friendly staff. We had bottomless dinner and it was perfect for our girls trip in Sydney. The waiter Tallisan made our stay, definitely worth a visit:)

Amazing dinner location with my closest friends! Big shout out to our incredible waiter, Tallison!! Such a gentleman, so kind and great service all night. I will be back and will be recommending to friends and family as a result of Tallison’s service!!

Literally one of the best Italian Restaurants in Sydney!!
The waitress was soooo friendly (I think her name was Aja, thank you sooo much for the nice service, we really appreciated it!!)
I will definitely recommend it to my friends and come back regularly!!
I really loved the atmosphere
+ the Tiramisu was 10/10 ☺️

Walked in for dinner on a Saturday night. We ordered the Bunga Bunga and Gamberoni pizza which was delicious. Staff were lovely however the food took a while to arrive. Overall nice atmosphere with great music.

This is a really cute place with great food and wine choices. T bone steaks were cooked well with lots of sides and app choices. They encourage you not to use your phone though, even taking it and locking it away for you, to encourage being present in your experience I think; some people like that, but I hated it. They let me hold onto mind, just didn't want me to use it in the restaurant.

Great experience and place to eat if you love a good steak. It’s t-bone style but the portion is huge for a great price. Had the gnocchi and pecorino with truffle honey to start, was tasty. The side we ordered for the steak was the eggplant Parmesan and it was my personal favorite. Love the concept of phones away from the table and the atmosphere in the restaurant is incredible!

The staff were lovely and it seems like a great venue for after work drinks but I wouldn’t recommend the food. We got the Gin rigatoni and the Casareece al pesto and they both came out very quickly but they were both quite bland and unfulfilling. We felt disappointed that the cost of the meal didn’t equate to the quality we received.

Easy to get last minute noon reservations for lunch time. Their bread and butter was unique, a candle melts the butter. They say phones are not allowed because they want you to enjoy the foodand you're supposed to put it in a box so all these other reviewers with food pictures are breaking rules 😤 They slice the t bone steaks and cook it close to all the tables so you can see them at work which was cool. Got our steak medium rare and it was amazing. Best Florentine style steak I've ever had. Since the cuts are thick, they're harder to cook correctly and are generally more on the rare side so bravo to Bistecca. Highly recommended for a good t bone steak

Been here a while ago.
Like a lot of other steak houses in Sydney they ask you to give them your phone, so you won’t see pictures on reviews here.great steak cut to your preference of size. Super high quality, professional service. Nice twist with the dipping butter for the bread that comes in the form of the candle and his wax melting is your bread add on:)

Enjoyed a meal at Bellucci in Sydney, where I tried their Pizza Capricciosa. The pizza was good, with a nice mix of toppings like artichokes and ham, though it didn't quite reach 'amazing' for me. What stood out was the service - really warm and welcoming, and the ambiance of the restaurant added to the overall experience. A solid choice for those in Sydney looking for a good Italian meal. The music inside was too loud!

such amazing vibes, the service and food was incredible! we had the 2 hour drinks package and 3 course menu and it was just perfect 🤩

Wonderful experience and food, can't wait to visit again!

Ushered into the dining room where we promptly placed our phones and other belongings in a locked box, we had the front seats to watch steaks being sawed and cooked on the grill. We were served our drinks (mmm), given an edible candle with some mop bread, while we decided on the gnocci to start (delicious), 800g of the steak (medium-rare and sliced up) for us two to share (so so delicious!) with gratin on the side, and the Tiramisu (so tasty) to end. We were so full and satisfied by the end.

