Now Open: Julietta, The Unfussy Trattoria From The Team Behind Mamasita

Armed with a pasta-led menu and warm, unhurried approach to neighbourhood dining, Julietta is a cosy new Italian restaurant that’s right at home in South Yarra. 

The intimate 35-seat venue is the latest venture from the team behind Mamasita, and is nestled on the corner of Toorak Road and Chambers Street. Owner Joss Jenner-Leuthart describes the vision behind Julietta as a trattoria you’d be “happy to stumble by while exploring Milan’s old streets”, and the venue delivers on that promise with interiors that draw from 1960s and ’70s Italian trattorias. Hand-finished walls, lime-washed ceilings, vintage brass lights and plush burgundy banquettes feel like they’ve been there since Nonna bought them forever ago.

In the kitchen, Executive Chef Jimmy Garside (straight from Mamasita) has built a menu with pasta firmly at its core. There are eight hand-made dishes that range from cacio e pepe with green peppercorns, to a more adventurous nduja, vodka and stracciatella baked pasta, and a lighter counterpoint in the lemon and tarragon butter prawn ravioli. 

Antipasti—like burrata with pine nut agrodolce and potato fritti with saffron aioli—set the scene before the pasta hits the table, and a coffee semifreddo with amaretto caramel rounds things out.

“We’re not trying to overcomplicate it,” says Garside. “It’s about doing things really well—pasta at the centre, with dishes that feel familiar, but still worth coming back for.”

The 80-bottle wine list leans Italian, naturally. Beverage Director Eduardo Conde’s cocktail list is anchored around a dedicated negroni menu, where you can’t go wrong with the Andalucian, featuring shiraz gin and cream sherry. 

Julietta prides itself on being the local with a lived-in atmosphere, and it’s the perfect place to settle in and stay for another glass. It’s open Wednesday to Thursday from 4pm, and Friday to Sunday from 12pm at 220 Toorak Road, South Yarra.

Imagery: Julietta | Supplied