Nice Italian restaurant with seemingly large pizzas (we ordered pasta, so can't comment with…read morefirsthand experience). We had the cheese wheel carbonara, which is quite the spectacle, and some Lasagna Fritti (which is crumbed deep fried lasagna bites). The Lasagna was quite good, didn't get much lasagna flavour as I expected, but was crispy and crunchy and a good snack. The cheese wheel carbonara is incredible, they trolley out this big cheese wheel, and put the pasta inside to melt and flavour it. It's quite a big serve (although they charge per person), and the end result is really cheesy and gooey. Note: You have to really like cheese for this dish to work. Service was a bit slow as they only had 2 staff on, but they were really friendly and helpful

This Italian is worth a try and will no doubt for some become a favourite. 8 of us booked a table…read moreand decided to sample the menu. I have to say that the 'almost famous garlic bread" will become famous. Then there's the deep fried lasagne, who thought of that? Totally delicious and thankfully served on cocktail skewers as small cubes, so just enough to be sumptuous without deep fried guilt. From there we went to chargrilled squid . The extra virgin oil they use here is premium and when combined with the flavours of tomatoes, garlic basil and the smokeyness of the squid... yum. We tried a selection of the pastas, my favourites where the pork and fennel pasta and the prawn ravioli for the flavour and silky texture. Then there was the pizzas which followed the same high standard set by the pastas. There's an enticing selection in either the red or white pizza offerings. Save room for the gelato!! You can eat here for less than $20 but treat yourself and you still won't pay more than $40 for samples across 4 courses. Service was fast and friendly. The restaurant is in the newly renovated top floor of the interchange that is going through a revival. It worth a

The guy that runs this is like the fun, nice, cool Uncle I wish I had instead of the old, drunk,…read morepervy one I actually have. He's genuinely Italian (not like those awful fake Italians that seem to be everywhere you look these days) and is chronically happy in the most relaxed and infectious way. And hells, why wouldn't he be when he's blessed with the God-given talent to create the most awe-inspiringly, pants-wettingly delicious pizzas in Sydney? You may guess from that little paean that this is my go-to 'za joint and you'd guess right. None of this pan base crap. No bike wheel-thin, brittle dough with an artisan scraping of tomato sauce and three pieces of gourmet pepperoni. These bad boys are dripping with love and quality toppings, stacked high with colour and juice and topped with tasty cheese and chilli flakes and those ace little Italian anchovies I can't get enough of. My fave is The Special with pretty much everything and the kitchen sink on it. But NO PINEAPPLE. God help you if you order pineapple on a pizza. What are we, Polynesian cavemen? It's cheap, too. 2 families feeds three of us with lunch left over the next day. Boom. All hail Antos, king of pizza parlours!

While Benjamin's review above is fantastic (truly, laughed out loud) and 100% correct, I could not…read morestand the fact that it is the only review for the best pizzeria in Sydney (we are locals too and stalk the place incessantly). Thankfully, Benjamin said most of it for me. The only thing I will add is that their Vegetarian options are also unparalleled and they will happily change toppings for you, or you can create your own. P.s. PINEAPPLE ON PIZZA FOR LIFE! *shakes fist at sky*

Wow! This place is great! Charming atmosphere, friendly authentic staff and prime food presented…read morevery beautifully. Fresh, natural produce without over-flavouring. And the affogato was just right, well balanced and light

