Mantecato

It seems a very small place but they also have few tables on the back. We started with a delicious antipasto della casa made with gnocco fritto, prosciutto, salami, mozzarella and stracchino cheese. Then we had fresh gnocchi with wagyu beef ragù, well made, but I personally preferred my risotto alla milanese, made with saffron and braised veal ossobuco, I loved it! And we finished with strawberry panna cotta. I would have liked it with more sugar but at least it left us with a lighter feeling. The waitress was helpful, polite, easy to talk to and he made us feel like we've been coming for years. No much parking around the area, bit annoying if you wear high heels.

I have to admit this is one of the most amazingly unexpected great Italian restaurants I have been in Sydney. In this cozy little place, an incredibly friendly and competent 100% Italian staff will help you getting an understanding of the simple but reach menù and the special that they normally sketch on the tiles of wall. We will definitely come back for the risotto, the special lasagnas and all they will ever put on the wall

Delicious quality Italian dinner in this casual chic venue. This little restaurant features a small mine room and a lovely covered veranda at the back, all decorated with attention to details. Staff is authentic Italian, very polite and competent. Dinner was exquisite as starters we had: Roasted Octopus Bruschetta with black cabbage and octopus mayonnaise Burrata, so creamy and buttery, to die for! Mains: Risotto Frutti di Mare, very delicate and seafood was perfectly blended. Lasagna, mushrooms, sausage and cheese, SO RICH IN FLAVOUR Dessert to share, Pasticciotto from Puglia with baked custard and gelato topping! Jugged APEROL SPRITZ and red wine from Tuscany! Cheers

Nice place, good atmosphere, great for couples. However the food is okay. It missed some flavour. We went there for the truffle degustation menu. I don't know if it was to make the truffle get out but all dishes tasted blend, like if the salt was missing.

Nice cosy little place with friendly staff. Its inside a residential area so it's a bit hard to find parking. They are famous for risotto, we tried both the prawn and the osso bucco. As well as a few of the pastas and the breads and octopus appetisers. The prawn risotto was very aromatics while the other one was very cheesy. The freshly made pasta was also quite nice, although not particularly outstanding in any special way. I recommend the tiramisu, although the other desserts also changed according to the day. The gelato is quite interesting, especially the vanilla custard is not what you expect. It's quite a small restaurant so a booking is definitely recommended.

Gnocco Fritto was great as was the crochette special, Wagyu tagliatelle was missing a lot of salt in my opinion but was soon sorted out with a sprinkle and a good mix, 1kg fiorentina steak was cooked perfectly. Overall a very nice meal.

The Bruschetta with goat cheese was fresh and a gorgeous entree full of flavour. My Duck Risotto - the rice was cooked to perfection, unfortunately the tomato flavours mixed with the duck was over powering the flavour of the duck too much. Having said that it was still a high quality dish The ravioli pasta is hand made and was quite nice. I personally didn't like it, but my partner raved about how well cooked the pasta was. I HATE tiramisu with a passion --- but the one served at Mantecato was absolutely delicious, along with the the affogato which had a slight lime taste to the icecream. Staff was friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. I rarely tip, so my advice would be to remember to bring along an extra 10% for these guys.

This little Italian restaurant tucked away in the residential part of Balmain produces excellent hearty pasta meals. The freshly made pasta is fantastic and cooked Al dente. The sauces are packed with flavours. I highly recommend the Orecchiette wagyu.

Went there on my first ever date with my now-husband! Food was amazing, service was good and nice atmosphere with very lovely staff! Brings back memories every time we go there!

Great Italian joint that does a selection of Italian Wines and a heap of fresh and tasty Italian foods. They also do a few regional style dinners with matching wine. Great place to take the partner when she's annoyed at you because no one can be mad at you after Italian Wine, Carbs, Salami and Olives from this place