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What do Mick Jagger, Frank Sinatra, ABBA, Harrison Ford, Rihanna, Kerry Packer, Neil Armstrong… and my mum and her ex-boyfriend all have in common? They have all dined at Beppi’s – Australia’s oldest continuously owned Italian restaurant in Darlinghurst.
I find this out when I mention to my mum where I’m off to for the evening, her eyes starting to glaze over with Barolo-laced memories. She tells me she can still remember the rich tomato sauces, the wine cellar dining room, the traditional flavours, and the warm hospitality. Though this isn’t all that unusual: mention the word Beppi’s to any Sydneysider and I pretty much guarantee they’ve had many memorable evenings there. If only the walls could speak.
Beppi and Norma Polese opened a small Italian restaurant in Darlinghurst in June 1956 – the same year television broadcasting officially began in Australia and Melbourne held the country’s first Olympic Games. At the time, Beppi’s was serving things unfamiliar to many Australian palates, including olive oil, fresh pasta and regional Italian flavours that are commonplace today. Over the years, the warm, cosy restaurant drew a loyal following for its delicious taste of Italy, served with consistent old-school charm.
Beppi’s is also home to one of Australia’s most impressive restaurant wine cellars, occupying half the dining room and stocked with thousands of bottles, including rare Italian wines such as Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico, Amarone and Super Tuscans, alongside Australian and international wines.
It was also the first restaurant to serve Penfolds Grange Hermitage, helping introduce Australians to what would become one of the country’s most celebrated wines.
And this year, the Sydney institution is celebrating its 70th birthday.
“My father and mother Norma built Beppi’s with an extraordinary sense of hospitality, discipline and respect for tradition,” says Marc Polese, who took over the restaurant from his father when he passed away in 2016.
“His legacy is not just the restaurant itself, but the way generations of people have experienced it – through food, wine, service and a sense of occasion. My role now is to take Beppi’s into the future while preserving the classic elements that have made the formula so successful.”
To celebrate the big 7-0, Beppi’s is serving up a limited-time anniversary menu throughout July, bringing back some of the restaurant’s most iconic dishes from the archives.
Expect nostalgic throwbacks including a very special zuppa di cozze – a classic Neapolitan mussel soup. In the early days, Beppi harvested the mussels by hand from Sydney Harbour, and for the anniversary celebrations the dish has returned for just $12 – the inflation-adjusted equivalent of its seven-shilling price tag in the 1960s. You’ll also find vitello tonnato freddo (my personal favourite Italian dish), cannelloni alla Beppi’s and steak Diane on the anniversary menu.
“Beppi’s has lasted 70 years because the formula works: quality, consistency, tradition and proper European-style hospitality,” adds Marc.
“My responsibility is to protect that legacy while making sure the business remains strong for the future. We have always believed in doing things properly from the food, the wine, the service and the way guests are welcomed. Alongside the restaurant, we have diverse business interests, providing the stability to keep investing in Beppi’s and to continue running it with the same care and independence that has defined it from the beginning.”
Happy birthday, Beppi’s – bring on the next 70, we say.
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