The beef was $180 a kilo. To make it sound better the menu says $18 per 100g. Their website doesn't say it's dry aged, for that price it should be dry aged. A Bistecca in Singapore dry ages. Sadly, the only photo that I can show you is the front door which is a fire escape. Inside they took my phone away. It was stressful and controlling. I felt like a sheep being rushed through service, I was first herded to the bar to order drinks and then led to the restaurant table. I felt coerced because even though they don't explicitly make it mandatory I felt pressured. I couldn't take photos of the food or have selfies with friends (one of their gimmicks). I believe a restaurant should trust it's customers and be confident with people taking photos of the food, but alas there are only the glossy manicured photos on their website. The bread dipped in beef candle wax was gimmicky. Gimmicky accurately describes this place. I read on their website afterwards that they only do the steaks medium rare, but I recall the waiter giving options and then glossed over to medium rare. I didn't feel that I had a real choice. The beef was left to rest but I didn't like getting warm meat, I like the meat hot. I felt like I was in a garish hyper Italian restaurant theme park "experience". I wasn't there for an "experience", I was there for a business lunch, which meant it wasn't realistic for me to leave to find somewhere else. I didn't choose the venue and having experienced it I won't return. The gimmicks wore off very quickly. Even the fire escape entrance was gimmicky. Plus the steak being the star of the show didn't have a nice wood fire grill taste even though it was grilled in their open kitchen in full view. I guess I wasn't happy with the "experience" so it affected my appreciation of the food.

Wonderful and beautiful lunch at Ragazzi. Staff was friendly and food was delicious. As expected, free still water was provided as per standard in Sydney.

Have been trying to get a sitting at Bistecca for quite some time now and our first dining experience last night did not disappoint! You’ve lived up to to all the hype and we will certainly come back for more! Thanks to all the wonderful staff for creating such a great experience.

Located near Wynyard station, this is an amazing quiet spot for a special dinner. They only serve T-bone steaks but they are amazingly done. You can also order sides and all tasted great. Service and venue was also great (they also make you put your phones away in a draw while eating). One call out is that you need to book a few weeks in advance before you go. Recommended.

I ordered the filetto di manzo and it was delicious - the portion was spot on and it was cooked exactly as requested. The tiramisu wasn't quite traditional but still very tasty. Overall the service was outstanding and I would recommend this place for a lunch or dinner on a special occasion.

This place definitely lived up to the hype! We did the feed me menu and the food was sensational - stand outs being the beef tartare and the duck ragu. Don't underestimate the eggplant ravioli either though.

The service by our waiter Luka was phenomenal. He went above and beyond and even chose us the most delicious bottle of Italian red.

The only criticism I have was being a smaller venue the tables were quite close together and we could hear everything the man next to us was talking about so I do feel like my attention was pulled away from our conversation.

Small cozy restaurant hidden away in a quiet alley, with bar seatings. Best to make a booking as its always full. Very busy place. Crab pasta was delicious with a hint of chilli oil. The entrees were good as well. Portion is enough for sharing so that you can try more things on the menu. Service was mediocre, probably due to high traffic.

Had a dinner with a large group of us for my birthday. We were running late due to some issues and the staff were so understanding and lovely about it. The staff were so accommodating, sweet and funny!
We all had a few different drinks and pastas and we all were in awe! I had the Napoletana gnocchi and it was the most beautiful gnocchi I’ve had in my life honestly. Would 100% recommend to anyone thinking of going!

Simple dishes made with good quality ingredients is the key to great Italian food and this restaurant delivers. Duck ragú was amazing. I will return if I visit Sydney again

First restaurant to visit when back in Sydney. Pasta here is delicious. It doesn't quite seem to be at the level when run by the old guard, but still really good. Smooth gnocchi in flavoursome cheese sauce, unbelievable seafood broth pasta, and a sweet spanner crab pasta. The minute steak wasn't to the level for the price, and I miss the zabaglione that used to be made at the table ... But it is all about the pasta here for me now.
Professional waiters and crisp linen. Nice

We just had to grab a booking for our latest Sydney trip after hearing it was amazing, and boy, it did not disappoint.
The starters were superably seasoned and got us excited for the meal to come. We added the raw beef, corn and black miso, almond (second pic) as a last-minute order and thank god we did because that one bite was absolute textural and umami heaven. All the pastas were generously coated in sauces that were rich and unctuous. Each dish was unique but so ridiculously flavoursome. Our favourite pasta dish
had to be the crab concliglie. There were
proper chunks of crab swimming in that velvety sauce. The cacio e pepe was perfect in its simplicity. Would recommend for a fabulous pasta feed!!

Lovely restaurant, the food was very tasty with good choices. Quiet atmosphere made it easy to converse. Staff were friendly and attentive. Will definitely go back.

