Opened in 2001 by brothers (“fratelli”) Giovanni and Enrico Paradiso, it’s an Italian outpost of consummate charm and great cooking on one of Potts Point’s prettiest streets. A crew of mostly Italian waitstaff marshal diners – who are often waiting hopefully on the street by the tables that spill onto the footpath – and greet locals like long-lost friends.

Another constant, never absent from the blackboard menu covering one wall, is the calamari Sant’ Andrea: curls of fried squid served with a dish of tangy, mayo-like Paradiso sauce. The handmade pasta dishes, meanwhile, are ever-changing. You might find the likes of plump paccheri with pumpkin, mozzarella and pine nuts lolling in brown butter, and perhaps bucatini with a rich Bolognese ragu. Among the secondi, cotoletta alla Milanese (a fat crumbed pork cutlet) is served simply with condiments of salsa rossa, anchovy sauce and mustard.

The wines are almost exclusively Italian, with special pours listed on the board. Raise a glass to 21 years and counting of a much-loved institution. 

To read our full list of reviews for NSW, head here.