The November Hit List: Esteban, CicciaBella, Fabbrica, Peppe’s, and More

This new pasta shop and wine bar is designed for carb lovers: there’s just-made spaghetti, tubes of rigatoni and ribbons of mafaldine, all courtesy of the talent behind Italian joint Ragazzi. The gluten-free linguine is as elastic and satisfying as the wheat-based kind. The onion-topped focaccia, ever-changing sandwiches and oven-baked loaves will complete your carb fix. And dairy diehards, the cheese selection features three kinds of pecorino and a sheep’s milk cheese covered in Barolo wine must. Open Monday to Wednesday, 10am to 8pm; Thursday to Friday, 10am to 10pm.

Dining status: open for dine-in and takeaway.

Esteban moves into tiny Temperance Lane with big ambitions: it wants to serve Australia’s largest collection of mezcal and Tequila. To go with that serious amount of booze, the team behind Tequila Mockingbird is offering a Mexican-inspired menu with an Australian slant. So desert lime adds a tart twist to scallop aguachile, mountain pepper leaf gives wagyu beef tartare tacos extra firepower, while saltbush and muntries power up charred camote. Open Tuesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner.

Dining status: open for walk-ins and bookings.

In O Tama Carey’s Lankan Filling Station book, you’ll learn about the ten spices in her roasted curry powder. The recipe is foundational to her Sri Lankan eatery, but this flavour-charged ingredient is just one of many highlights at her award-winning restaurant. Dine in and enjoy her lacey hoppers (the brunch version with caramelised jaggery and whipped coconut is pretty special), or stock your home with takeaway goods, including devilled cashew nuts, frozen dhal, and that aforementioned curry powder. Details here.

Dining status: open for dine-in, pick-up and takeaway.

Almond Bar has reopened, so book in for the monthly Syrian breakfast that Sharon Salloum has overseen for a decade. Or turn up for dinner – there’s a vegan feast featuring roast cashew tabouli and pumpkin kibbeh if the grilled calamari and chicken shawarma aren’t for you. Ex-Nahm chef Annita Potter has recently been running Thai dinners at Almond Bar on Tuesday and Wednesday nights – hopefully she’ll return with more bean pudding and salted coconut cream soon. Info here.

Dining status: open for dine-in, pick-up and takeaway.

CicciaBella’s latest outpost is at Parramatta Square, a new dining precinct. Restaurateur Maurice Terzini has teamed up with designer Fiona Lynch for its look: The striking details include graffiti-inscribed stone columns by artist Benzo. Terzini has drawn on familiar talent from his restaurant group (from chef Nic Wong to cocktail master Matt Whiley) to oversee the trattoria’s menu, which includes wagyu lasagne, Sardinian gelato sandwiches and glasses of the signature Ciccia Bellini. Open Tuesday to Saturday.

Dining status: open for dine-in and walk-ins.

People remark on this Malaysian-Indian eatery’s surprising location. The barren, industrial setting seems an unlikely site for any food business. Yet Camellia Fusion Cafe has built up a popular following, which shouldn’t be surprising. Amy Ramachandren’s previous business, Amma’s Modern Kitchen, drew tourists from Malaysia. Plan ahead at Camellia Fusion Cafe and preorder her banana leaf specials, which range from sambal udang petai (prawns with ‘stink beans’ in chilli) to chicken biryani. Info here.

Dining status: open for dine-in, walk-ins, pick-up, takeaway and delivery.

This smart-looking pub has a new alfresco rooftop terrace called Villa. It’s inspired by Palm Springs and the cacti and retro design are meant to evoke the famous Californian destination. To match the holiday feel, there’s a laidback menu including salt and pepper calamari seasoned with furikake, and pappardelle with Queensland king prawns and XO sauce. There are batched cocktails to sip and a craft beer wall to order from, too. Open daily.

Dining status: open for walk-ins and dine-in (bookings recommended).

Gunjan Aylawadi’s eatery serves ever-changing pakoras: It could be green bean and cauliflower fritters with tamarind and mint chutneys one week, or garlic bok choy with chilli bean sprout fritters the next. The khichri rotates, too: it’s a warm bowl with coconut and kale on one occasion, or a bamboo broth with seaweed seed mix another time. One constant: her Indian menu is consistently vegan and gluten-free, and her condiments are always worth buying (her coconut crunch is like Indian furikake). Open Tuesday to Friday, 10:30am to 2pm.

Dining status: open for dine-in, walk-ins, pick-up, takeaway and delivery.

This basement steakhouse feels timeless – and not because it has a no-phone policy, like sister restaurant Bistecca. The Gidley presents inspired takes on yesteryear dishes (like the prawn cocktail), or classic offerings, like prime rib roast, available in a whopping 700g cut. There’s also the blockbuster rib-eye cooked over charcoal and ironbark – and pumpkin pie with whipped goat’s cheese and pepitas if you still have room for dessert.

Dining status: open for dine-in.

From the moment it opened, this vegan pasta joint had queues out the door. Choosing between Peppe’s mushroom gnocchi with crisp sage and pangrattato, and the tomato equivalent with roasted capers and basil, was always a tough decision. The spaghetti aglio e olio has always been a non-negotiable must-order. COVID times mean you can also savour Peppe’s at home: order ahead and enjoy spaghetti “cashew e peppe” or a plant-based lasagna at your kitchen table. Open Wednesday to Sunday for dinner.

Dining status: open for dine-in, walk-ins, pick-up or delivery.