Criniti's Ristorante at Harbourside Darling Harbour is one of two restaurants that gets absolutely packed during the typical 'end of the week' nights out. Typically, it's best to get a reservation since you won't even be able to see the front of this restaurant behind the long queue that forms at its entrance. The place has that feeling of old school Italian class with dark stained timber furtniture - except perhaps for the full-sized Ducati motorbike centrepiece propped up on top of the bar. The stand out piece to order is definitely their one metre 'al metro' pizza. It costs about $80 on average to order one, so best to share it. Whether you think it's a novelty or not depends on how far you can stretch your stomach. You can choose up to three toppings on this one, or choose one of their many fantastic combinations - there are more than 39 different varieties to choose from! Definitely make a reservation, especially on these nights out or if you have a group, because this place is popular for dinner parties, not counting normal reservations. read more

This one gets one bubble (star) only because there is no "zero" option. We ordered bruschetta and a bottle of chianti ($50) while we decided on our mains. The former arrived 15 minutes later (acceptable), and the latter arrived 45 minutes later, 15 minutes after our mains. The server poured two glasses without offering either of us a taste and left. After one taste of the wine we asked the server to take it away and remove it from our bill. She returned soon after and said she couldn't remove it from the bill because it was already opened. I asked to speak to a manager and an assistant manager appeared saying the same thing. the manager finally appeared and said the same thing. I told him I would pay for the food but not the wine, handed him cash for the bill and headed for the door, at which point he stepped in front of me and literally bumped his chest against mine and said, "mate, it doesn't work like that. You ordered the wine and now you have to pay for it. If you wanted good wine you should have ordered the $75 bottle." I replied that we didn't like the wine, didn't drink it, and should not have to pay for it. By that time nearly every one in the restaurant was looking at us, and my daughter was crying, so I pulled a fifty from my wallet and paid him for the crap wine (which he no doubt sold to other customers for 18 per glass), and left. The manager was happy to lose me as a customer, and is clearly in the wrong line of work. I will now let social media work its magic. read more

Came here with the family looks very nice and the ambiance is great but every single dish we ordered was terrible including the apps. I wouldn't recommend this place for eating. read more

After reviewing the menu online and liking their selection of gluten free, we made a reservation and headed down. The front is through the mall, although you can walk up the stairs on the harbor side and awkwardly pass people eating to snake your way to the front, too. That's what we did. We arrived about 10 minutes prior to our reservation, and stood in line. There didn't seem to be a hostess in sight. We waited.. and waited.. and waited (everybody in line) looking at each other, silently wondering where the missing hostess was. She did finally show up and sat the people in the front of the line. The next people didn't have a reservation and I feel bad they stood in line for at least 15 minutes to be told hit the road. The person in front of us did have a reservation, however, he also had a very thick accent and the hostess was very obviously annoyed that she didn't understand him, and was downright rude to him. Finally it was our turn, 20 minutes after our reservation time and we were quickly seated outside, under a covered porch. The view was nice, but it was through plastic, so not super clear. The menus are on the table, so we perused and chose what we wanted, but we always check with the staff to make sure that the dishes can be made allergy friendly. Although there were tons of servers running around, none came to our table, at all, for 15 minutes. Not even for drink orders. A girl did finally come, take our order hastily (which is super scary if you have food allergies) and assured us our choices were perfect for our allergies (gluten and dairy for me, dairy and egg for the husband). I ordered a simple pasta dish and the husband wanted try kangaroo, because why not? The food took another 30 minutes (still no drink order) and when it arrived, mine looked suspicious. It's always hard to tell if a noodle is GF or not, however, there was cheese all over, so I knew it wasn't safe. Unfortunately, the girl that brought the meal out wasn't the same one that took our order, so she had no idea how to help us. The poor thing had to run back and forth from our table to the kitchen to check on the husbands order (it looked safe, but since mine was wrong, needed double checking) and I had to send mine back again reiterating I am really allergic to dairy and gluten. She apologized and brought a manager. (and finally got us some drinks). The manager apologized and re-took my order, ensuring it would be made safely (in it's own pot of water, not with gluten noodle water) and he even remade my husbands so we could eat together. Just don't go here. Period. Everybody was in a bad mood, rushing around, ignoring guests and the food was mediocre at best (when it finally did arrive to me correct). There are so many restaurants in the harbor in that strip - I'm sure there is something better. read more

The food was delicious, great value and good sized meals. Lovely atmosphere overlooking Darling Harbour.

