Bella Brutta
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Vibrant restaurant with outdoor seating & shabby-chic decor offering pizzas, antipasti & tiramisu.
attractions: Carriageworks, Camperdown Memorial Rest Park, University of Sydney Quadrangle, Mapo Newtown, Gelato Messina Newtown, Camperdown Park, The Urban Newtown, 1989 Arcade Bar, Carriageworks Farmers’ Market, Deus Ex Machina Camperdown, restaurants: Thai Pothong Restaurant, Best Gourmet Restaurant Newtown, Mary's Newtown, Courthouse Hotel, The Italian Bowl, Pastizzi Cafe - North King Street, Macelleria Newtown, Gigi Pizzeria, La Favola - Authentic Italian Newtown, The University of Sydney
Ratings
Description
Vibrant restaurant with outdoor seating & shabby-chic decor offering pizzas, antipasti & tiramisu.
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I haven't been back for a specific reason - it gets excessively loud indoors, but last visit I was grabbing a table out the back which is kinda awkward at night with maybe a possum or something in the area scurrying around causing leafage to drop onto the table/seating but you can actually hear your fellow diners, and that fixes the atmosphere problem quite considerably. The other issue is always the lines but it seems these days in a weeknight that walkins are very plausible for solo or duos (and you can book online on sevenrooms which helps you lock it in for dinner in advance if can plan a wee bit ahead). The pizza flavours are solid, clam pizza are renowned and the sausage is super reliable. The pizza base is structurally easy to pick up, no issues with overloaded toppings leading to sogginess issues. Ask for specials, the nduja confit garlic I had was awesome. The pizza crust is a bit contentious for me since I think they go a little over the line from charred to a bit too singed and while I can do that for a few slices I think the acrid singe on the crust is a tad too much to eat a whole pizza worth of crust, so at some point I stop eating crust (which you won't find me doing at places like Al Taglio where I'd gobble every bit of crust), but it's definitely not as bad at certain other pizza joints which seem to think either people like ash or that people don't care about crust, so I let that slide here. Service is reasonable. Definitely enough of a Sydney institution that any pizza lover must go at least once yo judge for themselves.
Paul NguyenPaul Nguyen
00
Despite the minimalist decor, Bella Brutta is warm and convivial, particularly if you find yourself at one of the tables in front of the Italian wood-fire oven. The bearded pizziaolo performs a hypnotising dance, expertly swinging his paddle from prep kitchen to finishing station with the blazing oven in between. The resulting black blistered bases—dubbed “beautiful ugly” in the restaurant name—eat very well. Clam pizza ($30) dices sweet surf clams and a tonne of garlic then coats them in fermented chilli. fresh parsley and pecorino to excellent effect. The base is puffy but sits lightly in the stomach, allowing you to precede it with a mountain of creamy Jersey milk cheese—stracciatella ($13)—smeared over thick-cut sourdough ($4/each). Pickled mussels ($15) in chilli oil go nicely on top adding a little zing and tang to all that creamy goodness. I’d probably skip over the kingfish tartare ($10/each) next time: served on Italy’s answer to tostadas, gnocco fritto, they were good but consumed too quickly for the price. They did suit the 2020 Sinapius ‘Jean Maurice’ gamay rosé ($17), the best option I could find from the 10-strong by-the-glass list. Staff have the sass and personality you’d expect from a venture by the experienced restaurateurs of LP’s Quality Meats and Porteno. A perfectly piped ricotta cannolo ($6) makes for a succinct, sweet end to my visit. Make the effort to visit and eat these pizzas in situ: they’re juicy, light and best served piping hot.
Jackie McMillanJackie McMillan
20
Extremely poor service today compelled me to write this review, which I usually refrain from doing. I've frequented this restaurant many times and have always loved the flavors, often bringing friends visiting Sydney. However, today's experience left me very upset. Initially, when only two of us were present, a waitress asked if we wanted drinks and seemed oddly disappointed when we requested only water—a sentiment echoed by another server shortly after. We expected delays as the pizza is freshly baked, and indeed, it wasn't served until 8 PM, a full hour after our scheduled reservation. Between 8:00 and 8:30 PM, the same waitress checked on us repeatedly, each time with a peculiar smile and an unsettling manner, as if hinting at something unsaid. At around 8:40 PM, despite our clear indication of not needing further service, she returned to ask again, quickly offering takeout boxes before we could respond and shrugging off our conversation with a cryptic smile. This behavior, which came across as dismissive and offensive, forced us to leave promptly. We understand the need for a quick turnover on a busy Friday night, but a simple courteous reminder of dining time limits would have sufficed. The different treatment for not ordering drinks, which are not even your strength, was particularly off-putting. Perhaps consider a separate area for drink orders if it's that significant to your profit margins.
