In a sign more indicative of the times for the Sydney restaurant scene, the Darlinghurst digs of glamour diner Universal is poised to be born again as a pizzeria. Not just any pizzeria, the pizzeria that always hovers around the top of lists of the city's best: Lucio Pizzeria.
The future of the Universal site has been up in the air since owner Christine Manfield pulled the plug on the restaurant this year. Issues over its giant awning, which Universal staff used to routinely poke with a stick mid-service to get rid of trapped rainwater, has delayed negotiations for the site, confirms Lucio Pizzeria owner Lucio De Falco.
He would like a new, smaller awning. "We'll know if it [the deal] is going ahead in the next week," De Falco says. He's obviously confident: a new pizza oven is en route from Italy. The plan is to shift Lucio Pizzeria from its present location on the other side of the Republic 2 courtyard.
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