Mille Vini Sydney

Mille Vini is Crown Street's grown-up Italian, the one you book when the occasion calls for proper pasta and a wine list that rewards a bit of bravery. Housed in a heritage-listed 1840s stonemasonry building, the venue is part of the Esper Hospitality stable alongside Rosie Campbell's and Mama Saan, and was relaunched in 2021 after the team set out to bring the neighbourhood's long-running wine bar back to the version locals remembered and loved. The name translates to "a thousand wines," and the fit-out lives up to it, with rows of bottles lining the walls right up the stairwell.

The room itself leans moody and European: velvet drapes, crystal chandeliers, sandstone walls and a marble bar top, designed by Guru Projects, the team behind Esquire, La Palma and Ezra. There's a main dining room, a mezzanine private dining space that seats up to eight, and a terrace overlooking Shannon Reserve that's quietly one of the better spots in Surry Hills for a long afternoon.

Head Chef Francesco Di Gioia, previously of Fred's and Charlie Parker's, leads a menu built around handcrafted pasta and classic Italian plates, with the Carbonara as the signature. The drinks list runs deep on Australian and Italian regional wines, backed by a rotating, seasonal cocktail list. Aperitivo hour runs on the terrace through the week, and Wednesday nights bring a live jazz trio to the corner of the room.