From Italy, with Love. The welcoming Riverina city of Griffith matches its rich Italian heritage with powerhouse status as a food bowl.
Words Sophie Hansen | Photography Pip Farquharson
GRIFFITH keeps its treasures tucked away. Not hidden, but not in plain sight either. All you need to unlock them is, firstly, this guide and, secondly, the pluck to start a conversation with a local. Because once you do, your weekend (or week) will be off and running.
Griffith loves visitors. Walk into any café (or at least the ones mentioned in this guide) and casually drop that you've just arrived and you’re looking for insider tips. Then leave (eventually) with a full itinerary, some new friends, and an excellent coffee.
I've been visiting Griffith for years now, and I keep returning because this little city really is a good time. Also, because, like the whole world it seems, I really love Italian people, food and culture, and there's plenty of all three here – more than 60 per cent of the town's population of 27,000 or so claims Italian heritage.It’s located at the heart of the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, which since 1912 has been turning this naturally dry area into an agricultural powerhouse: grapes, rice, citrus, vegies. This accounts for why the city has and continues to draw waves of immigrants. Yes, from Italy – part of the post-war Italian diaspora – but so many other countries and cultures, too, especially from India and the South Pacific. People keep coming here for work and end up staying, growing families and communities and sharing their cultures in a town that genuinely thrives on new influences. The result, for the casual visitor, is a genuinely friendly and open town with loads on offer.
We've mapped out a solid Griffith guide, but here's the top line: book one stand-out dinner (La Scala, say), arrange one or two must-do experiences (Yarran Wines, De Bortoli's garden), and lock in breakfast at Limone and lunch at Zezza. Otherwise, be open to the recommendations that you will invariably be offered and let the locals be your real guide.
This little café-deli should absolutely be the first stop on any visit to Griffith. Say hello to the family behind the counter: owner Salvatore Trimboli, his sister Maria or father Michele. Tell them you've just arrived, ask for advice on what's happening that weekend and grab a panini and coffee (Maria is a master barista). They’ll make you feel more like a guest than a customer and will supply the rundown on everything that’s good and happening. Be greeted like family when you return on the way home for a farewell coffee and to stock up on cheeses, salami and frozen goods (I always grab a lasagne to take home for dinner after the trip home, they’re so good). How I wish every town had a place so welcoming, so proud, and so full of quality in every sense.
La Piccola Grosseria, 444 Banna Ave, Griffith
The Vico family has run this excellent restaurant since 1977. Make dinner here a priority. From the outside it looks like a regular motel restaurant. Inside is something else again: frescoed walls, dark wood panels, a temperature-controlled wine room, woodfired pizza oven, a beautiful bar (tended by Roberto, who has worked with the family for 18 years), and a steady flow of regulars and visitors who come for the house-made pasta, gelato, pizza and northern Italian classics, but also for the genuine atmosphere of conviviality. The family bounds up to greet every arrival. There’s real pride as the specials are read, and the waiters (who all seem to be related) love to talk about the gallery of black-and-white photos of the family and the restaurant’s early days with founders Onorato (who arrived in Australia in 1955 as a “gelatiere maestro”) and his wife, Lina. It’s popular, so book ahead. If you miss out on a table, remember that their excellent pizza can be ordered takeaway.
La Scala, 2A Blumer Ave, Griffith
If La Scala is the place for dinner, then Limone is your non-negotiable for breakfast or lunch. The Piccolo family literally built this place. Peter and Rosa Piccolo sourced everything from the beams to benchtops from old packing sheds around the Griffith area, and built the café with help from their son, Luke. After working as a chef in northern Italy for years, he eventually came home to run the kitchen and to marry his sweetheart, Bonnie, with whom he now runs Limone. They also manage an events program at Piccolo Farm and a small production of wine and spirits made with grapes grown on their family farm (more below). Come for breakfast as Luke and his team bring out tray after tray of house-made croissants, tarts and breads to the counter, and sit back as the whole of Griffith seems to come in and out for coffee, catch-ups, big breakfasts and warm pastries.
Limone, 482 Banna Ave, Griffith
I think I'd be banned from visiting Griffith again if our guide didn't include Bertoldos. This bakery is loved by every Griffith resident and visitor. Since opening in 1952 – and four generations later, Bertoldos is still owned by the same family – it has been giving Griffith what it loves most: good strong coffee, house-made gelato, ciabatta and Italian pastry classics (nougat, almond bread, cannoli, amaretti, biscotti), plus the full range of takeaway classics. It's always full, opens early and taking home a box of its treats (perhaps for a road-trip picnic on the way home) is always a good idea.
