Images: La Trattoria and Bridgewater Mill
Words by Helena Snelling
Iconic Adelaide institution La Trattoria is expanding for the first time, with a pop-up restaurant at the historic Bridgewater Mill set to open in early July.
The Italian restaurant, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, spent 47 years under the ownership of three generations of the Parisi family before being taken over almost four years ago by a group of Adelaide businessmen including SANFL chairman Steven Trigg, lawyer John Levy and Seppeltsfield owner Warren Randall.
Known for attracting high-profile patrons over the decades, including Mick Jagger, Jon Bon Jovi and John Farnham, La Trattoria has remained largely unchanged since the ownership transition.
“La Trattoria is an Adelaide institution in terms of dining,” Trigg said.
“Almost four years ago exactly, a small group of Adelaide guys wanted to keep it going and took it over from the Parisis.
“We’ve kept the same chef, much of the same staff, haven’t changed anything too much in terms of the menu.”
The new venture, to be known as La Trattoria Famiglia, will bring the restaurant’s traditional Italian fare to the Adelaide Hills.
“Our idea is simple. We want to take La Trattoria and its Italian authenticity into the Adelaide Hills,” Trigg said.
“We think there’s some gaps up there in terms of traditional Italian trattoria-type dining. The Mill is perfect for it.”
The menu will feature many of the restaurant’s long-standing favourites, highlighting local Adelaide Hills wine and produce.
“You can expect to see a good deal of Seppeltsfield, Gemtree, Penny’s Hill and Black Chook”.
Food-wise, he said, “it’ll be most of the classics that are on the La Tratt menu, particularly around the pizzas and pastas,” Trigg said.
“The really clear tradition that it will take at the mill is that it’s a family-focused restaurant – La Trattoria Famiglia.
“We’re hoping that families in the Adelaide Hills can come along and take the kids. There’s plenty of room to move in a beautiful setting and enjoy what our 22-year chef has to offer.”
The venue itself is a significant piece of South Australian history. Built in 1860, the Bridgewater Mill features a waterwheel manufactured in Scotland and shipped to Adelaide, where it was used by Dunn & Co to grind grain into flour.
The site has been vacant for the past two years after undergoing several different hospitality iterations.
“At the same time, our business owns the Bridgewater Mill,” Trigg said. “It’s had a number of iterations throughout the years. It’s had a couple of years where it’s sat vacant.”
The owners also hope to restore the mill’s historic waterwheel, which has been out of operation for some time.
“We want to get the wheel going. It’s 160 years old so it needs some TLC and a fair bit of money spent on it,” Trigg said.
“We definitely are aiming to get it rolling around again.”
Levy, who joint owns the restaurant, said that the only way to get the Mill running again would be with community support.
“It needs new bearings; it’s a massive job. We had a meeting with the engineers, and they estimated costs could be between $60, 000 to $70,000”.
“It’d be great to have community support. If 1000 people gave $100, it would be sorted”.
While the Hills venue will begin as a pop-up, Trigg said the long-term future of the operation remains open.
La Trattoria Famiglia
Where: 386 Mount Barker Rd, Bridgewater SA 5155
For more information, click here.
