When asking my friends where to find some really good Italian food in Sydney, my best friend Jasmine recommended a little place called "Made In Italy". I had been planning to go after my exams to celebrate and satisfy my Italian food cravings but to my surprise, I ended up getting invited to their CBD's new dining area & bar called "Next Door". Why the name? This is because it is literally "next door" from their Made in Italy pizzeria 😂

Around the corner from Wynyard station in York Lane is where these two hidden gems reside. While Made in Italy is pretty much a counter where you can order fresh pizza and pastas to-go with the only seated being some milk crates by the waiting area, Next Door is a more formal space providing actual seated dining areas and a bar. At first I was a little confused because never having been to Made in Italy before, I was wondering why they would situate two stores next to each other. Thankfully Jasmine did come along with me and identify the menu as being from Made in Italy and suddenly it all made sense.






We come here on our Friday evening when the place is bustling with diners (although not in the pictures above because I took them at the end of the night). The lighting is dimly lit with the most highlighted area being the colourful and fully equipped bar. There is a hilarious tip jar that is labelled "Help me get to Disney World" and the guy behind the counter is wearing this awesome Fresh Prince shirt. Also a great selection of 90's tracks blasts from the speakers. I love this place already! The walls are quite minimal save for the Next Door CBD and hip hop/Ice Cube & Smokey murals. Altogether we feel that this creates a very chill and relaxed atmosphere which is perfect and just what we need after a long week of work!

The staff are all so friendly and with the recommendations of the guy behind the counter, we make our orders. We go for a bocconcini salad, Gamberi pizza, and the Mamma Mia pasta with gnocchi. Gnocchi is not actually one of the pasta choices written on the menu but just ask and you shall receive 😉




The orders of each diner are served from the Made in Italy staff coming in through next door. We grab some table water at the bar and it is not long before our orders come out one by one. It barely fits on our tiny table and medium sized pizzas don't fit on the pizza stands they have but somehow we managed to fit everything on there!

I see red, yellow and green and therefore I conclude that this is a well-balanced meal ❤️ 💛 💚