If you're visiting Australia, wouldn't make this chain one of your stops. Overpriced for the view. Food doesn't live up to that price point. Unfortunately chosen out of convenience since we were staying at the Ovolo. We got pizza and salad to share. The pizza was watery/runny. And not runny because of the sauce, maybe from the juices from the ingredients on top? Regardless, the only good part of that pizza was the oven-fired crust. Sad. Salad was actually OK, but it was a side salad. Maybe a full version was the way to go? Service was terrible. After getting our order, never saw our server again. There was apparently a large party upstairs, which meant everyone else was neglected. Not the best experience here... read more

I Crinitis has a number of locations for their Italian bar and restaurant in Sydney, Newcastle and Melbourne. We visited the Woolloomooloo spot which has an ideal location on the waterfront at the wharf. There's a bunch of restaurants at Woolloomooloo wharf, packed with diners eager for a social lunch or dinner out and a drink or two. Crinitis by far has the best vibe of the restaurants here and it is suitable for all different crowds - family, couples, friends, parties and events. The private section upstairs has it's own bar and is the perfect space for private functions/events. The space is casual and comfortable and there's plenty of space here. Wooden furniture and wicker chairs and Italian wall art. Although you can sit on a lovely table outside, there's plenty of space inside too and be sure to check it out, because as you walk inside, the first thing you will notice are the superbike Ducati's hanging from the ceiling! We were super impressed to see a very extensive menu comprised of pizza, pasta, meats, salads, and light meals. In the salad section, there is plenty of choice from burrata to salmon, octopus or the salad we chose; the quinoa and cranberry salad, a good super good choice. Our other salad was topped with some beautiful fresh figs (actually on the light meal list). Other light meals on offer include bunless burgers, grilled fish and salmon and a shred pasta just to name a few, so if you're on a healthy kick, there is certainly plenty to choose from. For those into a good pizza or pasta, this is your place. You can get vegan and gluten free options too. They are also good for sharing. On this visit, we elected to get a pasta and chose the pumpkin gnocchi and the crab linguine. The crab linguine, made with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, confit cherry tomatoes and asparagus making smashing sauce to go with the crab meat and fresh pasta made for a delicious plate! Next time we'll leave space for a Mac 'n' cheese pizza! There's also huge skewers, meat options from the grill, sides and we can honestly say this has got to be one of the biggest menus we've ever seen! That's why it's the best meet up spot for family and friends. Drinks wise you can get fresh juices and alcoholic drinks. We were there on a Sunday afternoon so just had some juices; the Vit C Booster Juice and watermelon breeze. The food here is delicious and service is friendly and lively. We thoroughly recommend a visit. read more

Came here for a friends birthday bash. He had organised everything and had ordered a set menu designed to take away the stress of choosing for larger groups. The entrees were appetizing. Their cheese pizza maintained taste without too much oil and bruschetta pizza was light and fresh. After that our first course was a round of large pizzas. We were on a long table and one issue was that the waiters made everything lopsided, two pizzas down one end, one pizza down the other end and nothing in the middle. This made getting different types of pizza a bit hard but after negotiations with the other end of the table we received some slices to try. In fairness the pizzas were decent. Crust maintained good structure and texture while the toppings were enjoy although uninspiring. Onto the second course. Big bowls of pasta to share. There was plenty to go around, but more doesn't mean better. The bolognese was dull and the spaghetti was just too al dente. The other dish, the boscaiola was full of flavour but the ravioli was noticeably flourery and whatever meat was inside was lost to the sauciness. Switch the pastas with the sauces and it would have been fine, if not splendid. During our second course a pesto pasta dish was brought to the table with the waiter asking who's it was. It wasn't part of our set menu but the waiter walked the length of our table like a town crier playing detective. After not finding any answers from us he probed the head waiter, upon returning he said that it wasn't our pasta but they'd give it to us anyway. A true "what the heck?" moment. I also felt bad for the other table not receiving their pesto dish. We left feeling a bit underwhelmed by the experience. The lack of communication between the kitchen and wait staff was clearly indisputable. Who knows how much this restaurant looses in a night due to miscommunication between the staff. This place wasn't all bad. I'd highly suggest that if you do come here that you make a reservation and have no large groups, four people at the most. read more

