Bottega

Overview

Everybody loves Italian food — and now the brains behind the popular Cicio Cacio Osteria have opened up a bite-sized deli in the heart of the Berhampore neighbourhood.

Bottega is cosy, rustic, inviting and offers classic Italian food, for both walk-ins and customers taking away. We headed to the Adelaide Road deli on a Saturday afternoon, and it seemed as though they'd already made friends with the locals after just three weeks — the tables were filled families sharing gelato and couples chattering away over slices of pizza.

There were so many dishes on offer at the counter that we had to try more than one thing. So we ordered a slice of pizza each, an arancini to share and the last portion of lasagna that was available. The pizza was amazing — the perfect combination of crisp and chewy. It was the nicest pizza crust we've had in ages and we'd definitely be back for more. The arancini had a great cheesy, tomato flavour and was very generous in size, so we were happy to share. And finally, the lasagna was a great end to our lunch and we totally get why there was only one portion left. The best part? All of that came to just $25.

After chatting to the staff, they told us that so far the firm favourites are the lasagna, beef meatballs in mushroom sauce, pork meatballs in tomato sauce and the arancini. All the eats are available to have at the deli or to take away, and they encourage customers to bring their own containers if they're popping in for take-home meals. They also stock a range of Italian pasta to buy and make at home, as well as fresh Italian meats and cheeses.

The chef is Italian, the front of house staff are Italian — Bottega is as close to Italy, outside of Italy, as you can get and that's exactly what they're aiming to achieve. They hope that customers walk away feeling that they've had a real taste of Italy.