The best Italian restaurants in the Sutherland Shire all follow a formula. At a pinch, that formula includes a fixation on provenance, diverse dishes that range from the time-honoured to classics with a twist and generous hospitality. This month, we’re leaning into la dolce vita with a range of dishes that will satisfy your appetite until you can whip out the passport again.
Pino’s Vino e Cucina
Restaurateur Matteo Margiotta has a huge fan base in Alexandria who will be willing to cross the Captain Cook Bridge for his house-made egg pasta. Originally from Rome, the Cronulla offshoot of Pino’s Vino e Cucina al Mare is a nod to the nostalgia of a beachside holiday in Italy. It’s Pino’s via Puglia. The restaurateur moved to Sydney’s Sutherland Shire with his wife and young children post-pandemic and wants to give back to the community with the kind of elegant osteria he himself would like to eat at. Presiding over the pass at the coastal-chic venue named after Margiotta’s papa is his righthand man, executive chef Cristiano Patacca. Everything at Pino’s in Cronulla will be made in-house including focaccia, egg pasta, juices for cocktails and mocktails, limoncello and honey.
Must-try dishes: The signature grigliata mista seafood platter, pici cacio e pepe and lobster pasta.
Queen Margherita of Savoy
Tipo OO flour. Fresh fior di latte. San Marzano tomatoes. Fresh basil. Quality olive oil. These are some of the ingredients approved by the AVPN (Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana) where pizzaioli Lee Carroll did his training. While the restaurateur and chef has handed over the reins to his daughter Jorja, he is still very much a part of the family-run pizzeria, located on one of the main hip strips in Cronulla. While Queen Margherita of Savoy is hugely popular place for pizza in the Sutherland Shire, it also ranked as one of the top 10 pizza restaurants in Australia and NZ according to 50 Top Pizza Asia Pacific 2024. The restaurant does a roaring trade as a sit-down restaurant as well as a takeaway and is one of the best places for a cocktail in the Shire.
Must try dishes: The bottomless brunch or proper pepperoni.
Fior Gymea
Award-winning design studio Luchetti Krelle (Hurricane’s Cronulla and Blackwood Pantry) has sprinkled some of its star dust over Fior, the new Italian restaurant in Gymea. ‘Fior’ means ‘flower’ in Italian. But it’s not a nod to the Gymea lily, rather, a reference to fior di latte, one of the key ingredients used in the restaurant run by Tristan Rosier (ex-Est) and his partner in life and business, Rebecca Fanning. The restaurant, on the site of the old Caruso’s Italian, is the younger sibling to fine diner Jane and casual bistro Arthur, which are adjacent eateries in Surry Hills. Head chef Will Lawson, who comes to Fior by way of Fred’s, Ms G’s and Arthur, is known for his broad take on Italian with dishes such as the malfalde corte (short cut and curly pasta) or rigatoni with red pepper sugo.
Must-try dishes: The pappardelle with pork and fennel sausage ragu.
Folk by Albi
The good folk behind Albi’s Taverna have upped sticks and moved to Folk Lounge & Dining, located within Tradies Gymea. Chef Albi Cuni first found his love of cooking in Italy at the age of 13 when he left school to train as a chef at a leading hospitality school. After learning the roots of Italian and French cuisine, Albi completed his apprenticeship in a Michelin one-starred restaurant in Italy. Luckily for Shire diners, Albi has taken that training and applied it to Folk where the focus is on the warm, generous Italian-style hospitality that has helped the chef and restaurateur gain his loyal, local following. Expect a palette of moss and peat greens and velvet banquette seating in the sophisticated new space which opens from breakfast through to lunch and dinner. In addition to the full roster of Italian classics, expect elevated club grub that ranges from beef burgers to schnitties and roasts.
Must-try dishes: A saucy bowl of Nonna’s Meatballs followed by lasange with rocket salad and lemon semifreddo.
Carla Grossetti is an award-winning local journalist. Follow her food and travel adventures at @food.travel.stories on Instagram. To read more of Carla’s stories, visit www.carlagrossetti.com
Sutherland Shire Council acknowledges the Dharawal-speaking people who are the Traditional Custodians of the Land.
