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Tucked into a narrow cut-through behind Wynyard Station, Scala Lane is down the kind of lane your mother said don’t go down. Yep it looks dodgy. Past the garbage skips, the delivery entrances and the parked vans. Here you find the kind of Italian wine and pasta bar that feels like a happy discovery rather than a foregone conclusion—a compact, 45-seat room where dim light, low murmur and the clink of glassware set the stage for the kind of carb-fuelled evening you wish existed on every city laneway. What begins as a simple proposition—pasta, wine, good company—quickly reveals a kitchen with deeper ambitions. Not fancy but definitely special.
AMBIENCE >
Scala Lane lives at 36 Wynyard Lane, a short slip of cobblestone and brick hemmed in by office towers, the restaurant announced only by modest signage and the glow from inside—a classic “blink and you’ll miss it” entrance that makes arrival feel like a small win. Inside, the room is long, low-lit and confidently modern: dark timber, exposed brick, flickering candlelight and a tight scatter of two-tops and banquettes conjure a slinky, almost subterranean mood, more Euro wine bar than traditional trattoria. With only around 45 seats, proximity is part of the charm; bar stools along the counter offer a front-row view to the pass counter and bottles, while tables pressed along the wall catch the glow from pendant lighting and the open bar shelves. The design reads as simple, basic, considered and not overworked—there’s a touch of “Sydney laneway chic” in the polished concrete and industrial bones, but softened by warm textures and the constant shuffle of plates and glassware.
EAT >
Chef Gil Ghidalia (ex-Shell House and Georgie Wine Bar) runs a tight, seasonally minded menu that is small on paper but expansive in comfort, leaning into Italian classics with occasional French inflections from time in Michelin-starred Paris kitchens. Things typically start with snacks and smaller plates: warm, in-house baked focaccia with good oil; crisp zucchini flowers piped with ricotta; and charcuterie-style bites that nod to aperitivo hour rather than full antipasti overload. From there, the focus sharpenly tilts to pasta and risotto—the heart of Scala’s offering and the reason regulars slip down the lane midweek.
On our visit the Bluefin Tuna Carpaccio, served with yuzu, fennel and orange was familiar and delicious. Spicy beef tartare served with mustard seeds and parsnip crisps was perfectly executed. Our last starter was the burrata served with strawberries, cherry tomatoes and pistachio again spot on to go with the house baked focaccia.
Mains of Pappardelle al ragù, built on slow-cooked beef, leans into richness and familiarity, the sort of plate that rewards an extra glass of red and a longer linger over conversation. Prawn linguine in a spicy red sauce offers welcome heat and sweetness, while spaghetti agli scampi—flecked with cloudy bay clams and white wine—feels like something straight out of a coastal holiday, bright, saline and just indulgent enough. A rotating risotto—artichoke and gorgonzola on one pass—shows a kitchen comfortable with texture and restraint, the grains kept with bite and the cheese folded in as savoury support rather than sledgehammer.
Portions are generous without tipping into excess, and there’s quiet confidence in the way the kitchen lets a handful of good ingredients do most of the talking. Lunch brings a more pragmatic slant with $15 takeaway pasta or risotto options for the time-poor crowd upstairs, but eaten in-house the experience is decidedly more indulgent.
Desserts skew classic Italian, with tiramisù the clear hero—a creamy, espresso-soaked number often finished at the table, more performance than afterthought and exactly the kind of sweet finish a room like this deserves.
DRINK >
True to its billing as an Italian wine and pasta bar, Scala Lane’s drinks list leans into Italian varietals with a supporting cast from broader Europe and a few local ring-ins. Expect Chianti, nebbiolo, and pinot grigio from regions like Friuli alongside a tight by-the-glass selection that allows a gentle amble across styles over the course of a meal. The list feels is less extensive and curated value options rather than encyclopedic, clearly shaped to match the compact menu and the pasta-first brief.
There’s fun to be had at the spritz-and-cocktail end, too: a signature limoncello spritz with raspberry is the poster child for pre-dinner drinking, bright, citrusy and lightly bitter, and there are a few classic-leaning cocktails for those less enamoured with bubbles.
Service from the floor and bar team is warm and conversational; staff know the list and are quick to nudge diners towards something food-friendly rather than simply expensive. For those keen to keep things lower key, there’s always the option of a simple Italian lager or soda alongside that bowl of pasta.
CONCLUSION >
Scala Lane is not trying to reinvent Italian food so much as refine the laneway pasta-and-wine formula into something that feels both current and deeply comforting, anchored by a focused menu, considered drinks and an atmosphere that flatters everything from a solo bar perch to a lingering Friday night. The ex-Shell House pedigree in the kitchen, the confident, dimly lit design and the sense of being slightly off the main drag but absolutely in the thick of the city all combine to make this a worthy addition to Sydney’s growing crop of serious-but-fun Italian rooms. If there’s a criticism, it’s that the compact space and popularity can make peak times feel tightly packed and booking essential—but for many, that buzz is part of the appeal. For a plate of properly made pasta, a well-chosen glass in hand and the city humming just beyond the laneway, Scala Lane more than earns its 15/20.
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Image Credit | ALMANAK & Scala Lane
