LOCATION
Beppis is an Italian restaurant located in East Sydney, 5-10 minutes from the CBD, down Park Street past Australian Museum, turn right at Yurong Street.
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
There are very few Sydney restaurants which can boast a half century of food service, but Beppi’s is one of them. Opened in 1956, ingredients which were yet to grace an Australian restaurant menu (including mussels, octopus and whitebait) were keystones of the Beppi’s repertoire. Famously, founder Beppi Polese ended up sourcing his mussels from the wooden pylons of the old Spit Bridge, scraping them off with a knife and carting them back to the restaurant.
Beppi’s restaurant is still family run and located at the original premises in Darlinghurst, a large space with five separate dining areas. The cellar room is undoubtedly the most unique space, with bottles of wine stored in wooden racks that run across every vertical surface. The food is rich and traditional Italian, sometimes leaning too far towards the former. The shared figs wrapped in prosciutto are so flavoursome they barely need the accompanying gorgonzola sauce, though the angel hair pasta with blue swimmer crab hits all the right flavours. The costly corkage probably stems for a fondness towards their own cellar, so opt for a bottle from their excellent wine list. Beppi’s will never be short of regulars, though newcomers may be surprised by the end total – eating out at Beppi’s has become a lot more expensive since 1956.
Profiled May 2007
DETAILS
Beppi and his wife Norma could write a book on the subject of hospitality. They have been keeping patrons well fed on this corner for 47 years. Beppis is an ITalian restaurant that boasts a friendly, welcoming vibe together with a 'suave' reminiscent of a stylish Italian Trattoria you might stumble upon on 'The Grande Canale' in Venice. The 'Beppi experience' will keep you coming back, be it for the authentic Italian cuisine or the fabled good service, all part of the reason why this is Sydney's longest running restaurant.
FOOD & BEVERAGE
The menu is extensive and offers familar favourites together with some interesting new delights. You cannot ignore the Zuppa di Cozze Veneziana (mussels in fish stock with tomato and garlic) or the White Veal fillet with porcini mushrooms. If you lean towards more rustic tastes, the Osso Buco with polenta is another favourite. The comprehensive wine list offers an adventure for every palate and features a good selection of Australian and Italian wines carefully chosen from Beppi's cellar.
PRIVATE DINING
Beppi's has a choice of areas for private dining. Aptly called the Cellar, this area is lined with one of the most extensive collections of Australian vintage wines.
FUNCTIONS
Beppi's has private room options with rooms sitting 6 pax, 10pax, 27pax & 35pax. Most of these rooms are in the cellar area & are lined with vintage bottles of wine.
