Postino Osteria — Restaurant in Sydney

Postino Osteria is located in the beautiful old sandstone post office building on the corner of Smith Street. The space is full of charm and has been thoughtfully restored — the interior feels warm and welcoming with a relaxed, inviting atmosphere.

We sat in the enclosed outdoor area which was intimate and very comfortable, even on a cold night. The heaters and blankets were a great touch and made the whole experience feel considered and memorable.

The staff were fantastic — friendly, attentive, and genuinely helpful. They knew the menu well, gave great recommendations, and struck the perfect balance between being professional and personable. It makes a difference when the service is this good.

We chose the Postino Sharing Menu ($89pp) which turned out to be a great decision — plenty of food for two people and very good value considering the quality and variety on offer. • Wholemeal organic bread with Rio Vista extra virgin olive oil: A simple, honest start. Good bread, great oil — exactly what you want to begin the meal. • Slow-cooked chilled Blackmore wagyu with tuna mayonnaise, pine nuts and capers: This was a clever dish — rich, tender beef matched with creamy tuna mayonnaise, sharp little bursts from the capers, and crunch from the pine nuts. Everything balanced really well. • Wild red snapper crudo with cucumber, fresh pomegranate and chives: Very fresh and light. The sweetness of the pomegranate worked nicely against the delicate snapper, and the cucumber kept it crisp. A refreshing course that stood out. • Orecchiette with turnip tops, anchovies and stracciatella: The pasta was perfectly cooked with a good bite. The anchovy gave just the right salty depth and the stracciatella made it creamy without being heavy. A dish that felt simple but properly done. • Beef cheek on sourdough with bone marrow and pepper purée, finished with red wine sauce, gremolata, lemon and parsley (served with rocket salad): This was the star of the night. The beef cheek was soft and full of flavour, sitting on top of crisp sourdough with the richness of bone marrow and a punchy pepper purée. The gremolata and lemon lifted it all — nothing felt too heavy. The rocket salad alongside gave a fresh, peppery contrast. • Pistachio tiramisu: A really lovely end to the meal. Light, not overly sweet, and the pistachio gave it something special without losing the essence of a classic tiramisu.

Overall the food was well prepared, full of flavour, and stayed true to its Italian roots. Plenty to eat between two people and the price was fair for the quality and...

Had a great time at Postino Osteria last night! The kingfish crudo and veal saltimbocca were standouts, as was the lovely chianti we had. The courtyard ambiance was also amazing, which is what enticed us to eat there in the first place after walking past a few weeks ago.

I do however have a few observations/suggestions that could make the experience even better: the service was very polite, but the waiters did 'hover' quite a bit, filling up our wine and asking if every dish was ok. I imagine some people like this, however I'm personally more comfortable pouring my own wine and just being left to converse with my dinner partner (if there is an issue with the food, I'd let someone know).

Secondly, the playlist needs to be refreshed - we heard the Tarantella Napoletana played no less than 5 times in the space of an hour and a half. Apart from being a bit of a cliché, the repetition was a bit weird.

Thirdly, the dishes could be just a bit more filling / better value. I get that this establishment is a bit on the 'fine dining' end of the spectrum, but I did get the impression I would have been left hungry, had I not previously had a late lunch.

Finally, a suggestion - it would have been nice to receive a limoncello or something 'on the house' at the end of the meal. A lot of other Italian places I've visited do this, and it just leaves you with a lingering feeling of warmth and hospitality. This isn't about the money/cost - of course ordering a 30ml shot won't break the bank, but it would've just rounded out the experience perfectly.

Having said all this, I did have a great time and would love to...

Set in a beautifully repurposed old Post Office in Summer Hill, hence the name… Postino Osteria is a wonderful place to enjoy some amazing food and a glass of very nice wine. My wife and I visited for the first time as a birthday celebration dinner. We started with the Wagyu Tonnato and the Baccala Mantecato. The beef was amazing, really amazing, served with a lovely rich tuna mayo. We enjoyed the Murry cod and polenta chip (an additional polenta chip wouldn't have gone amiss) too but to be honest the Wagyu stole the limelight for us. Mains for us were the Linguine con cicale di mare and Mezzi paccheri al capretto (I agree with the waitress 'Baby Goat' in the description may put off a few folk!) Both excellent mains. I'm more a land-based-animal lover so my favourite was clearly the goat but both dishes were tasty-as. And, we thought, generous portions. Not too generous that we couldn't make it to a dessert though – and we can't help ourselves, plumbing for the Pistacchio tiramisù. A decision we most certainly didn't regret, the pistachios really leant this a different feel than most tiramisu's out there. Yum! Postino Osteria gets the thumbs ups from us. We already thinking about a lunchtime visit sometime soon. It's at the expensive-ish end of the scale but the food warrants that. Finally, the service was very good. I wish I knew the name of the waitress that looked after us – she was relaxed, knowledgeable about the menu and fun to chat to. In summary – Great location – Friendly staff – awesome food and a good...