Parry Street Garage – Newcastle, NSW, Australia

Posted on Feb 12, 2016 in Bars, Restaurants

Housed in an old workshop with buckets of character, the building that is home to Parry Street Garage is divided into two spaces and given it’s groovy, industrial styling it’s a relaxed and fun atmosphere. Although it’s not necessarily romantic, date-night territory (for me) it is terrific for groups and also family friendly.

In addition to the standard tables in the restaurant section and seating around the huge bar, there are also couches and high table configurations.

On the menu, there’s something for every taste, appetite and budget. On previous visits, we’ve sampled the Nduja, Calamari, Roman Chips and the 106 Piatto platter – all were delicious and very tasty as either entrees or nibbles to share with drinks. This time, we specifically went to try the pasta and there were three of us so we covered a decent sample but we did start with a sneaky pizza to keep hunger at bay. While I admit it sounds a touch negative, unfortunately we all agreed that the pizza was the highlight but the pizza is good! The Carbonara wasn’t overly saucy – it was loaded with bacon (which many would consider a positive!) but it seemed to overpower everything else. The lamb in the Papadelle was tender and fall-apart but a touch on the delicate side which for us resulted in a lack of flavour. The Orecchietti was tasty enough but for me, it just felt like vehicle to get a heap of veggies into the diet rather than a carefully balanced blend of a few in season produce items. Having said all of that, there was nothing truly terrible about any of them AND we have Italian friends who love the pasta so maybe it’s just personal taste.

The drinks list provides a credible selection with quite a few Italian options in both wine and beer so there’s something for everyone. Staff have come a long way since the early days when the arrival of a crowd meant service was slow. It’s now a team of young, happy people who are enthusiastic and working hard to please.

We will definitely return for drinks and nibbles but for something more substantial, I would probably stick with pizza next time.

We ate:
Garlic & Rosemary Pizza
Spaghetti Carbonara
Papadelle with Lamb
Orecchietti , broccoli, zucchini, pea, chilli & ricotta

We drank:
Stone & Wood Pacific Ale
Little Creatures Pilsner
Duck & Weave Pinot Noir

Visited: February 2016