Brothers Anthony and Julian Izzillo – owners of Sydney’s original wine bar, de Vine Food and Wine – bring southern Italian coffee and pasta bar to the CBD with the opening of Bar Benevento.

The siblings behind acclaimed former restaurant Wildfire – have teamed up with respected cafe operator Kosta Papanikitas to create an alimentari-inspired space, where espressos at the bar with strangers are both welcomed and encouraged.

Named after the small Campanian city of Benevento where the brothers’ father was born, Bar Benevento is a deeply personal project, drawing on the traditions and memories passed down through their family.

“Our nonno came to Australia from Benevento in 1953, post war, and spent five years working and saving before he could bring our nonna, dad and uncle over,” Julian Izzillo says.

Old-school weekly pasta specials lead the lunch menu, alongside tasty plates like chicken cotoletta, panini and a selection of stuzzichini, meats and cheeses. Fisher says he hasn’t tried to reinvent Campanian food, instead it’s been about finding unexpected ways to make its familiar flavours feel new.

“We’ve tried to create hero dishes that haven’t been done in Sydney before, whether that’s boiling and baking our taralli like a bagel so it’s soft and warm for dipping, or swapping coffee for wild mint and saffron Strega in our tiramisu,” he says.

Here is the duo’s delicious Rigatoni beef & pork ragu recipe to make at home!

Rigatoni beef & pork ragu

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