So I thought this place was going to be a tourist trap. Don't get me wrong, it totally is but it has delicious food to back it up

Found the whole experience horrible the service the food even trying to pay the bill. Our lamb racks and veges were unbeatable even the child's Mac cheese was uneatable never again will we go or recommend this horrible restaurant read more

Dined with a dear friend here about a year ago, as both of us had young children (1 yr old and 6 months) we found it quite squishy when directed to a table by the waiter with our prams. Food was quite nice and fresh, just be wary if you do have a child that requires a pram to asks for a more open spaced table or a corner table near the wall read more

This place is a bit hit-and-miss. The first time I came here, I thought the food was quite good. We had some pastas and pizzas and they were all pretty tasty. The second time I came I was in a big group and we all ordered one of the set menu options. The food they brought us was well below average. Everything tasted greasy and bland. The third time I came here was with my boyfriend and the food tasted OK, but after we went home both of us had terrible stomach aches. Haven't returned since. read more

This is one of my favourite joints in Sydney, and not just because the food is delicious. The cocktails are always mixed right. Plus, the atmosphere is terrific. read more

The best pizza I've ever had. I've been known to say this a lot, but this time I *really* mean it. The base is chewy and crunchy, just like it should be. Even the tomato sauce is fantastic - I would be quite happy with just tomato sauce on a Critini's base if that was all they had on offer. But they have a substantial range of toppings on offer - and your pizza is measured by the metre. We couldn't quite finish ours so they were more than happy to box the remainder - a pleasant evening was had by all! read more

Good food. Wide selection. Decent wine list. Service was mediocre.

Came here twice during a few weeks in Sydney. First night was a crazy Saturday night approaching grand finals weekend and the place was packed. Then they started fireworks in Darling Harbour and the place went bonkers. The food was good but about 6 different people waited on us, took our orders, delivered food, checked on us etc. which was confusing. Then everything we ordered came out all at once which was even more annoying. However I went back over a week later on a week day and everything was much better including service and even the food. This place has a huge menu with anything from oysters to pizza to BBQ to pasta. Not terribly expensive considering the premier location. Has a nice bar with lots of cocktail choices also. I would go here again if I had the chance. read more

Rubbish service ! My family went there for lunch. We waited more than ten minutes and told the waiters several times but the waiters were always busy. Eventually we had our lunch in another restaurant. read more

Food was ok but service was really bad - first they tried to seat us at a table when our friends with a reservation were already seated then it took over 40 mins to take our order. Too over an hour between courses and very poor service. We basically had to call waiters over several times to clear our table after the mains we were sat there with empty dishes and dirty plates for over an hour. The place was only half full but obviously on a public holiday they only had a minimal staff on. Would not go back. read more

Good food, very fast service! Pizza was very good pasta was OK Service was very sat and friendly Would come back again! read more

Very memorable evening for all the wrong reasons. 6 people Sat evening 8pm. Seated outside on a very cold evening. Heater not working as gas had run out. 1 hour after being seated 1 pizza meal arrived followed by another 4 meals 15 minutes later and the 6th meal arrived once the other 5 had finished eating. Ran out of cold sparkling mineral water. Soft drinks were out of a machine and if you wanted a bottled or tinned drink you had to purchase a 2litre bottle. The scampi were small and tasteless for $59.00 a portion and it left you hungry. Service was non existent and bad attitude was in abundance. I am trying to find a positive to add but sadly nothing comes to mind. read more

