Tucked inside 1920s icon Tattersall’s Arcade, European charmer Marchetti is fuelling city workers with heart-starting tots of caffeine and melt-in-your-mouth Italian pastries. The scent of butter and Allpress Coffee fills the arcade each morning, with patrons taking their espresso Italian-style standing at the bar or at a leisurely pace at a table in the foyer. The petite European beauty is right at home in the arcade, with elegant brass and marble finishes meeting vintage Italian tiles and retro Campari posters. After operating the neighbouring Optiko store for a number of years, owner Michael Makras decided to take advantage of the corner vacancy by teaming up with local architect Stephen Cameron to create an enchanting new city destination. The venue will unfurl in stages, with current offerings spanning pastries, panini and coffee, and a lunch menu and wine available next week. By September, Marchetti should be operating as an aperitivo bar, with evening nibbles and wines curing all manner of weekday ills.

Start the day with Italian baked eggs topped with pancetta, provolone and Sicilian sauce, or indulge your sweet tooth with Italian sfogliatelle direct from Naples and French croissants from Brittany. The menu will proffer an ever-changing selection of classic Italian dishes, such as the current cauliflower and white truffle soup with rosemary ciabatta, Michael’s mum’s veal-based polpette meatballs or clusters of rich gorgonzola arancini. In summer, lighter dishes like beef carpaccio and vitello tonnato poached veal with tuna mayonnaise will make an appearance, offering the perfect accompaniment to a glass of Italian vino. A tight, well-curated wine list will boast boutique Italian and Greek drops you’ve probably never tasted before, while sour Amarena cherries will feature in the house version of the Bellini. If you’re dropping in at tea time, sample fresh treats like almond and cherry pasticcini, pistachio and cherry biscotti or Nutella-filled Swiss rolls courtesy of the in-house Italian baker and team it with a cup of Mörk hot chocolate or chai.

For contact information and trading hours, check out our Stumble Guide.