Mrs Pasta faces $25K bill after council crackdown
A Balmain Italian restaurant is facing up to $25,000 in council compliance costs after a neighbour complaint triggered an inspection that uncovered two unapproved structures at the venue.
Mrs Pasta on Darling Street, owned and operated by Angela Camardi, came under scrutiny from Inner West Council following a noise complaint linked to the restaurant's outdoor dining area. The council's visit led to enforcement action against an unapproved outdoor awning — erected in mid-2025 to shield alfresco diners from falling pine cones, debris and weather — as well as a kitchen rangehood that lacked the necessary certification.
Camardi, who has built a loyal social media following through her authentic, family-style approach to Italian cooking, went public on TikTok to outline the financial pressure her small business now faces. The outdoor structure alone carries a $15,000 approval fee, with rangehood certification expected to add a further $10,000 to the total.
Speaking to news.com.au, Camardi was candid about the circumstances that led to the council's visit, acknowledging the structure had gone up without prior approval:
"We did put it up illegally, I'm not going to sit there and sugar-coat it."
She said the original motivation was practical: protecting customers from a large overhanging pine tree on the property:
"We kept it there because we've got this big pine tree that makes that much mess, you know, all the pine sticks or whatever the fallen branches, they fall down now. We literally put it up, protection from this tree, from the wind, from the rain. At the end of the day, I need bums on seats. When you're paying how much money I'm paying in rent to fill the restaurant. It's got the pine cones, which are dropping all the seeds."
Camardi believes the complaint was triggered by a 16-year-old's birthday function held at the venue, after which a council officer flagged concerns about the outdoor structure — followed shortly by a formal inspection. The rangehood, she noted, was already in place when she took over the premises:
"So now they've hit me with, I have to get a private certifier, an engineer, whatever they call them, to come and approve that that rangehood is all to the specifications, which was here when I came into the place, mind you."
With a 30-day notice to pay or remove the structure, Camardi described the financial impost as disproportionate, particularly given the street's broader hospitality scene.
"So, as soon as he said that, I thought okay, like he said something about the awning and then a couple of weeks later, bang bang, knock at the door, council is here."
The response from the hospitality community and Mrs Pasta's customer base has been largely supportive, with a GoFundMe campaign established to help cover the costs.
Inner West Council is yet to comment.
Jonathan Jackson, 27th May 2026