Bertoldos, 324 Banna Ave, Griffith
Lunch at Zecca is another must. Housed in the town’s original Rural Bank building, it’s now a landmark Griffith eatery. It’s best known for its house-made durum wheat semolina pasta (which you can also buy, as a dry take-home product). Go for lunch, have the pasta, a glass of local wine (the list is excellent) and don't skip dessert – with a little amaro, perhaps? We loved the panna cotta with candied citrus and brioche crumbs served with a glass of Montenegro and a wedge of blood orange over ice.239 Banna Ave, Griffith
As a boutique winery, Yarran Wines is an anomaly in an area best known for mega wineries such as De Bortoli and Casella. Most of its tight, organic range is hand-picked and crushed by winemaker Sam Brewer and his team. Visit the cellar door for a tasting and/or order a cheese plate and share a bottle of wine out on the verandah. On sunny afternoons, families and groups of friends fill the place, sitting out on the lawn (often with live music as the soundtrack), under grape vines in the garden, or inside the cosy cellar door. The vibe is fresh, modern and friendly. It’s a great spot.
Yarran Wines, 178 Myall Park Rd, Yenda
This cocktail bar is the perfect place to start a night out in Griffith. The fit-out is quite glam and the patrons dress accordingly, though that’s not obligatory – we arrived (not so) fresh from a long road trip and were made to feel just as welcome as if we’d been on our way to a black-tie do. Try the Gem’s amaretto sour, or choose from the big list of local wines, or order a favourite cocktail. It's part of the famous Bull & Bell Steakhouse, which makes slipping next door for dinner after drinks nice and easy.
The Gem, 201 Banna Ave, Griffith
Opened in March 2024, this newish addition to the Griffith food and wine scene has taken an Art Deco building at the top of the main street (once the ambulance base) and turned it into a wine bar representing the region's wineries, distilleries and breweries. If you're visiting for just a couple of days and don't have time to try more than one or two cellar doors, you can hit them all here in one go. Order a tasting plate of local cheeses, nuts, biscuits and dried fruits and book for wine or spirit tastings. Or just order by the glass.
125-127 Banna Ave, Griffith
Emeri is the matriarch of the De Bortoli family and her garden, essentially a memorial to her late husband Deen, is now open to the public. In its relatively short history (just under 20 years), this 14-acre garden has pulled through floods and droughts and, like all good gardeners, 87-year-old Emeri and her small team are constantly adapting, learning and trying new plants and positions for them. There’s even a rock waterfall designed by landscape designer Phillip Johnson that frames views of the Noble One vines surrounding the garden. Take a self-guided tour or book ahead to join one of Margot De Bortoli's tours. Emeri's daughter-in-law knows everything there is to know about this extraordinary garden's design and history, and clearly loves it just as much as its founder. Have a wander, then head back to the cellar door for something to eat and a tasting or glass of wine.
Emeri's Garden, De Bortoli Rd, Bilbul
Griffith’s Sunday markets are a mixed bag of local produce and handicrafts with a bit of a “car boot” vibe. On the produce front, there’ll be citrus, herbs, greens, nuts and vegies from growers across the region, and often varieties not usually seen in the shops. It all depends, of course, on the time of year and who has what in their garden that week. But isn't that half the fun? And there’ll almost always be freshly baked bread, pastries and biscuits and coffee.Griffith Showground, Murrumbidgee Ave, Griffith
This is the home of our friends, the Piccolo family, who we met earlier at Limone. It's also where they host their program of monthly events, grow produce for the café, and grapes for their wines, grappa and spirits (side note: their walnut liquor, nocino, is excellent over vanilla gelato). Keep an eye on their website and, if your visit coincides with one of their monthly long lunches, brunches or live music afternoons, then GO. These guys do things well and with love.
Piccolo Family Farm, 1814 Mallinson Rd, Lake Wyangan
Twenty-five years ago, Griffith’s Roy Catanzariti (originally from Calabria) and his friend Tony Vittori (from Abruzzo) couldn't agree on whose region made the best salami. So they put it to the test, and started a competition open to all amateur salami makers across the region. Now there are hundreds of entries every year and a whole week of events in the Festa del Salsicce held at Griffith’s Pioneer Park on the last Sunday in August. I've attended numerous times – and even had the honour of twice being a competition judge – and I can say that going to this lunch, with some 1100 others, feels like you've been invited to a huge Italian wedding and everyone is thrilled you're there. Book tickets early (the festa is always a sell-out), wear dancing shoes and elasticated pants, and have yourself a ball.
A few minutes from the centre of town, Pioneer Park is home to the aforementioned sausage festival, and an open-air museum of the region’s modern history, the Italian Museum and Wine and Irrigation Museum, which is fascinating if such things fascinate you. It’s a good place to get your fill of the region’s genuinely fascinating history and is very family-friendly.40 Remembrance Dr, Griffith
Central, friendly and flawlessly set up for easy arrival, check in, and check out, Griffith's Quest Hotel is [ITALS]the[TALS] place to stay in town. Each room has its own kitchen, so you can make yourself breakfast, chill all the salami and wine and cheeses collected on your travels and put together a little picnic to take out on the next day's adventure (perhaps a bushwalk at nearby Cocoparra National Park?) or make a portable lunch for the road trip home. We appreciated the neat little 24-hour gym for working off that last bowl of pasta before heading out for the next. And the fact that the reception staff always offer a warm hello and advice on where to go and how to get there. The hotel is set back (one street) from the main drag, so it’s completely central but also nice and quiet.59/63 Railway St, Griffith
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