Fratelli Paradiso, Potts Point

It's barely 5.45pm on a Wednesday afternoon and Fratelli Paradiso is already pumping. The tables spilling out onto the street are the first to fill, its seats taken up by jovial locals chatting with each other, with the waiters, and anyone who happens to walk by. It's my first time here, but even so, there's a comfortable familiarity to the place, a sense that just sitting down at a table grants you automatic membership into a tight-knit fold.

The waitstaff have thick Italian accents. The food menu is one column of 12 dishes. The drinks list runs across six pages. Ciao bella!


Calamari Sant'Andrea $25
Squid fried, rocket, balsamic

If there's one dish that's not moving from the menu it's the calamari Sant'Andrea. And thank goodness. Deep fried squid might be a dime a dozen across Sydney, but few reach this level of perfect simplicity. There's just the right amount of crunch to the barely there batter, cloaked around extraordinarily fresh and tender squid.

The rocket isn't an afterthought either. Its peppery leaves, drizzled with balsamic, provide the gutsy counter you need between mouthfuls of deep-fried richness, and are so much more rewarding than the prolific but insipid baby rocket leaves that plague most restaurant plates.


Risotto with blue eye $25
Tarragon, caper, lemon

Today's risotto is with blue eye cod, cooked just like Nonna might make it. Forget over-the-top truckloads of butter. This is a hearty serve of al dente rice in an gently lemony stock, swollen with rough chunks of blue eye cod.


Lasagnetta ragu $24

For true artery clogging goodness, you'll want the lasagnetta ragu. Each serve is baked in its own ceramic dish, a molten cheesy tomato lava bubbling between silky sheets of spinach pasta and rich beef hunks. The caramelised bits along the edges are a treat, and easily prised off with a fork (guilty).


Scampi spaghetti $39 (half-portion pictured)

But if there's one dish you must order, it's the scampi spaghetti.


Scampi spaghetti 

The tangle of spaghetti is toothsome, smothered in a tomato sauce that's sweet and mellow with layers of flavour. The scampi is split in half and grilled so its sweetness is intensified. And when the waitstaff realise you're sharing all dishes between two, they'll wordlessly split your scampi spaghetti order between two plates for ease of eating.


Cannoli $5

Desserts are all classic offerings. The cannoli has a satisfying crunch to its shell, piped full with sweet ricotta and dipped in crushed pistachios at both ends.


Tiramisu $14

And then there's the tiramisu. I like mine with a little more savoiardi sponge and a stronger alcoholic kick, but if it's lashings of fluffy mascarpone cream you're after, this cloud of deliciousness will tick all your boxes.






Fratelli Paradiso
12-16 Challis Avenue, Potts Point, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9357 1744 (no reservations, walk-ins only)

Opening hours
Monday to Saturday 7am-11pm
Sunday 7am-10pm


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