[category]
[title]
Garlic bread is inherently delicious (hello, bread, butter, garlic, salt). But when it’s done well, it can really kick-start the night (and lead you to eating too much early on – no regrets). The confit garlic bread at Fontana, for example, is one of my all-time favourites. And now I’ve got another: The garlic bread at Vitelli’s Upstairs – a new New York-style Italian restaurant in Redfern from the team behind Apollonia, Grana and Island Radio, in the former home of the (sadly) short-lived Baptist Street Rec. Club.
A toasted bread roll comes cut into quarters, covered in garlic and herb butter and topped with melted cheese. It’s $5 per person – and for $7 you can (and should!) add a plate of rich, olive oil-laced tomato sauce with stracciatella to double-dip as you please. It’s ridiculously good and I’m still thinking about it.
Elsewhere on the menu – curated by culinary Director Stephen Seckold and executive chef Elliott Pinn – there are fried lasagne bites with lemon; spaghetti with Vitelli’s pork and fennel meatballs and pecorino; and veal milanese served with blush tomatoes, pickled red onion, wild rocket and pecorino. All the pasta comes from CBD sibling Grana, which makes it fresh daily.
RECOMMENDED READ: The best new restaurants and bars in Sydney 2026
You’ll probably have to order their signature dish too: pasta in a creamy vodka tomato sauce topped with chicken parmigiana (yes, really) – and you can opt to make it a double and add burrata if you really wanna throw caution to the wind.
Plus, there’s a strong line-up of classic Italian cocktails and wines, DJs take over on Friday and Saturday evenings, there’s a $75 set menu, and bar snacks are served until 1am. All that and delicious garlic bread.
Find out more here.
Address: Corner of Cleveland &, Baptist St, Redfern NSW 2011
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox.