One word for this place- ahhhmazing! prosciutto entree,…read morefreshly cut for your delight right before your eyes with their meat cutter. The steak is as delicious as expected. Not cheap but good for an indulgent treat.

If you're a steak lover, this is the place to be. I've…read morerecommended many friends to Esca, all would agree best place for steak. Ps if you order the house chips as a side for your steak, let it cool down. I'm talking a good 5 minutes, it is hot. Many mouths have been warned and ignored, you won't find fresh chips like this. They taste amazing servied with cloves of freshly baked cloves of garlic.

Years after visiting this restaurant I have ventured back last night! I had fond memories of yummy…read morepasta before the days of gluten free diet, but they have plenty of non-offical GF foods on the menu too. I ordered the seafood risotto (with a hint of chilli please) and hubby ordered the variation of surf n turf that way on the menu (Steak with prawns in a creamy sauce, served on lovely veggies). He had a beer and sadly, I didn't have a chinotto, because they didn't have any in stock, oh well! Tables are covered in white paper, space is quiet small but works well with mirrors on the walls. Noise wasn't too loud, which is great. It was fairly busy for a Monday night. So, the servings - MASSIVE! I ordered the main sized meal, not the entree sized and I literally laughed (with joy) when I saw it. The volume of fresh seafood in my risotto was excellent, scallops, big prawns, calamari and other delights were plentiful. And yes, the added chilli flakes were perfect. I ate about half and then requested a container to take the rest with me. Is this okay to do? I do it anyway, I love leftovers so much. The service was quick, but our waitress wasn't overly friendly and tended to lethargically plonk things down heavily, including our meals. I love super friendly service, so this was a bit of a minus. My partner noticed it too and mentioned it to me, and it did change the experience a little for us. She could have just been having a bad day, and that happens! Halfway through my meal, a caterpillar made a break out of my salady-decoration part on the side. Luckily I hate lettuce so I didn't eat him accidentally. I showed the waitress who was horrified, so I put the caterpillar in the garden outside and we paid the bill. We laughed a fair bit afterwards too - although I was surprised that the chef wasn't told about the incident, or if she was, that we weren't offered an apology/discount. Not that I needed/wanted either, but as I spent a couple of year waitressing my way through uni, I know how that situation is usually treated. Overall: The food was excellent value and so delicious! I might return for the occasional meal or takeaway risotto, but I think I won't be a loyal customer, because the service wasn't overly great. Three stars because value and quality of the meals was really good.

Bottom line up front: A really nice meal but a little over priced…read more The Bruschetta for entree was great. Same old topping but this time on a pizza base. Yummy. The calamari was simple and perfectly done. The service was ok. If only waiters in Italian restaurants would pronounce Bruschetta properly...right? I had a medium pizza which was terrific and the veal scallopini was good too. The paper table cloth is literally just butchers paper and detracted significantly. The wines were good, though and, unlike the meals, were very reasonably priced. Despite the expense, I would still come back for another meal. I made a point of thanking the staff in the pizza kitchen on the way out and they were appreciative. In this area, it is the only real Italian option around and I certainly left satisfied.

There are many seafood restaurants in Melbourne, and after digging through Yelp to find the best…read moreone, RST kept coming up, so I finally relented, made a reservation, and jumped in an Uber. As I walked inside, I was taken at how small and quaint this place was. The hostess said, "You must be Cosmo." I laughed and said yes- I must've been the only one to make a reservation that night! There was a small bar as I walked in, and I was guided to the dining room, where there were a few other diners sitting, about half full. I was shown to my table and given a menu. She handed me a menu, and asked if I wanted water, to which I said yes, tap was fine. She left me as I perused the menu, and she quickly returned with water and pointed out the board behind me, which had all the fresh fish and specials of the day. I wanted Lobster, and happily, I saw it on the board. I asked which of the prawn starters was better, and she offered a taste of both! I then ordered a lobster. I ordered green beans on the side. I also ordered a cold beer, which she brought immediately. I was brought a plate of 2 prawns which were both divine, and then another plate with another 2 prawns, and they were divine as well. I am glad I was given the option. And then my main course came, beautifully prepared, large chunks of lobster in the shell. The Green Beans were beautiful, and I must say, some of the best I have ever had! Cooked perfectly, and the almonds were delicious. The lobster was to die for- tender and flavorful, cooked perfectly. I savored each bite. I ordered a nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc with my lobster, and then had a cheese plate to finish. I sat there finishing my wine and enjoying the cheese. What a great dinner! I paid my bill, and all the staff thanked me, and I left, yearning to come back one day. For now, it will be a wonderful memory...

