Australian’s learned to cook a particular type of Italian at home in the 1980s. It was cheesy, drowned in sauce, and laden with toppings from cans, jars and deli counters. And at the Brisbane institution Gino’s Italian Restaurant in Hamilton, it’s as popular as ever.

Opened in 1981 by Sayed and Deborah Barakat, it has remained in the family for 36 years as children Charlotte, Simon and Dominique took over. But earlier this month the family sold its casual, no-frills pizza stalwart to cousin Eddie. The slightly more distant relative has been involved in the eatery for more than 25 years and, so far, is keeping things the same.

The food is as Australian-Italian as ever. There’s creamy carbonara, pizzas loaded with toppings and cheese covering almost everything. But boy is it popular. Any night of the week, the terracotta-tiled eatery is packed with couples and families happy for a piece of nostalgia.

It serves bouncy, mass-produced gnocchi from a packet, the pizzas are topped with shredded ham and diced olives bought in bulk, and the desserts are made offsite, yet customers love it. Maybe it’s because it’s a night off from the kitchen, maybe it’s because staff never falter from their friendly and eager-to-please demeanours despite being so busy. It could also be the cheap chianti from the basic but well-priced wine list that has punters returning.

Whatever the appeal, it’s a recipe that works, and to criticise the food for being too basic or the fitout for needing an upgrade just seems futile.

If you’re a classicist or a food snob, leave Gino’s to the locals. But if you like old-school, Australian-Italian fare, order the cannelloni in a bolognese sauce glistening with melted mozzarella and you’ll walk away happy.