Heaven Has A New Name: Da Orazio Pizza + Porchetta

By Daniel Hutton on August 19, 2015 in Food

I love Italian food. I mean, who doesn’t? Unless you’re allergic to tomatoes and basil or have an irrational fear of carbohydrates, there’s just so much to love. Even coeliacs love Italian food, hence the influx of gluten free pastas and pizza bases.

While I’ll happily indulge in bad Italian food (i.e. the spag bol I make at home), when I come across an Italian restaurant that really knows what it’s doing, I’m in heaven. One such establishment is the relatively new Da Orazio Pizza + Porchetta at the back of the Adina development that spans the block between Hall Street and O’Brien Street in Bondi (formerly the Hakoah Club).

It’s no surprise that the place is a success. Head chef and namesake Orazio D’Elia is a former Icebergs Bar and Dining cuisinier, and his old boss Maurice Terzini is now his business partner in this venture, lending his Midas touch, effortless style and no doubt a few thousand clams for the fit out. Despite this connection, it really is Orazio who makes the place tick. Since arriving on Australian shores a little over ten years ago, he has lived and breathed Bondi and feels blessed to impress his culinary skills upon the people who share his new home.

Inside Da Orazio Pizza + Porchetta, wait staff dressed in white aprons move gracefully over the polished concrete floors, flitting between white wooden tables and chairs, and hastily delivering food hither and thither to the throng of hungry patrons who quickly pour in once the sun has set behind Bellevue Hill. A sprawling kitchen sits at the back of the restaurant and features a massive wood-fired pizza oven flanked by hanging cured meats and a slowly rotating suckling pig – a sign of things to come.

In the early evening the family crowd flocks to Da Orazio, attracted by very reasonable prices, attentive service and menu options to meet the demands of even the most discerning toddler. As the little ones’ bedtime approaches, the families depart and their seats are filled by an egalitarian mix of suits, hipsters and locals still salty from an afternoon shred down at the beach.

Of course, when it comes to Italian dining, service and décor really do play second fiddle to the food. Thankfully, Da Orazio excels on all fronts. On our visit my friend and I started with a large serving of arrosticini (lamb skewers) and a delightful panzanella salad of tomato, burrata, olives and roasted capsicum. We followed with a large bowl of porchetta sliced fresh from the aforementioned pig and a generous serving of Sardinian fregola, a variety of small pasta served with a seafood and roast tomato sauce, all washed down with a bottle of Caparzo Sangiovese.

No Italian meal would be complete without dessert, and we opted for a couple of delicious bomboloni (chocolate-filled donuts) to round things off.

It’s a testament to Da Orazio Pizza + Porchetta that I’ve already been back twice since doing this review, and I can’t wait to go again.

Da Orazio Pizza + Porchetta

Address | 75-79 Hall Street, Bondi Beach
Phone | (02) 8090 6969
Website | www.daorazio.com
Open | Mon to Fri 5pm-10pm; Sat 12pm-12:00; Sun 12pm – 10pm
Prices | Antipasti $16-21; Pizza $18-26; Pasta $26-27; Porchetta from $24
Cards | All major cards
Licensed | Yes