“We’re so into Noosa,” Anna Pavoni tells Broadsheet. “Alessandro and I have been going to Noosa for 20 years. It was our happy place. We started going up for the Food and Wine Festival, which was such a big deal. It was the hottest ticket in town, let me tell you … We have friends up there, and we always have such a beautiful time there. We always dreamed that one day we would have a restaurant in Noosa.”
That dream will become a reality in November when Anna and husband Alessandro Pavoni – who run Sydney-based hospitality group Maestro (Ormeggio, Vineria Luisa, Postino Osteria and more) – open Cibaria Noosa.
It’s a Sunshine Coast version of Cibaria Manly, which lives on the ground floor of Manly Pacific, a swish seaside hotel on Sydney’s northern beaches. Manly Pacific’s sister property is the Sofitel Noosa.
Never miss a Brisbane moment. Make sure you’re subscribed to our newsletter today.
SUBSCRIBE NOW
“They’re going through this huge transformation at the moment and there was this chance that they were going to reinvigorate their food and beverage [offering], and we were jumping up and down in the corner saying, ‘What about us, what about us?’” says Anna.
The offering mirrors the “piazza-inspired” approach of the Sydney original. “You have to imagine: to live in Italy, in any city, in any town, you live in a piazza. You have different outlets of food, at any time. You can go and have an aperitivo in an aperitiveria. A panino and caffe in the caffeteria. You can go to the bisteccheria … where they cook over embers,” said Alessandro when Cibaria Manly opened back in January.
At Cibaria Noosa, there will be many “-rias” – separate stations inviting guests to dive deep into a specific facet of Italian cuisine. There’ll be an antipasteria, cruderia, braceria, forneria, spaghetteria – the list goes on.
Leading the kitchen is head chef Lucas Bach, who previously worked with the Pavonis at Ormeggio, Chiosco and Sotto Sopra.
The Pavonis are ready to meet your needs at any time of day. Cibaria Noosa will also include Bar Capri (the equivalent of Sydney’s North 55), which will open onto Hastings Street and serve “a good selection of a la carte dishes as well as bespoke bar specials,” says Anna, teasing an “amazing burger” and the “next-level” Cibaria Club sandwich .
The restaurant will have a traditional trattoria section with counter dining and low-top tables. “And then, what’s really exciting about Noosa is that we have the luxury of space that we don’t have in Manly. So, we’ll be able to extend the seating through to this serene, poolside area that stretches back towards the lobby of the hotel, which is just next to the ferry wharf. It’s gorgeous.” Anna also says this area – which will be known as the Lily Pond Terrazza – will accommodate Noosa’s relaxed, sandy-footed lifestyle. “We’ll have space for big groups of people in their cozzies.”
As the Olympics approach, more and more interstate names are doubling down on Queensland. Andrew McConnell’s Trader House came to town last year, Josh and Julie Niland have laid their claim to Hamilton Island, while Melbourne bakeries Lune and Baker D. Chirico have established outposts in Brisbane and Melbourne chef Shane Delia opened Layla back in March. But the Pavonis’ interest in Queensland is an organic move, rather than a strategic one.
“We have had a pretty slow-burn approach. It’s been 16 years since we opened Ormeggio. We’re really comfortable in what we do and how we do it. We are very confident with our team. We’re hungry to continue to grow and be better and bigger and faster and stronger … It’s been a long time that we’ve been talking about going interstate, and we’ve looked at lots of other places, but this particular opportunity is just so perfect for Cibaria. It is just bang-on. We didn’t even have to think about it. We were like, ‘yes, this is the right thing to do.’”
Cibaria Noosa is set to open in November 2025 at Sofitel Noosa, 14-16 Hastings Street, Noosa Parade, Noosa Heads.
@cibarianoosa
Dining and Cooking