don Fred — Restaurant in Sydney

Absolutely loved it. Don Fred offered our group of 1 vegan and 4 omni's an absolutely fantastic experience on Saturday night.

We tried the banquet which was very affordable and a great value for money at $45 per person we tasted an adequate 7 different dishes chosen by the chef, and waddled back to our car afterwards very satisfied.

This is making vegan and plant based food accessible l, and attracting customers without pretense and creating return customers because the food is so good, and really, so cheap.

I loved Don Fred.

We started with : Fried Konjamari with a seaweed tartare and a campsiscum carparcio.

The Konjamari was so very similar to salt and pepper squid, which I personally dislike, so awesome of you like that, but I wouldn't have chosen it and wouldn't again. Too "fishy" for me.

The capsicum carparcio was light, thinly sliced and delicious.

Zucchini fritte with a tomato dip and the roasted garlic green beans were simple but executed, the perfect side.

Fable mushroom ragout with a Parm mash, was bloody fantastic. A really rich and homey dish that I would be happy to eat any day, for any course or occasion. My Omni friends were seriously impressed and thrown out confused by how meat like the texture of the fable shrooms were. Hence they loved it.

The "show stopper" carbonara, was everything you want from a carbonara pasta dish. It was really good, however I think they went a little too heavy on the imitation bacon flavorings. One comment was "a little less msg next time". Which is fair it tasted a lot like packet carbonara mix. Which is by no means bad.

The home made polpetz on polenta was very good. The house made olive "meetballs" were delightful paired perfectly with the sauce.

This made up for the let down which was the hard chewy polenta fries underneath, id have preferred they be soft and tender.

The wine list was very limited which was disappointing, I got a lemon slushy...

However, outsourcing and improving this aspect of the business would really enable more sales and revenue. Id love to see an appropriate wine list to pair with what was incredible food.

Thank you, I'll definitely...

Don Fred has amazing food, stellar service, wonderful atmosphere and is a must dine-at venue in Sydney's inner west. Fantastic on all fronts.

Proprietor Lorenzo is an amazing host who adds that personal touch that makes each visit feel special.

My non-vegan friends are astonished by the authenticity of the cuisine. An Italian friend loved the pasta and focaccia in particular along with the granita and both he and a Greek friend loved the parmesan cheese in the pasta. The Italian friend who has zero interest in going vegan wants to return on a Thursday for DDonFred's weekly Pasta Night as well as to try the banquet (min 2 people) in order to sample everything on the menu.

An Aussie friend was shocked to learn that the konjamari she had happily been devouring as calamari was not made from squid and was unsure if the meatballs were really animal-based or not (they're plant-based meat) only because the konjamari had surprised her so and I wasn't letting on till she admitted that she couldn't tell the difference because I'm all about promoting plant based meat over animal based.

Lorenzo might even give you guidance on which wine or other beverage to pair with your meal.

Desserts are excellent. The chocolate mousse is divine!

And why not polish off that meal with an Italian coffee?

I'm a foodie and a repeat customer here for a reason. My Italian and Greek friends were led astray by a vegan they knew before me who gave terrible recommendations putting them off of vegan fare till I came along and now despite how picky they are about food being prepared traditionally, they know that vegan food can be absolutely delicious and on par exactly with what they are used to. Why not discover that for yourself at Don Fred, Newtown? Prepare to be amazed...

Lorenzo is in his element at Don Fred. Well, not in his element, rather he has recreated his element of quality and inspiring vegan food for people he loves - and made it available to the public.

I have known Lorenzo for over 15 years, and remember fondly many lunches of mouth watering pastas and salads shared in friends' apartments from Leichhardt and Annandale all the way over to Bondi. Don Fred recreates these familial environments, where food is shared amongst friends and memories are made.

Today, we made memories at Don Fred, with a surprise birthday for my wife with 15 of our friends and their young families. The atmosphere was as if we were in Lorenzo's own home and he was cooking us his old favourites. None of us are vegans but we may well be after this wonderful meal.the food was absolutely sensational.

We were presented with selections of red capsicum carpaccio, arancini, fried konjac (incredible), eggplant focaccia, casarecce carbonara (my favourite of the day) plant balls with polenta and basil, all topped off with two wonderful (thankfully not too sweet) deserts or chocolate mousse and panacotta.

I have been waiting to visit Don Fred since it opened, and visiting Sydney this weekend for my wife's birthday was the perfect opportunity. If you haven't yet been to Don Fred, meeting Lozreno alone will make it worthwhile. And the food, well, it will keep you coming back.

The decor is warm and intimate, I love the burnt yellow coloured walls. Everything about Don Fred hits the right notes with love. Visit on a date, host a dinner for friends, or just rock on up by yourself. You won't be disappointed.

Thank you Lozzy for a day to remember. We absolutely loved...