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Since 1999, Grappa has been serving locals perfectly al dente spaghetti alle vongole and ruby-red tuna carpaccio. Now, you don’t have to travel to Norton Street to get your red-sauce fix, as the legendary family-run Italian restaurant has opened in The Rocks, in the former home of Rockpool.
Founder Charlie Colosi – who opened Grappa alongside his father Antonio 26 years ago – and wife Virginie have brought their old-school hospitality, delicious Italian dishes and passion for wine to the CBD for the first time, snapping up the 107–109 George Street site that’s been vacant since 2022.
“In a way, hospitality is like inviting people into your own home, so that’s how we want the guest experience to feel,” says Charlie.
The heritage sandstone building, which was originally built as a bakehouse in the 1860s, has been transformed into a 300-seat stunner, featuring a glamorous dining room, the upper-level Art Deco-style Charlie’s Bar – which can be hired out for events – private dining rooms, and an outdoor terrace on George Street, set to open later this year.
The menu, led by head chef Adam Nicholls, who has worked alongside Colosi since 2001, features all the hits: wood-fired pizzas and bread, fresh pasta handmade daily, market-fresh seafood and premium cuts of meat.
Highlights include fresh figs wrapped in prosciutto di Parma with melted gorgonzola, pistachio and balsamic reduction; veal meatballs in a tomato sauce with Parmigiano Reggiano; tagliolini with WA Shark Bay crab meat, lemon, garlic, chilli, parsley and breadcrumbs; and rigatoni grappa – their take on the viral creamy tomato vodka pasta – with grappa, tomato, cream and parsley. For dessert, the fior di latte soft serve with olive oil and sea salt is my pick.
There’s grappa, of course – around 100 different types of Italian brandy – as well as a wine cellar with more than 300 labels, mostly Italian and French varietals.
“I’ve always wanted a restaurant in the city, but it had to feel right. When we walked into this building, we felt it straight away – the bones, the history, the energy. It’s an iconic space,” adds Charlie.
Find out more here.
Address: 107–109 George Street, The Rocks, NSW 2000
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