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Meet Head Chef Dario Colombo, born in Northern Italy. Dario brings to the table traditional yet fine dining elegance, and a personality as bold and joyful as his flavours. A new chapter starts at Il Baretto.
Do you know that feeling when you walk in a restaurant and the decision just feels right straight away? At Il Baretto, we felt this, we felt at home. The hum of conversations, the smell of simple and natural ingredients, the different italian accents, the warm lights. Tucked in the Heart of Paddington, on Oxford Street, there is a corner of Italy called Il Baretto.
How Dario found his identity as a Chef
Dario started cooking at 16, he always knew he wanted to become a Chef and never questioned that. Growing up, he watched with admiration his mother Carla and grandmother Sandra cooking heart-warming meals with few and simple ingredients. Right there in his home, he discovered the emotional connection food can bring to people and how a dish can transcend the senses.
We discussed how the early stages of our life are incredibly important in determining our identity and in shaping our career paths. The people you surround yourself with and you meet on the way can really contribute to your life choices.
He studied at a public culinary school in Chiavenna (Sondrio, Italy): a small village surrounded by the Valtellina Alps, close to the Swiss border. While at school, he began his career in a small kitchen in his hometown, on Lake Lecco. There, he met his first life mentor Stefano, whom he still looks up to today. Dario quickly learned the meticulous techniques behind fresh pasta and traditional pastries with Stefano. Driven by a constant urge to test his limits, he then flew to Paris, where he worked for Armani Café. He later reunited with Stefano and joined a restaurant that earned a Michelin star during his time there as sous-chef. The restaurant was La Nuova Trattoria Dac a Trà, in Castello di Brianza (Lecco, Italy).
He then spent two and a half years in London, working at Kitchen Table, an exclusive fine-dining restaurant with only 20 seats and a menu that changed nightly. Eventually, he returned to Lake Como, but his time in Italy was brief, as he soon moved to Lugano, Switzerland, where he lived and worked for three years. In February 2024, Dario arrived at Il Baretto in Sydney, bringing with him a wealth of knowledge and experience from across Europe, refined through varied approaches to Italian cooking and the art of hospitality.
Bignè alla Crema
Homemade choux with coffee crust with a heart of whipped vanilla custard served on Bottega Terra Ceramic Cake Stand
Il Baretto: a trusted cornerstone of Sydney's culinary scene for over 20 years
Amid the constant change in the restaurant game, Il Baretto has stood the test of time. For more than 20 years, Il Baretto has been at the helm, crafting unforgettable italian experiences and gaining a reputation for its cozy yet vibrant atmosphere.
Il Baretto has long been celebrated for its authentic Italian cuisine and refined hospitality, generous in spirit yet rooted in tradition, with classic dishes reimagined through a contemporary lens. Il Baretto works with the seasons and produce at its best, with a menu changing at every season to reflect the weeks and the abundance of ingredients that are available at different times of the year.
Spring Menu designed with Chef Dario Colombo
The new Spring Menu at Il Baretto focuses on fresh, seasonal ingredients to showcase classic Italian cuisine. From Caserecce alla Nerano to Spaghetti alle Vongole made with clams from South Australia and finished with a touch of house-made chili oil, to a timeless cacio e pepe reimagined as a risotto. Each dish highlights the beauty of the season. The result is an innovative menu that bids farewell to winter and warmly welcomes spring with a vibrant selection of seasonal flavors. The Menu is out in October 2025.
“One day Dario walked in and said ‘I dreamed about a dish!’ That kind of mind is one of the constant inspirations behind our menus”
When I asked Brendan Picchio, Manager and Owner at Il Baretto, to describe Dario’s personality, he spoke of Dario’s unique talent filled with genuine and unfiltered passion. Beyond the kitchen, he connects with people: stepping out in his chef’s apron to greet guests, take their orders, and share his passion directly at the table.
Brendan told us that in Dario’s cooking, every ingredient is in perfect balance, each one holding its place without ever overshadowing the others. One of his first creations was a tomato risotto with stracciatella and pesto, which quickly became a highlight of the menu. Today, a risotto is always featured on the Il Baretto Menu, with the ingredients changing with the seasons.
Shop the Look
Arrabbiata Pasta Bowl
$55.00
Traditional Ceramic Main Dinner Plate
$80.00
Mediterraneo Dinner Plate
$90.00
Ceramic Cake Stand, Cream and Brown
$220.00
Oval Serving Platter, Tan
$135.00
“My go to when I am home is Spaghetti with butter and Parmigiano”
Understanding the fundamentals of a kitchen’s pantry is essential. At its heart, cooking isn’t about complexity but clarity, it’s about letting the food speak for itself. The fewer ingredients you use, the more each one can shine, and the greater the depth of flavour you can uncover.
Yet, in much of modern food culture, we’ve been conditioned to believe that “good cooking” means piling on more ingredients, more techniques, more invention. The real challenge, however, often lies in restraint: not creating something entirely new, but enhancing what already exists. Compliment the ingredient, don’t smother it.
Personally, I believe authenticity still has a place. The days when Italian food abroad meant nothing more than pasta al pomodoro are largely behind us, especially in cosmopolitan cities like Sydney. But at the same time, authenticity mustn’t harden into dogma. Taken too far, it risks slipping into snobbery, shutting out experimentation and the living, breathing evolution that defines any true cuisine. It is safe to say that as an Italian, I found real authenticity in Dario's kitchen at Il Baretto.
At Il Baretto, Chef Dario Colombo elegantly synthesises cuisines from across Italy's regional borders.
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