The restaurant that defined modern Italian dining in Sydney. Its wine list continues to be nothing short of groundbreaking, and introduced the city to many minimal-intervention styles that are now ubiquitous. Whether you’re stopping in for a vino or that iconic lasagnette bolognaise, Frat Paz nails it every time.

In a lush courtyard behind a classic Bondi pub, Merivale’s original good-times Italian joint is all about pasta, Josper-grilled protein and very good wine. But no visit here is complete without an order of antipasti and puffy, pizza-sized flatbreads, which arrive at the table steaming hot from the woodfire oven.

If you’re looking for the theatre of a Michelin-starred Italian meal, without the European stiffness, look no further than this harbourside stunner. Come for Genovese-style pesto pounded tableside, a roving gelato cart, and a view over water so pretty that, if you squint, you might be fooled into thinking you're on the Amalfi Coast.

Italian cuisine with a subtle Australian accent, matched with a wine list that bounces effortlessly between Italy’s Piedmont region and the Adelaide Hills. The Swillhouse group’s modern-day interpretation of a cool ’70s restaurant is everything we’ve come to expect from one the city’s best operators.

This versatile Italian spot has three class acts spread across two levels. Downstairs is a bar and bottle shop styled after the enotecas of Italy. And upstairs is a colourful restaurant with pasta and wines you won’t find elsewhere. From the minds of celebrated wine importers Giorgio de Maria and Mattia Dicati, and chef Enrico Tomelleri.

At this garage-style trattoria from the team behind Bistrot 916, you can disappear into delicate prawn ravioli in rich brown butter and sage sauce, a list of mainly Italian vino and a lively soundtrack spanning afrobeat and Italian pop. The seats on the footpath looking into the buzzy dining room are, ironically, some of the best in the house.

A sexy wine bar from the team behind Love, Tilly Devine, where the pasta menu changes almost daily and comes supplied by its retail sibling, Fabbrica a few blocks away. You might order cavatelli with pippies and house-made pork sausage one day, and goat ragu mafaldine the next.

In the hands of Federico Zanellato, the fusion of Japanese and Italian cuisines makes so much sense, it’s a wonder why more people aren’t doing it. Settle in for an ambitious degustation with matched wines, and the serene views of Pyrmont Bay will keep you occupied between courses.

Set over two storeys in an iconic Paddington terrace, Sydney’s most experimental wine bar has Italian swagger in spades. Come for pastas that are anything but traditional, and a pretzel with whipped bottarga that’s so spectacular it’s never left the menu. The wine list changes so frequently, you could visit three times in a week and never get bored.

There’s nowhere else quite like chef-restaurateur Alessandro Pavoni’s waterside institution. While the trifecta of seafood, crisp Italian wines and house-made gelato mostly succeeds in capturing the essence of a coastal Italian diner, those Middle Harbour views from Ormeggio’s breezy dining room make for a quintessential Sydney experience.

The Porteno group’s Holt Street eatery pays tribute to the group’s seminal venue Bodega (which used to be right around the corner) of the early noughties, combined with a ’60s-era Italian trattoria. Pull up at one of the mint terrazzo tables for vibrant antipasti, seasonal house-made pastas and a knockout drinks list.

Set within Merivale’s sprawling Ivy Precinct, Bar Totti’s is more than just a facsimile of the Bondi original. It brings together the best bit of the OG (signature pastas, outstanding antipasti and woodfired flatbreads), but has a few of its own tricks, too. Notably, regular DJ sets and a late-trading licence to keep the good times rolling for longer.

The spiritual successor to its former tenant, Limoncello. The southern Italian vibe here has been nailed, which is no surprise given the hospitality guns running the show. But it’s all about the pizza – perfectly light, elastic dough that won’t leave you bloated and lethargic.

A cosmopolitan Italian diner with enough marble to sink a ship. It’s a spin-off of Matteo’s in Double Bay, and the pizza is just as good. This place has a few of its own moves though – notably, an executive chef who was trained by the inventor of Roman-style pizza.

The laneway eatery is a collaboration by top Sydney chefs Federico Zanellato (Lumi Dining) and Karl Firla (ex-Oscillate Wildly). While they’re both renowned for innovative fine-dining concepts, Leo is their ode to rustic Italian cuisine. That said, your pasta may come with truffles when they’re in season.

In the former home of Paddington institution Lucio’s, this homey diner carries on its predecessor’s legacy with classic Italian dishes, non-traditional pastas and a selection of mainly Italian wines.

This is the godfather of Italian dining in Sydney. Beppi’s has been ticking-over with the same consistency, fit-out and leather-bound menus – hand-carved by the late Beppi Polese himself – since 1956. Immortal dishes include clams and mussels with garlic, olive oil, white vino and tomato; and zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta, basil and mushrooms.

The old-school Italian with the iconic green door has been kicking hard since 1987 with honest Napoli-style fare including hand-made pastas, fish and beautifully prepared meat courses. The tablecloths are white, the upholstery is floral and the service is pitch-perfect.

Though the offering at Bar Vincent is ever-changing, you can always count on fresh oysters, complimentary house-baked bread and a razor-sharp wine program. Dishes usually skew Italian, and those intimate, candlelit nooks make for a romantic setting to enjoy them in.

At this pretty corner spot just back from the beach, one of the city’s best chefs is serving perfectly puffy pizzas and a Sydney-famous porchetta roll. Plus pastas, carafes of wine and tiramisu.

Like the Darlinghurst original, pasta takes pride of place at A Tavola Bondi. Try all shapes and sizes here alongside seafood-heavy Italian fare, or learn to roll your own in a pasta-making masterclass led by the chefs. There’s a fun coastal vibe and plenty of wine involved either way.

It’s styled after an old-school trattoria, but this enduring eatery serves thoroughly modern interpretations of Italian cuisine – often with native produce. And though the wine list reveres the classics from Piedmont and Tuscany, Australian producers are given equal weighting here. An Enmore classic for a reason.

The club’s signature cacio e pepe is served hot inside a hollowed-out wheel of Pecorino Romano, imported once a month from Sardinia, Italy. That’s how serious this slick diner is about cheese. Score a seat at the communal table with some quality European booze and get down to business.

Roman food is defined by simple preparations, quality ingredients and liberal amounts of olive oil. Few places in Sydney represent the cuisine better than Marta. Cacio e pepe is king here, backed up by Roman-style pizzas and classic Italian cocktails with a twist.

One of the city’s Italian stalwarts, Il Baretto made the move from Surry hills to the Paddo Inn a few years back. Otherwise, it’s barely changed since 1999. The generous bowls of beef-cheek-ragu pappardelle are still here, along with the same convivial family feel.

A tiny neighbourhood restaurant that feels like an Italian family’s living room. In the kitchen, a former A Tavola chef is hand-rolling pastas, churning butter and making gelato in a tiny kitchen that punches well above its weight. It’s all accompanied by a crowd-pleasing mix of Italian and Australian wines.

Whether you visit this lively Italian spot for lunch or dinner, you can be sure the pasta has been handmade fresh that morning. Pair your plates with a drop from the healthy selection of natural vino courtesy of Winona around the corner.

On a leafy Surry Hills street, this graffitied Italian joint serves Roman-style pizzas from a woodfired oven, nostalgic carbonara and natural vino courtesy of Giorgio De Maria Fun Wines.

A visit to Fontana is like taking a Mediterranean holiday. The menu is a love letter to regional Italian dishes, backed up by a thoughtful curation of natural wines and aperitivo. To find it, ascend the classic red-carpeted staircase between a Mexican diner and a kebab shop.