Our restaurant critics’ picks of the latest and best eats around the country right now: Macelleria, Sydney.
It’s not hard to get a burger on Campbell Parade, but getting a good one (and we’re not talking the McDonald’s steamed-bun variety) is another feat entirely. Until now. Macelleria is a low-fuss, no-frills butcher, and steak and burger bar headed up by self-proclaimed meatologist Peter Zaidan. Previously of Bondi’s fancier, terrazzo-floored La Macelleria, Zaidan has dropped the La (and di-da, so to speak), opting for a more casual, straight-off-the-beach vibe at the new digs. With around eight cooked-to-order burgers to choose from, the Mafioso, with Parmigiano, or the Vesuvio Pollo (crisp chicken schnitzel, tangy coleslaw and chilli sauce) are a good place to start, while the egg and bacon-amped Retro is the stuff food comas are made of. A hundred per cent grass-fed Cape Grim Angus beef patties and organic honey-sweetened buns balance old-school milk-bar satisfaction with a healthy dose of Bondiness. Burgers aside, you can also pick a steak and have it cooked to your liking – a 400-gram grain-fed “Iceberg” from Darling Downs, say – or grab a selection of skewers and salsicce to take home, with cooking tips from the butcher thrown in. Given the south-end locale and the price point (eat-in burgers starting at $9? Say what?) you might have to contend with some barefoot backpackers when you’re looking for a table, but trust us, it’ll be worth it. Ma-chell-er-ee-aaah.
Macelleria, shop 1.112-116, Campbell Pde, Bondi Beach, NSW, (02) 9300 6388
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