Handmade pasta and a big wine list at Ragazzi Wine and Pasta
Hidden in a laneway beside City Recital Hall, Ragazzi Wine and Pasta is a 38 seat Italian pasta and wine bar in Sydney’s CBD from the team behind Love, Tilly Devine and Dear Sainte Éloise. Expect concrete walls, leather banquettes and a buzz that fills the room, with fresh pasta made in house and a wine list that rewards curiosity.
Ragazzi is the CBD at its most charming. Chef and co owner Scott Williams, who cooked at nearby Bacco Osteria, makes the pasta in house for a menu that keeps changing, and the snacks nod to his time cooking in Spain. Order a few of everything and let the shapes and sauces roll in. The wine list is the other star, a deep, low intervention collection of small Italian producers and Australian makers working with Italian varieties, and the staff are generous with recommendations. The room is compact and lively, with a bar at its heart and banquettes along the walls, so it feels more like a neighbourhood local than a city restaurant. It works just as well for a quick lunch as it does for aperitivo before a show next door.
Quick Bites
EAT: The pasta fritta at the bar, then whichever hand rolled pasta is on the day’s list.
DRINK: A vermouth on ice to start, then a glass of Etna red from the by the glass list.
PLAY: Book an early table before a show at City Recital Hall next door, then wander back through Angel Place for a nightcap. Or grab a bar stool for a long weekday lunch with a glass or two.
VIBE CHECK: Buzzy, intimate, polished
