Sippenham
There's strong house party energy at this intimate 20-seater, which features natural wines, recipes inspired by old family classics and weekly rotating playlists.
Overview
As suburban geography goes, Sydenham sits in a curious spot. Wedged at the meeting point of the Inner West, the Eastern Suburbs, the southwest and Sydney Airport, it's a suburb that, for many, is more thoroughfare than destination. But Sippenham, an intimate 20-seater on Unwins Bridge Road, is giving you a reason to stop and stay for a while, one plate of pasta and one glass of natural wine at a time.
Sippenham opened in autumn 2025, but it's been in the works for a while. The idea was born during lockdown, when co-owners Stephen Mandis and Nick Giannopoulos, lifelong mates and housemates at the time, started dreaming about opening a venue of their own — Giannopoulos had been helming the kitchen of his family's restaurant on the lower north shore, which for years had been a go-to for their crew, and was also where Mandis had his first post-corporate hospitality gig.
Sam Trevena
"The romance grew from there," says Mandis. "I wanted to open my own place to call a home away from home, somewhere we could celebrate music, wine, good food made with love. Somewhere we could grow and leave a legacy." Inspired by a trip to east London, where restaurants double as late-night hangouts filled with dancing, culture and community, the pair set out to bring that same energy back to Sydney — and at Sippenham, they've done just that.
Sydenham wasn't a surprising choice for them, but the obvious one. "Sydenham, Tempe, St Peters and anything cradled by Princes Highway in our eyes are some of the coolest parts of the Inner West," Mandis says. "Graffiti meets parklands meets gorgeous streets meets factories — it's got a bit of everything, and it reminded us of London a lot. There's a charm to it. We adore it."
Sam Trevena
That energy, combined with the fact that Mandis' dad grew up in the suburb, meant that the location felt like a natural home for Mandis' and Giannopoulos' "home away from home". And their neighbours have responded in kind: "So far the locals have loved it," Mandis tells us. "We want to encourage the ones who haven't to please get in here and enjoy what we have built for them, for the community. Sippenham exists for the people who walk by, gaze in, make a booking or walk through and ask for a wine and a snack. We absolutely love hearing 'We just live down the road!'."
The menu is rooted in memory as much as technique. Giannopoulos comes from a family of chefs, and his dishes reflect a lifetime of shared meals — "be it lockdown, family barbecues, or the thing we love the most, a hug from our grandmother," as Mandis puts it. Pasta is the focus, but meze and entrees draw their influence from throughout the Med. It's complemented by a wine list created in concert with Lo-Fi Wines that's all natural and entirely approachable, as well as beer by Marrickville's (Sydenham Road, specifically) Philter.
Music is central to the Sippenham experience — playlists are curated weekly and could feature anyone from Skepta and Craig David to The Stone Roses and DMA's, plus, vinyl nights are in the works. There's strong house party energy here, but that's entirely the point. "We're casual, and our walls are adorned in photos of us, our city, our mates, our favourite athletes, sports teams and music artists," says Mandis. "It's like walking into your mate's place, and I couldn't be prouder of that."
Sam Trevena
Top images: Sam Trevena.
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