I gave this restaurant a try on three separate occassions and was sadly disappointed each time by the lack of service from the waitstaff. One waiter we had couldn't even be bothered to give us eye contact, instead he kept looking away while taking our order and when I asked him to repeat our order (he was mumbling and I couldn't quite see if he had understood us), he became defensive and his English was barely understandable. I understand the novelty of having "authentic" Italian waitstaff but seriously, I'm more concerned with getting my food order correct considering how expensive the food is. The food itself was tasty and no complaints there. The service lets this place down and its a shame because the food is good and the view is excellent from the outdoor balcony. read more

One of THE worst pizzas we've ever had. Have dined here a few times and the pizzas are never the best. It seems no matter which Crinitis we choose we have some issue...be it soggy salads (at Parramatta) or in this case....perhaps worse....soggy pizza! In fact, it was inedible. Had we had more time it would have been sent back. But we were on our way to a show and had already had a long wait (at a not busy time) and quite frankly when we started bighting into wet, doughy pizza bases....we kinda lost our appetites. We did complain, apologies were forthcoming, but the bill presented itself in full despite the fact that 3/4 of our order was left untouched. :-( On the upside, we have had dessert at Crinitis at Darling Harbour on a number of occassions and they are superb. Quite exy, but if you are in a group, order the platter, it's definitely good value then. read more

Criniti's is a great spot located in the beautiful darling harbour overlooking the water! Food is amazing, pizza and seafood would be my fave here. Super busy and crowded over the weekends. Would book ahead! Try the cool cocktails and beer taps too! read more

I was visiting Sydney from the USA and my family and I were starving so we thought we would eat here. The entire restaurant smells like rancid cheese, all of the water glasses on our table were dirty, we reach over to the other table to grab some clean cups and those were also dirty, so thats 8 dirty glasses that they expect customers to use. One cup on our table had lipstick marks and a sauce stain. Disgusting. Aside from the unhygienic dish-ware the food was atrocious. The bolognese nachos were disgusting and had weird white lumpy beans and a horribly smelling cheese melted all over them. Their burgers are bland and dry. The food here is disgusting and the silverware is dirty. Definitely do not eat here! read more

Horrible service no waiter knew what was happening ... or what was in offer. Order a meal and they haven't a clue as to what's been ordered. Rude customer service, no smile just pure attitude. read more

Came here for a friends birthday and we bought a 2 meter long pizza. The pizza was massive (feeding 9 people easily) and tasted amazing, it had 4 different topping on it. The best topping on we had were the Carne amore (which was a meat feast topping) and the Padrino (which was a avocado, sun dried tomato and chicken topping). The restaurant atmosphere was very nice great place to have a meal with a few friends. The only down side to this meal was the staff took forever to give us our bill, we could of walked out I don't think they would have even noticed us. read more

This would have been the worst experience that i can think of as a customer till date. I booked a table for myself on Wednesday night at 7pm (22-08) as it was my birthday and I was away from home but still wanted to enjoy it by myself and one of my friend suggested Criniti's as its has many vegetarian options for pasta and pizza. Reached there at 7.05pm and I had specified that i wanted a table outside as it was too noisy inside and i wanted to facetime my family members. I was so excited as the place was beautiful plus had heard alot about the food. But the staff messed it all up for me totally. When i reached, one of the staff said that there was no table outside but will be available in 15mins maximum. I told him i will sit inside till then and order by the time i get a seat outside. No body attended me till 7.30 even when they had around 10-12 people at floor and i had to literally get up and go to one of the staff to get their attention. The staff apologized and said that he will check on a table outside for me and immediately come in to take my order. After that, he didnt even come near my table and I had 5 different staff tell me that they will take my order but no one did and It was 7.53pm to be exact when I had to stand up and leave as I realized i aint going to get a table nor m i going to get food served on my birthday. This was the worst kind of customer service i have come across. I work in hospitality sector as well and i don't think that's the right way to treat your customers no matter how huge your restaurant is. I had a different view about criniti's but this experience totally messed it up thanks to the staff on a Wednesday night. Really unhappy. read more

