Mantecato

It seems a very small place but they also have few tables on the back. We started with a delicious antipasto della casa made with gnocco fritto, prosciutto, salami, mozzarella and stracchino cheese. Then we had fresh gnocchi with wagyu beef ragù, well made, but I personally preferred my risotto alla milanese, made with saffron and braised veal ossobuco, I loved it! And we finished with strawberry panna cotta. I would have liked it with more sugar but at least it left us with a lighter feeling. The waitress was helpful, polite, easy to talk to and he made us feel like we've been coming for years. No much parking around the area, bit annoying if you wear high heels.

I have to admit this is one of the most amazingly unexpected great Italian restaurants I have been in Sydney. In this cozy little place, an incredibly friendly and competent (100% Italian) staff will help you getting an understanding of the simple but reach menù and the special that they normally sketch on the tiles of wall. We will definitely come back for the risotto, the special lasagnas and all they will ever put on the wall 😁

Delicious quality Italian dinner in this casual chic venue. This little restaurant features a small mine room and a lovely covered veranda at the back, all decorated with attention to details. Staff is authentic Italian, very polite and competent. Dinner was exquisite 💕 as starters we had: Roasted Octopus Bruschetta with black cabbage and octopus mayonnaise Burrata, so creamy and buttery, to die for! Mains: Risotto Frutti di Mare, very delicate and seafood was perfectly blended. Lasagna, mushrooms, sausage and cheese, SO RICH IN FLAVOUR 😋 Dessert to share, Pasticciotto from Puglia with baked custard and gelato topping! Jugged APEROL SPRITZ and red wine from Tuscany! Cheers 🥂

Nice place, good atmosphere, great for couples. However the food is okay. It missed some flavour. We went there for the truffle degustation menu. I don't know if it was to make the truffle get out but all dishes tasted blend, like if the salt was missing.

The Bruschetta with goat cheese was fresh and a gorgeous entree full of flavour. My Duck Risotto - the rice was cooked to perfection, unfortunately the tomato flavours mixed with the duck was over powering the flavour of the duck too much. Having said that it was still a high quality dish The ravioli pasta is hand made and was quite nice. I personally didn't like it, but my partner raved about how well cooked the pasta was. I HATE tiramisu with a passion --- but the one served at Mantecato was absolutely delicious, along with the the affogato which had a slight lime taste to the icecream. Staff was friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. I rarely tip, so my advice would be to remember to bring along an extra 10% for these guys.

Nice cosy little place with friendly staff. Its inside a residential area so it's a bit hard to find parking. They are famous for risotto, we tried both the prawn and the osso bucco. As well as a few of the pastas and the breads and octopus appetisers. The prawn risotto was very aromatics while the other one was very cheesy. The freshly made pasta was also quite nice, although not particularly outstanding in any special way. I recommend the tiramisu, although the other desserts also changed according to the day. The gelato is quite interesting, especially the vanilla custard is not what you expect. It's quite a small restaurant so a booking is definitely recommended.

Gnocco Fritto was great as was the crochette special, Wagyu tagliatelle was missing a lot of salt in my opinion but was soon sorted out with a sprinkle and a good mix, 1kg fiorentina steak was cooked perfectly. Overall a very nice meal.

Went there on my first ever date with my now-husband! Food was amazing, service was good and nice atmosphere with very lovely staff! Brings back memories every time we go there!

Picture a quaint, local, family restaurant, down a narrow street, where you're greeted with a bona sera and you share a long table decorated with a miniature pineapple inside of a recycled limonata bottle. The green walls are lined with wine bottles and tins of tomato from the home country and the room is filled with the sounds of the kitchen and waiters setting cutlery, people ordering from the extensive and interesting menu and conversations about places in Italy that they have visited. The truffles were abundant and the food was authentic and definitely original. The arancini were yummy, we also shared the procchutto with buffalo mozzarella and the truffle bruchetta. The pasta was al dente and the risotto, well it's their specialty. If you're looking for something warm and inviting and very unique, this is the place. Great service and amazing food!

EVERYONE needs a local neighbourhood gem. A place where they can walk to in their neighbourhood, be welcomed and eat good home cooking made from the heart. Mantecato in Balmain is one such place. Located in a quiet end of Balmain near White Bay (but still only a stone's throw from four Balmain pubs), Mantecato is a small Italian trattoria that is warming the hearts and exciting the taste buds of Balmain and Rozelle residents (and the odd blow in now and again). Its name comes from the Italian cooking term meaning to stir in butter - the essential technique when making risotto - a dish which is the prominent house speciality here. Run by Paolo and Marco Orso, the menu and the hospitality reminds me of what Primo and Secondo's New Jersey restaurant would be like if it was real (Big Night fans would know what I am getting at here). You may also be forgiven on busy winter nights thinking that you may be dining in a Piedmontese village such is the atmosphere of the place. The menu will not let down the fussy Italophile. Entrees feature traditional simple staples like fritto misto (excellent) but the main feature here is the risotti. Don't dig rice? Then there are superb pasta and meat and seafood dishes and popular Italian desserts with some added modern pizzazz. There is also a specials blackboard menu (that will usually feature a special risotto, pasta and main course), which for regulars is worth studying. The trattoria also has the occasional theme night (this year's winter truffle menu was sensational), as well as a monthly degustation event. A highlight for me about Mantecato is the wine list which just screams "mio dio!" (OMG! to you). It would have to be one of the best Italian wine lists in any Sydney suburb - Barolo and Barbaresco a main feature (say no more). Just when you recover from the sensory overload of the wine list you catch a glimpse of the grappa cart in the corner of the restaurant - primed and ready to be summonsed for that after-dinner digestive. Mantecato is a piece of Piedmont in downtown Balmian.

