Bastardo

Spy the massive mint-green terrazzo communal table here and it feels you’ve just walked into a raucous dinner at Nonna’s with the entire extended family. Just like Nonna’s, Bastardo’s food is hearty and unfussy, arriving before you’ve even taken two sips of your vermouth (almost a dozen to try with an equal number of amari).

Roasted eggplant parmigiana is generous if a little over-seasoned, but the wagyu beef carpaccio is a winner, daubed with silky “tonnato” sauce and `with quivering soft-boiled eggs and Spanish anchovy fillets. Pasta here is a must, most made with a vintage La Parmigiana extruder rehomed from an Adelaide family, if only to see the way the frilly edges of mafalda catch a rich tomato sauce studded with blue swimmer crab.

Equally impressive are sweet pillows of corn-filled agnolotti, even if the brown butter sauce could be taken further. Dessert, though? Bombe Alaska gives old-school nostalgia, dazzling with amarena cherries and swirls of torched meringue. Nonna never cooked like this, that’s for sure.

Good to know: Like this? Neighbouring Porteno and Humble Bakery have the same owners.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.

Last reviewed: April 2026

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