5 Best Italian Restaurants in Sydney (2026)

Independently ranked by our review of ratings, reviews and reputation · How we chose

By Thorne Savarin, Culinary Explorer · ✓ Data verified August 2026 · 8 min read

"Better than the food I had in Italy" turns up more than once in the reviews for Primi Italian, which is a bold thing for anyone to write about a Sydney restaurant. It's also the most-reviewed name in this Italian restaurant lineup, with 4,646 Google reviews at a 4.8 rating, well ahead of the rest of the pack for pure weight of opinion.

Short answer: Primi Italian on Clarence Street tops the list at 4.8 stars across 4,646 reviews, known for pasta dishes that draw comparisons to Italy itself. MEZA Bar and Grill and Ragazzi Wine + Pasta are close behind on rating, with Ragazzi's hand-rolled pasta shapes a standout for pasta purists. A shared dinner here typically runs $60-140 per person, with the fine-dining picks toward the top.

Jump to a business

1. Primi Italian
2. Ragazzi
3. Alberto's Lounge
4. Aalia Restaurant Sydne…
5. Lana
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How Sydney's Italian restaurants stack up

#	Business	Rating	Reviews	Best for
1	Primi Italian	4.8 ★	4,646	Overall / classic Italian	View ›
2	Ragazzi	4.4 ★	2,249	Hand-rolled pasta / wine list	View ›
3	Alberto's Lounge	4.6 ★	1,558	Trattoria atmosphere	View ›
4	Aalia Restaurant Sydney	4.7 ★	1,234	Middle Eastern fine dining (not Italian)	View ›
5	Lana	4.6 ★	1,152	Modern Italian with Asian influence / events	View ›

5 Best Italian Restaurants in Sydney (2026)

Our top picks, reviewed

#1 Overall🕑 Open 6 days/wk↩ Responds to reviews

Primi Italian

4.84,646 Google reviews

Primi Italian, on Clarence Street in the CBD, serves authentic Italian cuisine built around fresh pasta and a menu described on its own site as vibrant Italian dining. It's open for lunch and dinner most days and carries the highest review count of any restaurant on this page by a wide margin.

What people praise

Pasta dishes reviewers compare favourably to eating in Italy
Rib eye with mushroom sauce called a standout non-pasta option
Staff frequently named individually in reviews for attentive service
Strong pick for celebrations, with several anniversary and birthday mentions

Worth knowing

Popular enough that walk-ins can face a wait at peak times

Reputation scorecardrank in Sydney

Rating4.8 / 5

Review volume4,646 · 97th

Confidencevery high

Recency3 weeks ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown86% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: The clear pick by volume and rating combined. Nearly double the reviews of the next name on this page, at the highest rating of anyone here.

Website Book now +61282966430 Directions

168 Clarence St, Sydney NSW 2000

#2🕑 Open 7 days

Ragazzi

4.42,249 Google reviews

Ragazzi Wine + Pasta, tucked into Angel Place in the CBD, focuses on traditional hand-rolled, shaped and pinched Italian pasta with a menu that changes seasonally, backed by a roughly 250-bottle Italian wine list. It's a small, intimate room built specifically around the pasta-and-wine pairing.

What people praise

Pansotti prawn and lumache pasta called highlights by regulars
Wine list praised for depth on native Italian varieties
Intimate room suited to a proper sit-down dinner

Worth knowing

Small dining room means booking ahead is worth it

Reputation scorecardrank in Sydney

Rating4.4 / 5

Review volume2,249 · 92th

Confidencehigh

Recency2 weeks ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown72% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: The pasta specialist here. If Primi is the all-rounder, Ragazzi is the deeper dive into pasta craft specifically, and its wine program is a genuine differentiator.

Website Book now +61289643062 Directions

Shop 3/2-12 Angel Pl, Sydney NSW 2000

#3🕑 Open 7 days

Alberto's Lounge

4.61,558 Google reviews

Alberto's Lounge, a small neighbourhood trattoria in Surry Hills, describes itself as having a Roman heart and a Sydney soul, with hand-cut pasta, gelato made in house, and an Italian-leaning cocktail and Amaro list. Vintage Italian posters and a mural set the tone inside a genuinely small room.

What people praise

Kingfish crudo and pappardelle al ragù singled out repeatedly
Tiramisu called among the best in Sydney by several reviewers
Warm, low-key atmosphere suited to a date night

Worth knowing

Tight seating layout; one reviewer noted accessibility could be improved for wheelchair users

Reputation scorecardrank in Sydney

Rating4.6 / 5

Review volume1,558 · 81th

Confidencevery high

Recency8 weeks ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown75% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: The best pick for atmosphere over sheer scale. It's a small trattoria doing a focused menu well rather than trying to be everything at once.

