Cicci Food & Wine

My partner and I came here for our 3rd anniversary and were very happy. It was great to see the owners Peter and Steven on the floor, personally recommending their wines of choice. We will definitely be coming back and recommending to friends!!

Ignore the bad reviews from what are clearly over-entitled boomers who can’t read their emails / information that is clearly on the restaurant’s website or don’t understand the concept of a restaurant needing the table back after a certain time so they can seat the next booking - this place is an absolute gem. We went for dinner on a Friday and can’t fault a single thing. The service was excellent (friendly and attentive, but not overbearing)and every dish we had was flavourful and delicious, with the paccheri and tiramisu being particular standouts. The wine list is extensive and, when they were out of the bottle that we ordered, the owner was able to suggest a comparatively priced alternative that was absolutely beautiful. IMO, this place lives up to the hype - we’ll definitely be going back!

Fantastic neighbourhood wine bar! Great specials and starters. Started with a tuna carpaccio and salmon crostini, both light and great way to start! Mains we got clam spaghetti. The highlight was the tiramisu, the best in Sydney. Cocktails were also great, I recommend the darling st. Service was super friendly and atmosphere was great, would be a perfect date spot

A friend and I ended up in Cicci's for dinner after spending a glorious day on the hunt for stracciatella or burrata plus nduja on Balmain menus. Cicci's gave us a triple treat. We shared an entree of burrata served on a bed of fennel salad, gently laced with nduja. Then we hit the pasta, with my friend choosing the mafaldine with a pesto of cavolo nero and nduja highlights. I settled for the pappardelle with wine braised lamb. We wrapped the meal with the honey and almond semifreddo. Seated at the bar, we were able to linger over our delicious coffee to watch the preparation of other patrons' orders. The vibe was fantastic. As walk-ins we were lucky to get a spot, so I highly recommend booking.

Sliding effortlessly into the insular Balmain peninsula, Cicci has been quickly adopted by locals. With our tiny table sandwiched between by-the-glass chalkboards and shelves of interesting wine, it felt like we were dining in our favourite independent wine shop. Owner Peter Zuzza knows wine, and the Inner West, with more 14 years at the helm of La Disfida in Haberfield. Here at Cicci, Zuzza has brought back chef Naomi Lowry, who headed up his Pyrmont kitchen, Tappo Osteria. The pair walk in lockstep at Cicci, with Zuzza’s by-the-glass offerings, like the Domenica Gamay ($19) becoming all the more pleasurable against Lowry’s anchovy and mozzarella in carrozza ($12). In this pairing, the deep-fried salty cheesy sanga tames the wine’s dried mint freshness, bringing forward lush red and black berries. Simple food lives or dies on the quality of its produce. The gilda ($5/each) presents olives so excellent my mouth waters for a martini, despite the Utzinger Chardonnay ($18) in my glass. Tight Sydney rock oysters ($6/each) from Merimbula also impress, as does yellowfin tuna in crudo ($23) despite the masking intensity of the accompanying ginger and ruby grapefruit shrub. Leaves ($10) are a triumph with delicate ribbons of fennel, cucumber and eschalots, all beautifully dressed. Gnocchi ($29) with prawns and seaweed powder in simple tomato sugo suited a transition to the maritime Adega Pedralonga Albariño ($19). Taken (slightly too far) to pillowy soft, the gnocchi was eclipsed by crisp pork cotoletta Milanese ($28) accentuated by more of the aforementioned leaves. A tray of Giuseppe’s tiramisu ($14) left on the bar facing the open kitchen was a none-too-subtle invitation to make our stay longer. I resisted, but have earmarked a revisit to explore salumi fresh from the meat slicer against wine, formaggi and pane.