Bar Conte in Surry Hills Foveaux Street and Riley Street is named after the inventor of the Negroni, Conte Negroni. As inspiration, this Italian bar is home to over 20 types of negroni’s. By the day it’s also a cafe, with ONA coffee, panini and sweets.
The dining space is intimate, dimly lit and Italian movie posters and art adorning the walls.
We begin with drinks and enjoyed a “My Old Pal” negroni, made with Campari and Rye Whiskey which was a great version of a Negroni. We can’t believe how many negroni variations can be made. Peruse the list and opt for your preference.
In addition, the bar also has some of your other favourite cocktails and we enjoyed a superb Amaretto Sour too.
The food at Bar Conte is of bar snack style and you can start with some olives, foccacia or gourmet meats. We opt for the Black Angus Bresaola, which was light and delicate and needed nothing more than the sprinkle of pepper it came with. We also had the marinated eggplant with caprino (an Italian goats milk cheese) which was nice to go with the appetiser.
If you’re after something a little more substantial, try the gnocchi Sorrentina, which is their house made gnocchi in a rich and delicious tomato sauce. Furthermore, we highly recommend ordering the jumbo prawns, flavoured by a bisque butter, lemon and parsley. These totally melted in the mouth, the flesh falling away easily from the shell. Kurt commented that these prawns were the best he’s eaten all year, so that’s a huge compliment.
Considering it’s a negroni bar, it’s not surprising that they also have items that are negroni infused such as the salami or even a tiramisu. Overall the food was excellent, yet expensive. For the food we consumed and only one drink each, our bill was $140, as the mains are around $30 each. However the quality of the food and service is great, but you may want your visit to be for a special occasion.
Bar Conte
340 Riley St Surry Hills NSW 2010
Hours
Bar
Thurs: 4pm-10pm
Fri: 12pm-10pm
Sat: 12pm-10pm
Sun: closed
Cafe
Mon-Fri: 6:30-3pm
Sat: 7:30am-3pm
Sun: closed