If it’s not the best restaurant group in Australia, it sure as hell mounts a solid case for it. The Porteño Group (Porteño, Bodega, Bodega 1904 and more) has an uncanny knack of delivering restaurants Sydney needs. The savvy owners understand why people go to restaurants – to enjoy the company of their dining companions over great food and booze and to leave without making too much of a dent in the wallet.

But there’s more to its success than that, and the new CBD outpost of Newtown’s Continental Deli epitomises the group’s signature attention to detail in design, polished food and all-are-welcome atmosphere. And while the original has given the city the deli it dreamed of – with killer cold cuts, cheeses and tinned seafood, cheeky canned cocktails (hello, Mar-Tinny) and reliable Mediterranean-leaning bistro fare – the CBD incarnation offers all that but in a more complete restaurant package.

The drinks list, by Michael Nicolian and Joe Valore, is worth the visit alone, while chefs Elvis Abrahanowicz and Jesse Warkentin have created a menu that’s similarly alluring yet enticingly different to the Newtown original. Although the food suits sharing, there’s more of a leaning towards single dishes. It’s a bob each way, but really it’s irrelevant because it’s knock-your-socks-off delicious.

Among the smaller plates, slices of nectarine play off thick-cut kingfish crudo doused with a vinaigrette spiked with ’nduja, while stracciatella and dill form the tasty base for three iterations of cucumber (fresh, pickled and fermented). Just-cooked swordfish, in one of the heftier dishes, might come with gribiche, lemon brown butter and green beans, and the ever-changing roster of pasta dishes might include squid-ink rigatoni teamed with pork sausage, broccolini, cuttlefish and bottarga. Good lord, it’s good.

Where the Newtown Continental feels like a wine bar with cracking food, this feels more like a restaurant proper, with the trademark smart-casual service. And, sure, the crowd here is more suit than inner-west hipster, but, as this group proves time and time again, everyone is welcome at its table.

Details:

Best Cocktail: The Clover
Best Seat: Overlooking Phillip Street
Hot tip: Go for lunch and try the sandwiches
Must have: Any pasta dish
X-Factor: Tinned seafood, tinned cocktails
Date safe: Yes
Instagrammable: Yes
Bookings: Yes
Delivery: No
Vegetarian Option: Yes
Gluten-free Option: No
Child Friendly: Yes