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In all honesty I haven't been to Crinitis for a while, probably a few years! I think the last time I went it wasn't much of a great experience and I thought the food was overpriced for what it was. Fast forward to the present, I received an invitation to celebrate the new Chef John Lanzafame's arrival with a tasting menu experience, so of course I accepted! As we arrived, our host was Elliot of Sweaty Betty PR went through the menu and told us to sit anywhere we liked. Most of the people who came where food bloggers and Instagram foodies. Drinks on offer were Aperol Spritz, Menabrea & Santa Margherita Prosecco, White/Red wine and sparkling water. Two lovely ladies sat beside me on the right and I got to find out they are from the awesome Instagram account "twogirlsonefork", funny enough, we both followed each other so it was great to put faces to the accounts. For starters we enjoyed a 3 metre Italian pizza with a selection of authentic margarita, azzuri and zappatore toppings. First course consisted of 3 dishes: 1. Crocchette di patate (Fried potato mash with pancetta & shallots) 2. Olive All'ascolana (Fired large green olives, stuffed with mozzarella & wrapped with mince) 3. Mamma Criniti's Polpette (Mama Crinities own traditional homemade meatballs with sugo di pomodoro) Pasta selection was: 1. Spaghetti Pachino (Garlic, chilli, cherry tomatoes, olive oil & basil) 2. Gnocchi Gorgonzola (Creamy gorgonzola sugo & parsley) 3. Pappardelle Ragu (Traditional veal ragu) By the time the main course arrived most of us were already stuffed! Main course comprised of: BBQ Meat Platter - Pork & lamb ribs, char-grilled chicken in bbq sauce, Italian sausages, char-grilled chicken skewer & char-grilled lamb skewer. Suffice to say we hardly touched the mains, there was so much food! I hoped the staff got to have whatever was not touched. And finally for the best part of the night (for my sweet tooth comrades) dessert consisted of: Mini Ricotta Cannoli and Mini chocolate Tartufini (Profiteroles filled with Chantilly cream, rolled in decadent milk chocolate fudge & covered in dark chocolate shavings). OMG! The profiteroles were divine! Overall, the food was wonderful, the company great, the drinks flowed and the dessert sweet. Highlights of the night for me were the: 1. Menabrea & Santa Margherita Prosecco 2. Zappatore pizza (which was meatballs and chilli) 3. The olive All'ascolana (stuffed fried green olives) 4. Gnocchi gorgonzola (delicious, creamy and savoury!) 5. Ribs, sticky ribs yum! And finally the one that sealed the deal was the mini chocolate tartufini's....yum... just yum! You want to eat this for breakfast but you know it's not good for your health! I thoroughly enjoyed the event and would definitely go back to try all the highlights of the night. read more

Criniti's Woolloomooloo - New menu - Italian Near Me - Woolloomooloo, NSW

Eh... We'd wandered down to the water from our hotel to catch a bite and stumbled across this joint. They looked relatively busy and after a quick peek at the menu we decided to have a go. The service is slower than I'd prefer but the coffee is good. My latte came in baby sized servings but it was delicious. I had the pancakes by recommendation, I don't normally opt for pancakes and I've not much of a sweet tooth but I did enjoy them. My fiancé had the 4 cheese omelette and seemed to devour it so all reports on the food side are good. It was ok. Just ok. read more

Criniti's Woolloomooloo - Random half a mil hanging from the ceiling... - Italian Near Me - Woolloomooloo, NSW

Had the smaller seafood platter, the lamb skewers and the ricotta cannoli. I had no expectations before coming here today for Sunday lunch. I've always had disappointment at their other locations but this one is different. The food was cooked perfectly, the seafood platter was great (no fried crap in it), everything was fresh. The lamb skewers were nice a tender with wonderful flavours. I was stuffed but decided to have some ricotta cannoli's, I must say these were the best cannoli's I have ever had and I lived in northern Italy for a few years... The ricotta cannoli's are the ones to get, I wouldn't waste my time with the inferior vanilla or chocolate ones... The reason it didn't get 5 stars, the staff could use some more training, for example when removing the seafood platter boards, seafood juice would easily spill on the patrons. On that note having the seafood platters being served on flat wooden boards is very stupid, as soon as the platters were put on the table, the juice coming out of the seafood platter just ran off the board, onto the table and then onto our clothes.... Please use conventional platter plates with seafood... Use boards for pizzas but it doesn't make sense for a seafood platter. read more

