“She went off her tree. I mean, she literally went crazy. At one stage, she screamed at me.”

But Pignolet is upbeat about the episode. “It’s a wonderful story — it really does talk about what a good restaurant is about, where you build such a good liaison with the customer that they have possession, if you wish. That’s a fantastic thing — well, to a point.

“The word we use is ‘habitue’. That’s much more than a regular — you’re part of the family.”

The term “institution” gets thrown around a lot but few eateries can lay claim to the title. Longevity plays a key role, and the lifeblood of the stickers are their regulars — who often come back for their favourite dishes.

This has emerged as the main theme when putting together our list of 20 great eastern suburbs restaurants that have been around for at least 20 years.

There were some surprises throughout – restaurants we thought had hit the 20 years mark fell just shy, such as Icebergs Dining Room (2002) or Luke Nguyen’s original Surry Hills’ Red Lantern (2001).

We found the Italians dominated (there’s something in their DNA that spells restaurant success). And while a cafe with two decades’ service is certainly worthy of note, we decided to compile (almost exclusively) our list from the eastern suburbs fine diners that have stood the test of time, leaving pizzerias and pubs for another time.

For a restaurant to exalt in institution status, there are several factors to consider, as Pignolet puts it. “Firstly, it must look enticing from the outside. Secondly, when you enter, you feel welcomed.”

Excellent food and service (should) go without saying and finally, you should be warmly farewelled. “We did this, I believe, in an exemplary manner, and it (Moncur) just exploded.”

Lucio Galletto of Lucio’s opened his artsy Italian fine diner in Balmain in 1981, before relocating to Paddington’s tree-lined Windsor St in 1983.

The ever-charismatic Galletto is routinely approached by customers on the street. “It’s unbelievable, to be open for such a long time. It’s a very nice thing, because I get to see different generations (of a family) come in. It makes me very happy, and also makes me feel old.”

Galletto rotates his seafood-forward menu seasonally at Lucio’s but won’t jettison the favourites, like the black handkerchief pasta tangled with cuttlefish and prawns.

“It’s a sort of reassuring thing, if old regulars come in and know they can have something that they have and (something they) haven’t had before.” In a time of great upheaval in the restaurant game, there are plenty of places in the east still dishing out top-notch service and of course, that special dish.

Whether you call them institutions or locals, one thing’s for certain — they’ve weathered many storms.

1. Sean’s Panorama

Chefs love this North Bondi landmark, and rightly so: Sean Moran’s menu is a lesson in seasonally-charged comfort food. The chalk-scrawled menu (the uninitiated should go straight for the brined and golden-skinned roast chook), surf-shack vibes and that view, have made for memorable long lunches since 1993. 270 Campbell Parade, North Bondi

2. Lucio’s

Famed for the copious artworks covering its apricot walls, which Lucio and Sally Galletto jokingly refer to as their super fund, this is no sauce-splattered Italian.

Galletto honours the lighter flavours of his northern hometown. The handmade pastas and pesce al sale (whole snapper baked in rock salt) are hard to beat. Swirling with eastern suburbs society’s top tier, Paddington wouldn’t be the same without Lucio’s. 7 Windsor St, Paddington

3. Doyles on the Beach Restaurant

The Doyle family opened this seaside fish restaurant in 1885 to sell their day’s catch. Situated on a strip of almost priceless real estate, it’s nonetheless retained the same fish shack charm.

Most seafood bases are covered, from chowder, to paella, pie, battered, grilled, raw, live crustaceans — you name it. The lobster thermidor is a retro favourite that never goes out of fashion. 11 Marine Parade, Watsons Bay

4. Bistro Moncur

Famous locals keep returning to this luxe French diner in Woollahra for bistro classics like tuna tartare, silky Barossa chicken liver pate, and Damien Pignolet’s sauvignon blanc-cured salmon, all served on linen-draped tables under a 15m Michael Fitzjames mural. 116A Queen St, Woollahra

5. Beppi’s

Family-run since 1956, Beppi’s has welcomed everyone from Frank Sinatra to Rihanna through its doors. It’s in the hands of Beppi Polese’s son Marc these days after the legendary restaurateur passed away in 2016. You’ll still get the same old-world service, interesting vintages dug out of the floor-to-ceiling cellar, and Beppi’s signature saltimbocca folded with San Daniele prosciutto, Asiago cheese and sage, drowned in white wine sauce. 21 Yurong St, East Sydney

6. Macleay Street Bistro

For some 35 years, the good folks of Potts Point have been treated to twice-cooked cheese souffle, hand-cut-to-order steak tartare, and arguably the finest French onion soup around.

