Review Cappello Pizzeria - Balmain

Enjoyable experience at Cappellos. Ordered the weekly special gnocchi, calzone and the rocket and pear salad. Beautifully cooked, efficient and friendly service and tidy amenities. The restaurant has two levels, and ample parking on the street, or within walkable distance from the ferry wharf.

Great little authentic Italian restaurant in Balmain east. The service was great and the staff were very attentive. The food is always amazing. Can't go past one of the woodfire pizzas or calzones. The place is in a sandstone cottage which adds to the vibe. Highly recommend this to anyone in the mood for Italian.

Fabulous food and a lovely, cosy atmosphere. Will define be coming again.

We dined at Cappello for NYE and we were really happy with the food and the service. We ordered almost all the entrees and among these octopus and Bufala were the ones that stood out for me the most. My Risotto with Mushroom and truffle oil was seriously good, I asked to swap the salmon with Prosciutto and it worked beautifully, portions were massive as well. My Partner ordered the duck and he said it was amazing. Desserts were also very good! I will come back to try their pizza as well!

Food wasn’t great. The starters we had didn’t have the ingredients in them that was stated on the menu and we had to wait almost 30 minutes for gluten free pasta order. the kids Neapolitan pasta was just pasta with canned tinned tomatoes poured over it. they hadn’t even let the tinned tomatoes cook properly, tasted of nothing. Not the best experience

We tried three pizzas, the one with pear in it was the most special and delicious one. Tiramisu was the best among the desserts we orders, which was soft, creamy and balanced well with coffee and wine. To be honest, Cappello is the top rated Italian restaurant on Zomato, but it is not that perfect compared with its high rating.

Great service, food was delicious! Was a great find before we enjoyed Vivaldi by Candlelight. Lovely experience 💕

We had a lovely birthday dinner here. The service, food and atmosphere were great and we'll definitely come back. We made a mistake and ordered non-vegetarian pizza instead of the non-meat one. The waitress was graceful and didn't charge us. Overall a very good experience.

We just dined here. Walking up the hill from the ferry and spotted Capollo. Very good stop. In-house pumpkin ravioli was excellent, light and tasty especially with the in-house chilli oil. Salad good. Raspberry cheesecake superb. We’ll definitely return. Oh and the service was excellent - gracious and attentive even in the midst of a full house (despite this stupid Covid business shutdown)

Got takeaway pizza here. Very prompt and polite service. The pizza was delicious!

Really delicious pizza (Rustica) and salad (tomato and buffalo mozzarella?). House wine was only so, so. Staff are friendly and helpful. Ambience is lovely but becomes quite noisy when full and when people have been drinking.

Over priced & split system not working for over 12 months! My wife and I first attended this restaurant over 12 months ago. The pizza was tasty with a good spread of toppings. But the biggest letdown was no cooling. We walked into the restaurant, a hot day and much warmer inside. A split system not being used, the front door open for fresh warm air. We were sweating, along with other patrons. Fast forward 12 months later and same issue! This time I raised the issue with a staff member who advised me there had been an electrical problem. There solution was to open the front and back doors, to let in fresh air. The prices had increased but the pizzas contained only a thin spread of toppings and not as tasty. We walked out still hungry. Over priced for an average pizza with little toppings and terribly uncomfortable dining experience. No cooling or at the very least fans, provided for the comfort of patrons.

A little gem in balmain. Recommend the risotto and the tiramisu. Fine and delicately cook. The kingfish and scallop (special menu) in the risotto were very fresh. The tiramisu - best ever that i ever tried, served in a little jar, creamy and packed with flavours. The ravioli, however, was a little thick. The veal parpadelle was quite nice.

Outstanding food! Especially the vegetarian lasagna. Only downside that coffee was a little on the weaker side. Good people watching from the street view seating too.

Delicious over baked pizzas! A cute restaurant with very nice decor, you enter and are greeted with a good view of the pizza oven - a good sign that the pizzas are going to be great! Ordered the margherita and the cappello pizza. Crust was soft and light and not doughy and cooked to perfection. Toppings were fresh and you could taste the fine ingredients. Overall an outstanding pizza joint (can only comment on the pizzas)!