So far the best seafood I have found in Melbourne. Good selection of seafood. Love the pan seared…read morescallops. Very nice atmosphere and not too big. Make sure you book as this place is popular.

There are plenty of Vietnamese and Chinese restaurants around here, so it can be difficult to make…read morea choice. This leads to (for me anyway) repeatedly frequenting the same places and ordering the same shit, which while safe and reliable, isn't actually adventurous. In the spirit of adventure, and given the fact that I'd ogled the ducks hanging in the window here for quite some time, I got a take home Peking duck from here a while back and man it was good. If you couple that shit with some fried rice, you simply can't beat it. Hung Sanh has one of the best window displays (for carnivores that is) on the High Street, Preston strip. I figure, if they're willing to display their produce in full view, it's probably gonna be fresh. I figured right, and now this'll be the place I return to time and again.

Was looking for something different on my last night in Melbourne and this came up when I was…read moresearching. I made my way over to Hardware St which was hopping early-ish on a Saturday night. Thankfully I was able to get a table outside (great area for people watching!) I started with the sambal ray and a glass of champagne. The ray was really good and the champagne wasn't bad for just the house option. For the main course I got the seafood claypot and some of the chili bread for dipping as well as a glass of chardonnay. First, the bad part, the main came out less than a minute after my appetizer. I was mildly annoyed by this, but in the end it wasn't a huge deal since the clay pot kept it piping hot until I was ready to eat it anyway. The bread, couscous, seafood and broth were all really good. I did my best to soak up all of the broth with my bread and in the end I had no chance at finishing the huge helping of couscous. All in all it was a really good meal and I would definitely go back.

The food was fantastic, the atmosphere was amazing, sitting outside in hardware Lane was really a…read morenice place to go have dinner. The wine at Clay pots was awesome! I definitely recommend going and checking it out when you're in Melbourne.

We've dined here a few times now, chasing the memory of the incredible calamari we had on our very…read morefirst visit. That first plate was unforgettable -- perfectly tender with a crisp, light coating that we couldn't stop talking about. Since then, it's been a bit hit or miss with the calamari. My son ordered the kids' calamari on one visit, which wasn't quite the same, and on another visit, we ordered the regular calamari again but the coating was falling off a bit -- still crispy, just not the same magic as that first time. The fish dishes, however, have been consistently excellent. The crispy whole snapper with red curry sauce was hands down my favorite -- beautifully cooked, packed with flavor, and the perfect balance of crispy skin and tender flesh. The whole King George whiting was rich and satisfying, and both the grilled barramundi and baby snapper were fresh and well prepared. Service has been solid on every visit -- friendly, efficient, and attentive without being overbearing. We usually sat outside, which made the experience even better with views of the waterfront and a laid-back, breezy atmosphere. Overall, a great spot for fresh seafood -- when it's on, it's outstanding.

Food was great and the service was good also. I highly recommend this restaurant! The location next…read moreto the Yarra was perfect!

I pass by the other day for casual brunch. Wow what a fantastic sushi I had…read more So fresh and tasty totally satisfied. My daughters love Argo sushi indeed the sashimi was absolutely fantastic.

