Italian food is a strange concept in Melbourne. You have the strip on Lygon Street that has just…read morebecome this bogan infested tourist trap whereby restaurants charge way too much for fuck all and the quality is largely shit. Then you've got all these solid Pellegrini's and Tiamo type joints that serve stoic, no frills Italian at reasonable prices but they ain't nothing special. Then you have the more fancy end. La Taverna would like to occupy the fancy end but their food is more Pellegrini's (which is not a bad thing). The trouble is, you know you can get solid Italian food with zero fuss at these other places, whereas La Taverna is all about the table cloths and cutlery and shit. So, if being a bit pampered while eating some pretty decent Italian classics is your bag, then La Taverna may well be for you. Me, I prefer to be largely ignored and dished up a quick meal with no fuss when I eat Italian. Am I a freak?

Great atmosphere however, thought I was in an Mexican restaurant because of the decor, ha. Waited…read morefor quite a bit maybe 30 minutes for food but were greatly pleased with the outcome. Pizzas were great and very big for one person! The prices were fair compared to other Italian restaurants on Lygon. Even the pasta was splendid and a great sized portion. Will be coming back!! 2/6/17: Back again for great pizza. They do s roaring takeaway trade that slows the kitchen a lot. Get there very early or later for faster service. Great food however!!

We went for a family dinner recently and I felt it was nice without being special. They were due to…read morechange menus later in the week and there was no fish available, no pork belly available and no veal available. Given it is not an extensive menu, it pretty much left steak and pasta dishes. I had the steak and it was nice enough but I would not say it was nicer than a decent steak at another restaurant. I also had the aranchini balls and again nice but lacked seasoning. For dessert, between the two of us we had the chocolate slice and the donuts. To be honest, the donuts were no more special than a hot jam donut van and the chocolate slice was nice but again, did not blow my mind. Finally, the service was friendly but a bit slow-one entree came out about 10 mins after everyone else's. And then they forgot a coffee at the end. At the end of the day, it was nice but would definitely try a few other places before heading back anytime soon.

I have never eaten here but sitting here now at this perfect location overlooking the water,…read morewatching the sun start to dip, and indulging in a great glass of sangria. So that is a-ok in my book! Will come back for food. The people are nice, the decor is ok, but the sangria is delish!

My wife and I showed up for dinner at 7 pm on a Monday night and we were seated inside after a very…read moreshort wait. We probably could have sat outside after a few more minutes, but the interior is beautiful, stylish, and airy, so we were happy to experience that space. We ordered two mains: --Ricotta gnocchi, one of their specialties. It came out piping hot in a cast iron casserole dish, and was delicious, the gnocchi delicate and creamy, the tomato sauce with lots of basil, and plenty of melted parmesan. --Spaghettini Prawns, only average, the prawns were tender and a bit too salty, the tomato sauce sparse and underflavored, topped with lots of fresh dill (actually an interesting flavor variation) and basil. The ambience is urban, sleek, social, very fun date night restaurant.

This place was always busy when we walked by and the food looked incredible so we had to stop!…read more We got the Salumi Due pizza, which had light, crispy crust, and was a good size to split between two! The burata on top was delicious. Also tried the Tagliatelle Carbonara, which was phenomenal! Pasta was slightly al dente, creamy, and lots of pieces of pancetta. Would come back again just for that!! Drinks were ok -- G&T and a Limone Spritz. Nice, but nothing special. Service was a bit slow, but overall the atmosphere was nice and the food was good.

Decent enough place, typical small italian restaurant…read more It should be noted that after looking thru the menu, i decided on grilled barramundi with vegies. Nice big fillet serve ( nothing else really jumped out at me ) If you want traditional with some atmosphere go to lygon st, Here its more about a quick eat before cinemas or shopping, our group were satisfied and prices were acceptable. Nice big woodfire oven for pizzas, but no one in restaurant orderd any, make that what you will.

Lovely kind service and probably one of the best parkas I've ever had in my life plus all that on…read moretop of great restaurants

exquisite pizza. The spelt pizza base was delicious, we'll…read morebe visiting again. also the polenta chips were the best I've ever had.

Pizza Farro, Pasta Blando. The pizzas are OK, but the…read morepastas were very ordinary, even considering the gluten-free constraints. The polenta fries were pretty good though.

I went to Rossini's because I've been before and it was good (not great, just good). The one thing…read moreI especially love about this place, is that they'll basically let you create your own pasta dish. They're accommodating for sure when it comes to alterations and substitutions. Anyhoo ... Though we'd made a reservation a couple of days ahead, we were still "shoved" into the back room, where there was so much noise (not their fault for all the loud kids running around and screaming, but the acoustics in here are really bad), and no atmosphere. The staff barely cracked a smile, and seemed as if they wished to be anywhere else but here. Having said that, after ordering, the food came out promptly, and as requested. I ordered the Caprese Salad, which was nice, but I've definitely tasted better elsewhere. It lacked the basil taste I've come to love. Presentation was great, and the mozzarella was good, but the overall flavour was far more bland than I'm used to. Price was reasonable for size of the portion. For my main, I ordered a gnocchi with salmon and avocado. I've ordered it before and was really craving it. It was horrible. Filled with things I didn't order (like onion and other greens), and lacking a decent sauce. It was more oil than cream sauce and it literally made me feel ill. We didn't stay for dessert, so we paid the overpriced bill, and were met at the counter with an apathetic staff member who looked like she'd just tasted my main dish and disliked it as much as I did. With so many other good Italian restaurants in Melbourne, I do not see the need to rush back here again. I prefer to go somewhere with a warmer atmosphere (and better parking, too).

