Bomba is wonderful. The food is delectible and exquisite. Clearly lovingly prepared and just so…read moretasty and beautifully presented. Service is friendly and brisk. Our party of four has been here twice now. Our friends are Italian and are critical when places don't measure up. No such issues here. We've loved it both times. In our view Bomba offers a serious dining experience at a reasonable price. We can't wait to return.

Amazing little restaurant and bar, great food and drinks!!! Extremely enjoyable night out..... if…read morearound the area do yourself a favour and pop im for a drink and a bite to eat, you WILL NOT be disappointed!

Great food. Great service. Great value for money! My father…read moreis difficult to please when it comes to restaurants. He is very particular. He complains about the value for money, the quality of food, the prices of the wines (being in the liquor industry it's difficult for him to buy wine at a restaurant when he knows the markup!) painful is the nicest way to describe him. So when I was asked by mum to book a restaurant for her birthday where she could have a nice night out without hearing complaints from dad I was under pressure! Baldovino is BYO so that ticked the first box! The menu is extensive and serves traditional, tasty Italian food! Being Italian that ticked box number two. The specials sounded delicious and we had trouble deciding on what to order. Eventually we devided on the special gnocchi grilled with a creamy cheese sauce, calamari and meatballs all to share for entree. All dishes were delicious - the gnocchi were the standout. Then came main - between us we ordered the Baldovino pollo (chicken dish) with a creamy mustard sauce, grilled calamari and prawns with vegetables, Baldovino tortellini, the risotto with scallops and the fusspot ordered spaghetti marinara! Well of course dad found something to complain about....too much seafood in his marinara!! I'm convinced he was looking for something to pick on!! Who complains there is too much seafood??? We laughed at him for his ridiculous comments!! The meals were generous portions so we were extremely full but of course had to squeeze in dessert - as usual our eyes were bigger than our stomach. All desserts are homemade and very appetizing. The verdict - dad is happy to go back and mum had a complaint free dinner - now that's saying something!!

Boy oh boy ,it was like eating at a trattoria in southern italy ,the serving of the chicken risotto…read morewas like Nonna used to give you , tasty well seasoned good sized chicken you could see in the risotto not microscopic like a lot of pricey restaurants in Melbourne , the serving was generous, and it was hot in temperature , we also had the stuffed gnocchi and polenta chips , it's worth the trip and the prices are reasonable

From the owner: Buongiorno from Preston's newest gem, Tonda Italian. Our experienced owner Liza Russo is combining…read moreher passion for food and Italian heritage, giving the outer suburbs of Melbourne something to be excited about. Situated on Plenty Road and inspired by the trattorias of Italy, we at Tonda serve up delectable Italian flavours, created with only the freshest produce, richest flavours and top quality ingredients. ​

A trip over the other side of town for pizza and I am blown away by this tiny place. As we walk in…read morewe are greeted by the friendliest waitress on earth who asks us about our day and immediately made us feel like we had been going to this Italian restaurant for decades. All of the pasta, pizza and gelato is made fresh on premises. Tonight we had the antipasto platter, a tropicano and a pescatore pizza and a spaghetti bolognaise. All of the food was delicious and nice and fast. Pizzas were crispy and with real slices of ham not the packet pizza stuff and the spag Bol was delish. To finish off we had to have some of the homemade gelato and my goodness I would cross town for it! Three courses with a drink each under $30 a head. I look forward to going back here for the food but mostly for the family feel the staff had. I love feeling like a local on a first visit. Congrats pronto for food with heart! Oh also they have a frozen pasta section and I have taken home lasanga for during the week which I will review in the future here :)

Ah pronto! Excellent pizza for a very reasonable prince- 12 bucks a pie! Can't go wrong here- very…read moretasty Neapolitan style pizza. We also had chips with herbs and feta and were not disappointed. Pronto also sells take home pasta, soups, and lasagna. Lots of vegetarian options. High five pronto!