Website Book now +61283022323 Directions

17-19 Alberta St, Sydney NSW 2000

#4🕑 Open 6 days/wk↩ Responds to reviews

Aalia Restaurant Sydney

4.71,234 Google reviews

Aalia is a two-hatted Middle Eastern restaurant in the CBD, not an Italian kitchen. Google lists its type as Middle Eastern, and its own site describes a menu built from Middle Eastern and North Africa recipes, some drawn from 10th-century Arabic cookbooks. It's included here because it surfaces on searches for Sydney's top-rated fine dining, though it doesn't serve Italian food.

What people praise

Consistently praised service, with staff named individually across reviews
Short rib and lamb neck shawarma called standout dishes
Reviewers rate it among the best overall dining experiences in the CBD

Worth knowing

Not an Italian restaurant, so it's a detour from the rest of this list

Reputation scorecardrank in Sydney

Rating4.7 / 5

Review volume1,234 · 69th

Confidencevery high

Recency6 weeks ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown84% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: A genuinely excellent fine-dining room, but not Italian cuisine. We're flagging that plainly rather than writing around it; visit our Mediterranean or Middle Eastern coverage if that's what you're after.

Website Book now +61291825880 Directions

Shop 7.07-7.08/25 Martin Pl, Sydney NSW 2000

#5🕑 Open 6 days/wk

Lana

4.61,152 Google reviews

Lana, inside the historic Hinchcliff House near Circular Quay, serves modern Italian dining with Asian flavours built around the finest Australian produce, per its own site. It runs separate lunch, dinner, and shared group menus, plus dedicated event spaces for larger bookings.

What people praise

Rigatoni and lobster spaghetti called standout dishes even by non-pasta eaters
Staff accommodating with children and larger celebration bookings
Circular Quay location suits a pre-theatre or special-occasion dinner

Worth knowing

One of the pricier options on this list for a full sit-down dinner

Reputation scorecardrank in Sydney

Rating4.6 / 5

Review volume1,152 · 64th

Confidencevery high

Recency6 weeks ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown82% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: The most fusion-forward kitchen on this page, blending Italian technique with Asian flavours rather than sticking to a strictly traditional menu.

Website Book now +61280747952 Directions

Level 1/5-7 Young St, Sydney NSW 2000

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Watch: 5 Best Italian Restaurants in Sydney (2026)

How we score these restaurants

Rating is the live Google average, and volume tracks how many diners actually left a review, weighed against everyone else on the page. Confidence combines both, so a small handful of five-star reviews carries less weight than thousands of them. Recency checks whether people are still reviewing recently, not just when the place first opened. No restaurant can pay to move up this list.

How much does dinner cost at an Italian restaurant in Sydney? (2026)

Prices climb with the occasion. A casual pasta lunch costs far less than a multi-course dinner at a fine-dining room, and CBD locations generally run higher than suburban ones.

Job	Typical price
Pasta lunch or casual dinner, per person	$40-$80
Full dinner with wine, per person (Ragazzi, Alberto’s)	$80-$140
Fine-dining tasting menu, per person (Lana, Aalia)	$120-$200+

Ranges compiled August 2026 from diner-reported per-person spend in Google reviews for the restaurants on this page.

Serving all of Sydney

This list covers the CBD (Primi, Ragazzi), Surry Hills (Alberto’s Lounge), and Circular Quay (Lana), so most of the inner city is within a short walk of an Italian restaurant near you from this page.

What to ask before booking an Italian restaurant

Is the pasta made fresh in house, and does the menu change seasonally?
Do they offer a group or shared banquet menu for larger tables?
What’s the wine list weighted toward, Italian or international?
Is there outdoor or terrace seating, and is it weather dependent?
How far ahead should you book for a Friday or Saturday night?

Frequently asked questions

Are these rankings paid?

No. Rankings come from public Google data. A business can pay to be a Featured Partner (badge and top placement), but that never changes another business’s score or position.

How did you choose these Italian restaurants?

We pulled every Italian restaurant in Sydney with a meaningful volume of Google reviews, then ranked on rating, review count, and how recently people are still reviewing.

Is Aalia actually an Italian restaurant?

No. Google classifies Aalia as a Middle Eastern restaurant, and its own menu is built from Middle Eastern and North African recipes. It appears here because it’s one of the CBD’s highest-rated fine-dining rooms, not because it serves Italian food.

Which Sydney Italian restaurant has the most reviews?

Primi Italian, with 4,646 reviews at a 4.8 rating, has by far the largest review base of the group.

How often is this updated?

We refresh this page as new Google review data comes in; it was last verified in August 2026.

The bottom line

Primi Italian is the safe default: the highest rating and, by a wide margin, the most reviews of any Italian kitchen on this page. If you want a more focused pasta experience, Ragazzi’s hand-rolled shapes and deep wine list are worth the smaller room. Just remember Aalia, however good, is Middle Eastern, not Italian.

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