A little slice of Italy right on our doorstep

A PASSION for food and a penchant for the hospitality industry is in Leon De Cesaris’ DNA.

Since childhood, he has been surrounded by food and family – his parents opening a restaurant and Leon and his sister spending hours by their side – they had a front row seat to creating authentic delicious food and they learnt from an early age about the importance of the relationship with your customers.

Those early years were spent in Italy before the family moved back to Leon’s mother’s hometown – Mount Gambier.

Coffee was Leon’s original passion and as a teenager he dedicated himself to learning everything about the creation of the perfect cup of coffee – from the roasting of the beans to the developing of new blends, to the ins and outs of a coffee machine.

With that expertise under his belt, the lure of those childhood memories of life in a restaurant became too strong and Leon decided to take the plunge and make his own mark on the local hospitality scene, bringing authentic Italian culture to Mount Gambier by opening the doors to Noto Panino.

It was in 2024 that Leon started to plot out a way for his dreams to become a reality and after five months of meticulous planning and sheer hard work, Noto Panino launched in September of that year.

Then it was all about building relationships with customers and introducing as many people as possible to their speciality – paninis – and, of course, great coffee.

Their freshly made Italian gourmet sandwiches filled with cured meats, vegetables and cheeses have become their signature offering, honouring his heritage by keeping their menu as authentically Italian as possible.

Drop into the 3 Elizabeth Street premises and experience the best Noto Panino has to offer.

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