Gellafrenda — Restaurant in Sydney

I've been eyeing off Gellafrenda for awhile now and have seen the great reviews. More so, I'm keen on some pizza out west that can rise to the quality establishments one would find closer to the city. Unfortunately, Gellafrenda misses the mark.

First up, the venue is very easy on the eyes & the al fresco area with a live band is great. It's cool, a little rustic and genuinely looks like something you would find in the inner west/city. I'm sure with enough alcohol this would be enough to win some people over.

Food wise, just like the look of the venue...easy on the eyes. One would even think these pizzas look like they're wood fired, however and not that they're claimed to be, they are sadly not wood fire pizzas (far from it...).

The pizzas are cooked in ovens (I think around 90 degrees celsius if I was seeing correctly), however I have a very good feeling that there are cold spots in the oven. Getting 2 pizzas from the one oven, one was quite burnt (not charred from wood fire...tasted burnt) on the bottom, whereas the other was close to being undercooked (the capsicum was still raw). Chewy & bland dough. The red sauce lacked depth, completely missing the richness one would expect from Italian cooking. The Italian sausage tasted like it had been reheated after sitting around for a few days. It too, had barely any flavour. Where's the fennel, a dash of chili or at the very least, salt & pepper? If you can't fix this yourselves or better yet, make it fresh in house, I'd recommend getting a new supplier. Italian food should be exciting, you really need to feel the passion and sadly, I could not feel it here.

We also ordered the ricotta gnocchi with porcini & truffle. The gnocchi was stodgy, lacked seasoning & the truffle was an afterthought. Apparently the sauces are made in house, I honestly thought it tasted like it was scooped out of a jar. Please do better. Another suggestion, please put salt & pepper on each table if you're going to refrain from seasoning food in the kitchen. A giant salt & pepper grinder hiding to the side that requires very busy staff to get for you (not offered at serving either I have to add) is not ideal.

We would have tried dessert but given what felt like shortcuts in the food quality & preparation, we opted out of doing so.

I will say that the staff were very friendly, but only when you could actually engage them. Definitely not enough staff on the ground to deal with the volume of customers on a Saturday evening. Due to how stretched the staff were, the time between being seated, getting a drink, ordering food & even paying your bill took way too long.

Gellafrenda has potential but the owners need to make some changes. For the price you pay (on par with inner city establishments), the sub standard quality of food and resource restraints, Gellafrenda is all show and no substance. The overall experience can only be summed...

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Gellafrenda on August 25th, and I must say, the experience was exceptional from start to finish. The food was simply beautiful, with a focus on high-quality ingredients that truly elevated each dish.

The highlight of the evening was undoubtedly the Hundred Layers Lasagne. The layers were perfectly executed, with each bite offering an explosion of flavors and textures. It was evident that the dish was crafted with care, using ingredients that felt both homemade and premium.

Another standout was the Arancini, which was creamy and flavorful, complemented wonderfully by the accompanying aioli. The Biscoff Tiramisu was also enjoyable, though it didn’t quite reach the heights of the classic Tiramisu we tried earlier—it was one of the best I’ve ever had in a restaurant, easily ranking in my top three.

The Bee Sting Pizza was a delightful surprise. The combination of chili honey and pepperoni was both unique and delicious, showcasing a clever approach to flavor pairing. The Pizza with Prawns and Burrata Cheese was another hit, with the freshness of the cherry tomatoes and the creaminess of the burrata creating a harmonious balance. Additionally, the Cherry Tomato and Burrata Salad was excellent, with the tomatoes being particularly crunchy and flavorful—a perfect pairing with the creamy burrata.

However, not every dish was flawless. The Cannoli was well-made, but I found the ricotta filling to be somewhat plain. The pistachio cream overpowered the subtlety of the ricotta, leaving the overall flavor a bit one-dimensional.

Special mention goes to our waiter, Blake, who served us at table 302. His professionalism and attention to detail were unlike anything I’ve encountered in my culinary experiences. He made us feel right at home, anticipating our needs before we even had to ask.

Even more impressive was that my wife’s grandmother, Nonna, who typically avoids eating Italian food out, was so impressed by Blake’s service that she personally told him so. For her to offer such praise is no small feat, making this experience even more memorable for us.

Finally, the Vodka Sauce with Rigatoni Pasta was a true showstopper. The sauce was rich and flavorful, perfectly coating the al dente rigatoni. It was a dish that left a lasting impression, rounding off an evening of exceptional food.

In conclusion, Gellafrenda offers an extraordinary dining experience with a few minor hiccups. The creativity and quality of the food, combined with outstanding service, make it a place worth...

Omgggg! We have been going to Percy Plunkett so many times over the years and have heard of Gellafrenda by the same lovely owner Phillip Hallani..and cannot believe we waited till just now to finally go there...such a hidden gem & did not disappoint!

Although it was freezing cold, the atmosphere was so warm and cosy, it was nicely tucked away and even though it was busy, it did not feel like it at all.

We were served so quickly and everything was amazing!! Perfect for a cold night and definitely worth the money & hype!

As we had dinner there for a pre-event we only ordered a few things...

🍹- housemade Peach Ice Tea- loved how refreshing this was..would love to try their housemade lemonade aswell

🦑Calamari Fritti - decent size for an Entrees but soo yum, the black garlic sauce it came with was paired well

🍝Lasagne Bites- These were the highlight for us! Literally the best invention, we ordered one each and one was enough as an Entrees as they are quite big but omggg we would've ordered a few more of these to have as mains aswell..sooo good..definitely a must try!!

🍕 BBQ Chicken Pizza- this was soo delicious, I love how the base was the perfect thickness and had the best proportions of toppings!

🍫tiramisu- as we quickly ate everything as soon as it came out we were worried we wouldn't have space for dessert (that we so greedily ordered) ..then the perfect size of tiramisu came out..loved how light and airy it was as well as it wasn't too sweet and we could taste the espresso nicely which we loved! Perfect way to end our quick but amazing Dinner at Gellafrenda!

The service and vibe were super quick and efficient, it was nice to see Phillip the owner serve us at the register and also interact with us aswell about the food and place, can definitely tell his passion for his job in shown in all aspects of Gellafrenda!

We are already making plans of coming here again soon! Definitely recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I know we are soooo late to jump on the band wagon and we regret waiting till now to try Gellafrenda but Congratulations to Phillip & the team at Gellafrenda! We enjoyed every...