Well recommended as one of the top places for pasta in Sydney, we had to give Ragazzi Wine and Pasta a try to see if it truly lived up to its popularity. Tucked in Angel Place alleyway, Ragazzi is a cosy pasta restaurant with a straightforward menu. The restaurant’s pretty small so best make a reservation before going.

Location: 1 Angel Pl, Sydney NSW 2000
Price: $109 for all dishes listed below
Website: https://ragazziwineandpasta.com/
Social: https://www.instagram.com/ragazziwinepasta/?hl=en

James: 4.5 out of 5 – very enjoyable with great dishes across the board, keen to return and try their other pastas.

For starters we ordered we ordered the Tuna Crudo ($9 ea) and Raw Beef. A perfect way to start the meal, the Tuna Crudo was absolutely delicious – the tuna tasted fresh and was championed by the sweetness of the persimmon. The shiso provided a great umami taste, yoghurt gave it some sourness and the seaweed cracker added crispiness. A highlight dish of the night and my favourite of everything we ordered.

The Raw Beef was a solid starter, the eggplant was creamy and had a nice smokiness from the chilli with a small kick. The raw beef was decent but overshadowed by other, more enjoyable tartares we’ve had recently (like from Hubert).

Onto the main event, for pastas we got the Spaghetti cacio e pepe and the Conchigile with mussels, speck and fermented chilli. The spaghetti was pretty good, a creamy mac-and-cheese-like pasta with a strong, peppery kick. Only feedback is it was a bit too salty likely from the cheese but the generous amount of pepper helped to balance it. Spaghetti was cooked well, al dente for most but I could have had it even softer. Not a huge serving size but good for sharing.

The Conchigile had plenty of flavour that balanced well. A sweeter sauce (esp compared to the spaghetti) that matched well with the saltiness that came from the mussels and speck. Clam shell like pasta that was easy and fun to eat especially when you’d find speck or chilli inside the pasta shells.

Finally we finished off the meal with the Lemon tart dessert, and wow as someone who isn’t a huge dessert person, this was delicious. Probably my second favourite dish of the night (second to the Tuna Crudo), this tart was perfect. A biscuity base that was crispy, with a lemon curd, and white chocolate ganache, perfectly layered so you get plenty of dessert goodness with each spoonful. Highly recommend ordering this, it was just that good.