Etna
Fortitude Valley
With a layout similar to Rosmarino, Etna is a splendid dim-lit space featuring exposed handmade brick walls, concrete pillars, wood panelling, soaring ceilings, antique chandeliers and Bentwood dining chairs.
Diners can take a seat in the front dining room, which is overlooked by the gorgeous wood-panelled, marble-topped bar or in the industrial chic hallway that leads to the kitchen, where the state-of-the-art imported pizza oven is on display, and another dining room perfect for groups.
Starters from the menu include fried stuffed olives, fritti misti (fried mix of school prawn, calamari & sardines); a small selection of house baked pizza breads; and deli delights such as Cantabrian anchovies, Black Angus bresaola (sliced to order); heat-cured pork with pistachio and Italian 'Opera' burrata with truffle honey.
Must-try are the pizzas, which are arguably the best in Brisbane - handmade using 6-year old sourdough and top quality ingredients and cooked to perfection. Choose from classics like margherita, capricciosa or napoli, modern such as prosciutto galloni, mantovana (pumpkin base) or biaRnca (fior de latte base) or house specials like Isola (zucchini base with fior de latte, Hokkaido scallops, cherry tomatoes and chilli flakes).
As well as pizza, there is pasta allo scoglio (calamarata pasta, mussels, prawns, calamari, clams, tomato sauce, garlic, chilli) and one delectable Secondi dish - GF breadcrumbed Maremma duck leg fried in duck fat, served with patatine.
The lengthy curated wine list features an impressive selection of mostly Italian and a smattering of French wines, while other drinks include Amari and other spirits, cocktails such as Aperol or Limoncello Spritz and Lauren's Negroni; and Italian beers - Peroni levers & Menabrea non filtrata.
Need to know - There is a limited amount of parking outside the restaurant on Marshall St.