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    Thirty Eight Chairs

    4.2 (28 reviews)
    PriceyItalian
    Closed 9:00 am - 10:30 pm

    Thirty Eight Chairs Photos

    THIRTY EIGHT CHAIRS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Loud
    Classy
    Outdoor seating

    Recommended Reviews - Thirty Eight Chairs

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    Reviews With Photos

    Dessert
    Chantee F.

    38 Chairs is aptly named for it's limited seating but what it lacks in space it makes up for in authenticity. The staff all speak Italian, know their menu well and make service a top priority. Specials are listed on the wall but if you can't see them from your seat, they will gladly describe them for you, in addition to recommending dishes from the standard menu. There is a decent wine list, most from Italy, some specialty cocktails and a range of aperitifs. Since the trio of cold fish was suggested as an entree, we gave it a go. Beautifully sliced swordfish, ocean trout and slivers of octopus with a light olive oil with complementing lemon juice really brought the seafood to life. Such a simple dish was so delicious. For our mains, we went with the pappardelle al ragu with duck and mushrooms, which my dining companion enjoyed immensely. It was hearty and fulfilling. I had the costoletta di miale, a large cut of pork chop atop mashed potatoes and peas. It was juicy and satisfying. We also shared the Verde 38 salad, which was so large that we didn't finish it all. The dressing was light and the greens were fresh along with orange slices, really tasty. We couldn't help but indulge for dessert on the Affogato Liquore 38, a blend of ice cream which you pour espresso and your choice of liquor over the top. We chose the Amaretto, a silky almond flavour that heightened the experience. I highly recommend this dish, so save room! 38 Chairs is simply a fantastic Italian restaurant with superb customer service and high quality dishes. If you are looking for the perfect place for a celebratory meal, this is the place to go.

    Parmigiana Di Melanzane
    Allyson L.

    Pasta was perfection. There was so much taste and flavour in their duck ragu. That was definitely the highlight for me. Croquettes were very average, and the parmi di melanzane was a little too doughy for my liking. Would've liked to see the eggplant sliced a little thicker, so that the flavours from it could be tasted and the texture from the eggplant could've been acknowledged.

    Yelena O.

    Thank you Gino for looking after 8 ladies today at your beautiful Thirty-EightChairs. We had a fantastic lunch and thank you for recommending the wine - it was delicious and hit the right spot. Your lamb macaroni and burrumandi special is divine and the service is spectacular

    Dessert of the day option (the photo is a little dark but it was really good!)

    This restaurant provided a really nice experience for date night with my partner. One waitress was really helpful for deciding which wine bottle to get and didn't try to push us to the more expensive options like other places have done to us before. We both ordered salads to start and enjoyed the fresh flavors of their creative combos. For the mains, I got the gnocchi and my partner got the spaghetti and we could both taste the difference of the "homemade" pasta rather than "store" pasta. Overall, it was a fantastic meal and the service was excellent (...even dealing with annoying patrons such as the table went to us!)

    Lisa M.

    Loved this place - found it on Yelp and the reviews were right. We got here slightly early for a 8.15pm dinner and we're offered complimentary prosecco, olives and prosciutto - such a lovely gesture as we waited. For dinner we had the school prawns with mayo and then the pasta duck Raghu and the pork and veal spaghetti Raghu - simply amazing particularly the duck. Dessert was the apple donuts which were to die for. All with good wine and even better table service and some great conversation from Gino the owner. I can't recommend this place enough.

    Affagatto

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    2 years ago

    Great food and cool spot. Great service and vibe. Defiantly worth a visit. Decent servings and pretty good menu.

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    2 years ago

    Great place for dinner with family, the menu is just right not too complicated. The Duck Ragu is to die for!!

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    10 years ago

    Bliss. The Risotto was one of the best. All the ingredients in each dish were unbelievable and the menu fantastic .

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    12 years ago

    Perfect for an afternoon sav blanc and an up close and personal afternoon with fabulous company. Casual and classy

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    9 years ago

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    11 years ago

    Fantastic coffee & great authentic Italian service. Atmosphere of this little cafe & restaurant is also great.

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    10 years ago

    The duck ragu was my favorite pasta! I also loved the berry compote dessert! Great service and nice staff! Small and cozy restaurant.

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    Review Highlights - Thirty Eight Chairs

    The duck ragu was my favorite pasta!

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

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    Caffe E Cucina - Yum!

