Overview
Longstanding Bondi favourite Da Orazio is reopening in its original home on Wednesday, March 30 with a new accompanying bar, Orazietto, joining it next door. Hallmarks of the original venue including its red door and fan-favourite dishes are all back on the menu, alongside inventive new additions to the venue's array of Italian eats.
"In Italian we say, 'il primo amore non si scorda mai' which means the first love you never forget," says the restaurant's renowned owner Orazio D'Elia. "Da Orazio was my firstborn, my first love, so to be able to bring the venue back to life means so much to me and my team. I can't wait for all our Da Orazio friends to return, and welcome new friends."
Inside, the 90-seat restaurant has undergone a makeover, sporting a fresh new look, but classic dishes like rotisserie porchetta with focaccia, fregola fruit di mare, and antipasti share plates haven't changed.
Alongside these mainstays, mortadella cacio e pepe, and a fancy new pizza menu are among the new additions. Pizza chef Matteo Ernandes is using a new contemporary pizza dough recipe for the bases that he promises makes the bases "lighter and more digestible".
Next door, Orazietto seats up to 40 people and doesn't take reservations. The atmosphere is more casual and you can swing by for a quick drink, but all the food from Da Orazio is still on offer.
Da Orazio is located at Shop 75, 79 Hall Street, Bondi Beach.