Italia Lane is the newest concept from the crew behind beloved Teneriffe gastropub Dalgety 2.0 Public House and sees the team swapping schnitzels for spaghetti and schooners for spritzes. The restaurant’s location at 900 Ann Street, formerly home to The Whistle Dixie Bar and Cafe, has been given a sleek makeover before being portioned into three areas. Each section is designed to fill a different purpose – a large restaurant space is where most of the action will take place, with pops of coloured tiling, curved brass-backed booths and sheer curtains softening the room’s industrial bones. Outside sits a colourful laneway space where fringed umbrellas shield tables from sun during the day time, before the lane becomes illuminated by hanging festoon lights in the evening. A dedicated business area for local corporates to host business meetings and long lunches forms the final segment of Italia Lane, giving it a multi-purpose versatility to match the menu, which stretches from breakfast through to dinner.

Italia Lane’s breakfast menu is available on weekends to help kick off Saturday and Sunday on the right note. Sit down to serves of ricotta pancakes with blueberry agrodolce and white chocolate, baked eggs with Italian sausage and tomato, or an eggs Benny pizza with ham, eggs, spinach and bechamel. The kitchen’s main menu leads in with sensational share-style appetisers like zucchini flowers with ricotta and tomato molasses, beef carpaccio with white anchovy and parmesan, and chicken-liver pate with candied walnuts (not to mention plenty of freshly sliced charcuterie). More substantial plates include a handful of pasta dishes, such as spaghetti with clams, smoked-brisket ragu lasagne and rigatoni with guanciale, egg and pecorino, as well as a sizeable selection of pizzas. Italia Lane’s kitchen is equipped with a large woodfired pizza oven, which is tasked will cooking ten kinds of pizza, including classics and more out-0f-the-box toppings like ham, basil, goat chévre and pickled almond, or ‘nduja, red peppers and pickled chilli. A quick peek at the Aperol bottles behind the bar will tell you that Italia Lane is all about the spritz. Sip on classic Aperol or limoncello spritzes by the carafe or glass, or top for a fine drop from the venue’s wine list – it’s your call!

Italia Lane is now open to the public. Operating hours, contact details and booking info can be found in the Stumble Guide.