The best thing about our dinner at Criniti's tonight was the view from our table in the outside seating area. The inside of the restaurant was so noisy that we requested to move from an inside table to the outside. My companion ordered fettuccine with shrimp which was barely warm when it was served. My gnocchi was served nice and hot. Both dishes were over-salted and only mediocre. The waitress was inattentive but it was very busy. I would not recommend this restaurant. There are many other better choices in the Darling Harbor area. We are visiting from the USA and were very disappointed with the high prices and no bread or rolls served dinner. read more

This place is always busy so make sure you book. They close quite late so be rest assured this restaurant will satisfy your Italian food cravings with ease. The menu is massive! I highly recommend the rib eye steak. read more

Was traveling alone in Sydney and tried to have a meal here. Asked to sit at our near the bar, was sat at a table outside the toilet and ignored by wait staff for 15 minutes until I got fed up and left hungry. None of the staff even said anything to me as I left. read more

Came here for a birthday dinner on a set menu. Definitely was not satisfied. It was a $65pp set menu for 35 people who attended. We were given 2 long tables with 20 on one table and 15 on the other. The amount of food that came out was absolutely horrendous. Each end of the table was given one serving of each food from the entree menu, then we waited for almost an hour before the pasta was served. Mind you, the pasta was still harder than usual in the middle. When the pasta came, serving was only average sized, nothing that would be enough for 20 people. We were given 3 bowls of pasta between 20 people.. Then we still had to wait another almost hour before mains were served...chicken boscaiola and veal Marsala ... Literally served one bowl of each, on each end of the table...I don't know how they though this could feed 35 people for $65 pp. I get that it is a busy restaurant, but if a restaurant is prepared to charge that much for a set menu, they really should try to fill their guests. Quite sure...the amount of food we had, wouldn't have costed them anywhere close to $2200 to prepare. read more

Great food, amazing menu to choose from, but customer service was pretty bad. It was very busy and staff looked a bit run off their feet, but if you're going to have a big restaurant on darling harbour, you'd expect there to be enough staff to be able to still give a reasonable customer service experience, especially given the price your paying. read more

Fantastic option for a group dinner in Darling Harbour. We had 24 people ages 6-50. Enough servers and timely food. Very varied menu. This is not fine dining but good pizza and pasta read more

Crinitti's Ristorante specialises in classic Italian cuisine. They really deliver on this promise by offering sumptuous flavours of true Italian cooking. Also, you'll never have to worry about seating space - it is actually able to seat 480 people. It's humongous size is definitely ideal for any social functions like parties and other large celebrations. The food is also a excellent with its various options. Aside from that, the interior fitout perfectly matches their food selection. When you go inside you almost feel transported to old Italy. This is one good place to have lunch or dinner with family and friends. read more

Absolutely the best italian pizza and cuisine in all of Sydney truly great service and decor, do treat your self and have the tiramisu made fresh every day. I love this place finally a dinning pleasure without course Australians who don't comprehend the service industry ruining your dinning experience. Thank you to the staff and management of this quality establishment. The best food and service in all of Sydney awesome...... The American who left this building because of your stuffiness... read more

Awful service. 1hr wait between ordering and serving our food in an essentially empty restaurant at midday on a weekday. Each of our dishes came out 10-15 minutes apart. Food was very average. read more

My boyfriend and I made a reservation at Crinitis on our last night in Sydney after it was recommended by a family friend. I wish i could review the food but the service was so appalling that we ended up leaving before we were served anything. We were seated 20 minutes after our reservation. Once we were seated, no server came to our table for another 20 minutes. We asked a manager for a server and he just came up and said "What do you want?" with an eye roll. I ordered a bottle of wine and he told us to order everything at once. I told him I would like to enjoy a meal and start with a bottle of wine. He flat out said they have a long wait and would like to flip the table quickly for the next guest. As he was getting our wine, my boyfriend and I decided to leave and spend our money elsewhere. As we got up, the manager came by and yelled at us that we should tell all the rest of the patrons that we think we're better than them, solidifying our choice to leave. Very disappointing experience for our last night in Sydney. read more

F...ing terrible service. Seated for 45 minutes, not even asked for a drink order whilst 15 or more staff walked around doing F.A! Hard Rock Cafe seated, drinks and food in no time! Tasted great too read more