NOW EXPERIENCING:Pellegrino 2000

Read time 3 Mins

Posted 23 Feb 2023

By
Alexandra Carlton


In a city not short of fine Italian eateries, the skilful cooking of an acclaimed chef, the unflinchingly Italian wine list and charming staff make Pellegrino 2000 a Sydney hotspot.

Inside Pellegrino 2000
Why you goA sexy Italian trattoria? In Sydney? Take your pick from a line-up that stretches easily into the double, perhaps triple figures. But Pellegrino 2000, sitting confidently on its prime corner spot in Surry Hills, is a cut above. Pellegrino means “pilgrim” in Italian, and the crowds were lining up with worshipful reverence from the second it opened, largely to taste the bullseye cooking of Dan Pepperell, who the city has long loved for his work at other centres of Euro eating excellence such as Alberto’s Lounge and Restaurant Hubert. They also flocked for the wine smarts of Andy Tyson, who knows how to pull a list into shape better than most. Early enthusiasm doesn’t always lead to a lasting love affair in the famously fickle New South Wales capital, yet the passion for Pellegrino shows no sign of fading. It’s simply one of the best places to spend your eating and drinking dollars in town.
Why you stayThe early promise played out, making Pellegrino one of Sydney’s truly delightful dining experiences. The service is unfailingly charming. The split-level space – airy streetscape up top, cool wine den downstairs – is decked out with vintage posters and stacks of imported pastas and passata sauce, and Chianti bottles, feeling clubby and cool but never clichéd. And pretty much everything you eat and drink has the power to have you grabbing your dining companion’s forearm and yelping. It doesn’t try too hard, it rarely pulls out any magic tricks like collabs or special events. It just does good food and drinks, in a good space, and served well.
Pellegrino 2000 a Sydney hotspot
Food and cocktail served at bar
What drink to orderNegroni makes total sense here, but so does a Spritz of any description, served in bowl-like glasses with generous citrus twists. Then get into the unflinchingly Italian wine list – a robust Barolo red or a blushing Chianti. If you’re getting the prawn ravioli, for instance (and you should), a Sicilian white, like the Millesulmare Sicilia Bianco DOC, would make for a fine table-fellow.
What to pair it with A few items have settled permanently on the menu for a very good reason. The artichoke alla Romana with two artichoke hearts, bathed with oils and soft herbs, are so tender they’ll break yours. Make sure someone at the table gets the prawn ravioli, stuffed to bursting and glossed with butter, so even if you’re eating something else, you can spear one of theirs “just for a taste” (it’s a bit mean – there are only five to a serve – but do it when they’re not looking). And the limongello – lemon jellies moulded into the skins of lemon quarters – serve grown-up birthday-party vibes.
Regular’s tipWalk-ins are a crapshoot somewhere as popular as Pellegrino, but there are tricks. Your best bet is to turn up early and ask about the lie of the land that night. The staff will let you know whether something’s likely to free up later, and you’re in a neighbourhood with plenty of places to limber up while you wait – the best choices would be a Spritz and an anchovy toast appetiser at Poly, a three-minute walk away, the eponymous skewered tapa and a sherry at nearby Gildas, or a Whisky Sour at The Rover over the road.
Don’t leave withoutHeading to the street-facing bar to round things off with a natty little amaro, Italy’s bittersweet liqueur. No, we won’t claim you’ll feel like you’re sitting in a sidestreet in Naples or Palermo – let’s not get too fanciful – but it’s a lovely way to cap off a night in any event.
Who to takeNot your football team or your hen’s night; there simply isn’t the room at this compact little spot – at least not unless you hire out the whole bottom level as a private dining room. And it’s also not ideal if you’re trying to ink a secret deal or slink around on a clandestine date. But for friend catch-ups, regular date night or even to impress your mum when she’s in town? Tick.