There’s a 90-minute queue for this new Italian restaurant in Bexley North

Sydney’s hottest new restaurant is in Bexley North. Diners are queuing up to 90 minutes for a table at Sugo, a casual Italian-American restaurant from the hospitality team behind neighbouring pizzeria My Mother’s Cousin and cafe-bakery Self Raised Snack Shoppe.

Sugo opened in an unassuming shopping strip on April 10 and immediately attracted attention for its hot honey and sesame garlic bread, cheesy rigatoni alla “nodka” (not vodka), and outdoor seating for up to 50 people, spilling onto the footpath.

“You can see the restaurant when you’re driving down Bexley Road, all of the tables are lit with these little lamps and there are just people everywhere,” says Huss Rachid, who co-owns the restaurant with Amani Rachid and Sal Senan. “We’ve had people pull up and come in to ask like, ‘What is going on here?’

The group has worked to bring city-style hospitality to the Sydney suburbs since the opening of their award-winning Carlton bakery Self Raised Bread Shoppe in February 2023, and Sugo is their third venue in Bexley North.

It’s also their first full-scale Italian restaurant, but Senan says they’re not chasing tradition. Like their Marrickville pizzeria MMC Slice Shoppe, Sugo is influenced by old-school Italian-American restaurants (“red-sauce joints”) like Emilio’s Ballato and Carmine’s in New York City.

“Carmine’s just ticked all the boxes: the portions were massive, the service was loud but welcoming, it was family-friendly, it was packed, there were old photos on the walls,” says Rachid. “It was just like, this is the type of restaurant I like to eat at.”

There’s comfortable booth seating for 25 inside the restaurant, which features the walnut veneer and marigold hues of a ’70s diner. For now, it’s walk-in only, but bookings are expected to open within a couple of weeks.

Sugo sits somewhere between a traditional Italian restaurant and a quick service offering like Italian Bowl in Newtown, Rachid says: “It’s more light-hearted. We can muck around with the menu whenever we want … and we haven’t skimped on portion size.”

The menu, led by head chef Anmol Karki, begins with simple snacks: thick cut slices of sourdough bread from the Self Raised bakery, mozzarella carrozza (slices of bread, stuffed with cheese and fried), and Wagyu bresaola with spicy giardiniera (pickled vegetables).

There’s nine pasta dishes, ranging from spaghetti bolognese to prawn linguine. Each is available with a scoop of stracciatella cheese or a chicken cutlet (classic, crumbed or with ‘nodka’ sauce and Parmesan) as a side. Alternatively, the chicken is served as a main with your choice of sauce and a side of fries.

As with all the group’s venues, Sugo is alcohol-free. Instead of wine, diners can choose from a selection of Fabio Italian sodas, made in Melbourne.

Self Raised pastry chef Sarah Ghantous has created a baked cheesecake with banana cream for dessert, and there are seasonal scoops and a sundae using gelato from Newtown gelateria Mapo.

“We just want it to feel like a no-fuss place,” Rachid says. “Come in, sit down wherever you want, and leave full.”

Sugo, Shop 3/20 Sarsfield Circuit, Bexley North, instagram.com/sugopastabar