Dunedin Welcomes New Wine Bar Piccolo From The Team Behind The Esplanade

Two great new openings bring a taste of Italy to St Clair.

St Clair, already home to one of Dunedin’s best-regarded restaurants, has just welcomed two new neighbours. Sorella Gelato and Piccolo have opened side-by-side on Forbury Rd, offering a casual yet considered approach to Italian food and drink.

Piccolo is a wine and salumi bar with a concise, interesting list of local and Italian bottles, a sharp edit of cocktails, and snack-friendly dishes like pizzette, croquettes and zucchini flowers. Wine is available by the glass or bottle, and takeaway options (including pizza!) are sold from the fridge near the door.

Next door, Sorella is a traditional gelateria led by Marco Adinolfi — ranked among the world’s top 100 gelato makers — who prepares a fresh line-up of flavours each day in the onsite lab. The menu spans both gelato and sorbetto, with a focus on seasonal, all-natural ingredients and a generous non-dairy selection. Take-home tubs and gelato cakes are also available.

The two new venues are the latest from Katrina Toovey, who also runs neighbouring Italian restaurant The Esplanade, which is a favourite with both locals and visitors, as well as No 7 Balmac in Maori Hill.

“In Italian cuisine there is a real emphasis on quality and tradition, the art of doing things well. There is also a culture of meandering and strolling through a neighbourhood and really enjoying an environment. These are all things that I know are important to our area, and for us it’s about building on this.

“For some locals that might look like dropping into Piccolo for a glass before dinner at The Esplanade, or maybe it’s getting a gelato with your kids on an afternoon stroll, and getting yourself a nice bottle to take home afterwards. We’re curating quality options to cater to everyone,” says Katrina.

The new wine bar and gelateria have been designed by Cheshire Architects, who are also responsible for The Esplanade’s excellent interiors. Piccolo is a refreshing break from pared-back hospitality fitouts, with a fun use of colour and lots of art lining the walls. “The idea was to have a 60s/70s European vibe,” says Katrina, “the kind of bar you’d find in a neighbourhood in Rome that you just happen upon.” The countertop tables feature hand-painted tiles, and each has a different colour or pattern. Choose from a cosy leather banquet by the window or one of the funky mushroom-like leather stools. The acoustic ceiling is another deft touch, ensuring the space isn’t too noisy. “That’s always been important, being able to hear people. For everyone it’s a lot more pleasant.”

“To me, St Clair feels spacious, bright and open — we wanted to reflect that in what we’ve built here,” says Katrina. “It’s about offering a few different ways to enjoy the area, whether that’s a scoop of gelato after a walk or a glass of wine before dinner.”

Find Sorella Gelato and Piccolo at 246 Forbury Rd, St Clair, Dunedin. Open Tues–Thurs, from 3pm–late and Fri–Sun from 12pm–late. Visit Piccolobar.online.