Ferrara Pasta Bar — Restaurant in Sydney

Walking back to my accommodation after a convention at the ICC, I stumbled upon Ferrara Pasta Bar, a small and enchanting Italian restaurant that appeared to have stood the test of time... To my surprise, this charming place had only opened a few weeks prior, yet it possessed the soul of a 40-year-old trarroria.

From the moment I entered, I was transported to a rustic hilltop village in Italy. The authenticity of Ferrara's ambiance is so genuine that you can't help but engage in delightful conversation with other guests. It's a place that fosters community, where beautiful conversations with strangers unfold naturally over aperitivo (or a Matildas game), just as you'd find in a local Italian bar.

The food is a delightful ode to Italian simplicity. I had the pleasure of trying the 'Prosciutto e piselli' with Strozzapreti, and it was nothing short of divine. The menu offers an unpretentious, casual dining experience where you are never rushed but rather made to feel a part of something truly special.

Ferrara Pasta Bar is not just a restaurant; it's an experience, a connection, a reminder of the beauty that food and community can bring to our lives. A must-visit for anyone seeking a genuine Italian experience, right in the heart of the city.

Congrats to Joe and Tara for following their vision...

I’m not one to leave a bad review but this might have been one of the worst dining experiences I’ve had to date. To start, we were sat outside in the cold with no warning prior that we would be sat outside. It was freezing and we had two elderly people with us. The service was incredibly bad, from having our sides served as entrees to share and then our pastas coming out all separately so we weren’t eating together about an hour after ordering them- no apologies or anything. In fact when I went up and politely asked if our mains would be served soon the guy abruptly told me the reason they didn’t bring them was because he was waiting for us to finish the sides (which we had finished long before and still had dirty plates sitting there). A person from our table also overheard the staff speaking badly about us when we hadn’t done anything but be polite despite the terrible service.

One girl from the staff was nice and seemed overwhelmed so not blaming her. The other staff behaviours were truly disappointing.

My recommendation would be that they focus on being a bit kinder and apologetic when they need to be and remember that they are running a restaurant for people to have fun and enjoy themselves! I get that sometimes things get tricky and you cant please everyone but not...

Do not go here. The drinks and food were so slow. We waited over an hour for our whole table to get drinks. They brought us water that only went around a quarter of the table and then we had to wait 45 minutes for the rest of us to get water. The food was slow, not what you wanted, not what you expected and not worth the money. The beef ragu which you would expect to be slow cooked beef falling apart was tough little bits of beef that had been cooked for way less time than it needed for the protein to fall apart. There was also no salt in the dish and the tomato based sauce for the beef ragu (and most of the dishes) was flavourless and astringent with no balance between flavours. My paradelle was thick too - like it hadn't been put through the pasta press enough times, so not the right texture either. There were complaints of the food all around the table. All together 3 hours I wish I could get back. One good thing to say, Ruby, the waiter was a delight, albeit very slow as she was the only waiter...