Lo Presti’s Redfern

Lo Presti's Redfern — Greek-leaning Mediterranean dining overlooking Redfern Oval

Up a flight of stairs on the corner of Redfern and Elizabeth streets, the old Moon Park site has a new tenant with a decade of backstory. Lo Presti's is the first restaurant of their own for chef Michael Lo Presti and Rachael Trewin, who met at Automata in 2016 and went on to work through some of Sydney's most respected kitchens and dining rooms before teaming up again as head chef and manager at Baba's Place. The name is borrowed from the cafe Michael's dad Greg ran in Darlinghurst in the '80s, and one of Greg's sketches from that era now doubles as the logo.

The menu leans Mediterranean with a strong Greek streak, built for sharing and pitched somewhere between neighbourhood diner and proper restaurant. Kick off with house wholewheat and sesame focaccia and tuna toast with cime di rapa, then work through charred eggplant with jalapeño and coriander, raw beef with smoked almond and rocket, and grilled octopus with chilli, garlic and kipflers. Bigger plates include vine leaf-wrapped wild mulloway, braised kangaroo tail with green olive salsa and a 350g pork chop with pippies, while dessert brings a bay leaf crème caramel with citrus.

The cocktails carry the same Greek accent, from an Avgolemono Sour with nigori sake, salted lemon and dill to an Ouzo Sazerac built on Metaxa, plus a house martini with bay leaf vermouth and lemon olive oil. The 50-seat room is full of personal touches, including artwork by Michael's sister Gabriella, and a wraparound terrace looks straight out over Redfern Oval. Find the entrance on Elizabeth Street, and note that access is via stairs only.