Crossword Genius

Unfamiliar starters from adorable little Italian eatery nearby (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

alien

'unfamiliar' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'starters from adorable little italian eatery nearby' is the wordplay.
'starters from' says to take the initial letters.
The first letters of 'adorable little italian eatery nearby' is 'ALIEN'.

(Other definitions for alien that I've seen before include "24a [ESTRANGE]" , "Offensive" , "Outlandish" , "One is from outer space, perhaps" , "Creature from another planet" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app