Criniti's Woolloomooloo - Seafood platter - Italian Near Me - Woolloomooloo, NSW

Super average food. Huge menu, which means nothing is particularly great. Such Italian greats like fish and chips on the menu are never a good sign. Meals are expensive but at least they're large. So if you want to pay for quantity over quality, go nuts. Service was not great. I hate over-attentive waiters, but I had to someone's attention to get some water, to order, to order another drink, to get my bill. That was about 3 times too many, especially since it wasn't just a matter of raising a hand. It was waiting at least 5 minutes to even get someone's attention each time. The place was half empty, even on a Saturday night (no wonder), so it wasn't busyness. read more

Everything about this place is huge! A humongous menu you with a ridiculous selection of pasta, pizza and breads. 11 bruschetta choices alone, I would suggest studying the menu before as there is so much choice haha! It's a great place for groups or large families and would be a great place to order a few dishes of pasta that everyone can dive into as the portion sizes are so enormous, pizza is also available in a range of sizes, the largest being a 3 meter plank! I ordered the 3 meat pasta (as recommended by the waiter as I couldn't make up my mind with all the choice lol) and it was delicious I would recommend, I also found the service to be great. I would definitely be back here but starve myself all day before hand! read more

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This is for their recently expanded menu offering: breakfast/brunch! So if you're looking for a pizza review......keep looking. Not sure why they haven't always served breakfast but very glad it's something they do now. Great vibe as if it's a nice day you can sit outside (under the canopy so you won't get sunburnt!) and soak in all the views of the wharf. The pros: LOTS of food for a decent price: Most of the mains are between $18-$20 and I'd make a bet you won't be able to finish your food. Seriously, it's a bit daunting to see the plate placed in front of you. My friend and I opted for the "breakfast board" which has everything from eggs, haloumi, zucchini flowers, STEAK, bacon, sausage, polenta chips- seriously, we weren't sure where to start and we certainly couldn't finish. It was $39 and honestly could have been split between 3 people. Our other friend opted for the "frank criniti" which includes salmon, eggs, smashed avocado and feta and toasted bread. We left completely stuffed. Cheap champagne: I'm always on the lookout for great deals on the bubbly in Sydney and a bottle of the prosecco was $34? Split three ways for a nice little brunch toast that's pretty good in my opinion! They have a full bar menu available during brunch so definitely a place to come for a long boozy brunch into lunch into dinner The cons: The service: don't expect much. Don't come hungry because you'll be quite upset when your food takes forever to come out or they screw up your order (both happened to us) and when you ask for water it never comes. read more

After going countless times to the Darling Harbour Crinitis, I had no idea this one even existed! We went all out this time and ordered the bad boy.. 2 METRE PIZZA!! (Yes, yes we did.) It was all worth it. The best part? We finished it! The second best part? You could choose whatever toppings you prefer which was incredible. Oh and the service? Spectacular! Smiles, laughing and the ambience of this place is always a delight. It's always a fun-filled adventure at Crinitis and I'll always come back for more pizza! Thank you Crinitis Woolloomooloo for giving us Adelaide-ians an unforgettable experience. read more

Criniti's Woolloomooloo - The bad boy 2 metre pizza! - Italian Near Me - Woolloomooloo, NSW

Location,LocationLocation. No I'm not a real estate agent! But the location of this restaurant makes it a winner in my books. Far enough from the insanity that is the rocks, yet right in the water really amps up this experience. The menu, is a strange mix of of Italian classics combined with the more traditional usual suspects naked for an interesting pick i had a breakfast burger, my partner the sweeter French toast option. Both delicious and despite being under staffed the waiters all managed to keep their cool. I'll be back next time I'm in Sydney for sure! read more

Criniti's Woolloomooloo - French toast - Italian Near Me - Woolloomooloo, NSW

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This place is really good. Good food, good service, great ambiance. Ordered the seafood grill platter and a strawberry, orange, lemon and lime juice. The juice was really good and the platter was awesome! Those are also some of the best fries I've tried in a while! The only reason I'm giving them 4 stars instead of 5 is because after a couple bites I started feeling the food a bit too salty and because it takes a while to get the check (you literally need to waive at them and ask for the check lol). The check came out for 67.98, which is pretty reasonable for such a big platter! read more

