Salt Meats Cheese

PERCHED UPON THE upper levels of the Gateway building, right where the bustle of Circular Quay meets the calming blue of Sydney Harbour, Salt Meats Cheese offers something both comforting and curious; a modern Italian restaurant that feels like it was designed for long, slow lunches as much as it was for pre-club martinis. It’s a place that plays with the past and present in the same way its menu does: old-school in spirit, contemporary in execution, and undeniably Sydney.

The Salt Meats Cheese name isn’t new. Co-owned by Edoardo Perlo and Stefano De Biasi, who both hail from north-west Italy, it began as a gourmet grocer and deli in Sydney’s industrial suburb of Alexandria but has now evolved into a hospitality force with nine venues, ranging from restaurants and rooftop bars to delis and grocers, across Australia’s east coast. But the Circular Quay venue is arguably its most polished expression and serves as the franchise’s flagship restaurant.

Inside SMC Circular Quay, the kitchen radiates warmth, while terrazzo floors recall European train stations and the crowd feels like a snapshot of the city itself: a combination of suits, inner-city couples and out-of-towners who’ve just gotten off the ferry.

Salt Meats Cheese

The food lands somewhere between traditional and contemporary, with a menu headed up by Massimo Mele. Indulgent pastas come dressed in sauces made for twirling – think pappardelle with an 8-hour braised lamb ragu, or gnocchi with fresh West Australian octopus, nduja and mint. Then there are the pizzas, made with a thinner Roma-style base that blisters in all the right places. There are twelve varieties, but personally, we recommend the Lorenzina and the Salsiccia E Patate.

You get the sense the chefs care about provenance without making a performance of it. The restaurant uses a combination of locally sourced produce and ingredients imported directly from Italy. As you would expect from a restaurant group that also operates several delis and grocers, the ingredients are top notch.

There’s a theatre to the dining experience that goes beyond the food. Every Monday, the restaurant rolls out its all you can eat pizza night, which feels more like a Roman holiday than a special offer. Wednesdays are for the cheese wheel – flames, sumptuous tastes and plenty of iPhones held high as creamy cacio e pepe is tossed tableside in a hollowed-out wheel of Grana Padano. It’s indulgent, sure, but it’s also undeniably fun. The restaurant also hosts Italian cooking classes every weekend.

If you’re after something a little more elevated, head up one level to Bar Ombré. Also operated by the SMC team, the rooftop bar channels a breezy Amalfi Coast vibe, all citrusy cocktails and Aperol-hued sunsets. It’s a natural progression from the meal below, and it cements the Salt Meats Cheese experience as more than just a dinner spot.

What makes this place work, beyond the food and location, is the tone it strikes. It doesn’t lean too hard into nostalgia, nor does it chase trends. It feels lived-in and well-paced, like the kind of restaurant you return to not just because it’s good, but because it makes you feel good. It has personality, yes, but it also has the execution to back it up. And in a city that sometimes confuses hype for substance, that might just be its greatest strength.

Find out more at saltmeatscheese.com

A version of this story first appeared in Harper’s BAZAAR Australia/New Zealand.

Related:

Chef Joel Bickford on what you should order at The International

Bruce Keebaugh’s ‘By Invitation Only’ is the ultimate party guide