Fratelli Pulcinella Parramatta — Restaurant in Sydney

We came to this restaurant with high expectations given the so called awards they had won, curious to try the food that others have praised. Unfortunately, we didn’t get far enough to judge it and frankly based on other reviews that I'm reading now of this sort of behaviour and sub par food, we’re glad we didn’t.

From the moment we stepped in, the treatment we received from the hostess/server on the first floor was unmistakable unwelcoming, shockingly rude and clearly discriminatory and condescending. The tone, body language, and overall demeanor made it obvious that we were unwelcome. It felt like stepping into a place frozen in an outdated and prejudiced past that too somewhere majority of everyone is an immigrant.

No matter how “good” the food might be (which apparently is a hit and a miss based on other reviews), no award or recognition can excuse discriminatory or disrespectful behavior. Dining out is about more than just what’s on the plate, it’s about hospitality, respect, and human decency. We were made to feel so uncomfortable and disrespected within 5 minutes of entering the place that we walked out without even sitting down.

We could not in good conscience support a business that treats guests this way. It is 2025 and there is absolutely no place for racism, ignorance, or outdated superiority complexes in the hospitality industry.

I whole heartedly hope that they fail as clearly its not a one off issue and I'm sure the employees who are good at heart (albeit looks like very few) will find a much better place to work at.

[Update 17 July]

Thank you for the response, but I won’t be reaching out privately.

I’ve already shared a detailed account of the incident here so everyone can be aware and unfortunately it seems, I’m not the only one. Several reviews reflect the same pattern of discriminatory behavior, which speaks volumes.

Your reply feels like a generic attempt to save face rather than take real accountability evident from same response to every negative review within the past 15 mins by the looks of it. If you truly take feedback seriously, start by addressing the issue transparently and making tangible changes and not by asking affected customers to chase you for a...

After sending this to the social media business account 3 weeks ago and getting no reply I am posting this here in hopes that it is actually read: I visited your restaurant on Saturday to celebrate my daughter‘s eighth birthday. She was very excited and requested Italian food so I was happy when I found your restaurant and I had great reviews. unfortunately restaurant did not live up to the reviews. Although the food was tasty. It took more than an hour and a half to receive our meals. It took over an hour just to receive the garlic bread and that was only after prompting and going to the serving station myself to get it. We ordered four different items including the garlic bread. The pasta Bolognese came out first and by the time the other menu items were received (40 mins) later everyone else had already finished. This unacceptable for a party to have to eat individually instead of having the meals coming out same time.

Although the food was tasty, it was quite saltly. My partner was unable to enjoy the meal because of the excess salt.

The only saving Grace was the beautiful lady at the bar Rizwan. She was very apologetic very kind and saw how frustrated we were. If it was the case whereby we hadn’t already paid, we truly would’ve left and eaten somewhere else but because we were stuck And very hungry we had no choice but to wait and wait. Rizwan helped to calm our frustration, as we lost more and more patience. When leaving it was clear that your servers are overworked for the capacity of the restaurant that you have with 3 level and outdoor seating need to have more staffing on board. It is not good enough just to say sorry time and time again it’s time we requested for an update on our meal. I contemplated writing a Google review expressing all of this. However I know how hard it is on small businesses but that does not mean you should take advantage of your customers and not compensate them for poor service.

Once again. I really would like you to acknowledge Riswan for all her efforts because it was because of her. I did not leave bad review. You have good staffing in her and she should be rewarded. I hope that you guys can learn from this...

Food was delightful. Indoor seating is available, but the inside of the restaurant is very loud, and the wooden floors and rendered walls make any noises like scraping chairs or dropped items echo loudly, impacting the overall atmosphere. Staff were cheerful and friendly, but quite difficult to get assistance from when we initially needed to order, and the provided QR code ordering and call button system didn't appear to be set up correctly to cater for table service orders.

When we arrived, were directed to use a QR code on our table to place our order. We're both familiar with QR codes and were happy to follow the instructions, but there was nowhere on the ordering process for us to select table service and indicate our table number as per the instructions, and the checkout process required additional details from us, as if we were ordering takeaway to an external address other than the restaurant. After attempting to use the call button fitted on the table 2 or 3 times on the table to get assistance, I eventually visited the front counter and just stayed there until I could pay and order in person.

The actual food was delightful. Highly recommend the Contadina pizza if you are happy with a little chilli. The Gnocci Alla Sorrentina was brightly sauced and highly enjoyable, and the baked cheese mixed through it was stretchy and went on and on and on.

An interesting menu of cocktails spanning a few cuisines, we went for a spicy margarita with mezcal instead of tequila, and a glass of sangria. The margarita was very spicy as promised, with a few drops of chilli oil which complemented the smokey mezcal flavours. A sweetness from the citrus balanced it all well and made it very drinkable. The sangria was a sweet and spiced drink, which arrived ungarnished, but was home made from the recipe of one of the host's Spanish grandparents. It was very nice to pair with the tomato flavours of the Gnocci. I saw some excellent options on this menu, and I'd really like to come back to try more of the dishes in future (although I might just order from the counter and dress warmer to find seating...