Before I headed to Japan a few years ago, a celebrated Sydney chef told me to eat plenty of Italian food there. “They do it better than the Italians,” he quipped. He was pretty close to the mark.

Alberto’s chef Dan Pepperell seems to agree. A trip to Japan was part of his. research for the menu here in the former home of much-loved Berta. Whether it was a factor or not, this food is as good as any Italian I’ve had Down Under.

Owned by the crew who gave Sydney hit French restaurant Hubert, Alberto’s has an intoxicating mix of good-times hospitality, grin-inducing dishes and knockout booze to match.

Take a seat at the bar and watch the pros sling drinks or on one of the banquettes flanking the giant window that reveals a massive mural on the building opposite by the team’s creative collaborator Allie Webb. Either way, you’re in good hands. General manager Benjamin Brown (late of Sepia) steers the ship, while vino virtuoso Andy Tyson turns up the volume on table wines, and Pepperell displays his innate ability to respect tradition while coaxing out the big flavours of classic Italian dishes with uncanny flair.

Crudo of diced yellowfin tuna comes in a generously seasoned tumble of chilli, chives and a tuna jelly that’s reminiscent of how I’ve had it in Osaka. Tripe naysayers could be turned by the trippa alla Romana, the tender strips slathered in a rich sauce spiked with spice that evokes chicken tikka masala. Light, voluptuous pillows of gnocchi, meanwhile, loll in a pool of pecorino sauce flecked with pepper (aka gnocchi al cacio e pepe). I can’t recall a better gnocchi dish.

I spent the best part of last year in search of a great cotoletta and Alberto’s tapioca-crusted pork-neck number served simply with half a lemon is the prize. It’s magnificent. As is Alberto’s Lounge. Run, don’t walk.