Located at the Paris end of Macleay St, some of the best chefs in town have done time at this neighbourhood gem, including Mark Best. 73A Macleay St, Potts Point

7. Catalina, Lyne Park

There’s sparkles aplenty at this eastern suburbs jewel — from the harbour out front, to the clinking glasses of Bollinger, to the gems hanging off diners. The view might’ve got you here but it’s the service and food that’s made Catalina a mainstay since 1994 (it was once part-owned by former PM Malcolm Turnbull). Reopening on August 14 after a mini-renovation when you can enjoy chubby, just-poached WA marron or a blushing, macadamia-crusted Junee lamb rack. New South Head Rd, Rose Bay

8. Buon Ricordo

Naples-born Armando Percuoco opened Buon Ricardo in 1987, handing the business over to his protege David Wright last year. You’ll find the same floral tapestry-covered chairs and fad-free Italian here, including the signature rich and buttery truffled-egg fettuccine, finished tableside with a good sprinkle of theatre and parmesan by waiters in starched white jackets. 108 Boundary St, Paddington

9. Bondi Trattoria

A South Bondi landmark saturated with memories it may be, but by 2017 a reboot was much needed for the Tratt (as locals affectionately know it). New owners, of which the talented Joe Pavlovich (ex-Glass Brasserie) is one, have improved the service while retaining the same all-day charm as when it first opened in 1987. Few terraces beat the Tratt’s sweeping views but it’s as lovely inside the terrazzo-floored dining room, where pastels and timbers cosy things up. The signature angel hair and tuna pasta survived the transition — albeit slightly refreshed with seared tuna cubes. 34 Campbell Parade, Bondi

10. Twenty-One Espresso

Families have been copying up on Twenty-One’s upholstered banquettes since 1958, feasting on home-style Hungarian dishes like goulash and paprika chicken. 21 Knox St, Double Bay

11. Cafe Nino

It’s apt that this meeting place for eastern suburbs family celebrations has been run by the same family since 1986. Excelling at seafood pasta (the fishing net decor adorning the ceilings is a strong clue) of which the luxe penne alla lobster is best known. 39 Ocean St, Woollahra

12. Flavour of India

A favourite of Michael Hutchence — he dined here on the night of his death in 1999 — the restaurant has retained the same head chef since the start. Innovative takes on traditional dishes and cocktails arrive on white tablecloths. Samosas and lamb rogan josh are favourites. (Hutchence reportedly ordered the spicy crab served inside potato skins and yes, they’re still on the menu) 128 New South Head Rd, Edgecliff

13. Balkan Seafood

The legendary Balkan Continental Restaurant recently closed after 55 years of service, but its Balkan Seafood cousin, born in 1982, is still going strong. Beloved for its grilled baby octopus and palacinke and those moreish Croatian crepes which are best enjoyed by the stash. 249 Crown Street, Surry Hills

14. Thai Nesia

Sydney loves its Thai food, but while trendy incarnations fell by the wayside, this neighbourhood classic has been delivering tamarind-tinged goods since 1986 — amid the demise on a once vibrant stretch of Oxford St.

If you want to know why, start with the prawn, peanut and coconut-laden betel leaves, and work up to the dependable massaman beef or holy basil crispy salmon. 243 Oxford St, Darlinghurst

15. Bukhara Authentic Indian

Double Bay neighbours have come and gone but this intimate Indian diner is carefully balancing spices today as it has since 1990.

Founding owner Vijai Baboo recently returned to the restaurant to plate up dishes from the tandoor and beyond. 55 Bay St, Double Bay

16. Emad’s

Thriving amid the myriad competition on the strip, Emad’s claims to be Sydney’s “first and best Lebanese restaurant” delivering mounds of hummus, labneh, pastries and skewers in Phoenician-themed surrounds. Since 1964. 298 Cleveland St, Surry Hills

17. Pompei’s

This pizzeria serves bubbling, charry crusts ferrying classic toppings. But they earn their place among the greats for heralding a gelato revolution in the east. Their zingy Sicilian blood orange was part of the vanguard long before Messina marched over the horizon. 126-130 Roscoe St, Bondi Beach

18. Il Baretto

Gone are the days where you’d put your name on the list and decamp to the pub across the road to while away (literally) hours until your number finally came up, but this cosy nook with handwritten menus endures, not least for its signature duck ragu. 227 Victoria St, Darlinghurst

19. Una’s

Stretching it, perhaps, to include in a list of fine diners: an Irish lady named Una served simple meals (sometimes, out of a can) when it launched in the late 1960s. But Victoria St wouldn’t be the same without Una’s jaeger schnitzel and pea and ham soup. 340 Victoria St, Darlinghurst

20. Caffe Roma

Kellet St was a seedier proposition back in 1986 when the Tozzie family opened this late-night haunt in a charming terrace house.

Throughout the 1990s Roma was a popular refuge for carousers spilling out of Kings Cross, surviving the flashier Bayswater Brasserie to serve excellent pastas, pizza and antipasti to this day, along with crayons to draw on the tablecloths (for grown ups and kids alike) — it’s a nostalgic reminder of Sydney’s fun times. 9 Kellett St, Potts Point