Great little spot, with sandstone walls and a wood fire pizza oven that lights up the place and sends a great aroma through the restaurant. Pizza was a nice thin base and great flavours, which was perfectly cooked. The seafood pasta was not as good as the pizza, I expected the serving size and quality of seafood to be better. Tiny prawns and the pasta sauce was a little dry. Great place if your in Balmain.

The Spot: not tooo hard to find parking, nice decor, nothing obnoxious nor particularly memorable<br/><br/>The Service: bit weird; not sure if it's because we were a relatively big group but we had some real cardboard floaters, which only seemed strange because it was so unlike other mid-high range Italian restaurants with extremely personable staff. I'm not particularly sensitive to service as I know they're only human, but I was a bit spooked. And for a group of 9, the way the 10+ dishes were staggered was perplexing - only two pizzas at a time with what felt like a real-time moon landing in between.<br/><br/>The Food: finally - the pizzas were aaaalmost worth the #weirdvibes. Perfect woodfire crust, thin and chewy base, pleasant amount of toppings as compared to the super super authentic ones (off-centre, sneezed-it-on kind that you can only get away with in the motherland where the ingredients are slaughtered, I mean procured, the day of). Highlights were the Margherita, Calzone Napoli and Contadina. Surprisingly felt a bit dirty eating the Rustica and truffle is usually my most trusted. Gnocci is personal, but the texture of these was one of my favs - smooth and melts in your mouth BUT had at least one satisfying chew.<br/><br/>I think I was ultimately let down by the dining experience, but if we're talking pizza, it is one of the great ones.

My favourite Italian place in the inner west.<br/>Capello is located a short walk from the busy hub of Balmain, but it is a walk worth every step.<br/>The proscuitto pizza is exceptional.<br/>Nice service and nice rustic sandstone setting.<br/><br/>

Cameee here for pizza last night to celebrate my sisters birthday! We were seated upstairs which was nice and quiet with the same sandstone wall design. The pizza did not dissapoint! Perfect woodfire oven crust and tasty toppings. The cappello pizza with prosciutto and blue cheese was the bomb! Will definitely revisit!

Friendly staff and excellent food. Loved it, will strongly recommend this place for trying authentic Italian cuisine and very reasonably priced. Must try their salad and Garlic bread. It was awesome.

Good, not great. The pasta was ok not the best, the seafood pasta was a little fishy, don't think the seafood was fresh. The pizza is great however, The garlic bread is defiantly a must try.

Outstanding dinner, from appetizer to dessert. Highly recommend! Mozzarella salad with pesto drizzle was delicious. Calzones was perfect, especially the crust. Even our teen son, a picky eater, loved the margarita pizza. And don't pass on dessert, the chocolate mousse was rich, smooth and creamy. <br/><br/>The only negative I can think of was the length of service, but I think that's just an American's issue. We're used to a fast in/out. <br/><br/>Overall - Definitely a 5.0 dinner and would absolutely visit again.

Only ordered the Margherota but it was spot on. Delicious produce and the dough was made very well. Nice and thin, crispy but soft - very well done. Will come again

Was in this area and felt like some real Italian food! So glad we found this place! I enjoyed a Mare e Terra (prawn & eggplant pizza) & my partner had a Calzone Napoli which was demolished in 60 seconds! Loved everything about this place the setting, food & service! Cannot wait to come back & try other dishes 😊

I prefer the pizzas at Cappello more than Lucio's. the crust is thin and the filling is generous. <br/><br/>It would be great if the crust is a little crispy and not too mushy. Though I understand it's a personal preference. <br/><br/>Service is excellent too.

One of the best service... Specially with just one person as a waiter... Welcoming warm delightful place. The food?? You ask? Well it is one of the most authentic and yummy Italian you can have. Must go.. Again again and again... But make sure you book

The gnocchi, to die for, the service, incredible. You must go and experience the flavours of Cappello. @GlobalFilmyandFoodie. The atmosphere was amazing a the dessert was scrumptious.

I love Capello. It's definitely my favorite pizza. Beautiful thin base & great crust. Siciliana is my pizza of choice or the veal pappardelle pasta. It only lost 0.5 a point as the resturant can be a little loud.

Everything was great- the starters, the main, the wine, the desserts and did I mention the wine? Oh and the coffee and service- highly recommend !

