Adam Racina, chef-owner of tapas bar La Pinta, spent his childhood in a “very different” Reservoir. “I remember being into food in high school but not even being able to get a good coffee around here,” he tells Broadsheet.

But over the past decade or so, prospective homeowners and renters priced out of the inner north have been pushing outward in search of more bang for their buck. Many have found it in Reservoir – aka Rezza – around 12 kilometres north of the CBD.

As the demographic has changed – and the neighbourhood navigates gentrification – so too has the food and drink scene.

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A new wave of openings has been turning the tide in Reservoir, and the poster child is Racina’s own La Pinta. It landed on High Street mid-2020, adapting its Spanish stylings for takeaway while word of mouth went wild. “It immediately had that feel that the people who live here really wanted it,” he says. It’s a dream local, but with a menu this reliable (and reasonably priced) and service this easy-breezy, it’s also a destination. “I’m still always shocked by how many people come through the door every week.”

For low-key Thai diner The Golden Peanut, which quietly transformed an old trophy shop in late 2019, success was a slower burn. “No one came for ages,” says chef-owner Andrew James. But a glowing review on a local Facebook page just before lockdown sent the takeaway trade into overdrive. “People discovered us at exactly the right time.”

Now, “It’s kinda crazy”, says James. Busy is the new norm, and you can struggle to secure a seat on a Tuesday night as the place heaves with loyal locals. “Looking at our stats for last month, it’s 70 per cent repeat business, 30 per cent new.”

More recently, Cono Gelateria has scooped up a spot on Gilbert Road, attracting lines of Rezza-dents (and chefs) with deftly done classics like pitch-perfect pistachio and not-so-classic flavours like cinnamon and fig.

And further north – in a spruced-up milk bar – La Gout Afrique is a convenience store with a West African edge, dishing up delicacies like fragrant jollof rice with fried plantains, and fufu, a doughy pounded cassava ball to be eaten with your hands alongside soups and stews.

Better boozing is also helping change the face of the neighbourhood. Back in the day, Racina says, “You didn’t even think to go out drinking around here.”

It was late last year when one of the city’s most singular brewers, La Sirene, moved into the ’hood, bringing its wild-fermented ales to a converted-warehouse taproom near Edwardes Lake. “As soon as they moved, that would come up [with La Pinta diners] ... they were really excited,” says Racina.

As they were when Racina doubled down with the recent opening of Sardinas, a three-in-one eatery, wine bar (and shop), and florist across the road from La Pinta. The sangas are superb and the to-go tap wine is a steal with options starting at $14 per half-litre (and a $3 discount for refills).

But as much as the scene has gained momentum, James hopes there’s more to come. “There’s a lot more potential for young restaurateurs to get into it ... It’d be awesome to see more chef-owned and -operated places.”

“A lot of the time in hospo you’re working for the big guys,” he adds. “Reservoir gives you the opportunity to do it on your own ... rent’s pretty cheap, you can have a go.”