Lived in balmain for 2 years before discovering this quality Italian place in white bay. I fell in love when I found out the restaurant name literally means the whisking of butter. This place is perfect for groups of any size and the menu is mouthwatering - I usually go for the specials as you know it's the freshest of what is on offer. The night I went it was squid ink pasta - yum. There are plenty of options for starters and the prices of mains are reasonable at $20-30. Make sure you get the affogato for dessert and add a shot of frangelico of course. The wine list is impressive and overall the place has the charm you would expect from an authentic Italian restaurant. Bellissimo!

We had a wonderful dinner here which included some starters: fried calamari and a prosciutto/burrata combo. Absolutely delish! The ravioli portion was small but it was very tasty. The service was great and found a reasonably priced wine on the extensive list! Saw that they do wine dinners, would be interested to go back and try out one of those!

This is the real deal. Part of the Rosso Pomodoro group and as authentic as it gets. Keeno and I and my little blister and Mark went on Wednesday night for a Degustazione Della Mozzarella. They only do these nights once a month with the theme changing each month. This month was Bufala Mozzarella....and how! 1.Golden crust fried mozzarella sandwich with caprese salad + Rose Prosecco 2.Risotto agli scampi e mozzarella di bufala + Cantine Barone Campania 3.Ravioli di Burata with basil and pesto + something I have now forgotten but which was a light red 4.Rollé di Tacchino (turkey involtino) with a 2012 Rosso Provincia Verona- Torre D' Orti - Veneto, which was NOT a light red, and a Balsamic salad. 5.Torta Di Formaggio (cheesecake) which I only looked at in fear but which came with a Moscato desert wine which I allowed myself. So much food and so much cheese could be overpowering except that the food is so delicious that you just can't stop, well I couldn't, at least until that cheesecake. I had one bite and knew that anything but a taste would be gluttony on a scale even I could not rationalise. Plus I had a few of Keenos leftovers. And some of my sisters. The service is perfecto - the twins know their stuff and the explanation of each dish and each wine was wonderful. The wine was brilliantly matched and the cost at $80 pp is fine.

I was Italy for a few hours last Saturday night, but it was called Mantecato. The food was outstanding - the best Italian food I've eaten in a long time. Probably since I was actually, not metaphorically, in Italy. The waiters spoke Italian at me (I looked very blankly at them in reply), there was a light hum of conversation in the background and we sat at a bar looking out to the street. It was perfect. And the practical shit: it's small, so book. Book now.

Well what can I say about Mantecato other than I would rate this restaurant as one of Sydney's finest dining experience in every aspect. Honestly. I say this hand on heart. Last night my wife and attended for the May 2016 Degustation night which was nothing short of absolutely amazing. This was our first Degustation event here and was truly blown away by the whole experience. The exceptional above standard service started from the booking and did not finish until we left the restaurant. Even attempted leaving the restaurant where my wife was stopped by the owner Paolo who offered her an Italian liqueur to compliment and finish her evening. The food was amazing starting from the entree which was an Italian antipasto plate with all home breads. Divine The second dish was homemade bucatini pasta which was amazing. The third dish was a risotto which was the best risotto I have ever tasted. The fourth dish was a Salt in bocca veal which was magnificent. The dessert was a millefoglie cake which was out of this world. My wife and I could not fault the food in anyway whatsoever. The truly authentic Italian flavors and combinations are a true credit to the chef and his assistants. It is obvious the chef is a very passionate man who loves his job dearly as you could taste this in every bite. Thank you so much. The service throughout the entire evening was flawless and above standard. Honestly sensational. A very big heartfelt Thankyou to Paolo, his brothers and the entire staff for the best dining experience my wife and I have had. So looking forward to dining at your little piece of Italian heaven real soon. Kind Regards. Joe & Nancy

Hidden from the the lights of the CBD, Mantecato in a real gem in the heart of Balmain. The restaurant is small but cozy, it can caters up to 40 people. You're welcomed by their super friendly italian staff, all really well dressed and smiling. Italian style Once you are seated (don't forget to book in advance!), prepare yourself for a night of fantastic food! We got arancini to start along with prosciutto, burrata, zucchine with fonduta, bread and olive oil, mushroom and roasted potatoes. Divine! We then got into serious business with our mains. Being vegetarian, I got risotto with zola, pere e noci and it was one of the best I ever had! If you eat meat, then go for a classic Risotto alla Milanese with Ossobuco, it looks really good! We ended our night with Tiramisù which was simply to die for One of the best Italian restaurant in Sydney, I'll defenitly go back every time that I feel home sick! Bravi ragazzi!

One of the best Italian restaurants in Sydney, i must say. I went with a group of friends and had starters for sharing and individual mains. We had the prosciutto and mozzarella, salad, bread, and deep fried pasta for entree. They were amazing. I order the special for the day, carbonara. It had a generous serving of truffle, which again was really good. We had 2 people sharing sharing desserts and BYO wine, and the bill ended up with about ~50 dollars each. Really good value for such a very well prepared and delicious meal. Ambiance and service were also top-notch. Highly recommended.

Great food, friendly staff and close to home. We had a great lazy Sunday lunch! Worth a visit, make sure you try the rose, Bella