When you reserve a table at Beppi’s, as generations of Australians have done over the past 70 years, be sure to book a spot in the wine cellar. The low ceilings and crooked crossbeams have seen many things: visits from Mick Jagger, ABBA, Rihanna, Lauren Bacall, Russell Crowe, Billy Joel. Oh, and many highrolling heavyweights and politicians (occasionally needing to be carefully manoeuvred around the rooms to avoid their rivals).
Generations of the same family, whether it’s guests who once napped under the tables in bassinets bringing their own children in today, or the Polese family themselves: Beppi and Norma who built the foundation, and son Marc continuing the tradition in 2026. Marc, now 64, is the consummate hospitality lifer: he grew up above the restaurant and still remembers a Darlinghurst that looked nothing like it does now.
The walls of the cellar are lined with dusty Burgundies and Barolos, stored alongside heritage bottles of Grange and Henschke, valued as more than just wine but as markers of time. It’s unquestionably one of Australia’s most atmospheric dining rooms. You could be in Tuscany or Trieste.
Founder Beppi Polese arrived in Australia in 1952, having survived internment during World War II and trained in the grand hotels of Venice, Milan and Rome. He introduced many Sydneysiders to their first taste of mussels (“Until us, people only used them for bait,” Marc Polese likes to remind people) along with asparagus and artichokes, earning him the nickname “the Godfather of Italian”.
Marc sticks to the adage that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. These classic Italian dishes haven’t changed much with the years. Don’t expect anything fancy or trendy. It’s resolutely traditional: zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta, hearty osso bucco in puddles of red wine and polenta, veal saltimbocca, insalata caprese. Staff are dressed in suits and ties, the stereo plays Italian classics and there’s an air of old-world elegance that no modern designer or restaurant consultant could manufacture.
Are there flashier Italian restaurants in Sydney, where the cooking is sharper, more creative? Absolutely. But there are none that hold the memories and magic of Beppi’s in its 70th year. This crooked-ceilinged Darlinghurst treasure is a true institution. Protect it at all costs.
Past winners of the Readers’ Choice Enduring Excellence Award
Prior to 2026, this title was the Readers’ Choice Icon Award.
- 2025: Berowra Waters Inn, NSW
- 2024: Lake House, Vic
- 2023: Brae, Vic
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