Real Italian Gem at Nonna Maria’s Place

Finding a good authentic Italian place for dinner is typically a complex task, especially when it is peak hour and all the restaurants on Church Street, Parramatta is packed. Thankfully I suddenly remembered Helen from Grab Your Fork recent post.

It is not difficult to find this place at night as Christmas lights sparkle and flash all around Nonna Maria’s Place restaurant.

Spotted!  Italian vibe coming from the corner. The red and white striped table cloth and messy waxed candles gave it away.

Who doesn’t love freebies? It was pretty generous of the restaurant to serve free, yes, FREE Fresh Bread and a Jug of Home-Made Lemonade, made the old fashioned way!

Complimentary Fresh bread

Free lemonade made me smile throughout the whole night. It tasted unreal – perfect balance of sweet and sour.

Strangely the hat and the umbrella reminded me of the English comic actor Charlie Chaplin . Agree or disagree?

The entire evening this cheeky statue was accompanying me while I feast on Nonna’s spectacular home style dishes.

From the home style pizzette daily board we tried Quattro Formaggi ($8) – provolone, pecorino, gorgonzola and bocconcini. Four types  of cheese on a handmade pizza dough. Very cheesy!

Then came the grilled Tasmanian Smooth Dory ($22) – A very large portion of fish smothered in mint and garlic sauce. On the side-beautifully plated colourful salad with two wedges of lemon.

I was salivating over the Homemade sweet potato gnocchi with Carbonara  ($16). A definite gnocchi WINNING dish! With a generous portion of plump sweet potato cushions dished up with bacon, onions in light cream sauce with Mama Nonna’s secret herbs.

Make sure to savor some bread so you can dunk it in the classic Minestrone Soup ($12). An authentic soup reminds me of my awesome Italian aunt’s home cooking.  I absolutely love the mix vegetables in one bowl-very heart-warming soup.

The Fettuccine with Boscaiola ($15) a scrumptious mix of freshly sliced mushroom- ours seemed to be hiding under the long, thick fettuccine, shredded bacon, crushed garlic and in light cream sauce.

Fancy a little spice in your dish?  Ask the friendly waitress for some house-made piping hot chili sauce.

I adored the overlapping melted wax on the wine bottles. It really adds a sense of romance and to the Italian family vibe.

Betty Boop awaits as we pay at the counter. Such a throwback to the 1930s era.

Nonna Maria’s Place is a real authentic Italian gem in the heart of Parramatta. It’s a fantastic restaurant for cheap date nights, big family gathering and hang outs with friends. The best part about this place is the free lemonade and opening hours. They open 7 days a week!