Italian Catering Add-Ons in Sydney
Arancini, lasagna, eggplant parmigiana and meatball trays — the finger food and buffet dishes that fill the table around the pizza. Add them to a booking, or have them delivered on their own.
Finger Food, Buffet Trays and Party Food for Sydney Events
A pizza menu feeds everyone, but it does not fill a table on its own. There is the hour before the oven is up to temperature, there are guests who want something in their hand during drinks, and there is the buffet that needs more than one dish on it. That is what these add-ons are for.
All four are Italian, all four hold up over a long service, and all four can be served by our team on a catering booking or delivered to you as a drop-off. Between them they cover finger food for a cocktail function, substantial trays for a buffet, a properly vegetarian option, and the dish children will actually eat.
They come from La Cucina di Papa, a Sydney Italian bakery producing this food at volume for the trade. The pizza is ours and is cooked in front of your guests. The trays are theirs — and a tray built by a production kitchen holds together better over a four-hour function than one built to order and then held warm.
What You Can Add
Arancini
AntipastiSicilian rice balls with a crisp shell and a molten centre — eaten in the hand, no plate required. Five fillings, in canapé and large sizes.
Lasagna Tray
TraysA traditional baked lasagna in a full catering tray — pasta, meat sauce and béchamel, cut to whatever portion your menu calls for.
Eggplant Parmigiana Tray
TraysMelanzane alla parmigiana in a full catering tray — the vegetarian dish that meat-eaters take too, which is exactly what makes it useful.
Meatball Family Tray
TraysPolpette al sugo — Italian meatballs braised in tomato sauce, in a family tray. The most forgiving dish on a long table, and the first to disappear.
Two Ways to Order
Added to a pizza catering booking
The add-ons travel with the team, are heated and served hot alongside your pizza menu, and are cleared with everything else. Lasagna and parmigiana are rested and cut on site so the portions hold together. There is no separate minimum — if you have a catering booking, you can add a single tray to it.
See our catering services →Drop-off delivery
Trays delivered ready to heat and serve, with no oven and no staff involved. This is the option offices and home hosts use. Minimum order $500.00, with delivery included above that, across the 29 Sydney suburbs we already cover. Prices exclude GST.
Check we cover your suburb →How Much to Order
The honest answer is that it depends on your guest count, what else is on the table and how long people are standing around before the main food arrives. Rather than publish a rule of thumb that will be wrong for your event, we work it out with you — but here is the shape of the decision for each dish.
Arancini
- Alongside a full pizza catering menu2–3 cocktail arancini
- As part of a wider canapé selection3–4 cocktail arancini
- Main savoury item at a drinks function5–6 cocktail arancini
- Large arancini on a buffet1 large arancino
Lasagna Tray
- One item among several on an Italian buffetSmaller squares — a tray stretches a long way
- The substantial dish next to a pizza menuLarger squares — a second tray is often worth it
- The meal itself, with salad and breadOrder generously
Eggplant Parmigiana Tray
- Ordering against vegetarian numbers aloneYou will run short — meat-eaters take it too
- On a mixed table with a pizza menuPlan for a share of all guests, not just vegetarians
- As the vegetarian anchor of the menuPair with vegetarian arancini and vegetarian pizzas
Meatball Family Tray
- Children on the guest listThe biggest factor — and the one most often left out
- With pasta or bread on the tableSmaller portions — the tray goes further
- One of five dishes rather than one of twoEverything gets taken in smaller amounts
Catering Add-On Questions
Can I order catering add-ons without booking pizza catering?
Yes. Any of our trays and antipasti can be ordered on their own as a drop-off delivery, with a minimum order of $500.00 and delivery included above that. If you are already booking pizza catering, add-ons can simply be added to that booking instead, with no separate minimum.
You say you do not offer dry hire — how is drop-off different?
Dry hire means the pizza oven going out on its own, and we do not do that: the oven only travels with the pizzaiolo who lights it and cooks on it. Drop-off is food, not equipment — trays of arancini, lasagna, parmigiana and meatballs delivered ready to heat and serve. No oven, no staff, no equipment on hire.
Who makes the add-ons?
Our trays and arancini come from La Cucina di Papa, a Sydney Italian bakery. The pizza is ours, cooked in front of your guests; the antipasti and trays are theirs, and we would rather tell you that plainly than imply we make everything ourselves.
Do add-on prices include GST?
No. Like every rate on this site, add-on prices exclude GST. GST is shown separately on your quote and a GST tax invoice follows the event, which matters if you are ordering on a company card.
Which add-ons cover vegetarian guests?
The eggplant parmigiana tray is fully vegetarian, and two arancini fillings — spinach & ricotta, and pea & cheese — are as well. Tell us your vegetarian numbers when you book and we will weight the order rather than leaving it to chance. Vegan and gluten-free guests are a separate conversation, so mention those separately.
Where do you deliver?
We deliver across the 29 Sydney suburbs we already cover for pizza catering. If your suburb is on our locations page, it is in range.
Tell us your guest numbers and what else is on the table, and we will tell you what to order — including when you need fewer trays than you think. Planning the whole event? Start with our catering planning guides.
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