I have to admit that it is a shame that I don't live down in this part of Melbourne anymore because…read moreI would have made the trek all the way to this place to have a pizza. However, since I had already eaten when I was walking past all I ended up doing was popping in for a coffee, which I have to admit wasn't all that bad. They also offer other treats, such as gelatti (and have a pretty decent selection at that). Being just across the road from the park makes the place really convenient, and it is a much better place to grab a bite to eat than the pub just down the road. It's quite a nice place, though these days a little too far out of my way to actually try more of what it offers.

Lots of lovely pizza and Italian dishes. Inventive and interesting menu. Good prices too.read more

Friendly service with authentic Italian staff! Great Food…read moreand Good Coffee! The owners of Sapori d'Abruzzo 861 have taken over the old Il Portobello restaurant site in Essendon. They have fully renovated the restaurant to make it more open & spacious. This does cause a bit of noise when there are a lot of patrons, but the friendly service & great food definitely make up for it! The menu has traditional Abruzzo meals to enjoy and a good wine selection for accompaniment. All in all it is definitely worth a try with a friend, partner or large group of friends. There is also a large function space upstairs to enjoy!

Even though I'll pretty much eat anything, I am quite picky when it comes to rating food…read more From the outside, the restaurant looks great being housed in a former fire station. The inside is simple yet classy for a group dinner or even a date. Nothing over the top but that's ok and that's how it should be: cozy and relaxing. Service is great and fantastic as in a true typical Italian restaurant. The staff is always helpful in terms of wine or food choice. The food is very good. We had eggplant and parmesan for as a starter an it was just right. Not too much cheese but tasty and cooked just right. I think had seafood pasta amd again jt was just right. Right size portions, great taste. I would go there again for sure! A must try!

Two words.... sooooo good!…read more Ordered the specials - char grilled eye fillet and seasonal greens in chili and garlic oil. Everything was full of flavour. Steak was tender and the pepper berries just completed each bite. The interior feels cozy and warm, a good getaway from the outside cold Melbourne weather.

I visited Umberto's most recently on Saturday night with family members.We were seated in the…read morecourtyard, as everywhere else was fully booked. I was told on arrival that the corkage charge was $15.00 per person as we had brought of bottle of wine with us. This surprised me as we had always brought our own wine previously with nothing like a $15/per head charge. For the first time in all the years I have been going to Umberto's, the food wasn't up to the usual standard. The pasta, which two of us had, special $40.00, was tasteless, my partner's scallopine was chewy, probably yearling beef, and came with no vegetables, the carbonara was rather dry, but the best of the dishes we ordered. Before the food arrived we noticed foul smelling water under our feet, presumably coming from an overflowing outhouse. People at the other table also notice the smell. The staff seemed unconcerned, so we had to move ourselves to another table, by pushing 2 x 2 tables together. The staff eventually came to attend to us, but surprisingly, were critical of us for moving thereby losing a table for 2. Needless to say, we were not impressed with food, service or ambience on this occasion, so much so that we asked if there had been a change of management. The answer was "no". Sadly we won't be returning to Umberto's, which has been our "go to" restaurant since we moved to Preston 10 years ago having been introduced to it by a long term patron. Helen

Umberto's is a lovely bar/resturant down High street Thornbury, an area that is quite becoming a…read morequirky strip of places to dine. We enjoyed a sensational meal of Calimari, seafood pasta and a salad to share. This place has a great area outside to eat and wonderful staff who were awesome enough to cater for us just past the time the kitchen closed. I would recommend this place as a venue to start off your night if you are going out in Thornbury/Northcote or just for a quick meal. The prices are very reasonable and it has a very intimate feel.

Fantastic home made gelato and chai and friendly service + wifi. There's also some (but not a lot)…read moreof seating on a well-lit patio in the back.

Swung by tonight for some late night gelato. They are open until 10:30! The service was very…read morefriendly. I tried salted macadamia & Dutch chocolate. Both were really good. Though my preference is to have some more chunks of macadamia - it was lovely anyway .. and subtly salty. My partner had the coffee flavour and Turkish hazelnut. He said the nuts were a bit chunkier in his and he enjoyed both flavours. Would like to come back for more gelato, but also to try some savoury dishes.