zhao rantongzhao rantong
10
Perfection does not do Bella Bruta justice. It not lived up to the hype and expectations, but exceeded them by a very wide margin, albeit with a subtlety that was also present in the perfectly balanced flavour of the pizza itself. The service was great, and the clam pizza itself was not only the best seafood pizza I’ve ever had, but is the best pizza I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. It was perfectly imperfect; filled with nuances of tender, father-light but still structurally robust dough that supported, and harmonised with all the toppings. This is the hallmark of a good neo-Neapolitan style pizza, however each slice had a crust that was unique and special, with small variations that meant each bite was a slightly different but equally coherent union of textures and flavours. Going beyond the composition of the pizza, the individual ingredients were of unrivalled quality and were faultless. Yeah can’t believe I’ve lived within a 10 minute walk of Bella bruta for 3 years and this is the first time I’ve actually been. I will be back and that day can’t come soon enough.
Callum FrancisCallum Francis
00
Literally the worst dine in experience ever. We ordered the set menu for 2 and the food came out well at the start and was delicious. We got to the mains at around 8pm (7:30pm booking). However once our pasta came out it went downhill from there. We waited for 45 minutes for our pizza (tables next to us who ordered after us were getting multiple pizzas and finishing eating before we even received ours). We kept getting reassured at the 20 minute mark that it was coming and we had to wait an additional 30 minutes. Since we had waited so long we quickly ate our pizza and decided to ask to pack the rest of the pizza and dessert away because we don’t have time to just sit around. However it took another 20 minutes to get a waiter who wouldn’t just look at us and then say they’ll come back later to never come back. Obviously will not recommend anyone to come after this experience For reference: it emptied out when we were trying to get the bill/get our food packed so no it wasn’t because they were too busy
Hieu LyHieu Ly
10
Bella Brutta has been on my pizza hit list for a while due to all the hype. Well, well, well, I can’t believe I waited for so long!! This place is incredible. Let’s start with the clam pizza because it’s their signature pizza and it stands up to every rave review. It’s simply delish - zesty, some heat from the chilli and not at all fishy, it’s all in the sauce. The wood fire oven gives the pizza a nice smoky flavour and the dough is soft and bitey at the same time, easy 10/10. We also had the garlic king prawns with chilli, the fennel and white bean salad and the arancini. All the starters were great but for sure the pizza is the showstopper. Great cocktails, the Bella Margherita was punchy and for the non alcoholic drinks, the strawberry and thyme soda is a winner. Service is attentive and friendly. It’s a busy restaurant and the food and drinks come out quick. Bookings are a must as it gets packed. Great for friends and girly nights out 🍸 🍕
Niki VasiliadisNiki Vasiliadis
10
Nearby Attractions Of Bella Brutta
Carriageworks
Camperdown Memorial Rest Park
University of Sydney Quadrangle
Mapo Newtown
Gelato Messina Newtown
Camperdown Park
The Urban Newtown
1989 Arcade Bar
Carriageworks Farmers’ Market
Deus Ex Machina Camperdown
Carriageworks
4.5
(1.8K)Click for details
Camperdown Memorial Rest Park
4.5
(754)Click for details
University of Sydney Quadrangle
4.8
(696)Click for details
Mapo Newtown
4.7
(576)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Bella Brutta
Thai Pothong Restaurant
Best Gourmet Restaurant Newtown
Mary's Newtown
Courthouse Hotel
The Italian Bowl
Pastizzi Cafe - North King Street
Macelleria Newtown
Gigi Pizzeria
La Favola - Authentic Italian Newtown
The University of Sydney
Thai Pothong Restaurant
4.6
(2.4K)Click for details
Best Gourmet Restaurant Newtown
4.8
(1.4K)Click for details
Mary's Newtown
4.4
(1.4K)Click for details
Courthouse Hotel
4.4
(1.1K)Click for details
Reviews
Overview
4.6
(759 reviews)
Phone
+61 2 9922 5941
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Website
bellabrutta.com.au
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Deep Dive
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