Ombretta

Nice location and setting, unfortunately everything else was a disappointment. The waiter with the tatts was rude and walked away as we were ordering drinks. He remained less than gracious as he plonked our plates down on the table, and seemed annoyed when we asked for clarification on the ingredients of a dish. To begin with, the portion sizes were tiny to the point of mirth. The homemade pasta with pork cheek was like SPC spaghetti (no joke) and I had to ask for more meat, as there was a small distribution of tiny bacon bits. This was $ 24 and actually brought laughter to our table when it arrived. The mozzarella entrée was way overpriced at $ 16 for a few chopped up veges and a bit of (albeit fresh) mozzarella. The ragout was a poor man’s bolognese to round out the meal. You could make this at home for a fraction of the price and with 10 times the flavour

Pretty much agree with Matthew. It’s good, fresh made Italian food, not tweaked for the local market. More specifically, they pick a region of Italy every day or week (can’t remember) and then make a menu based on local specialties.
The thing with Italy is that each region has vastly different food (follow Piemonte with Tuscany then Sicily to see what I mean), so in a way this is a restaurant that has a dozen styles mastered and rotates around, which is a good incentive to come back again and again.
It’s not cheap, nor expensive, about standard for this kind of food in Sydney. The wine list is Italian, mostly DOCG wines, bit young for my tastes — I’d appreciate a couple options like 15+ year old Barolo or Amarone even if it costs more than the $ 40 – 60 in which almost all bottles fall… worth noting the $ 5/​glass house whites and reds, I have no idea what they are («Australian», the only ones of the list) but $ 5 a glass is quite cheap these days in Sydney.
The food was mostly a hit, fresh and vibrant and different and somewhat unique. If I was to criticize something, I would say that even by continental tastes the lamb was overcooked, almost well done with only a hint of pinkness left, which is a shame because it was good lamb; I would have liked perhaps two minutes less on the grill. The pasta were most popular with the table. The plate size will be «small» by Australian standards, requiring you to eat at least a couple to be full.
I don’t live in Glebe, so won’t be back that often, but it’s in my address book if for some reason I have to go there for a meal.

Have been here twice now and been a bit disappointed twice. The place is nice, good atmosphere and service, plus I think the concept is a good one (small menu which changes regularly and focuses on a different italian region). We’ve found the food to be quite bland though. The ragu was not like any ragu I’ve ever seen before, more like plain mince with a couple of carrot pieces thrown in. The gnocchi was again quite tasteless. I had tortellini, which was actually pretty nice, but I got approx 15 small pieces in the bottom of a bowl, very small potion (after specifically asking if the pasta was suitable for main). Desert was not great for the price, the chocolate frangipane tart was dry and again bland. Unfortunately we won’t be back.

Along with having dinner here previously, which was excellently done, we found they also do breakfast.
We happened to be passing and saw it open, and since they were open so early, decided here rather than one of the other café’s that open around 9.
First thing that jumps out at you is the punnicia, a chickpea pancake on a bed of cannelloni beans, warm lettuce (stay with me), salmon and a big dollop of burrata cheese. Some capers and semi dried tomatoes round it out.
The lack of anything bread-​y might turn some off, but the burrata acts as a great replacement for both bread and egg, absorbing flavours and wiping up leftovers.
Great coffee too helps.

Awesome food and service! I would recommend a dish, but the menu changes every week so there’s no point. We’ve ordered a statistically significant sample of the food on the menu tonight and all of our orders have been great so far. So you’re in really good hands!
I love the pasta that they have here. They’re done in the traditional Italian style — al dente and slightly harder, so they get better as you’re eating them.
The best moment was when Eliza (the waitress from middle of Italy) read us the menu and walked us through the delicious choices we’ve got on the menu tonight. It might be the sexy Italian accent, but I felt like I wanted to order everything, to my stomach’s protest.
The food is awesome and the service was fantastic. I’d come here every night if I can afford it!

Ombretta is a hidden Gem in Glebe.
They do traditional Italian cuisine with some serious love.
The menu is short, changes regularly, and based on what is in season. There are usually 3 starters, 3 pasta courses, 3 mains and 3 desserts to choose from. The menu is in Italian, so the staff are happy to take you through it.
On the night we went we tried to whole baked ocean trout and the butterflied spatchcock (sorry I don’t know the Italian). Both were really simple, but beautiful dishes. We also tried a couple of glasses of Italian wine which were also great.
I look forward to visiting again when I have more time to have a long dinner and try the starters, pasta and dessert!