We had a lovely dinner at this cozy white tablecloth Italian restaurant on a busy Friday. Our…read morereservation (absolutely a must) was for 5:30 when they opened and we were dining with some local Ozzie friends. The menu features traditional Italian dishes with interesting local twists. My wife and I enjoyed the caprese salad with luscious tomatoes and fresh burratta and even though we split it-the portions were still huge. Our friends enjoyed the sesame encrusted tuna tartare. We all got pastas as our mains-me the lobster/angel hair, my wife the ravioli and another guest the risotto feature. Delicious sourdough bread with olive oil was also a part of the meal. The extensive wine list has hundreds of selections including a wide range of Italian and Australian wines. Service is fast and efficient but don't plan to linger too long as this small restaurant is in high demand and they will likely be needing your table after 90 min. Recommended.

This is one of my fav places, the ambience is perfect for date nights…read more I especially loved the spaghetti vongole. Giorgio was so kind and helped settle us in. I highly recommend if you love italian!

Stef was very kind and he knows how to have a laugh with the food if the chef sees this keep up…read morethe good work. Now the food yummy pizza perfect crisp and soft. The bruschetta was lovely. The 100 layer lasagna was sooooo good. The inside was nice and open and ect

I could sing the praises of the delicious pizza, the friendly service and warm atmosphere but hey…read moreyou all know about that - right? But did you know you can BYO wine here. $15 corkage or on Monday night just $5 which all goes to local charity. There's never been a better time to crack open a bottle of vino and eat carbs in the name of a good cause.

Solid Italian food with a great atmosphere. You feel like you are eating in an old-school Italian…read moreplace. I had the gnocchi and it was very good. We had an appitizer combo plate that was also very good.

A couple of friends have been talking this place up for a few years now and I finally got the…read morechance to visit. Often I find if something is given a big review it can be built up too much & you come away feeling unfulfilled. But in this case, their comments were definitely justified! The food was beautifully cooked and full of flavours that worked well together. The tiramisu was delicious and my friend says the pannacotta is the best she's ever had. The menu was quite extensive. The service was friendly and very helpful. The staff know what they're doing, were always nearby if we needed anything but didn't float around too closely! They knew the menu and their wines very well. A lovely genuine Italian restaurant with a great, cosy, friendly vibe! All in all, worthy of the cost.

It was a lovely spring morning and I decided to go for a coffee crawl in the Collingwood area…read more Initially I was going to skip this place, but since I was down here I decided to give it a shot, and I am really glad that I did. The coffee was nothing short of magical. It is actually one of those organic food stores, but they also do meals, and of course coffee. Having wandered past here a number of times, I finally decided to give it a shot, and am really glad I did.

What a cute little cafe to stumble upon today! Even though this is at the base of a new build (if…read morethere's one thing inner-city needs it's more new high rise apartments!) nothing about this cozy abode is cold and uninviting, in fact quite the opposite! Giving off a rustic Parisian vibe, Oxford Larder houses an array of delicious, home-made goodies, from salads to pastries to sweet cakes and full breakfasts/brunch menu. Stocked from floor to ceiling with perfectly selected items, from beaten copper pots to home made cordial, hand made pickled marmalades and fresh bread, fresh pasta and and sauces. Plus so much more! The place itself is quite small, but that just means the atmosphere is homely and almost 'other-worldly'. The kitchen bursts into the dining area so the place smells amazing, and really authentically transports you to old Europe! Not sure if that's what the owners are going for but that's how I took it! There's also lots of funny/punny things to buy! From locally made hand creams, candles and soaps; kitchen wear (inc aforementioned copper pots!) tea pots, tea towels and utensils. Plus more, but I'm running out of space. Also the place is super LGBT friendly and there's a real sense of community there. Shout out to the LezMons (home made pickled lemons, presumable by lesbians hehe) Incredibly friendly staff, awesome coffee and food, fantastic vibe and overall awesome place. Would def recommend.

This place was a bit of a hit & miss for us. Starters Bruschetta was quite nice, toasted perfectly…read moreand well seasoned tomatoes with little tasty Ricotta balls. Entree Calamari dish was textured and cooked such that my Japanese wife (& chef) was questioning whether it was frozen Calamari, however the taste was on point Could have been a tad more generous though. Our mains from the special menu was a Vongole pasta dish, that was also a bit quite uninspiring. Pasta was cooked to perfection, al-dente and most definitely home-made however it lacked any seasoning, and boasted only about 3-4 Pipis and 3 small Mussels. It was just, well....so bland, had no nice garlic or white wine flavour and although my wife asked for some dried chilli to 'spice it up' a tad, none was forthcoming. For dessert I had the Tiramisu, which was served in a glass and started off well. Good balance of classic Tiramisu flavours & creamy texture until I got to the bottom whereby the sponge fingers were a very undesirable chewy texture that indicated to me they'd been in the fridge for a day or two and weren't at all fresh. A disappointing dessert to finish off the night. Service staff were polite, friendly and mostly attentive. Overall a pleasant evening however it didn't quite live up to the hype based on previous reviews I've read from various web sites. 3/5.

