Antica Dining — Restaurant in Sydney

Had an amazing evening with my brother & some mates, trying out the divine cuisine of the new joint venture of the Pagano family x 4, their cousin Jarrod & an existing business partner Joseph & his beautiful wife Stephanie, who've just returned from their wedding in Italy (which I wasn't invited to 🥴). Their joint enterprise "Antica" restaurant has seen the premises fully refurbed back to it's former glory or in actual fact, better than it ever was, it's just beautiful in there. "Antica" meaning 'old' in Italian must be making reference to Tony, the family patriarch, I can't think of any other reason....unless, maybe it's to do with the building....??!! ;) From the moment we arrived, everything from drinks, customer service & the food,(....OMG the food!!) were spot on. An extensive wine cellar with flavours from Italy you've never experienced but MUST are abundant, as well as a huge array of Australian vinos too if you want to stay with an Aussie favourite. My suggestion though is to let Giovani (who has been a part of the Pagano restaurant scene for as long as I can remember) or Mark, the in-house sommeliers, choose your wine for you based on your tastes & appropriate food pairing. Trust me, they know what they’re doing. The staff who literally ARE family, made us feel like we were too, like VIP's from the onset & God knows, we're not that special! Every dish was an extravagant sensation for both the eyes AND to the taste buds & it wasn't just one dish, it was all of them. Unlike my first marriage to a Queenslander, I just didn't want it to end! Unfortunately though, it had to (the meal, not the marriage) but we all now have an excuse to go back there, so we can try the dishes we didn't order the first time & have some more of the ones we did! Even though we live in the Hills district, now that there's a new Metro stop only 50 metres from the beautiful heritage sandstone buildings' location, we will no doubt be going to visit the food, wine & delightful staff of "Antica" again....& again....& again..... BUT lesson learned, I'm going by public transport...

My boyfriend booked Antica for my birthday, and overall the experience was pretty disappointing. The venue is beautiful with a lovely interior that feels classy and cozy. While service was friendly, we had an unpleasant experience with one of the servers. We tried to share our feedback regarding the steak (further details below), however, his tone was condescending which took us aback.

Starters: Corstino and Croquette - both were delicious!

Mains: We had the Fettuccine and the Bistecca. The fettuccine looked great but didn’t quite deliver. The pasta was undercooked in places, the wild boar ragu had a few tough bits, and the sauce felt one-dimensional. It had a basic tomato flavour without much depth or balance.

The Bistecca (market price $220 for 1kg T-bone) was by far the biggest letdown of the night. It was cooked really unevenly, with some parts closer to rare, while others were almost well-done. It also didn’t have that juicy, buttery texture or rich flavour you’d expect at that price point. For comparison, we’ve had far better steaks at places like Bistecca, Gidley, and 6Head, all of which delivered on both quality and execution. Our interaction with the server also didn’t help either and left a sour taste in our mouths…

Desserts: These were definitely the highlight. The Di Mele was warm, comforting and perfectly balanced. The Tiramisu was creamy and light without being too sweet.

In short, Antica is a beautiful spot, and the starters and desserts are worth coming for. However, there’s a lot left to be desired as the mains we ordered, especially the steak, didn’t live up to expectations. This was disappointing especially given the...

I visited Antica with my long term girlfriend for our anniversary last week and all I can say is we had an absolutely brilliant evening.

What stood out immediately was the exceptional hospitality/service we received all the staff were extremely friendly and knowledgeable. We were treated so well and even offered complimentary items on the house which added to the experience. The atmosphere was also beautiful.

The food was absolutely otherworldly. I cannot express how delicious the negroni and margarita were and the oysters too. The croquette was hands down one of the best foods my partner and I have tasted in our lives, and this is not an exaggeration. This exceptional quality continued with the mains (pansotti & tortellini) both cooked to perfection and to die for. I think the sauce that went with the tortellini was slightly a bit lemony for my liking but didn’t ruin from the experience, it was cooked to perfection.

Dessert was, like the rest of the dinner, delicious and finished off the evening on the same note it started.

The one small aspect for improvement (I say this only because I know it’s a very new restaurant still getting a feel for menu items) would be our second round of drinks (French martini & ginny Hendrix) which could be a little more balanced.

The evening was spectacular, and it was a night to remember. I will be returning here next time I’m in Sydney for yet another memorable night filled with delicious food. I could not recommend this restaurant more to anyone in Sydney - we travelled all the way from Melbourne to eat here !

Thanks Antica for taking care of...