In recent years one Canberra hotel has stolen the spotlight, but another, more recent addition, deserves our attention. Enter East Hotel, the latest offering behind the Bisa family and home to the capital’s Joe’s Bar and newly opened Italian restaurant Agostinis.

Located in the hip suburb of Kingston, the hotel offers up some serious competition to the likes of Hotel Hotel and the QT Canberra. Though I’m warned as I have a drink with Dion Bisa, one part of the dynamic duo behind the hotel and its restaurants, not to think of East Hotel as a competitor. “We’re a hotel for all people, from families, those on business and couples looking for a weekend escape,” she says as we talk in the packed Joe’s Bar. It’s 5.30pm, and there’s an energetic vibe in the room, but it’s clear that it’s more than just hotel guests who frequent the establishment. Our waiter is on first name basis with the people at the table next to us.

It’s not just the bar, though, that’s the talk of the town. Next door, Agostinis is causing a stir for all the right reasons. The restaurant, only in its third week, is already on its second seating as we arrive for dinner at 7.30pm. The kitchen is buzzing, and it’s hard not to miss the theatre of the chefs as they work their craft to an audience of diners in the open kitchen.

When we visit, on two separate occasions, it’s a full house of couples, families and travellers. “Many of my happiest childhood memories are associated with my family coming together over food,” says Dan Bisa, owner and director of Bisa Hotels. It’s only fitting then, that the restaurant should take the name of their mother Marisa’s maiden name. “My mother is an incredible Italian cook, and she was taught by her parents, so we have been fortunate to be surrounded by really authentic Italian food our whole lives,” he says.

The menu takes its cue from the family’s North Italian roots as well as twists from Roman-born chef Francesco Balestrieri. Pizza dough is aged for 72 hours, and the restaurant boasts the largest pizza oven in Canberra – it can pump out 15 pizzas at a time. And everything from the pasta to the focaccia is made in-house by Balestrieri and his team. The frico, a dish from the Friuli region, is truly a standout. Made from thin layers of Montasio cheese and potato, it’s the sort of food that makes all your problems disappear. Meanwhile, a dish of square-cut spaghetti with grated bottarga, garlic and chilli (tonnarelli alla bottarga) delivers waves of sea spray with each bite.

Already popular among diners (including one former prime minister and ambassador) is the steak. The house special, bistecca alla fiorentina (t-bone), weighing up to 1kg, serves up to three people, but the 250g crusted veal cutlet (cotoletta alla milanese) is proving a fierce contender when we visit for the first time.

“I couldn’t be happier with the way the food scene has changed in Canberra. When I moved back here more than nine years ago, if you said ‘Italian food’ you meant creamy pastas, deep-pan pizzas and garlic bread,” Balestrieri says.

With his first stint for the Bisa family at Joe’s Bar, Balestrieri commanded a kitchen no bigger than one found in an average apartment. “When I started in Joe’s Bar we just had one item on the menu – steak. One day I said, ‘Why don’t we put one plate of pasta on the menu?” and immediately it was flying out the kitchen, so I put another one on the menu, and another until eventually we basically had a small menu of dishes in a kitchen that went from two chefs to four chefs to keep up with the demand,” he says.

With interiors by Kelly Ross, it’s clear that this isn’t your average Italian restaurant. Every object I’m told is custom-made and relates back to Marisa. Pink neon signs (one reads: “You had me at pizza”) set the tone for the restaurant’s playfulness, and leopard print booths (Marisa’s favourite) adorn the back of the restaurant. Marble counters and copper features from lights to shelves wrap around the bar and open kitchen.

“Marisa Bisa, the matriarch of the Bisa family, [was] the reluctant catalyst for this project and it was important to me to pay homage to her spirit in a way that would influence the overall appearance of the restaurant,” the designer said. “Having her story in mind guided the creative process and gave every element special meaning. Agostinis is about an unapologetic enthusiasm for being honest and bold, not for the purpose of craving attention but as a vehicle to express oneself.”

It’s apparent that there has been a significant amount of investment by the family beyond the financial. Kitchen staff share a meal before every service and the Bisa family can be regularly seen interacting with staff and patrons. It’s the sort of place you’d feel comfortable enough to go to with friends and family (they have rosé on tap – enough said) and the kind of establishment you’d happily take a date to.

You’d better be quick though. With the way things are going, getting a table here is going to be one of Canberra’s hottest ticket items.

Agostinis at East Hotel, Canberra
69 Canberra Ave, Kingston ACT 2604
agostinis.com.au

 24 Hours in Canberra:

Breakfast:
Muse (69 Canberra Ave, Kingston)

Lunch:
A-Baker (15 Edinburgh Ave, Canberra)

Dinner:
Agostinis (69 Canberra Ave, Kingston)

Best Coffee:
Močan & Green Grout (1/19 Marcus Clarke St, Canberra)

Must see:
Australian War Memorial (Treloar Cres, Campbell ACT)
National Gallery of Australia (Parkes Pl E, Parkes, ACT)
National Portrait Gallery (King Edward Terrace, Parkes, ACT)
Parliament House (Parliament Dr, Canberra)

Stay:
East Hotel (69 Canberra Ave, Kingston)