Another excellent Italian joint in Balmain. Can't fault them. Wood fired pizzas were spot on with a nice texture with delicious cheese. The pasta we had (fettuccini marinara) was also great, hand made noodles with a nice selection of fresh selection of seafood and rich tomato base. Only regret is not noticing the (massive) specials board prior to ordering.<br/>Highly recommended.

For the environment - this is a small cozy restaurant. Clean and nicely set up. For that I'll give it a 4.<br/>Service was quick. But to put that in perspective, we went there around 6pm when it opened so early for dinner. But still attentive and quick.<br/>Food was delicious. We had the gnocchi, pappardelle, rocket and pear salad, garlic bread for starters and meat lovers pizza for my son. We enjoyed the meal. 3 people for dinner, expect to pay around $100. Not bad! Table booking is highly recommended unless you go early.

Ok this place was surprising. I never expected such great food so close to home ....but more than that the food was made with care and flair. We came here on a rainy night precisely because it was close to home, but found ourselves in italian foodie heaven. Great pizza and pasta and desserts to die for

Love love love! Rainy week night, perfecto presentation, varied menu, chilli garlic prawns, to perfect ravioli, pizza divine. Gem tuxjed away in East balmain. And check out the traditional sandstone walls. Thanks for a great dinner team Cappello!

Superb food , great service with a smile and very well priced. All the things that have me returning almost weekly to this little gem for the past year. Pity there is only this location that can provide this level of cuisine as I have to share with the rest of sydney.    .

Amazing food & service. Have been here twice for family birthday dinners. Cannot get enough of the calzone perferito, salmon pappardelle (special) and fettuccine marinara - home made pasta and pizzas! The waitress is always super friendly and helpful :)

The food was beautiful, authentic Italian cuisine at its best.

A great gem in Balmain!. Fantastic food with excellent service. Definitely will return!

Pizza for dinner!! Slightly hard to find parking but the pizzas here are amazing! -- The Food -- The waiters here wear a hat just like the sign!   Rustica- mozzarella, porcini mushroom, speck & truffle oil All my favourite toppings in one pizza, what more can I ask for! The balance of all toppings was perfect / spot on. The smell of truffle oil rushed into my nose when the pizza arrived. Fresh porcini mushrooms were so fragrant and tasty.  The base of the pizza is thin yet fluffy.  The speck added a hint of saltiness and flavour to the pizza. I just wished they wood- fired the speck so it would be warmer with a slight crisp. Other than that, I absolutely loved this pizza!       Fettuccine marinara - homemade fettuccine with fish, mussels, prawns, calamari & cherry tomatoes  The fettuccine is soft but with a lot of texture (not the regular smooth dry fettuccine you would get from a grocery store). I enjoyed the fettuccine as I continued to eat more. I felt like I was eating a home made

So long Sojourn ; Duke's Lane's also gone bye-bye - but this time it's been replaced by something the good burghers of Balmain might really want! Recently renovated, like much of the suburb, the centrepiece is the imported Alfa wood-fire oven; well manned

I'm sure it would have been lovely if the food had been seasoned more. It was a shame because beautiful looking dishes just didn't have much flavour. Also, the mousse was the consistency of ganache that had sat in the fridge for a few hours, and tasted like orange (which unfortunately I don't like). It was nice that they didn't charge us for that though after noticing I hadn't eaten that much of it. The service and prices were pretty good.

Great meal. It was a pleasant experience. The quality is great and customer service is good too! Will be returning.

Best Pizza in Balmain. Tasty pizzas and efficient friendly service.

Good pizza and pasta relax atmosphere good service.

The best pizza in Sydney! If you want to taste the real Italian pizza you have to go there.

Fantastic and consistently good food. Being a local we have visited capello a handful of times now. On every occasion the food has been beautiful, covering pizzas, pasta and the limited / specials mains they offer. Always a happy customer

Love it. We had a wonderful meal at this great looking restaurant. Waited 30min for a table but it was worth every minute, one of the best Italian food we had .. the food reminded us of being back to Italy. You can tell from the flavours they use good and fresh ingredients . Thumbs up

Terrible customer service! Waited ten minutes to even get some acknowledgement, another ten to be seated rudely, twenty minutes for our order to be taken. Even though the waiters were standing around watching us. We left without our order being taken despite the lovely looking food! Would not go back!

