Respected Italian chef Orazio D’Elia will open Da Orazio Trattoria, in early March.
The restaurant will open in the Rushcutters Bay site that has previously been home to Marta Osteria, and Popolo – a space that holds deep personal significance for D’Elia. It was here, as head chef at Popolo, that he was first recognised for his approach to Italian cooking.
“The kitchen in Rushcutters Bay is where I found my voice as a chef,” says D’Elia. “Coming back here feels like coming full circle.”
The Da Orazio Trattoria menu has been designed to reflect the trattorias of central and southern Italy. In contrast to the Da Orazio Bondi offering, D’Elia will not serve pizza, instead focusing on dishes inspired by D’Elia’s heritage, travels, and Italian summers.
“La cucina Italiana is a symbol of simplicity. At Da Orazio Trattoria, I want to cook the food that reminds me of my childhood, the flavours from my travels around Italy as a young chef, and from my most recent trips. It’s about letting the ingredients speak for themselves and cooking them the way they’re meant to be. Every dish should tell a story. Trattoria’s have always preserved family recipes, and that’s what I want to do here,” he said.
The trattoria will also host weekend Da Orazio Pasticceria pop-ups, offering a rotating selection of traditional Italian dolci.
Da Orazio Trattoria joins D’Elia’s other venues, Da Orazio in Bondi and Da Orazio Pasticceria in Alexandria, and will be open seven days a week for Dinner and Thursday to Sunday for lunch from March 2026.
Da Orazio Trattoria
30 McLachlan Ave, Rushcutters Bay, NSW 2010 Instagram: @da_orazio_trattoria
Image credit: Steven Woodburn