Osteria Uno

A 48-seat pasta restaurant, Osteria Uno offers handmade pasta dishes, as well as snacky small plates, Italian-inspired cocktails and an Italian-New Zealand wine list.

It's the second venue from Duo Eatery''s founders, couple Sarah and Jordan MacDonald, and is right next door to the in-demand cafe and bistro.

The MacDonalds decided to take on the site after its previous lives as an embroidery store, a butcher and a fish’n’chip shop, working with Kirsty Mitchell of architecture and design studio Mitchell Addison to uncover characterful details like the worn-in wall and floor tiles.

It's also sophisticated, with deep red leather banquettes to line the walls, paired with dark wood seating and chairs. A central table surrounded by stools mimics a similar table at the front of Duo Eatery.

Menu-wise, order handmade pastas that range in heartiness, shape and dough. Some pasta shapes are familiar, such as spaghettini with aglio e olio, or rigatoni – served here with lamb belly, preserved lemon, smoked paprika and oregano – but others are less common, like cresta de gallo. This is shaped like a rooster’s crest, and at Osteria Uno you might order it with confit duck leg, balsamic and fried rosemary.

There are changing specials and seasonal dishes, and there’s a dedicated kids’ menu with three pastas and a dessert.

Start your meal with some small plates, such as a pizza fritta topped with beef tartare and sour cream and dusted with pecorino; or raw market fish crudo on a soft bed of buffalo curd, topped with green Sicilian olives.

Dessert follows the Italian-inspired theme – you might order limoncello tart or house tiramisu dolloped straight onto your plate – and cocktails do, too; try a Garibaldi with Campari and squeezed-to-order orange juice, a limoncello and pomelo vermouth spritz, or a Frangelico sour.

Wines have been sourced from both Italy and New Zealand, appealing to both those who are keen to try an unfamiliar varietal and others who prefer to stick with what they know.