DRINK > Conte, Sydney (17/20)

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Conte in Sydney’s CBD is grand, an unapologetically Italian, ode to the Negroni. Part bar, part ristorante, and all about drama, detail and la dolce vita energy. With more than 30 (and climbing toward 40) Negroni riffs, serious Italian wines and a full dining menu, it feels less like a pre-dinner pit-stop and more like the kind of grown‑up city bar you plan an entire evening around.

AMBIENCE >

Slip off Clarence Street into Barrack Place and Conte reveals itself slowly: brass, timber and a moody glow pooling around a sweeping central bar, all wrapped by a grand staircase curling up behind it. This is a genuinely “owner design‑led” space — interior designer and co‑owner Victoria Hampshire has layered moss‑green tiles, green marble, deep brass and rich earthy tones with vintage Italian posters (including a rare Campari original) to create something that feels equal parts Milanese lobby bar and Roman cinema foyer.

The room stretches over two levels and around 130 seats, giving you options: stools at the marble‑topped bar to watch Negronis being thrown, low banquettes and bar pods for date nights, and a more classical dining area if the evening leans toward long-form dinner. Lighting is low and flattering, with enough buzz from a largely corporate‑meets‑creative CBD crowd to feel alive without tipping into chaos—more aperitivo clink than after‑work roar.

EAT >

Conte may call itself a Negroni bar first, but the food is no afterthought; it is a fully fledged Italian restaurant built for both aperitivo grazing and serious, multi‑course evenings. Owners Raffaelle Lombardi and Victoria Hampshire have brought in head chef and venue partner Steven De Vecchi, with chef Giacomo Rilievo (ex‑LuMi Dining) in the kitchen, and the result is a menu that feels polished, confident and quietly indulgent.

From the Berkel slicer come fine sheets of salumi to open the night, followed by crudo built on pristine seafood and textbook fritti that pair naturally with something bitter in the glass. Pasta is where the kitchen flexes: silky strands (often sea‑urchin‑laced or prawn‑tossed) arrive glossed in sauce rather than drowned, while richer plates might include a golden veal cotoletta or slow‑cooked meat for those who want something closer to a main event. Desserts, including a Negroni‑tinted tiramisu, keep the theme running without feeling gimmicky.

DRINK >

If you are here for one thing, it is the Negroni list: Conte bills itself as the world’s first dedicated Negroni bar and Italian restaurant, with a line‑up that starts north of 30 variations and stretches beyond 40, including a splash‑out four‑figure option for those chasing bragging rights. Classicists will find a pitch‑perfect house Negroni built on quality vermouth and bitters, while the more adventurous can wander into white, aged, sparkling or amaro‑forward territory, each served with the sort of precision that comes from a team genuinely obsessed with the drink.

Beyond the Negroni pages, Conte stakes a claim to one of Sydney’s most focused Italian back‑bars, with what its founders call the largest single‑venue collection of Italian vermouths, amari, bitters and gins in the city. There is a tight but thoughtful Italian-leaning wine list curated to handle both snacky aperitivo sessions and full pasta‑and‑secondi dinners, plus a Martini and aperitivo pairing programme that feels very much of‑the‑moment without losing its old‑world polish.

CONCLUSION >

Conte is what happens when a much‑loved neighbourhood aperitivo bar (Bar Conte in Surry Hills) grows up, puts on a sharply cut suit and moves into the CBD without losing its heart. With a kitchen led by chefs with fine‑dining pedigrees, and a bar program singularly devoted to the Negroni and its Italian cousins, this is one of those rare city venues that works equally well for a quick 5pm bitter and for the sort of late‑running Italian dinner that spills long past midnight.

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