The team behind Alta Trattoria – where Nigella Lawson recently enjoyed “the perfect Sunday lunch” – is opening a new venue on Friday April 26.

Enoteca Zingara will open in the former Rum Diary space on Brunswick Street, just a short walk from Alta.

Meaning “gypsy” in Italian, the name is a nod to the venue’s past life as beloved local stalwart Gypsy Bar.

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Enoteca Zingara will be “a true enoteca”, according to co-founder and sommelier James Tait. That means there’ll be no printed wine list; instead, the entire offering will be on display in wine fridges and racks around the small venue. You’ll be able to purchase any bottle to take away, or enjoy it in-house for a $25 corkage fee. There will also be full access to the Alta Trattoria wine cellar, plus a selection of amaro, grappa, cocktails, beer and non-alcoholic options.

The menu, overseen by Alta head chef McKay Wilday, will focus on elegant snacking dishes. “Our visits to enotecas and osterias have inspired us to bring a beautiful, simpler way of dining to Fitzroy,” says Tait.

There’ll be a selection of salumi, cheese and oysters, as well as some larger plates. While Alta’s food is largely inspired by trattorias in Piedmont, in Italy’s north-west, at Enoteca Zingara the dishes will take a “wider look at Italy”, Tait says, adding culinary elements from places like Emilia-Romagna to the repertoire.

The team is currently gutting the space. “We just wanted to strip back everything, simplify it and highlight the elements we love about it,” Tait says. They’re keeping the bones of the venue – the long marble bar, pressed metal ceilings and original brick walls – but “stripping things back entirely and giving it a new lease on life”.

Enoteca Zingara will open to the public on Friday April 26, 2024.