DETAILS
Lucio's has been recognised numerous times over the years as a superior dining establishment, including One Chef Hat in this year's Good Food Guide and an award personally presented by the Italian President in recognition of excellence in Italian cuisine outside of Italy.
The Tuscan-themed décor exudes a feeling of understated elegance with its pumpkin-coloured walls and terra cotta tiles. And you can't talk about Lucio's without mentioning the exquisite paintings which adorn the walls, including masterpieces by such leading Australian artists as John Olsen (who also designed the menu), John Coburn and Tim Storrier, to name a few. The waiters in this institution have a reputation for being among the best in Sydney with an unpretentious efficiency that is hard to find in many of Sydney's fashionable restaurants.
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Hailing from Liguria, owner Lucio Galletto orchestrates proceedings swiftly, graciously and with a continuously welcoming persona that hasn't tired over the years. He has successfully continued his family restaurant business, providing a mouth-watering interpretation of authentic Italian cuisine here in Sydney. Inside, the dining room's yellow walls are smattered with stunning artworks – in fact, Lucio's is renowned for being perhaps Australia's most renowned art restaurant, featuring many leading contemporary Australian artists.
The menu, too, is a colourful work of art that prides itself on the freshest of the fresh ingredients highlighted with traditional Italian produce. Begin with a single zucchini flower stuffed with spanner crab, lightly battered and fried before segueing into a dramatically eye-catching entree of black handkerchief pasta with cuttlefish, mussels, prawns and chilli. The green noodles with blue swimmer crab is another dazzler, and you'll be pleased to know that all pastas are handmade in-house daily. Move on to a succulent roasted lamb rump with a warm salad of bortolli beans, parsley and preserved lemon, or pork fillet wrapped with pancetta and sage and served with char-grilled red onions and peaches. Round off a perfect Italiano meal with a sheep's milk yoghurt pannacotta with watermelon and hazelnut wafer, or a selection of local and imported cheeses. Brilliantly executed without a pinch of snubbery, Lucio's is indeed one of Sydney's finest Italian-flavoured restaurants – and one that will remain so for time to come.
Annabel Wise