The other yelpers are right, it's the same menu for the last 20 years. Zero innovation and nothing…read moresuperb. The back is family friendly (because it's loud as hell) and they have BYO so a good place to get loud and rowdy. Prices a little on the high side. Food is solid but nothing is amazing. I tried 6 different things and nothing blew my skirt up. Service, contrary to other reviews was excellent but we are regulars. Place is always busy.

RATED "...FAMILY RESTAURANT WITH DELICIOUS AUTHENTIC ITALIAN CUISINE..."…read more We don't usually go out for Italian food - having an Italian heritage means you never quite enjoy the experience - you've always got the almost genuine article to compare it to - Mum's lasagna al forno, Aunty T's home-made pane di casa, Cousin J's torta alla ricotta and it goes on...... So... it is with real pleasure... that I announce - a NEW FIND - CHIARA CUCINA ITALIANA in Kealba [St Albans]. We booked a table for six, for last night, and just hoped for the best... We knew, almost immediately, we were onto something pretty damn good, as we watched the BIG dishes of STEAMING BEAUTIFULLY COOKED, and SMOTHERED WITH HOME-STYLE SMELLING and LOOKING SAUCE, EXTRA WIDE PAPPARDELLE being carried to other tables... The PIZZAS also... LOOKED and SMELLED DIVINE... Hey...!!! We all thought... We're in for a good feed tonight...!!! WE WEREN'T DISAPPOINTED... Between us we had the folowing dishes... Entrees: SOUP OF THE DAY - CAULIFLOWER - Huge serving.. Huge flavour.. Creamy.. Smooth.. GARLIC & OREGANO PIZZETTA - Crisp thin dough.. Fresh garlic.. Lots of oregano.. Good olive oil.. ITALIAN SAUSAGE - Spicy pork salsicce, sliced.. Good tomato salsa.. Fresh white cheese, crumbled.. Scooped up and eaten with pane di casa bread.. Mains: CHICKEN PARMIGIANA - Thick chicken breast.. Napoli sauce.. Fior di latte mozzarella.. Fat rosemary chips.. Well-dressed very fresh rocket salad.. CRUMBED VEAL - Thin slices tender vitello.. Sweet and sour peperonata.. Fresh crisp cabbage and caper salad.. SAUTEED CHICKEN - Thick tender chicken breast.. Tomato and pancetta sauce.. Sweet potato mash.. Olive oil and lemon dressed greens.. Desserts: PANNACOTTA - Beautiful.. TIRAMISU - .. Water to table: Not chilled.. but it was filtered.. AND was poured.. We wanted to end with coffee - Smelled wonderful.. tried hard, couldn't fit it in...... next time.. Re Service: Friendly.. Efficient.. Energetic.. Loved that after each course, they would ask if everything had been okay... Yes... everything was much more than okay... except for two things - and I must be honest - not quite enough desserts on the menu.. and the Tiramisu was a little disappointing... Honestly... this didn't really matter on the night - we'd been overwhelmed by the flavours of the savoury food... Re Ambience.. Look it's not stunning visually - It's a very good.. very clean.. traditional type.. family friendly eatery.. BUT they do have thick white cotton cloths, contemporary table-ware.. and last night.. fresh white lilacs on table.. Thoroughly enjoyed this meal... Will definitely visit again... BEST BIT - We had Groupon Vouchers x 2 - The meal was an absolute steal... and included a complimentary glass of very drinkable pink moscato or a house dry red...!!! [Our gratitude and thanks..] REGULAR PRICES - Fair considering both QUALITY OF INGREDIENTS and PORTION SIZES.. Visited on Friday 23 October for Dinner with family and friends.

This is the second time that I've been here and I have to say that it isn't bad. I've generally…read morelanded up here on a Sunday afternoon to spend time with my bookclub talking about, well, books, but also to grab a bite to eat. This time I had an eggs benedict (and I'm getting somewhat hooked on this eggs benedict by the way) which was pretty good (I can't remember what I had last time because that was a couple of years ago). Anyway, this is a pretty nice spot, especially since it is in one of the quieter corners of Southbank, away from the maddening crowds outside the casino and the theatre. They're open quite late and while they claim to have all day breakfast, they do stop serving around three. There's also a nice lounge area at the entrance, and a couple of outdoor areas, though we usually go to the tables out the back.

We love to go here on a Sunday for the roast, and on other days for breakfast. They can cater for…read moregluten free, and I am sure many of their breakfast dishes are good, but we can't go past the buckwheat crepes with ham hock. Yum! The atmosphere is great, and we always grab one of the couches, so we can sit with our little one. They don't seem to mind the baby at all. Some of the staff could be a little friendlier, though the weekend staff are fantastic!