Whether you’re stopping in for that iconic lasagnette bolognaise or just a snack, Frat Paz nails it every time. Its groundbreaking wine list introduced the city to many minimal-intervention styles we're now obsessed with.

The best of the eternal city inspires this graffiti-covered pasta cave. Enter for classic Roman pastas including carbonara and cacio e pepe. Plus, blistered slabs of Roman pizza recognised by a prestigious Italian food authority.

A visit to Fontana is like taking a Mediterranean holiday. The menu is a love letter to regional Italian dishes, backed up by a thoughtful curation of natural wines and aperitivo. To find it, ascend the classic red-carpeted staircase between a Mexican diner and a kebab shop.

A heritage former post office is now home to a casual neighbourhood Italian joint by the Ormeggio team. Come for a spritz and a plate of Milanese meatballs, stay for handmade pastas up there with the best in the inner west.

The Pellegrino 2000 team’s underground pasta cave is a love letter to northern Italy. It’s where you can lose track of time over a bottle of Barolo and a plate of handmade pasta, in one of Sydney’s vibiest dining rooms.

This family-friendly, group-ready 120-seater from the Arthur and Jane team has antipasti aplenty. Plus, house-made pastas and a roaming cart scooping gelato tableside.

The team behind Ragazzi have taken cues from their favourite Roman trattorias and New York's Gramercy Tavern to create their dream Italian joint – with a walk-in bar area and a beautiful art-filled dining room spanning 120 seats. Slide into a velvet-and-leather booth for a plate for lovingly made pastas, and a choice of 600 wines from Italy and beyond.

Go to infinita and beyond at this north shore hotspot, which is serving up good wine, steaks and house-made pasta. Just don’t expect any slices from that woodfire pizza oven.

Though the offering at Bar Vincent is ever-changing, you can always count on fresh oysters, complimentary house-baked bread and a razor-sharp wine program. Dishes usually skew Italian, and those intimate, candlelit nooks make for a romantic setting to enjoy them in.

For the theatre of a Michelin-starred meal without the stiffness, look no further than Alessandro Pavoni’s elegant Italian diner. Come for Genovese pesto pounded tableside, a roving gelato cart and sparkling harbour views.

A bar and bottle shop styled after the enotecas of Italy. And a colourful upstairs restaurant with pasta and panache. Paski is a three-part stunner by wine importers Giorgio de Maria and Mattia Dicati, and chef Enrico Tomelleri.

There’s nowhere else quite like chef-restaurateur Alessandro Pavoni’s waterside institution. While the trifecta of seafood, crisp Italian wines and house-made gelato mostly succeeds in capturing the essence of a coastal Italian diner, those Middle Harbour views from Ormeggio’s breezy dining room make for a quintessential Sydney experience.

The centrepiece of Circular Quay’s Hinchcliff House is an ambitious Italian diner that incorporates native ingredients and broad influences from the Asian continent.

Set over two storeys in an iconic Paddington terrace, Sydney’s most experimental wine bar has Italian swagger in spades. Come for pastas that are anything but traditional, and a pretzel with whipped bottarga that’s so spectacular it’s never left the menu. The wine list changes so frequently, you could visit three times in a week and never get bored.

The spiritual successor to its former tenant, Limoncello. The southern Italian vibe here has been nailed, which is no surprise given the hospitality guns running the show. But it’s all about the pizza – perfectly light, elastic dough that won’t leave you bloated and lethargic.

The laneway eatery is a collaboration by top Sydney chefs Federico Zanellato (Lumi Dining) and Karl Firla (ex-Oscillate Wildly). While they’re both renowned for innovative fine-dining concepts, Leo is their ode to rustic Italian cuisine. That said, your pasta may come with truffles when they’re in season.

A tiny neighbourhood restaurant that feels like an Italian family’s living room. In the kitchen, a former A Tavola chef is hand-rolling pastas, churning butter and making gelato in a tiny kitchen that punches well above its weight. It’s all accompanied by a crowd-pleasing mix of Italian and Australian wines.

In the former home of Paddington institution Lucio’s, this homey diner carries on its predecessor’s legacy with classic Italian dishes, non-traditional pastas and a selection of mainly Italian wines.

This is the godfather of Italian dining in Sydney. Beppi’s has been ticking-over with the same consistency, fit-out and leather-bound menus – hand-carved by the late Beppi Polese himself – since 1956. Immortal dishes include clams and mussels with garlic, olive oil, white vino and tomato; and zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta, basil and mushrooms.

The old-school Italian with the iconic green door has been kicking hard since 1987 with honest Napoli-style fare including hand-made pastas, fish and beautifully prepared meat courses. The tablecloths are white, the upholstery is floral and the service is pitch-perfect.

At this pretty corner spot just back from Bondi Beach, one of the city’s best Italian chefs is serving perfectly puffy woodfired pizzas and a Sydney-famous porchetta roll. Plus pastas, carafes of wine and tiramisu.

Not quite Neapolitan, not quite New Yorker – the pizza at Bella Brutta is a style all of its own. Expect a puffy, blistered crust, a sag-proof base and a raft of creative toppings (a slice of the white clam pie with fermented chilli is a must). From the teams behind LP’s Quality Meats and Porteno.

This elevated vantage of Bondi’s sloshing surf is one of Australia’s great views – one a less conscientious restaurateur might easily lean on. Not Maurice Terzini, who’s been pushing his resplendent Italian diner to greater and greater heights since 2002.

A buzzy spot for “bootleg” plant-based versions of Italian classics. The whole menu – from fluffy dough balls with garlic butter to cacio e pepe and lasagne – is vegan. Don’t forget to order a serve of very convincing tiramisu.

It’s styled after an old-school trattoria, but this enduring eatery serves thoroughly modern interpretations of Italian cuisine – often with native produce. And though the wine list reveres the classics from Piedmont and Tuscany, Australian producers are given equal weighting here. An Enmore classic for a reason.

Roman food is defined by simple preparations, quality ingredients and liberal amounts of olive oil. Few places in Sydney represent the cuisine better than Marta. Cacio e pepe is king here, backed up by Roman-style pizzas and classic Italian cocktails with a twist.

One of the city’s Italian stalwarts, Il Baretto made the move from Surry hills to the Paddo Inn a few years back. Otherwise, it’s barely changed since 1999. The generous bowls of beef-cheek-ragu pappardelle are still here, along with the same convivial family feel.

This Italian eatery, from the brains behind Entrata, oozes old-world charm. Dishes take a luxe twist on tradition: Twirl buttery linguine with a half-lobster that's been simmering in saffron, or try the squid ink spaghetti with 'nduja.

Years living and working in Italy, and a dedication to local produce, have inspired the menu at this bright Italian joint by former Sagra owner Nigel Ward. Come for house-made limoncello, ricotta ravioli and pappardelle with braised lamb.