La Carretta Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Sydney

Bottom line....a restaurant does not stay in business since 1989 without having great food, service and prices! Saw the reviews and was wondering if we should 'risk it', after 16 years away from the area. Strongly recommend reservations...we arrived at 7pm (08.11.13) and waited about 5 minutes (with reservation) to get taken to our table...the line up for both tables and takeaway was substantial, and all tables were either filled or reserved. We expected to wait...after all, they were packed (as they are each Friday and Saturday that I have seen) We chatted over wine for 15 minutes (yes, we were watching our watches, however, to be honest, they are not a drive through burger joint) until we were served by Vanessa...then Georga...absolutely delightful girls. We ordered the whitebait as a shared entree (entree size is very generous and delicious) I ordered veal with avocado and crabmeat and it had so much creamy wine sauce...devine (calorie counting starts tomorrow:) Husband ordered Marinara Pizza..family sized to take home for later. He ate too much! I couldn't finish my serving, and so we went home with two doggie bags. I have been to quite a few 'fine dining' restaurants...huge plates, miniscule half cooked 'infused with....' servings for well over $100 per head (alcohol extra) ....I thank the stars, that is not this place! Nor is it a quiet and intimate....this place is full of life and love...it is bright, it is vibrant, it is chatty, it is happy. Liz (the owner) is a wonderfully vivacious genuinely loving person, who makes you feel like family...we are hooked...thank...

⭐ 1 Star (Only because 0 stars isn't possible) "Disgraceful and Unprofessional – La Coretta Has Lost Loyal Customers of 20 Years"

After 20 years of dining at La Coretta in West Pennant Hills, we are heartbroken and furious to say we will never return.

Last night marked the third time—yes, third—that our confirmed online booking was ignored. Despite receiving email confirmations for our table of six, we arrived (again) to a packed restaurant only to be told "Sorry, we didn’t see your booking." We even showed the manager the confirmation email, but her response? A shrug and, "There’s nothing I can do, we have no tables."

This wasn’t a casual dinner—it was a celebration of a once-in-a-lifetime milestone: buying our first home. We were excited to share the evening with friends and family, only to be left standing at the door, humiliated and turned away—yet again.

There was no accountability, no real apology, and absolutely no effort to rectify the situation. It's clear they do not value their customers—even long-standing ones.

Fortunately, we ended up at The Brook Eatery in Cherrybrook, who treated us with genuine care, complimentary dessert and wine, and made the night truly special—something La Coretta was completely incapable of doing.

La Coretta has become overpriced, sloppy, and unprofessional. If this is how they treat loyal customers of 20 years, it speaks volumes about their priorities. We will never return, and we strongly advise others to think twice before trusting them with your booking—or your evening.

Absolutely disgraceful. La Coretta, you have...

Mixed emotions about La Carretta. The positive points are this place has been around for as long as I can remember (more than 20 years)  in Cherrybrook, then moved to West Pennant Hills. The pizzas are lovely with lots of mozzarella cheese that just pull apart stringy when the pizzas are hot 🔥! A wide range of toppings. One of our favourite pizza toppings to order is the Hawaiian pizza and the Prima Vera pizza! 🤤

The pear and rocket salad from the special menu was made well. However, some of the rocket was yellow! There was also too much balsamic vinegar - (maybe this is a personal preference, but the rocket was swimming in the dressing!)

There was someone else's hair on the red and white checkered table top! Furthermore, we had to ask for a clean glass.

A different time that we visited La Carretta, 1 person from our dining group had a dirty fork!!

Lastly, the ordering system has changed to a QR scan with menu displayed on the phone. It was actually nice to talk to someone to clarify any information (especially new specials). It was awkward to have to raise my hand to ask the waitstaff questions when they could've been there to take our order anyway!

We have been to La Carretta many times and even though the service from the staff is good overall, usually with a smile and we like the pizzas, we were a bit disappointed by the...