Buon Appetit is on a roll with the family-owned food truck set to open its first bricks-and-mortar restaurant in Camden next year. The announcement was made on Instagram, calling for new staff members to join the team.

“These roles are currently in the Denham Court area, but to let you in on a big secret: we will be moving into a restaurant in 2024!” the caption reads. 

The owner, Benjamin Vitagliano, has confirmed it’ll be a complete transformation, from bustling food truck to a homey eatery with a roof and four walls. 

“We’ve really outgrown the [Denham Court] space,” Vitagliano says. “The restaurant [will be] around three times the size, with 300-plus seats. No bookings, no waiting. Just come and eat!”

Buon Appetit, currently nestled in a backyard-esque Denham Court, opened just 18 months ago. This expansion comes as no surprise: what was originally a secret locally-loved spot soon became a Sydney-wide phenomenon.

Vitagliano, who studied communications at Western Sydney University, quit his corporate life to start the truck with his mother, Rosa. His whole family soon followed suit to keep up with the demand. 

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“Honestly, the feeling is surreal, to say the least,” he says. “My family and I spend our Sunday mornings eating breakfast and talking about how unbelievable the whole experience is. If I had a time machine and travelled three years back and told myself the scale of the operation now, I wouldn’t believe it.”

The new restaurant is remaining in Sydney’s southwest, set for Camden in January 2024. 

“We want our customers to expect nothing but the best same-old Buon Appetit, just on a larger scale,” Vitagliano says. “Our vibe, food, service and passion will be the same… if not amplified.”

Keep your eyes peeled for a new selection of “woodfired pizzas and really special protein options”.

Until then, the food truck will be operating in Denham Court as per usual. While the menu is packed with savoury pastas and pizza frittas, we highly recommend the deep-fried dessert gnocchi. While dessert and gnocchi aren’t traditionally a match made in heaven, Buon Appetit’s Nutella Oreo Fried Gnocchi proves otherwise. 

“[Inventing it] was a complete accident,” Vitagliano admits. A happy accident, we say.

Some advice? Don’t gnocc it till you try it for yourself. 

Buon Appetit
Wed-Sat 5pm-9pm
479 Campbelltown Rd, Denham Court
@buonappetit.au

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