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I've been here 2 days ago, Love it. We took Meatballs with cheese and tomato, then panzerttini and a long 1 metre pizza :D with some beers, we were 4 of us and even if the price is not so low the quality of the dishes was great! Panzerotini served with a tomato sauce, awesome, meatballs great, 4 for 1 portion shared, and the woodfired pizza was very very nice, good quality ingredients. Why not 5 stars? :) A bit noisy. :( read more

I hope this place burns in hell, smoldering in dante's inferno. The manager was an absolute douche. I went there for my birthday with my family. It took 3 hours for the meals to come. They all came out separate over a 30 minute window and they even got the order wrong. So I spoke to the manager and he rolled his eyes and said "can't you see we are busy...look at the table next to you!". The bill was ridiculous because we had to keep ordering drinks whilst waiting for our food. Which was horrible anyway. I do feel bad for the waitress who caught the brunt of my frustration. But the manager should have done his job, which he is paid to do and organized the kitchen staff and should have told the customers that there will be a 2.5 hour wait for the food. NEVER GO TO THIS PLACE. It completely ruined my night and my birthday. May the storms be conjured in Woolloomooloo and the gods break off that wharf that Criniti's is built and be tossed into the tempest. read more

This restaurant really is quite lovely. On the backside of the Botanical Gardens, looking out at the harbour is where you'll find locals and trendy tourists enjoying delicious, upscale Italian meals. Have the 3 meter $250+ pizza or just enjoy a regular sized, delicious pizza at a regular price. You'll find many choices here: various spedini (cooked to perfection), glorious salads, crab linguini, eggplant rigatoni...you won't be disappointed. On top of the satisfying meals you'll be wowed by the attractive, Italian speaking, waitstaff that are really hustling to make your meal enjoyable. read more

Criniti's Woolloomooloo - Sitting below the Ducatis. - Italian Near Me - Woolloomooloo, NSW

We landed at Criniti's for a birthday celebration based on a friend's recommendation. We are indebted to that friend forever. The menu is absolutely endless...truly something available for everyone's taste. We were greeted by a friendly hostess, seated at a lovely outdoor table and immediately welcomed by our server, Teresa. Our drinks arrived within minutes of ordering and our appetizers quickly followed. The manager must instill a team effort approach to the staff, because we observed each of the servers making themselves available and helpful to all of the diners, not just the ones at their tables. The food was delivered to all of us at one time and each meal looked delicious. The portions are generous and the food was amazing. Just seeing a 3m pizza delivered on a huge wooden board was entertaining for all of us. Our own 1m pizza was hot, delicious and gone in minutes. Each night when it came time to decide on a place to eat, the decision was made easy by the extensive menu, great service and food at Criniti's. We dined there three nights during our stay. read more

Incredibly overpriced. Food was ok but not authentic Italian. Canola oil used, or very weak olive oil. You think we wouldn't notice? We did... not pleased to pay $40 for pasta with tomato sauce.. that's why the place was empty read more

7:30 on a busy Saturday evening with two young kids, we were tired and hungry and just wanted yummy food, a drink and a seat. The hostess asked if we had reservations.... Oops, no. However, she found us a table and we found a place we would return to again and again (well, if we lived a bit closer!). My prawn and pancetta pizza was perfect!! Wood fired pizza with delicious crispy crust and plenty of topping. The calzone was delicious and very tasty. The portions are HUGE. The kids menu potato chip pizza was good (and I'm pretty sure the same size as my pizza), although our daughter wished she'd chosen cheese pizza (I thought the French fries (potato chips) on top were good). Our son enjoyed the huge portion of spaghetti bolognese with a meatball. The adult beverages were good but pricey. The service was amazing! No one hovered but always came at just the right time to assist. The food came fast and hot. Our server was friendly and helpful. Highly recommended! read more

Went here for lunch with a big bunch if girls and we had the set menu for $54. The food was fabulous and there was loads of it!! You will leave very full. The decor was cool, stone walls, good spirit bottles collection and motor bikes handing from the ceiling. There was 16 of us and I was impressed with how smooth the service was. Only downside was having to go to the bar ourselves. They wouldn't take our drink orders as there was too many of us. Still v happy with it though and would definitely go back. read more

