It’s Merivale’s newest restaurant. It’s casual Italian dining in Bondi. It’s Totti’s.
Opening in the final days of 2018 out the back of the Royal Hotel Bondi, Totti’s is quickly winning fans with its wood-fired breads and meats, hand-crafted pastas and Italian-inspired cocktails.
The next chapter for Bondi’s Royal Hotel
Ever since Merivale inked a deal to acquire Bondi’s Royal Hotel back in late 2017, Sydney’s been watching, waiting with bated breath, because Justin Hemmes and his hospitality juggernaut seemingly can’t put a foot wrong. (Note: this is the crew responsible for all our restaurant favs such as Coogee Pavilion, Ms G’s and Mr Wong).
The rebooted Royal Hotel Bondi – which has been an Eastern Beaches drinkery since 1904 – opened back in September 2018, still sporting the hallmarks of a traditional front bar, with pool tables, pub carpet and a vending machine dispensing ice-cold beer.
But the real magic’s tucked away in the pub’s restaurant.
Dirty Italian Disco is all grown up
Totti’s is the evolution of the exceedingly popular pop-up restaurant Mr Liquor’s Dirty Italian Disco, with the (now matured) menu having found a permanent home on Bondi Road.
The 185-seater restaurant is light, bright and beautiful, split between an indoor and courtyard space. Inspired by an Italian taverna, there’s old timber chairs, paired-back white walls and huge olive trees shading the courtyard.
But the piece de resistance is the Josper charcoal oven, turning out delicious wood-fired breads and meats.
Fresh pastas, antipasti and wood-fired meats
Totti’s kitchen sports plenty of pedigree with Pinbone’s Mike Eggert and Rockpool’s Khan Danis leading the show.
The menu is split between antipasti, pastas, meats and sides – all designed to be shared, and all simple and delicious. Start with a selection of meats (like mortadella and salami), cheeses (think ricotta and burrata) and seasonal fruits (such as melon and tomato).
Then choose from a half-dozen different pastas, maybe the rigatoni with milk-braised pork and chilli, as well as a selection of proteins (such as fish, rib-eye steak, schnitzels and roast chicken).
Sides range from a zucchini, mint and parmesan salad to baked eggplant, with chilli and pangrattato – and lots in between. And, naturally, you want to save room for dessert.
Wood-fired bread, with prosciutto and chicken liver parfait
Prawn casarecce pasta
Pork schnitzel
Corn polenta and chilli
To drink, choose from traditional Mediterranean cocktails, as well as 50-odd wines that lean towards the organic, natural and boutique.
Totti’s is…
Where you come for a long, lazy lunch with your g-friends or a relaxed summer dinner in the courtyard. Totti’s has definitely been worth the wait.
Totti’s | 283 Bondi Road, Bondi, New South Wales
merivale.com/venues/tottis
