Alba Restaurant

Alba brings the food traditions of Salento and southern Italy to Newtown, with a menu built around homemade pasta, traditional recipes and generous dishes intended to be shared. The restaurant’s approach is straightforward: familiar family-kitchen cooking, made from scratch and served in a way that encourages everyone at the table to try a little of everything. Its menu is seasonal, so the selection may change, but the focus remains on Southern Italian flavours and time-honoured techniques.

Pasta is a central part of the offering, with choices including Sagne Torte, a twisted Puglian pasta with tomato, ricotta salata and basil, and 12 Hour Lamb Rigatoni with lamb shoulder, red wine and parmesan. Other options range from Ragù di Polpo with octopus and stracciatella to Gamberi e Burratina, while starters such as the chef’s Antipastiera selection, Parmigiana di Melanzane and Pittule make the menu well suited to sharing. For a larger centrepiece, Spallona 3 Salse features whole lamb shoulder, house-made sauces and roasted potatoes.

The table is at the heart of Alba’s experience. Its Festa Salentina menu is designed for groups of eight or more, with antipasti, pasta, mains, sides and dessert brought out to share. There are also set tasting menus for smaller groups, including A Walk Through Lecce and Alba’s Most Loved, which offer a guided way to explore the restaurant’s Southern Italian cooking without having to choose every dish individually. That makes Alba a practical option for group dinners, first visits and occasions where a shared meal is more appealing than separate plates.

Behind the menu is a strong connection to home cooking. Alba says 95 per cent of its menu is made in-house, from sauces and pasta through to desserts and condiments, with the food prepared fresh each day from raw produce. Desserts continue the regional theme with choices such as Pasticciotto, Tiramisù and Pavlova Salentina. With a 4.8 Google rating from 1,587 reviews, Alba is an established Newtown choice for diners looking for Southern Italian food, generous portions and a communal dining style.