The Italians are making their way to Sydney’s refurbished inner-city suburb of Darling Harbour, bringing with them their glorious cuisine, fine-tuned coffee and their fastidious taste for alcohol. 

Located under the Sydney International Convention Centre Theatre – opposite the stunning Chinese Gardens – will soon be the newest Fratelli Fresh flagship dining emporium. It opens at 7am this Friday, May 25, and accommodates for over 55o customers, which includes a 100-seat beer and wine garden beaming with citrus and olive trees, with a front-row seat of the busy harbour-side precinct.

Serving house-made Neapolitan pizza, pasta, gelato and rotisserie-roasted meats, their menu showcases premium produce from local partners, including Vannella Cheese, Salumi Australia, Sonoma Bakery and Mecca Coffee. And to help with authenticity, Italian hero brands Baci chocolate and Campari are coming along for the ride, bringing with them a little taste of Chicago, Illinois thanks to iconic American craft beer pioneer Goose Island Beers.

If there’s one thing an Italian doesn’t want to get wrong, it’s coffee, and with Mecca Coffee being part of the Fratelli team you can expect only the best. Also, be one of the first 2500 customers to buy a coffee, and you will receive a complimentary Fratelli Fresh KeepCup, entitling you to $1 KeepCup coffee for the first 30 days. Breakfast customers will also receive $1 coffees for the first 30 days.

Mecca is also providing specialised nitro coffee on tap – a cold, frothy brew infused with nitrogen gas.

The 1,100 square-metre, light-filled emporium boasts 30-metre high ceilings and an industrial feel, with flashes of Fratelli Fresh signature red and white. The vast space is sectioned into a number of interactive dining spaces, live cooking stations, and bars. Diners order and pay at designated areas and their meals are delivered to them.

Rockpool Dining Group Chief Executive Officer Thomas Pash said Fratelli’s first food and dining emporium offered something special for everyone, at any time of the day.

“We’ve designed it to be a very interactive and immersive space, with menus that cover every meal of the day, accommodate theatre-goers in the ICC, customers looking to grab and go, and those who wish to enjoy a picnic nearby,” Mr Pash said.

Fratelli Darling Harbour offers a convenient grab and go selection of Sonoma breakfast toast and pastries, fresh salads, pastas, and Roman-style pizza by the slice. Slow-cooked, spit-roasted meats, including porchetta and lamb shoulder, take the rotisserie lunch menu and fresh-cut Sonoma sandwich selection to the next level.

Thanks to Head Pastry Chef Riccardo Falcone, the emporium is home to a decadent dessert bar and cioccolateria, featuring treats such as tiramisu, tortas, panna cotta, biscotti, sfogliatella, hand-made truffles, chocolate bars and cannoli. A gelato bar carries 15 flavours, including Snickerone, caramelised fig and mascarpone, almond, Nutella, and mint choc chip.

Banoffee Torta at Fratelli Fresh. Image: Supplied

Take-away enthusiasts can select from the whole menu, and meals can be delivered by Uber Eats and Deliveroo.

And then there’s the drinking experience. This Darling Harbour emporium has added a little pizzazz to their alcoholic tastes with Australia’s first Campari Bar that showcases an impressive line-up of cocktails, including seven spritzes and six negronis available on tap. A tap takeover by Goose Island will see an evolving six beers by the iconic brewery flowing through the venue and heralds Fratelli Fresh as the exclusive Australian partner to showcase a broad range of its craftmanship.

Suited man holding a Campari cocktail

Another premium partner is Ross Hill Wines from Orange, NSW, which serves Fratelli’s cool-climate house wine. The wine list includes five whites, five reds and one rosé by the glass and carafe. Over 80 Australian and Italian wines by the bottle are showcased in the on-site vinoteca, ready for purchase and to be enjoyed with a meal.

And while you wait for your food, or during a round of cocktails with friends, head over to the adult-skewed games corner to play some ping pong, jenga, shuffleboard or foosball.

Also, keep an eye on their events calendar which is packed with gastronomic experiences, including pizza, pasta and cocktail masterclasses, coffee workshops, and tastings with key partners.

To shine up with the grand opening, a ‘Meet the Maker’ calendar of complimentary tastings featuring Mecca, Sonoma, Vannella Cheese, Ross Hill Wines, Campari and Goose Island Beers spans the launch weekend of Saturday, May 26 and Sunday, May 27, with performers adding some live vibes to the opening days. See the full opening weekend program here.

And for those on a budget, daily food and drink specials include all-you-can-eat classic pizzas on Tuesdays, $20 carafes of wine on Wednesdays, $20 endless antipasti boards on Thursdays, and a daily happy hour of $5 espresso martinis, negronis, spritzes, house beers and wine, alongside $5 classic pizzas. See the full list of daily specials here.

Oh, and lastly, every time a customer purchases a drink in the first month they will go in the draw to win one of four bright red Scomadi scooters. One winner will be drawn at 6pm every Friday, over the first four weeks.

Visit fratellifresh.com.au for more information.
Sound: Tim.Kahn: Source ‘An Italian street performer playing the accordion. Various street noise in the background.’