We love venturing to new places for a meal and always count our blessings when it turns out to be…read morean outstanding experience. This is exactly the case with our visit to the Italian restaurant, Via Alta in the village shopping precinct in Willoughby. With their Italian wait staff and authentic dishes, the restaurant makes you feel as though you are holidaying in Italy, which is a great consolation, considering overseas travel is virtually impossible at the moment. Our dining experience at this restaurant was perfect in every way, their service was excellent, the atmosphere was cosy and the food was superb. Our blog aims give you a literary taste for what this restaurant is offering and hopefully will give you an impetus to make a booking and try the restaurant out for yourself. The meals here are quite rustic and very flavoursome. Not only this, the meals are extremely generous servings. We shared a range of the menu and enjoyed everything that we sampled. There is also a tasting menu if that is something you'd prefer and leave the ordering to the staff. To start with was the creamy burrata, which was a light starter with a lovely freshness, seved with orange and grapefruit segments and a bitter leaves sauce that was well seasoned with a unique flavour we very much enjoyed. The little things that this restaurant does really makes it stand out. For instance, their Zucco Arrosto salad is an absolute winner, for the roast pumpkin, baby spinach, thin ricotta slices and toasted almonds demonstrates how each ingredient carefully considered can make the plate pop with texture and taste. We really liked that the pumpkin was served warm, this took this salad to another level, as did the and the crunch and roasted flavour of the toasted almonds. I had a glass of Prosecco with the entree which matched perfectly, and Via Alta have a good drinks list with wine, beer and cocktails. The wild boar parpadelle was a stunning rustic dish and a standout of the dining experience (and the meals we've had in 2020). The fresh house made pasta was perfect in every way and served aldente, tossed with the wild boar ragout, which was beatifully rich and served with Parmesan cheese. It was certainly a very big potion too. The Gamberi grilled king prawns, tomato broth and garlic bruschetta was our other main, and equally tasty in different ways. This seafood dish is full of tomato sauce and the cherry tomatoes themselves. We loved that this was served on a piece of bread soaking up all of the luscious sauce. The flavour of the prawns stood out and they were in abundance. You know it's almost a rite of passage to have dessert at an Italian restaurant. Whilst we ordinarily go for a cannoli, we opted for a tiramisu on this visit since it sounded amazing, and it was. Layers of sponge cake doused in coffee and liquor with marscapone cream and sprinkled with powdered chocolate makes for the perfect end to the meal. We left here feeling completely satisfied with our meal and we look forward to returning for their truffle menu items in July and August.

I had a great dinner last night at Marciano's with my boyfriend! Staff is very nice and welcoming…read moreand they make you feel at home. The food was awesome. We started with a great "Tagliere italiano" as entrée, a selection of Italian cheeses and cold meats. Then we had gnocchi and "Patat'a'luna" pizza which was absolutely fantastic. The pizza is very similar to our beloved Neapolitan pizza and we really enjoyed it. We also had a bottle of Valpolicella, which was perfect for our dinner. At the end, we finished with the Tiramisu and a really tasty Nutella Baked Cake which was just fantastic! Absolutely recommended. We will be back for sure!

If you are thinking about eating here save yourself the trouble and pick something out of the…read moregarbage at McDonald's downstairs and wash it down with some hand sanitizer. The lasagna was like taking a poop on a plate and microwaving it for 30-45 minutes. Not just any poop though, the kind of poop you would take if you stayed up all night drinking beer and eating Chipotle. If I can prevent 1 person from making the mistake of eating here then this review was not in vain. Cool music though.

Well, as far as Chatswood is concerned this place is okay. Then again there really isn't much to…read morechose from so I can't really complain. Sure, it's not that large, but it is large enough, though it does happen to be on the second floor. Actually, when I was here it was actually pretty crowded, so I did find it a little difficult finding a seat. However, there was a good selection of beers on tap, so I really can't complain all that much about it.

Lipstick on a Pig is what the Orchard Tavern's public bar should be called…read more And this ain't no Babe... Bloaty from Pizza Hog springs to mind. This used to be a rough and tumble, don't bring your real teeth with you, argy bargy worker pub back in the day --- and quite frankly nothing's changed. Well the decor has. Sure it looks nicer inside, but really they haven't attempted to shift the clientelle to their new look (I was in there after all ha!) The Orchard has large pointless areas, like their pool room which is about as sterile as Royal North Shore, Ward 3. They also have a large bank of TAB monitors which dominate the presence of the place. Hence they attract that unsavoury element by having them *in* rather than *adjacent to* the public bar. They do offer food, and it is generally quite good, but after half a dozen bowls of loudmouth soup, everything tastes good (even 3 month old Mrs Macs pies from 7-eleven or those nukeable cheeseburgers) so it's a little more difficult to gauge the restaurant. I'll let someone else give that a stab. In terms of the atmoshpere unless you are there to drink yourself stupid whilst punting on the tab; or getting a few cheapies in before heading somewhere else; I wouldn't bother going. If you are looking for a fun time, you'll probably find it elsewhere methinks. There's better places to chill in Chatswood, so why was I at the Orchard? Convenience, and post German beer hall, friendlier to the wallet and the liver, but ultimately I ended up somewhere else.

