Amatrice Rooftop Restaurant
Zip away to Italy in the back streets of Cremorne, with aperitivo sips and specialty pasta 10 stories above the ground.
Overview
Early in 2024, Dave Parker (San Telmo Group and Sebastian), and Kelly and Alex Brawn (Sebastian) opened the ground-floor all-day dining venue Caffé Amatrice (pronounced ah-muh-tree-chay) in one of Cremorne's buzzing backstreets. And come November 24', a sibling entered the fray. Now, navigating the streets of a suburb like this, it can be easy to miss the front door for one of the most elevated Italian spots in town.
Elevated in more ways than one (we're talking quality and altitude), Amatrice Rooftop is ready and waiting to knock your socks off with sizeable plates of Italian fare and 180º of rooftop views and vibes. While the downstairs sandwiches are one of the favourites of the local Concrete Playground team, the rooftop is something really special.
Entering, the aesthetics are clear and appealing. Credit is due to interior designer Brahman Perera, who has crafted a space that swaps the lobby's black and grey for red velvet-upholstered banquette seating and imported maroon marble tables, setting the stage for a seriously spectacular feed. Indoor bookings are treated to a skyline city view, while outdoor diners can take in the distant Dandenong Ranges.
Head Chef Vincenzo Di Giovanniello (Bar Carolina, Osteria Ilaria) is running the food front, which traipses across various Italian regions. Pasta, however, is the star of the show at Amatrice Rooftop Restaurant. The menu is split between egg pasta dishes paired with classic sauces and Roman-style non-egg pasta — choose from either spaghetti or mezze maniche and then add one of the sauces available on the day. The team sources ingredients from across Italy, but the egg pasta is the star of the show — sourced from the village of Campofilone and boasting the highest egg ratio of any pasta, Di Giovanniello considers it "the champagne of pasta".
For a little bit of everything, order as we did: start small with hot and earthy mushroom croquettes and moreish lasagna bites, move on to larger serves of pasta (the cacio e pepe is one of the best we've ever had) and grab a hearty main like the veal cotoletta, marinated half chicken or Murray cod. Don't forget to save some room for dessert. The tiramisu is unconventional in appearance but delicious all the same.
The drinks are inspired by the Northern Italian travels of co-owner Dave Parker and lea right into the increasingly popular aperitivo style of sipping. The menu stars a healthy variety of house-made cocktails, Aussie-sourced bitters and imported Italian wines. From classics like amaretto sours and limoncello spritzes to signatures like the Amatrice Airlines, the cocktail list alone will keep you busy as the courses keep on coming.
Information
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