Marameo
Head chef Geoff Martin kept one dish when Marameo took over this Russell Place laneway address from Sarti in November 2019, a squid-ink spaghetti with blue swimmer crab, fresh tomato and chili. Michael Badr and Marco Tenuta opened the room.
Why go
Martin has run the section for more than eight years, so the kitchen carries real continuity behind a menu he simplified from the old Sarti format. The layout is the reason to bring a crowd, a long communal marble table and a private dining room that make it one of the CBD's more workable big-group Italians. Marameo sits in restaurateur Joe Mammone's stable alongside Il Bacaro. The kitchen runs late in the week, and lunch drops the cacio e pepe to around A$15.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the cacio e pepe, the wagyu tartare cannolo, and the cavatelli with pan-fried pork sausage and broccoli puree. Finish on the lamington tiramisu, mascarpone and coconut chocolate. There is a deep spritz list to open on.
- Avoid: treating it as a quiet date spot. The room runs loud and is built for a big table.
What locals & experts say
- Concrete Playground:
cheesy and peppery, cacio e pepe is one of our all-time favourite pastas,
alongsidea hefty selection of spritzes.
3 - Broadsheet:
a fun, easy-going Italian restaurant by co-owners Michael Badr and Marco Tenuta,
wherepasta is all made in-house.
1 - Broadsheet (opening): the owners wanted
an environment that is cheerful, relaxed and playful,
in the space Sarti left behind.2
Good to know
- Timing: lunch and dinner Monday to Saturday, running late in the week. It looks to close Sunday, so confirm your date.
- Booking: reserve through the venue, especially for the communal table or the private room. The room takes walk-ins when there is space.
- Near MCEC: about 1.8km across the river in the eastern CBD off Bourke Street, a 20 minute walk or a short tram.
Verdict
could-visit — A fun, competent CBD trattoria that does house-made pasta and big-group energy well, near MCEC, and is one of the more workable rooms for a large conference table. It earns could-visit as a solid, undecorated pick: go if it fits the night, but it is not a detour-worthy standout the way a hatted kitchen or a career dish would be.