Bistecca Sydney | Heritage Italian Restaurant Fit-out

A classic Italian cocktail bar and steak restaurant, located beneath Sydney’s CBD focusing on a single cut of meat.

Guests arrive via a discreet rear-lane entry, stepping first into a low-lit bar that sets the pace rather than announces itself. It’s a moment to pause — an aperitif in hand — before being drawn through to the main dining room. Here, crafted domed ceilings lift the space just enough, while a central hearth anchors the room and focuses the experience. The journey concludes through an intimate wine room, wrapped in dark timber cladding, offering a quieter finish to the evening.

Each space is deliberately distinct yet tightly connected, with proportion, materiality and flow carefully resolved to feel intimate without constraint. Classic black-and-white chequered floors sit alongside Italian marble bar tops, bentwood chairs and timber banquettes upholstered in striped fabrics. Framed photographs line the walls, adding warmth and familiarity — subtle references to time spent in Italy, interpreted through a measured, contemporary lens.

2018

Sydney CBD

$1-2m

250 sqm

“There’s real charm about the small 50-set room and its open hearth, butcher’s block, domed brick-clad ceiling and black-and-white tiled floor.” Terry Durack, Senior Reviewer, Good Food Guide

Set within a heritage frontage on Bridge Street, Bistecca unfolds across three tightly curated spaces — a cocktail bar, 50-seat dining room and adjoining wine store — capturing the confidence and intimacy of a classic Italian ristorante. Working closely with Tom Mark Henry, we helped realise a layered dining journey, creating varied rooms and seating moments that invite movement, atmosphere and occasion. The venue has since earned wide recognition across food, culture and design publications.

One of our earliest and most challenging projects with Green ANVIL was Bistecca. The build presented significant constraints due to limited access and the complexity of solid-fuel cooking requirements. Their ability to liaise effectively with multiple consultants and contractors, rigorously test options, and manage both rising costs and pressure was instrumental in successfully delivering the venue.

Bistecca has since become one of the most in-demand restaurants in Australia, far exceeding our initial expectations. This success is due in no small part to the exceptional execution of a highly demanding and unique design, delivered to a standard that continues to withstand intensive daily use. Now operating seven days a week for lunch and dinner, the venue is entering its eighth year with only minor maintenance required.

Green ANVIL simply does not cut corners. The long-term success of our venues is a direct result of this approach, and it is why we continue to engage them and look forward to working together again on future projects.

James Bradey – Director, Liquid Larder