Simple is best. I order the marinara pizza here. Comes with no cheese just amazing tomato sauce on a thin base. One word "amazing"!

Great local pizza... just around the corner.. Nice simple Nepalese style pizza... thin base with crispy crust, coupled with more traditional toppings work very well. Simple menu is good, with the 'specials blackboard' offering some more sophisticated cuisine when dining in. <br/><br/>BYO is a good news story also!

Mixed feelings about this place. Took our seats and waited for at least 20 minutes before what looked to be the only waiter came to ask us what we wanted, he didnt seem too professional either, however the food (prawn entree and a prosciutto pizza) was quite tasty. Took similarly long to get the bill. On the plus side theres a great view of the harbour bridge just down the road!

A great find! The service was good and the speed of food and drinks was excellent! The most important part of all the food was good as well. The only down side was the lighting was quite dim.

Outstanding Italian style pizza! Best I've had in Sydney. Wood fired. Crunchy yet doughy thin crust. Light on the toppings with top quality ingredients. Just like being in Naples...Buonissimo!!

Poor customer service. We used to love Capello and went every Friday as the food is good.<br/>The last few times we have been and virtually ignored.<br/>We stood by the counter and 4 members of staff walked by us without even a hello. 5 mins passed and we still stood there, whilst other customers got served. We finally grabbed someone and asked for a table - it wasn't that busy- only to be told we would have to wait 10 minutes even though there were vacant tables. We were made to feel very uncomfortable and left<br/>Shame as it used to be great with lovely staff, now it is run by people who have no courtesy

Our closest pizza place and .... One of the best in Sydney. Love the rustica and the cappello.

Poor value for the price paid. The pizza was not exactly tasteless, however lacked what you would expect from a pricy pizza. The ingredients were applied poorly, with my artichokes clumped into one third of my pizza, the rest bare. Overall, a very disappointing and expensive experience.

Best Pizza. I must say this is the best Pizza Restaurant I ever had in Sydney. such a cool place , stylish , friendly , great music and fantastic food. must say 10 out of 10

Perfect Pizza. Truly delicious pizzas; we live close by and get take-out. My favourite is the Rustica with aromatic truffle oil, wafer thin speck ham, creamy cheese and nutty mushrooms. Excellent food!

Cappello knows how to do things in 3's. I'm not usually a fan of pizza but Cappello captured my attention! In the least amount of ingredients, Cappello can stun you with the most melt-on-your mouth flavours. I'll stay focused and only talk about the 6 pizzas we ordered. Highlight 1 - lemon and anchovies pizza = so simple, 3 ingredients, pizza base, anchovies, lemon and olive oil yet I was struck by how good it tasted. It was one of those moments, where i had a few bites, stopped, turned to person next to me and simply smiled. No words required. Highlight 2 - Rustica pizza = cheese, porcini mushroom and truffle oil. 3 bold flavours leaving a generous lingering taste of truffle oil in your mouth. One of the most earthy pizzas I've had. Mind you, I don't even like porcini mushrooms. Highlight 3 - fig, rocket, cheese = yum, yum, yum!!!!! everything worked. You have to have this one! Highlight 4 - Cappello = pear, rocket and Gorgonzola cheese = creative but yet again simple. If you want a good pizza experience, definitely come here!!!!

I love this place, possibly the best pizza in Sydney and the lasagne is pretty awesome too. I must admit I've only had the Diavola, Calzone Preferito,the one with prosciutto and rocket and the lasagne but all more than once and they never disappoint. There's no beating thin crust pizza cooked in a traditional oven.

I must say this place really impressed us. The atmosphere with cool bossa nova music which made it very romantic. First impression was great with nice deco and courteous waitstaff, the place was small but it was pleasant. The food was just amazing, conservative and simple food but tasted excellent! I think it's this that made it different from other Italian restaurants around town

Don't go, you won't like it (and you may take my seat). Seriously, this place serves up awesome wood fired pizzas without fail. Nicest surrounds of any Balmain pizzeria, I'm there at least once a week. (but dont go, you won't like it).

