At Bei Amici, diners enjoy a slice of life from one of the world’s best-kept secret regions.

A colloquial Italian phrase meaning “beautiful friends,” Bei Amici, Sydney’s first Ticinese (Swiss-Italian) influenced restaurant, is the perfect name for this neighbourhood restaurant, attracting diners near and far with its hospitable charm and a style of food best enjoyed with friends.
Ticino is nestled in between the mountain ranges of San Gotardo in Switzerland and Lake Lugano in Italy, you’d be surprised to find a temperate region marked by palm trees and warm weather. Italian is the recognized language of this region of Switzerland.

The food too, comes as a surprising change for those familiar with traditional Swiss cuisine. With light yet filling meals, inspired by local produce and in motion with the seasons, Ticinese cuisine is very much ‘food for the people’ – more like its Italian brother than its decadent Swiss sister.

But while the passion for food may come from the Italian side of the border, it is the perfection, best know for in Switzerland, that gives this hidden cuisine its unique flair.

At Bei Amici, head chef and owner Felix Rutz, swiss native , has filled his menu with examples of this fine mix. Rutz recommends the braised rabbit dish served with buckwheat polenta, and for dessert, an aromatic torta de pane studded with raisins, pine nuts and served to perfection with coffee flavoured cream and a sweet scoop of cherry ricotta sorbet.