Bar Bruno opens its all-day Italian rhythm in Sydney

Tearing up a slice of warm, house-made focaccia – made with a Peroni beer base – signals the start of a night-time meal at Bar Bruno. It’s the new York Street all-dayer from the Odd Culture team, and it’s looking to bring the hard-to-achieve unhurried ease of a neighbourhood local into the heart of the CBD. But dining at Bruno starts earlier than that. Operating in true Italian osteria style, Bruno eases you into the day with a morning caffeine hit and pastries, before lunch

service kicks in and flows through, uninterrupted, to dinner and late-night drinks. The setting is a high-ceilinged warehouse-like space, with exposed brick walls, raw timber beams and a low amber glow. The daily aperitivo hour – from 3pm till 5pm – is a great time to meet Bruno. Maybe over the smooth Rockmelon Negroni or the photogenic strawberry radicchio spritz, which hits with a balance of bitter, bitey and sweet. If you’re into the classics, a two-sip wet Martini is for you. Alongside, find golden

crumbed olives that collapse into a rich, spicy ’nduja mascarpone, and crunchy semolina-dusted local school prawns tossed with fried lemon leaves – ready to dip into a sharp garlic aioli. Mortadella skewers with pistachio pesto and more of that bread? Please. Exec chef Tony Gibson keeps the food simple, leaning into local suppliers and a zero-waste ethos. “We want to keep it familiar, so people know what they’re getting,” he says. Each plate is easy to pick up, pass around, or polish off yourself. “We

are not inventing these flavours – they’ve been around forever – just doing a really nice version.” As Frank Sinatra croons, and dinner service starts, slide into a booth, pull up at the bar or claim a table. A silky snapper crudo arrives translucent, topped with watermelon radish, citrus dressing and basil oil. There’s a trio of pastas, which includes a casarecce, blanketed in a creamy green pistachio sauce and topped with zucchini and mint. King brown mushrooms are a double act, appearing in a

bruschetta and a silky carpaccio that utilises all the trimmings. A bright pumpkin agrodolce is punchy, as is the bitter fennel salad tossed with Cerignola olives and shards of aged pecorino. Saving space for the pork loin cotoletta feels like a vital step. The bigger-than-your-plate cut is flattened in-house, with a golden parmesan crumb that’s offset with a funky black garlic aioli. The style is native to Milan, affectionately known as orecchia d’elefante (elephant’s ear). On the liquid side of things, that radicchio spritz is

joined by house-made vermouth and a riff on a Grasshopper that includes a scoop from Mapo. Italian and Aussie drops feature by the glass, carafe and bottle – and if you’re feeling bold, the roasted-grape sorbet scoop is like a frozen glass of wine. Bar Bruno doesn’t expect you to go home when the kitchen winds down around 10.30pm. Stay till midnight or make the ultimate move: take the stairs next door to Razz Room, the team’s flash new underground Daiquiri bar – a late-late-night

spot, open till 4am. Bar Bruno18–20 York Street, Sydney Hours:Mon to Fri 10am–midnightSat midday–midnight oddculture.group/venue/bar-bruno@barbruno_sydney

Bar Bruno, Odd Culture, York Street, Sydney CBD, Italian osteria, focaccia Peroni beer base, aperitivo hour, radicchio spritz, Rockmelon Negroni, wet Martini, 'nduja mascarpone, pork loin cotoletta orecchia d’elefante, Tony Gibson, Razz Room, Daiquiri bar