Drooling. Geez the proscuitto pizza is so so good... "drools"

Fantastic. Some of the best Pizza I have had. The Calzone is superb. Easily up there with Lucio in Darlinghurst. Very friendly service too.

Delish & Delightful!. We discovered this one early, and go back often. The building itself is a delight, with sandstone walls, good lighting and well laid out. The food is delicious, every pizza I've tried is great, and the specials menu always offers something a bit different. Try the pizza with truffle oil, yum. Leave room for dessert too!<br/>The waiters are efficient & friendly. Overall it's a great intimate place to go to with only a couple of friends or your special fella or lady.

Pleasant. The pizza's were delicious, and service was good. This was on a Monday night though, so haven't seen the place during peak times. Definitely will go back.

Hidden Gem. The service and ambience of this place is uniquely Balmain and yet Italian. The quality and quantity of the serves were excellent . The pizza crust was beautiful, thicker than Rosso's but crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. We all agreed that it was the best we had tasted. We have gone to many pizza places including Castel Mola (old standby in Leichhardt where all the Italians go) and this is now our favourite place for pizza and pasta. We had the chili mussels---best ones I have ever had although I would have used larger mussels. We requested it as a main and the portion was very good. The Marinara with homemade pasta was stunning----very delicate and flavourful at the same time. We had various pizzas and the mixture of toppings just worked. The pizza choices sounded quite bland but after the first bite we were sold! The flavor of the crust just gives it that extra oomph that is difficult to define. We will definitely return!

Pizzas were good. Great crust, good flavours. Service was so slow and pathetic. Had to wait over an hour and a half for two pizzas. I am sure it was an unusual event but it happened to us. Maybe I'll cone again but unsure.

Love it. We heard about this new place from a friend .i came with 3 of my girlfriends. we never been at the end of darling st before .what a amazing little place, with send stone walls and the wood fire oven it looks beautiful. we are not big eaters, so we ordered from the special board the garlic prawn and the soft shell grab..they where very tasty ..and than we had the cappello pizza with pears , rocket and prosciutto. very nice and the special fig pizza and prosciutto with this special Italian cheese i don't remember the name of the cheese, served by the pizza chef. i can tell you that i never tasted a pizza like that in my life , and the presentation of this pizza it was wonderful with prosciutto roses and micro herbs. you can tell they know what they doing here .the dough it was so tasty little crispy in the outside but soft inside you can taste the wood fire in that 2. we where asked by the pizza chef how the pizza was and we said they both very nice but the fig pizza it was the winner.. we went to Italy 2 years ago and you eat many pizza's but nothing compeers to this one,,, found our special pizza place .. very happy,we be back for shore :p

Not Really Special. I can't really see why other reviewers rave about this place - it's nothing more than a jumped-up pizzeria. Atmosphere is very pleasant & service is friendly, efficient & convivial. But the food...? We went there last week & started with the garlic pizza & Pear & Rocket salad - both nice (but nothing to rave about) & good-sized serves; then had the chilli Mussels (which were excellent) & the Capiciosa Pizza (very average & I daresay Rosso Pommodoro still do the best pizza on the Peninsula). Servings were quite large so look out for that when ordering (as you don't want to over-order) but apart from the Starters, half a dozen pasta dishes & the many pizzas available, there were a few Specials & that was it. Perhaps we went there expecting a proper Italian restaurant with a large range of Italian dishes ala you find in Leichhardt - if so, we were severely disappointed. They do a roaring takeaway pizza business (which is a tad annoying if you have 1 of the 2 tables right next to the front door which just seems to open & close all night), are BYO but we won't be hurrying back for the food.

Great. I'd consider myself a little bit of a food critic. I've been to Aria many a time, the Hilton wine bar, Quay, Tetsuya's, Every restaurant in East Circular Quay and of course all the pizzeria's in Leicharddt and Habberfield.<br/><br/>Never have I enjoyed my self more than at Cappellos and never have I given a recommendation to everyone I know.<br/><br/>Its a tiny restaurant with the greatest atmosphere. Architecturally its amazing though as far as aesthetics go Cappello is right up there.<br/><br/>The food is incredible. It's not just food its magical. The pizza is to die for as are the appetisers (The garlic pizza I've been craving weeks after my last visit). <br/><br/>Cappello is a real gem and I recommend anyone to give this one a shot!