Argo is fantastic place.!! The best quality fish and Greek restaurant in town, with 7* service…read more Also fresh fish which arrives daily directly from the fish market.!! And Great grass feed beef burgers.!

This is my favourite steakhouse in Melbourne. Extremely friendly staff. Emilio makes you feel like…read morefamily, and goes out of his way to make sure you have a special night. He cooks steak to perfection. As I understand he also cuts the meat himself too. I'd highly recommend the Eye Fillet set, cooked rare. Get the ribs for entree and your choice of dessert. The béarnaise sauce is fantastic with steak, chips and sides. Also, they make an unforgettable coleslaw/cabbage salad. I keep coming back because I love the fantastic food and family-like service!

3 months later I am finally getting around to writing my review for Ivanhoe Tavern Charcoal Grill…read moreSteakhouse. Not sure why it has taken me so long... perhaps because nothing was really SUPER amazing or SUPER bad about this place... for us anyhow. We had a pretty good normal kind of experience here... it was not mind blowing and I think the steak was a little undercooked. Service - very friendly and attentive. Food came out very quick. Bread & Butter beginning course - something in that butter was unique but we could not put our fingers on what it was - it was very tasty. I ordered the Scotch fillet and my friend ordered some the Graziers paddock choice rib eye. We both asked for medium rare. In a very short time the steaks were presented and looked quite good. My main issue was that mine was almost bordering rare (instead of medium rare) and my friends steak (which was ALOT larger) was pretty much rare... they had obviously cooked both cuts of meat for the same amount of time but due to the size of the rib eye that one came out rarer in the end. We both got a mushroom sauce also, I found it to be a little bit too creamy for my liking but my friend loved it and finished mine off very easy. Greek salad and chips were fine. All in all a very filling meal... the hospitality from the chef and waitresses was outstanding. My steak was pretty nice but I think my friends steak was a bit too rare, however he is not really one to complain about food while we are out (his choice I guess) so... I think I'll give 3 starts for this visit :)

Bit noisy win the 'comedian' on stage on a Friday night. Friendly staff and really good all around…read morevibe. I love the real hole in the wall joint that the spot has too, very different from most spots here in Australia. Prices are reasonable for servings, bar prices even more so. Flavour wise, the base is alright, a little watered down from the real thing and not as hearty as the original but still a decent copy as you're able to spice it up with the green or red Tabasco that's provided. I ordered the single crab boil with no chorizo. Staff are great about substitutions as they have a varied menu including vegetarian and vegan options. I'll be back to try more of what's on offer.

This joint gets unconditional praise via social media so naturally I wanted to judge for myself…read more The play by play of my impromptu visit to the Crab Shack is as follows: 1. Parking right out front - any Melburnian would know that this is a first world win considering it's Fitzroy! 2. Restaurant dining area all to ourselves (even though it was peak time) - thanking Stakes Day for this. 3. Servers always greeted you with a smile and also accommodated our request for a candle on our banana split (celebrating a b-day). 4. Ambience is very chilled, no loud music polluting your conversations and the distance between tables is considerate so you don't have strangers invading your personal space. 5. Food was plated quickly and it was a beautiful looking spread. Ironically I'm allergic to shellfish so I had their signature fried chicken with mash and waffles. Final verdict: I gotta say after all the publicity the chicken gets on Broadsheet, Instagram and general word of mouth, I felt that it didn't live up to the hype and I was underwhelmed. Overall I still rate my Miss Katie's Crab Shack experience very close to top marks because I really enjoyed the side dishes like the watermelon salad, fries + blue cheese sauce, cornbread (with actual kernels inside) and the dessert specials! I'm definitely not going to penalise them for my inability to eat crustaceans. My mates raved about the soft shell crab sliders and the seafood broils which was a visual feast itself. Extra points for the trendy bibs!

This place is the best there food is perfect I went there for my mums birthday and my grandfathers…read morebirthday to there Kung pow chicken is so good I love this place so much the service is great the people there are so nice.