A giant dining space pumping out tasty wood fired pizza and dinners!…read more The staff are attentive enough and are quick in bringing out your meals once you have decided which items to try. A friend and I came here on a Thursday night and the place was fairly empty - just the usual families celebrating kid week birthdays and friend catching up. We tried the aranchini balls, a pizza and shared a dessert. The pizza was great - freshly made, fresh tasting ingredients and a great balance of flavours! The aranchini balls were a bit on the bland side - not crisp or full of flavour. We tried the dessert special which was a flop - a bit bland and underwhelming, the highlight was the grilled pineapple YUM! The bill wasn't too bad for a small shared dinner - approx $30 per person with a tea to drink rather than an alcoholic beverage.

Guy walks into the Doctors rooms, he's got a piece of penne in each nostril and a bit of gnocchi…read moresticking out of his ear. Says 'Doc I feel terrible, whats wrong with me?' Doctor says 'Well first, you need to start eating more sensibly' This place is really incredibly Italian even though it was a hardware place until about three months ago. It is now a massive restaurant and "Spuntino Bar".....nope, me either, no idea. The food is really fantastic, Lindfield, Gordon and Turramurra have each kicked off a few new places in the last few months which is a great sign. This is right up there. Shared plates and great authentic pizzas. The service was great if you got the right woman, the bloke on the floor was way too Italian and prone to wandering away. When I asked him for the bill he nodded at me and went happily dawdling outside? The lady was on top of things and was cheerful quick and helpful. We had prawns, rolled veal, meatballs, calamari, and a proscuitto salad (all of course described in Italian so D1 can show off) and a bunch of pizzas. Nine of us all well fed and happy. Its not cheap but its good value, the wine list is short and mainly Italian. The whole place is comfy and cool in a New York bar way. This just in ... a spuntino bar is a bit like a tapas bar only Italian. There you go!

Nobody can turn on the charm quite like an Italian man. Ercole Perego, owner of La Botte is no…read moreexception to this rule. At a minimum you'll get a booming 'CIAO BELLA' as you push through the front door and if you're lucky Ercole will pretty much join your table for a chat as you dine. It must be this distinctly Italian, friendly service that has made La Botte a Willoughby institution for many, many years. The cuisine here is classic Italian but my personal favourite is their thin crust pizzas (which is how traditional Italian pizza should be made). The ambience is more 'home style' than fine dining but that is what a local Italian should feel like in my book.

Was welcomed by the most Charasmatic elderly family member of the staff at the Restaurant, was full…read moreof life. Food and service was on point. Great taste and good portions, the atmosphere was great, we sat alfresco an the meals arrived hot and in a timely manner. Prices are moderate. Had fettuccine for starters and Garlic Prawns for main. There was even a resident Possum in a nearby tree entertaining the other patrons.... Definite a must when I am back in Sydney visiting family.

Visiting Sydney from LA, went to this lovely Cafe for a birthday brunch with a larger group of 10…read more Service was amazing, they setup some seats for us outside and we enjoyed the beautiful weather. Coffee everywhere in Australia is amazing, this place was no exception. Enjoyed myself a nice Almond Milk Latte and it was made to perfection. Ordered breakfast for kids and adults, i got myself the Avocado Toast with Olive Tepanade and Feta cheese garnished with some delicious bacon! Absolutely loved the experience and the food, if you're a local in the area you're lucky and should enjoy this place more!

Now this was indeed unexpected - suburban Forestville is hiding a belting little deli-cum-cafe that…read morehad me pining for the green village feel of Killarney suburbia. I breezed in for a takeaway coffee (flat white - strong, sweet, smoky) but ws taken by the rustic tables, the arty ladders hanging from the roof above my head, the deli counter jammed with charcuterie, cheese and olives, and the happy punters munching on incredible edibles at the outside tables. It was all just so . . . classy. And I'm, like, a classy guy, right, so it was only natural I felt an affinity for such a place. See you soon Cocco Rocco.