I went last weekend and had the tuna salad ... unusual dish of pieces of bread, tuna, baby tomatoes and oil... It gave me food poisoning. Will never return. read more

Food - amazing and faultless Service - slow and disorganized. Entrees all came out at different times - 20 minutes between 1st and last entree being served. Kids meals were all brought out at different times - last kids meal came out 30 minutes after first kids meal. Desserts came out all staggered and again about 20 minutes between first dessert being served to the last Kids desserts which were the easiest came out 10 minutes after all adults had been served Disappointed with service but not with food Never had this service issue at any other crinitis location read more

Cowper Wharf is such a nice place to visit when in Sydney, I am not sure how much they tell visitors about it but we found it by chance. A 5 min carbide away (and probably a train or bus stop), it is smaller, more intimate than Darling Harbor and has a nice local adult vibe. We loved this restaurant, it was a perfect place to go, since we wanted casual but nice Italian. My fettucini with salmon was delicious--the fish was so good on our OZ trip--and my husband loved his pesto ravioli. We had a nice outdoor table with a view of the Wharf. I would recommend this restaurant to travelers who want a simple dinner, one they could get at home, with a nice view. read more

Great atmosphere and location. But very poor service. Waited20minutes for our wine...and had trouble getting the attention of the waiters, it took them a long time to take our order. Food is not amazing either given the price tag read more

Avoid it. Didn't order any food because it took 30 minutes for a waiter to even approach our table, and then another 20 to get our drinks. Just bad service. read more

So many things went wrong with our meal last night we were looking for the hidden cameras!! It started with the French waitress not understanding our drink order and bringing a glass of white wine instead of prosecco. There was a bit of confusion over the chicken and mushroom risotto I ordered, then I was brought an entree that looked like stuffed mushrooms and told it was my meal. It wasnt - it belonged to another table! The cover in the gas lamp in front of our table fell over, then the cover of the lamp behind us fell to the ground with a very loud bang while they were replacing the gas cylinder, making everyone jump. Twice they tried to give us a glass of Lift we didnt order, but we had to ask at least twice for every glass of wine we did order. One waiter tried to give us 4 baskets of chips we didnt order, and was told to "Go back to the kitchen" by another bossy waiter. The meals took a long time to arrive, and when they finally did one was missing. They had to ask my daughter's friend what she ordered and rush the order through the kitchen while the rest of us started eating. When it finally arrived there was a long black hair in it. My meal was so bland it was awful, but the other meals were okay. A plate was dropped by a waiter at a table nearby, and a glass was dropped at another table, and we couldnt help laughing. Of course when our bill arrived the glass of Lift we didnt order was on it!! One of the waiters was nice enough to arrange for all our drinks to be complimentary because of the comedy of errors. Luckily we were able to laugh it all off otherwise it would have been a disaster. It was certainly a night we will remember for a long time. read more

I'm still sitting at the table and haven't seen an employee in 45 minutes aside from someone who tried to bring us a pizza we didn't order. We waited 20 minutes for our drinks and had to ask for them to be delivered before they finally were. No one checked on us once during our meal (which was not good, btw) we have no water, and we had to accost someone to get our bill. Definitely should have listened to the reviews. But the view is nice! read more

I went there a few yrs ago with work and really liked the ambience of the middle eastern style outdoor seating. Personally, I found the service was good and the pasta was great, although not very traditional. We enjoyed the Nutella pizza - it was nice, but best served quickly while it's warm and not on a thick crust base, as this seemed to cool the consistency of the Nutella down. read more

To the guy that turned us away last night (I'm assuming he was a manager as he wasn't wearing standard wait staff black but was in a blu shirt) saying they were booked up, then suggested we go to the pub for dinner as the restaurants along the wharf were a bit expensive...while we may have had jeans and t shirts on, little do you know that Friday night we spent over $400 for dinner and were quite willing to do the same last night...your loss and shame on the restaurant for letting you infer that customers can't pay. I'll always deter friends from going to your pompous restaurant. That guy could have just left it at we're booked out instead of his little dig!!! Shocked and disappointed don't even describe! read more