    Caffe E Cucina

    3.9(15 reviews)
    0.1 kmSouth Yarra
    $$

    Caffe E Cucina has to be one of my favourite restaurants in Melbourne…read more I've been frequenting this old faithful when I visit Melbourne since 1996 when I was recommended trying it after a weekend away for a friend's wedding. Caffe E Cucina has stood the test of time, having changed hands during the 20years I've been going there, but the atmosphere is still wonderful, as is the food. Whether it be a visit for a nice lazy lunch with friends or a romantic dinner this restaurant ticks all the boxes. I've been to Melbourne many times on work trips on my own, & feel quite comfortable sitting at the bar with a plate of calamari, & a glass of Pinot Grigio. It might not fall into the category of cheap & cheerful, but it's consistently great. The atmosphere of the restaurant could have you thinking you've ducked into a great little place on the streets of Venice or Rome. It's all things Italian. There's options for seating, upstairs has a privacy to it, there's also little juliet balcony spot for two upstairs, if you're trying to impress someone special. Street side seating on Chapel St for those wanting to enjoy the outdoor atmosphere of Melbourne, or there's inside on the main floor. My favourite place to sit is inside downstairs, where it all happens & you see the coming & going, & can see the staff making drinks & coffee's behind the bar exchanging friendly banter Italian style. ;-) Start with a glass of prosecco & get in the mood, transport yourself to Italy for a few hours.. Specials are written on the chalk board on the wall, as well as old favourites that are hard to pass by. My favourite of course would have to be the calamari. Caffe E Cucina has the reputation of having "the best" calamari & I have to admit I crave it & when I finally have it, I savour every last mouthful. Light, soft, tasty.... nothing chewy about it. It's how all calamari should be in my eyes. They know what they're doing. It can be entre size, but I feel like it's never enough, so my recommendation would be to have a main plate of the calamari to serve amongst two as a starter. I love the rocket salad on the side to share as well, light & delicious, whether on the side when having pasta or the calamari you can't go wrong ordering this. The pasta's are great, & consistent, the flavours are all balanced just right, not too heavy, & the sauces just coat the beautifully cooked pasta just right, & will leave you wanting more. I've been fortunate enough to experience risotto at it's best here too. Having been tried a few different specials over my times here, one was a Granny smith apple one that I can't even begin to describe & alway hope to see it on the menu again. I had a beetroot & goats cheese risotto recently that was delicious, silky & full of flavour. There are also many great mains, but honestly my favourite meal here is some calamari, a side of rocket salad, & a bowl of pasta, a glass or two of wine.. followed by great coffee & perhaps share a desert to finish off. The deserts & coffee are great. Tiramisu is of course on the menu & great. It's a little on the spendy side, but I enjoy it, so find it worthwhile. After all, a couple of hours in the heart of Italy through the doors at 581 Chapel St is always something I look forward to when in Melbourne.

    Probably one of my all time sentimental favourites - I feel like Caffe E Cucina could be on some…read morelittle back street of Paris or Rome. Maybe just behind Piazza Navona? But filled only with locals, no tourists, hehe. It is JUST LIKE the classic little restaurants you would find in those archetypal European cities that serve you all your favourites perfectly executed. The decor is lots of brass and wood with an art deco feel; handsome Italian waiters scurrying about to tend to your requests. It's very small and cosy and so authentically European and chic. Not trendy. Go somewhere else for trendy. This isn't it. Think upscale and traditional. I had the Spaghetti with Vongole... it hit the spot. Then the affogato for dessert. Flawless. Another to add to add to my list of Melbourne favourites. Cannot imagine returning and not having a meal here. I would eat here all the time if this was in Sydney, especially when I was yearning for a little slice of Paris and Rome. *sighs wistfully*...

    Photos
    Caffe E Cucina
    Caffe E Cucina
    Caffe E Cucina - Salmon, pasta vongole & veal.

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    Salmon, pasta vongole & veal.

    Tipo 00

    Tipo 00

    4.3(76 reviews)
    4.2 kmMelbourne
    $$

    We were looking for a restaurant that was less touristy than many of the others along the laneways,…read moreand we came upon Tipo 00 so we made a reservation. We're glad we did! Here's what we noticed: - It was difficult to get a reservation at prime dinner hour, so we opted for a 3:30 PM late lunch/early dinner which worked out perfectly for our schedule. - The place overall has a great vibe, good music, and it is pretty small. - There were some really interesting drinks and good wines to choose from...we went with wine since we had other plans later that evening. - We decided to start with the salad with pear and honey, and then my wife and I split both the black squid ink pasta, and the special pasta that had Moreton Bay Bugs. The salad was incredible perfectly dressed... Having it first gave us away as Americans for sure, but it was perfect. The squid ink pasta was every bit as good as everyone said in reviews, and so was the special pasta. - Service was great, not overbearing. They even brought us some extra bread so we could sop up the sauce from our pasta. Bottom line: There are so many great restaurants in Melbourne and Tipo 00 is right up there and should be on your "to try list".

    Sat at the bar and enjoyed wine, complementary focaccia, an appetizer of fried zucchini flowers,…read morethe tortellini for our entree then their house brownie tiramisu for dessert. Delicious meal from start to finish, excellent service and one of the best Italian meals we've had. Highly recommend.

    Photos
    Tipo 00 - Sitting at the Bar is so much fun !

    Sitting at the Bar is so much fun !

    Tipo 00 - Brownie Tiramisu

    Brownie Tiramisu

    Tipo 00 - Tipomisu

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    Tipomisu

    Rossini - Rossini in Malvern

    Rossini

    4.0(5 reviews)
    3.6 km

    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.

    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).

    Photos
    Rossini - Zabaglione, hot and frothy.

    Zabaglione, hot and frothy.

    Rossini
    Rossini - Caprese salad ... Looks better than it tasted.

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    Caprese salad ... Looks better than it tasted.

    Thirty Eight Chairs - italian - Updated May 2026

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