Absolutely incredible Italian restaurant. I came here last night for my Wife’s birthday and everything was outstanding.

The food was brilliant. I love pesto pasta and I asked our wonderful waiter if the chefs could make it as it wasn’t on the menu and they did. It was spectacular!!!!

I haven’t had pasta like that since I was in Italy.

We were served by Davida a lovely Italian man from Sardinia who made sure my Wife was looked after in every way.

My wife is pregnant so she wanted a Mocktail that again wasn’t on the Menu and Davida made sure she got something yummy.

Machiavelli is slightly more expensive than most Italian restaurants, however this is completely justified as the presentation of the food, service and taste is clearly a cut above the rest.

I have been all over the world and this has to be one of the best dining experiences I have ever had.

Davida was a brilliant waiter that was thoughtful, caring and completely assertive making sure we had a wonderful time.

I thanked our Chefs as we left and they were too lovely gentlemen.

I will be back!

The food was INCREDIBLE!!! Scarpetta - Gin basil rigatoni was ON POINT!! The pizza crust was so soft. Lively atmosphere, perfect for a dinner with friends after a work day. The service was good, the staff were attentive as they come by now and then to check if you need anything. At on point, a higher-up staff passed by and chatted with us a bit, he was supper nice. One minor minus point was when the staff were rush to take your dishes away as soon as you finished. Other than that, everything is good. Will definitely comeback!

Ordered the mafaldine and conchiglie pasta and they were so so good!! Paired the pastas with lemon lime bitters and the citrus complements the seafood and the creaminess of the pasta so well 🤌🏼

We also got the cantabrian anchovy on sourdough but wasnt really a fan of this cuz the sourdough wasnt hot/toasted and was a bit stale.

For dessert, the waiter recommended the mille-feuille and it was a 10/10!! So flaky and creamy, and the dulce with the apples was just perfect!!

The ambiance was so nice too! Really such an intimate and beautiful space.

Can’t wait to go back and try the rest of the items on their menu! 🤩

Best plate of pasta I've tasted in Australia so far. Highly recommend over ordering because you'll be surprise how much you are able to fit in your tummy when every bite is so delicious.

It's a cool, tiny place with great hospitality and cosy seats.

The staples aren’t what they used to be…the antipasto wasn’t as vibrant and interesting (and already pre-prepared according to our waiter) and the “Steak Diane” is (a) no longer cooked in the restaurant, it comes from the kitchen (b) is far tougher and no longer the velvety soft meat it used to be; and (c) while still including the ingredients, the taste lacks the sweetness of the fried garlic and savouriness of Worcestershire it once had.

While still an enjoyable dining experience, RIP to the pillars that held Machiavelli aloft.

If you have a friend that loves food and Italian food, then they've probably (definitely) mentioned Ragazzi by now (if not a long time ago).

So for a novice culinary enthusiast such as myself (and many of you reading this review because let's face it, sometimes letting Google reviews make the decision for you is easier) - yes Ragazzi lived up to the hype.

The flavours were bold and the beauty was really in its simplicity. Sometimes less is more, but it requires that much more skill to be able to pull it off. There's nowhere to hide if you don't deliver. Fortunately, these guys know what they're doing and cranked out some monster dishes.

Standout dish: the Jerusalem artichoke ravioli took top spot for the night.

Between four we shared: 4x pastas, 2x entrees, 2x greens, 2x bottles of wine (great selection too) plus a 10% tip, bringing the bill to $498 in total.

Book in advance but no need to rush getting a reservation, I don't think they will be going anywhere anytime soon.

Pendolino in the Strand Arcade stands as a true Sydney institution in the realm of fine dining. It consistently maintains its reputation by delivering not only the finest tasting food but also exemplary service that sets it apart. The noteworthy wine list further enhances the dining experience. Pendolino's enduring excellence makes it a must-visit for those seeking a combination of culinary mastery, attentive service, and an ambiance that captures the essence of Sydney's dining scene.

We had a delightful time at Ragazzi. The pasta dishes were fresh and pleasant with wine pairing. Service was very attentive, but at times overbearing. Casual atmosphere made for a fun night out.