We went here on the special deal through Dimmi. It's a very good deal. Grab it while you can…read more The restaurant fit out is lovely. Comfortable and stylish. The food is very nice. We started with the antipasto plus some olives. Both were excellent. I had the porchetta for main which touched on absolutely outstanding. I seriously loved it. It was superbly cooked and presented. The other mains were much enjoyed too. If food is the measure, Basta should be doing very well indeed.

This is a great little place on johnston street. It has a real gastro pub feel. I went on a cool…read moreMelbourne Wednesday night and it had a lovely cosy feel. However it is rather loud in the restaurant bit with the floor boards so not a place for low talkers! Nice wine list and good service - we had a yarra valley Pinot Gris. I went with the special which was a Sardinian fish stew which was delicious and very full of seafood. Dinner companions had steak which got high marks as did the lamb rump. And definitely get the hand cut chips not the fries!

I brought my dad here for Father's Day lunch when the Town Hall Hotel was perhaps a week old. At…read moresuch an early stage in the restaurant's development, there were maybe a couple of issues that I'm sure will have been ironed out now. We sat in the bistro (no bar food for my dad, not on Father's Day at least) and every table was full of happy, chatty people, clearly enjoying their food. There was a real family atmosphere about the place but that may have been because of the particular day of the year that we were there. The bistro menu is made up of small, medium and large sharing plates, plus meats from the grill, sides and desserts. I remember the spicy quail, and I'm sure my dad does too - it was delightfully crispy-skinned with a touch of spice and lovely moist meat on the bone. The other Italian inspired dishes we tried were all delicious, although my dad did ask the waiter for Tabasco sauce, to which I offered a 'I'm sorry' look at the waiter. This is not a slight on the food as much as an insight into my dad's predilection for all things chilli. All in all, it was a a lovely lunch and I'm pretty sure that I'm now my dad's favourite offspring.

Such a pretty restaurant! If possible, sit in the back patio - beautifully decorated with artsy…read moredecor and white tablecloth-covered tables. Came too late on a Sunday afternoon to try the brunch food but the deli selection is not bad as everything we tried was pleasant. Will be back for a more proper meal. Ideal for hangouts with friends or a casual datebin the Fitzroy area!

I've always been a fan of Parisian housewife approach:…read more 1. Visit lovely food store 2. Buy ready made meals 3. Take home 4. Spend afternoon on couch reading 5. Heat up the meal 6. Serve 7. Pretend you spent all afternoon cooking Smith Street Alimentari is going to make this a whole lot easier, with ready made roast dinners, salads galore and fresh pasta and sauces. Just don't tell anyone my secret okay?

Get the Mark's Special pizza! You won't be disappointed. We arrived a bit late and they served us…read moreanyway. Excellent care and service for weary travelers. Thanks to everyone here.

We came in on a busy Friday evening. Bookings are essential at this popular place…read more Substantial menu; most of the pasta menu you can choose which pasta to pair with what sauce. They also have pizza and other non-pasta mains as well as daily specials. The beef ragu special Was amazing, also recommend the eggplant and leek lasagne, amazing! The bruschetta comes on a pizza base and the arancini are delicious. This feels like. Family restaurant, it's busy and quick service. Would def recommend, and it has big size portions for the price!

I really loved this restaurant, so much so that I'm considering having my next birthday gathering…read morehere. It's that awesome mix between an after-work bar and a cosy restaurant. I visited for a friend's birthday with about 15 other people, and they were not hesitant to keep the Cooper's on tap coming our way, even after a couple of hours. There is a great selection of food, from pasta to burgers and salads (all my favourite things) as well, and it's fairly reasonably priced for the quality. The kitchen/staff did the right thing, in the sense of bringing out all our meals at the same time - but when there's more than ten in your group it does take some time to receive your meal. I must admit that this was on a Friday night and at least two of the restaurant's rooms were full. When there's good service and beer flowing though, you don't think about your stomach as much. I'll definitely be back.

A gorgeous little restaurant hidden down University Street hidden away from the busy Lygon street…read moreprecinct. Upon entry this place has an amazing vibe and feel to it. Its beautiful terracotta influences and outside courtyard dining area remind you of a Tuscan setting. Café Italia works best for functions spread across three dining sections. Their menu appeals to wide variety of visitor and boasts a northern Italian cuisine influence. Everything is made in house, Italian restaurant style, with fresh pasta and hand rolled gnocchi being made daily.