Darlinghurst Italian restaurant Big Poppa’s to reopen in January

A popular restaurant known for its mouth-watering Italian fare and ‘hip hop vibes’ is set to reopen in Sydney’s east after closing its doors for more than a year.

Big Poppa’s plans to open back up in January. Picture: Big Poppa's Facebook

Italian restaurant Big Poppa’s is opening back up in Darlinghurst after a nearby development saw the venue have to shut its doors for 18 months.

Located at 96 Oxford St, Big Poppa’s (aka Poppa’s) stopped operating in May last year due to a large-scale development taking place on the business's block, causing the restaurant to be engulfed in scaffolding.

Co-owner Jared Merlino, 39, said the restaurant had initially tried to knuckle down and trade through the redevelopment but it took “longer than expected”, overrunning the initial timeline by about 18 months.

“We are hoping that the construction is completed as quickly as possible and we can reopen our doors with some exciting new neighbours,” the business wrote on Facebook.

Now, with the scaffolding removed, Big Poppa’s is planning to reopen in January with employment roles being advertised online.

Big Poppa’s has a good following in the Darlinghurst. Picture: Big Poppa's Facebook

The cheese selections are always popular. Picture: Big Poppa's Facebook

Mr Merlino said Poppa’s was an extremely successful business that Sydney loved and he was thrilled to bring back the traditional dishes.

“It was a loved product and a cherished team, and we are just looking to get back to where we were, but it will be the same old Poppa’s as it always was,” he said.

Big Poppa’s is co-owned by Jared Merlino and Lewis Jaffrey.

“We are very excited to give Sydney back its favourite late-night Italian restaurant and bring hip hop and Italian vibes back to Oxford St.”

The venue opened in July 2016 and promises to provide customers with pasta, cheese, cocktails, wine, hip-hop and late nights.

Downstairs has a bar with dim lights and leather booths creating a moody vibe and upstairs is decorated with Chianti bottles where the restaurant can be found.

Cheese fans will not be disappointed with the menu, which features anything from a French cremeux de bourgogne, a soft triple-cream cow’s milk cheese, to a pecorino il predicatore, an Italian semi-hard sheep milk cheese pressed with Tuscan grapes.

One of its main dishes includes he hand-cut pappardelle with lamb shoulder ragu and hulking pork chop with Jerusalem artichoke, caper and sage brown butter.

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Originally published as Darlinghurst Italian restaurant Big Poppa’s to reopen in January