Aperitivo Pizza and Pasta - Italian Restaurant Leichhardt, Sydney — Restaurant in Sydney

I'll try to be brief....but cannot see that happening.

The good: The food is excellent. So if you choose to go there purely for what you eat then go. This place serves lovely authentic Italian food. So the cooks know their stuff.

The Bad: This list is kinda extensive..... so sit down and read up.

Was seated... and eventually handed menus. No explanations of what was in the menu , just handed it. Wasn't handed the drinks menu , i had to ask for that. Approached 2 mins after sitting down for our order !! Hadn't even got to page 2 of it yet !! Ordered 4 drinks.... was given three. Had to inquire about the 4th !! It eventually came. Placed the food order and minutes later was told that they could not fulfil it as they had run out of meat. (at 7:30 on a Sat night ?) Had to change my choice which was fine... but the 2nd choice came with the vegetables that i ordered in the 1st choice. So i had two of them. Ordered two entrees as part of our order , that turned up at different times !! We'd finished the first one by the time the 2nd appeared. When they brought out part of our dinner , my kid was handed some other tables meal.. and it sat in front of him for a good minute before another server came and took it from him as he was about to eat it. First two main meals were delivered , and we had to wait for the incorrect one to be taken and then minutes later the two correct ones appeared. My glass for the drink i chose was chipped.

Fawlty towers exists ! Here at this place. :)

Fairness to them they removed a small % of the overall bill in apology , so i was grateful for that and appreciative of them doing so.

But in reality they should not have had to do that at all. All of the above should not happen when your spending over 200 on just 4. Attention to details in the service part of a service industry is as important as the food.

Would i go back ? To sit down , No. For take...

May 2022 Dark, moody with upbeat pop music that makes you want to dance. The front part of the restaurant as you walk in is reminiscent of a wine bar with tall bar stools, barrels and bottles on display. But don't be fooled as there are plenty of tables all the way down to the back including an outdoor section. As soon as you walk in, you are made to feel welcome by Maurizio, with his Italian charm. His pace of service, knowing when to check in, when you are ready to order, made the whole evening that much more enjoyable. There is a concise list of wines by the glass at very reasonable prices and a menu that had many tempting options. The pizzas are a must here with a thin base & chewy, soft crust. I enjoyed the potato & sausage pizza which was super tasty with a good hit of rosemary fragrange. The nduja pizza (not calzone) was generous with ricotta making it creamy & rich but would have liked a little more nduja to provide more kick & saltiness to the ricotta. The spaghetti with seafood was light & refreshing & ravioli (more like a tortollini shape) was generously filled and tasty. Dessert was nice. Overall, the combination of atmosphere, service & food made it a very enjoyable experience.

2018 This is one of my favourite spots in Sydney. I love Italian food, from appetizers to pastas to pizzas to the wine. Here therevis all of that plus more on offer and it is all delicious. This is a wine bar & restaurant, dark & moody, fun & romantic. It is Italian food taken to new, modern heights. Dishes are beautifully presented & creative, ingredients & pasta are fresh, pizza is one of the best in Sydney. Lots of wines by the glass means you can try & learn at the same time. I always feel satisfied leaving here with a happy...

The quality of the tartufo pizza was utterly disappointing. The pancetta was impossible to chew, smelt and tasted like it was off. There was no hint of oil, rocket or truffle paste on the pizza. It was like a chunk of plain ricotta was spread on dough, sprinkled with stale pancetta. For a pizza that costs $28 and is marketed as gourmet, this is just appalling and deceitful.

I was concerned by the drastic lapse in the pizza quality and reached out to the restaurant privately. I had eaten at this restaurant twice 2 years ago and it was obvious to me something had changed. Initially, I received a polite message (thanks ChatGPT) and I was promised a refund for the tartufo pizza, which I thought was a fair response to my complaint. However, the restaurant never delivered on their promise. I followed up twice by email but was ignored. Eventually, I received the following email:

Hi Evi,

Could you please remove your review from our google page to process the refund. We don’t want double damage for your complaint.

And please note that, tartufa pizza is eaten hot / warm, if not the meat will get soggy and rubber. The Uber driver took time to deliver your order, by which you might had experienced the different taste and feeling.

Thanks and kind regards, Aperitivo

I explained that I had not put a review on Google and that I had picked up the order myself (no Uber driver involved), but was ignored again. We attempted to consume the pizzas within minutes from pickup but the tartufa was just a disgrace. The restaurant's response was...