Great atmosphere both for business and romantic outings, but the wine service was a little pushy.. and the food was average at best. Pity, for AUD 150-200 per head. Extensive wine list though, with fair restaurant wine prices. Desserts were the best part, creative and tasty.

We’ve been dining at Machiavelli’s for many years and our most recent experience exceeded our expectations in every way. The waiters were amazing and went out of their way to look after us. .For starters we enjoyed delicious zucchini flowers and calamari followed by traditional and authentic Italian parmagiana, saltimbocca, duck, homemade ravioli and fillet mignon cooked to perfection accompanied with a delicious peppercorn sauce. A must is their creamy mashed potato. It was so smooth and creamy -and leaves you craving for more. Dessert comprised of traditional tiramisu, raspberry gelato, affogato and crème brûlée. We left feeling very content, happy and full. It’ was the closest thing to dining in Italy and I highly recommend it.

Great Italian food and substantial servings. A bit on the rich side, though full of flavour.
The homemade pasta makes a big difference to the texture of the tagliatelle.
The atmosphere is surrounded by famous celebrity portraits of businessmen and politicians. Lots of deals are made in this underground restaurant.
Service is outstanding and equivalent to a wedding reception.

We went there to have dinner before go to a Movie during the Sydney Film Festival. And very conveniently they have a pre theatre menu. That includes a tasting plate with 4 bite-sized experiences. 2 of them I liked very much, simply delicious. The sweet corn soup was good. And one of the options was very salty for my taste.
Talking about salt, I would like to suggest to the chef to keep a little bit of salt at the table to enhance the flavours of the three types of olive oils on the table.
The experience is great, although for the first and third olive oil option the salt bring more the fruitness of the third oil and balance better the lemon olive oil.

Regarding the dish, I can say is one of the best pasta dishes I've had in Sydney. I had the blond duck bolognese and was perfect in every bite. Be aware, the dish has nothing even close to a traditional bolognese. Is a white sauce base dish. But was amazing. Well balanced and executed. My wife had the ravioli, and was perfect as well. But my favourite was the duck.

We had the merengue dessert, such well thought dish. Where we got an entree for the dessert, that was a new thing for me, and then the dessert well balanced with all elements right. Sweet, acidity, crunchy.

About the wine service, was very good with attention to detail. Nothing to complain about it.

At the end we got nice chocolate balls 😋. That was a surprise.

Probably we will go back for the 6 course menu, but the 2 course menu already made my night.

Coming from Italy went here to try some Italian food however I believe this is more like Aussie/Italian food rather than authentic Italian food.
The staff are really friendly and professional and the food was quite good. Just a bit too salty for our taste but the flavours were interesting.
The vibe was good too.
Overall a nice romantic experience.
Worth a try

Had the vegetarian six course tasting menu with matching wines as part of the tasting menu, with matching wine pairings. Experience, ambiance, service and food was fantastic, as one would expect. Great place to celebrate a special occasion and/or create lasting memories.

Pendolino is an Italian restaurant, which serves food in either 3-, 4- or 6-course menus. Upon request, they provide an extra menu for vegans. For each course, you can choose from a couple of options, so you have several options (similar to the "regular" menu).

Considering the fact that the prices here are quite high (starting at 140$ per person for the 3 course menu), you should be able to expect a proper fine dining experience.

In terms of food, however, it was just okay. I clearly preferred some dishes over other dishes. Compared to the food my non-vegan friends had, some vegan dishes seemed a bit lacking (as if they had simply removed the non-vegan component). At other times, the plating was a bit "questionable".

But staff was lovely and service was very good. There were several waiters and waitresses providing us with information about food and drinks, and even supplied us with extra treats on the house.

The restaurant is located on the 2nd floor inside a shopping mall. The atmosphere is elegant and old-fashioned: Individual tables, wooden furntiure and white table cloth. Booking a table in advance is required.

6 of us went to dinner. The service was impeccable with friendly staff and service. The food was well presented and even though it was fine dining a lot of work went into each dish. Compliments to the chef. If I needed to find something about this restaurant would be the price but overall an amazing night. Just an apology for leaving late, im sure the staff warned to go home but no one complained. And a huge thank you to the chefs who gave up complementary potatoes and salad. By the end of the night we were so full. Thank you to the chefs and staff for a memorable night.