Belgrave Cartel — Restaurant in Sydney

Wow, where to start?! I combed through Google Maps looking for a nice spot to book for dinner. Eventually settled on this place as it grabbed my attention.

Immediately upon entering I was warmly greeted and seated. All of the staff were so lovely and personable in such a way that you are made to feel like family. A great start already.

The food also has a rare combination of that homely familiarity but with a clear flare of its own: bold, pushing the envelope, and yet neither conceited nor ostentatious. Merely confident of itself, and rightly so.

The cavolo stood on its own right as more than just a side. An unexpected combination of toppings, but incredibly moreish after the first couple of bites. The char, the topping, the sauce. I wish I knew how to make it so I could have this on the regular at home.

Next, the spanner crab spaghetti, which also surprised me. When you go out, a lot of pasta dishes seem to be rather homogenous, but they’ve done an exceptional job here of allowing the individual ingredients to stand out while still coming together harmoniously. Little pops of individual flavours each have their moment.

Lastly, Nonna’s tiramisu. Continued a nice trend of that warm, familial feeling and 3 for 3 dishes on excellent play on texture. Usually I focus more on flavour, but each dish really surprised me with the focus on textural interest in addition to the flavour. It’s clear to me that they put a lot of effort into their menu to make everything appealing and, while familiar, to still engender a sense of interest and novelty. I’m impressed by how well they managed to knock that out of the park.

Loved the atmosphere too. A bit of a quirky combination of art deco, industrial, and eclectic maximalism, but it works. All in all, it’s an unusual combination of homely comfort with a cool, modern vibe of its own. Hard to describe really, but I hope you get what I mean if you decide to check it out.

5 out of 5....

A rustic italian wine bar, alfresco dining and a hidden gem in Manly. This may be my way of describing Belgrave Cartel.

We decided to sit in the alleyway, perfect day for sunshine and breeze in the afternoon. I can imagine how vibrant this place will be at night. I love this interior decor and the fact that this is a little off from the busy Manly center. I feel like you can really chill and take the time to zone out…

While initially I was a little disappointed that there weren’t any pasta for lunch (thise are dinner only), but their all day breakfast really surprised me! I am usually a meat lover but I have to admit their vegetarian dishes taste so delicious! Their mushroom panini and rita’s fritta are perfectly seasoned and well balanced.

Price is very reasonable with friendly service. It was under $50 for 2 dishes with OJ & tea.

It is a little hard to get to Manly at night but I think I need to start thinking when to return to try their...

My brother and sister-in-law came down from Galston to Manly to see us for a quick visit yesterday. We got coffee from the Belgrave Cartel outlet at the wharf, where we think my brother-in-law left his prescription sunglasses. Today I checked back there, but being Good Friday there were closed. I popped into the main Belgrave Cartel and spoke to Joe and he was so kind and understanding. He went above and beyond by calling the girl on duty yesterday and then calling me back to let me know the situation within minutes. No sunglasses there it seems.

We are still on the trail of the sunglasses but in the middle of a very busy morning for Joe and Andrew the fact that they listened to my plight and took the time to help me with a problem totally not theirs was something that really touched me.

By the way their coffee yesterday was great too! Now I know why they’ve been in business for so long. Totally recommend them and...