Thank you to the Zia Teresa staff members who looked after our table of five on the night, and to…read moreLinda whose help was much appreciated. We had a wonderful night with every dish ordered a hit! Delicious

When you seek an authentic Italian meal, Zia Teresa never let you down…read more The staff are efficient, friendly and knowledgeable. You always feel as though you're visiting someone kitchen, it oozes warmth and comfort. From what I understand the lady that runs the kitchen and cooks is that same person that started the business, her daughter runs the floor. Great selection at the bar too. I've told so many about Zia and they too have never been let down.

Great provincial Italian fare expressed through a modest menu. Seasonal produce from the family…read morefarm. Ask the proprietor about the name. Apparently 1889 is the year Queen Margarita went to Naples. The locals made a tomato, cheese and basil pizza. Many good things happened, especially if you like Margarita pizza. The gluten free pasta is just like the real deal. Very close to Edinburgh Gardens if you want take out.

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!

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!!

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.

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!

How can so many 'right's' add up to a 'wrong'? The Stone Mill has so much going for it -- the…read morerustic atmosphere is charming & comfortable, the menu is chock full of selection, the specials are difficult to choose from, & we were greeted with warmth & attentiveness. So why did my evening here go so wrong? In all fairness, we came in off the street in the mood for a nice pizza, & by all appearances this would really fit the bill. The selection threw us a bit, & it took us a while to decide. The owner/hostess was very gracious in detailing the specials, & my partner was persuaded in giving the pasta with prawns a go. But when the frutti de mare pizza failed to persuade me off the regular menu, that's when everything changed. None too pleased, & in fact demonstrably offended, the owner effectively stomped off & didn't even look at us again for at least 20 minutes. Tables - plural - arriving after us received bread & their meals before we saw another fly by, & half an hour later we were told "it's on its way..." All in, the meal was delicious, the presentation lovely, The Stone Mill delivers here. But the fundamentals of service are woefully absent. Don't put it on the menu if you don't want to serve it, & don't make me feel unwelcome when I decide to order it. I may forget what I ate here, but I won't long forget upon ordering it how I was made to feel. It may be your restaurant, but when I take a seat, it really is all about the customer. I honestly can not say I would recommend the Stone Mill to anyone, & I am very unlikely to return.

The service is extremely friendly from all the staff. The decor and ambience is warm and relaxed,…read morethere's not too many tables so you always get their full attention. The food can't be faulted, it's traditional Italian home cooking. The pasta is unmistakably, genuinely home made. There is a variety of dishes from pasta, pizza, risotto and main meals e.g chicken, pork, seafood. When you call for TAKE AWAY don't forget to ask about the specials, as there are a lot and they all sound irresistible. We're hooked and we'll be back. Yum yum. It's also, good for kids, bike parking, they take cc and they have a large selection of wine and beer.

AMAZING GEM ON SPENCER AND LaTROBE STREET CORNER Foglia di…read moreFico is arguably Melbourne's best Italian restaurant. Sophisticated service in an intimate environment with dishes that are cooked to perfection. Pastas and breads are all made on site. The sourdough is a must! Staff are very attentive without being intrusive and the dining room is set out in a way that gives you your own space. Noise level is very low.

This Italian gem charmed me instantly with its cozy, intimate atmosphere. It's so small with wall…read moreto wall wine. The seafood pasta was perfection--fresh, flavorful, and cooked to the ideal texture. I love a solid Italian spot, Every detail, from the friendly service to the authentic decor, made it feel like a slice of Italy in Melbourne. If you're craving heartwarming Italian food, this is the place to go.

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!

Locale pulito e cibo italiano di buona qualità. Eravamo in…read moretre abbiamo preso due bistecche T-Bone piú insalata ed una pizza. Finalmente abbiamo trovato una pizzeria che fa una buona pizza nei sobborghi di Melbourne, la carne molto buona e cottura "medium rare", esattamente come richiesta. Siamo rimasti abbastanza soddisfatti. Un gran bravo ragazzo il proprietario Antonello.

Pizza is that great slightly burnt and puffy wood-fire variety, with some simple but delicious…read moreingredients. Big fan. Service is a lot less impressive. Website says there are two sittings and we booked for the second one, only to have to wait over 30 minutes outside when we arrived on time. Every 5 minutes they told us it would be another 2 minutes... It was only because we continually popped our heads in to ask for an update that they begrudgingly prompted a table from the first sitting to finish up. I don't blame the other diners - its likely they were not made aware of the two sittings rule - but don't advertise such a thing if you're not going to stick to it. No apology was made when we were eventually led to our table. Staff generally seemed to spend most of their time sitting down chatting with the family and friends who seemed to make up half the patrons. Great fun for them I'm sure, but the lack of interest in other patrons is obvious. Back to positives - and they have both a wine list with decently priced nice drops (quite a few good $35 bottles) and an unadvertised $10 corkage fee if you want to bring your own.