We enjoyed our first trip to Cirelli & Co. the food was lovely. Unfortunately, the service was a…read morebit underwhelming. My husband and I ordered a panzerotti to share as an entree. My husband ordered the gnocchi sorrentina special as a main and I ordered the mussels from the shared plate menu which I wanted as a main. The waitress didn't write down our order but confirmed which dishes we wanted brought out when. We weren't surprised when the dishes were not brought out in the correct order because she didn't write it down!!! The panzerotti and gnocchi came out together and I had to ask for my mussels to be brought out. The owner/manager was apologetic and offered a free drink which was lovely - the offer was not honoured and we were charged for all our drinks. Oh and 3 of my mussels were not open upon cooking but were served to me anyway, very disappointing. In terms of the fitout, the tables are extremely small and difficult to share dishes on. I'd go here again but I'd keep my order simple.

A beautiful little restaurant in Brunswick West with an intimate rustic feel. The menu is short and…read moresweet which I think is great, not overwhelming with choices but rather dishes that have been perfected. The food, authentic Italian, the truffle risotto is to die for. The regular specials are always a good choice. The mussels in the bread bowl, yummm! Desserts are absolutely delicious however a dairy free / gluten free option would be great for those intolerant. For those not in the mood for too much the antipasto platter is divine and some beautiful imported wine to choose from. Amazing host and very friendly staff. Highly recommend and one I will definitely return to.

I went here for my birthday with C and a couple of friends. I wanted to go somewhere a bit classy…read morefor my birthday and I love Italian food. C and I had been to DiMattina's once before for a Saturday lunch on Lygon Street and we had enjoyed the meal. We enjoyed my birthday dinner too although I am a bit hazy on the details as we started with cocktails and then had some more drinks. And I had a very good time on my birthday, sated on delicious pasta and desert. I must note that the place can become very crowded and loud on Saturday night - our table was probably contributing to the noise level. The sound bounces around off all the hard surfaces and my chair and the table were wobbling. It is also difficult to have quality service under these conditions although our waitress tried. No complaints but then for my next birthday dinner I choose somewhere quieter where we can have a good conversation. But then maybe this is just post-birthday blues; I'm getting so old, complaining about the noise level.

I went home last year with my husband and brother-in-law and Dimattina's was the last meal we had…read morebefore flying back to the US. We loved it! It was recommended to us by a family member and it was a surprisingly great recommendation. We started off with an amazing seafood platter. I don't remember what I ate, but I remember what my brother-in-law ate - gnocchi zuca with pumpkin puree, sage and leek - it was delicious!

Food was awesome, although the Focaccia was a bit on the saltier side for my taste. Service was…read moregood, too. The inside is spacious. But, beware of going to their WC or Bathrooms as you have to climb several steep steps to get there.

We were looking for a place to have brunch on New Years day and I suggested Carlton Espresso,…read morehoping that it would be open but it wasn't unfortunately. Donnini's was one of the rare joints opened so we decided to eat there. They were only serving lunch so we both went for a pasta dish. I had the Veal Ravioli, which was quite nice. The place itself is alright, not bad. It's conveniently located on Lygon Street in the thick of the Italian quarter. There's seating inside and outside. In terms of food, the pizza is apparently very good but that'll have to be for next time. Overall, it was ok although we felt rushed through our coffee after we finished out meals. I have a feeling that (and I hope that I'm right about this....) it was because of New Years and they were trying to max out on lunch covers but I found them to be quite rude refusing to serve people who were only after a coffee and rushing us after we'd eaten by bringing up the bill quite quickly before we'd asked for it.

I took my 70's Uni friend from Sydney there yesterday. As I…read moreusual I had a bottle of my red with me: and was attracted to their daily window special "Osso Buco" and and we went in after their 'spruiker' said "NO Corkage charge": as expected the staff and service was very good, even got a brief upper shoulder massage , although the Osso Buco really wasn't: I think we got the last servings, having arrived around 8.30pm: there was no marrow as expected in the bones and the meat was starting to dry out: That said, I'm happy to go again and try out their 'beef and reef' or "Scaloppini Kilpatrick"

Borsari is easily the prettiest Italian restaurant on this tourist chocked strip of Lygon Street…read more The neon cyclist on up on the corner of the building is an icon to fans of lycra, and as such cyclists flock here and to Borsari's Cycles next door on weekends. Bosari's menu is like an A to Z of Italian food - it's really too long. That said, if you know what to look for you can uncover some real gems, like the Tower of Pisa (layers of strawberries, cream and biscuits), the Tornados alla Valdostana (an eye fillet with mushroom, ham and cheese on top) and the Penne Con Olive e Carciof. However, there is an awful lot of ordinary dishes to sort through before you strike gold. One of our party had the Fettucine Salmone and another the Spaghetti Marinara, both of which were quite tasteless. Sitting outside on the corner is a great spot to soak up the atmosphere, and the service was good, which I expected given Bosari's is more expensive than its neighbours. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to come here again, but it wasn't bad. Note - they have a separate children's menu if you're eating with kids.

Oh DOC you never disappoint. Had to try out the newish one at Albert park which is close to home…read more Started off with a salumi board which came with a beautifully smoked mozzarella that was delectable. The cured meats selection, San Daniele prosciutto, mortadella, bresaola and pancetta were all fresh and delicious paired with some rustic Italian bread drizzled in olive oil. We then proceeded to share a pizza, the daily special which combined prosciutto, fig and Gorgonzola. It was cooked to perfection and the pastry so delicious I didn't want to miss a mouthful. The rocket, parmesan and pear salad . Although just a side was amazing with a special honey dressing. Have to say can not wait to go back. Even though it was hot the courtyard was well shaded and pleasant. The salumi board is definitely a good option for the summer weather.

Their pizza tastes just like it does in the Michelin pizzerias in Naples except the buffalo…read moremozzarella on top is cold? Can't imagine why you wouldn't bake that too. It's half the size and twice the price of other great pizzas in Melbourne. If you're in the top income tax bracket, Go here. You might need more than 1 pizza, though. Also, these types of pizzas need to be eaten immediately, so forget takeaway.

RATED "...FAMILY RESTAURANT WITH DELICIOUS AUTHENTIC ITALIAN CUISINE..."…read more We don't usually go out for Italian food - having an Italian heritage means you never quite enjoy the experience - you've always got the almost genuine article to compare it to - Mum's lasagna al forno, Aunty T's home-made pane di casa, Cousin J's torta alla ricotta and it goes on...... So... it is with real pleasure... that I announce - a NEW FIND - CHIARA CUCINA ITALIANA in Kealba [St Albans]. We booked a table for six, for last night, and just hoped for the best... We knew, almost immediately, we were onto something pretty damn good, as we watched the BIG dishes of STEAMING BEAUTIFULLY COOKED, and SMOTHERED WITH HOME-STYLE SMELLING and LOOKING SAUCE, EXTRA WIDE PAPPARDELLE being carried to other tables... The PIZZAS also... LOOKED and SMELLED DIVINE... Hey...!!! We all thought... We're in for a good feed tonight...!!! WE WEREN'T DISAPPOINTED... Between us we had the folowing dishes... Entrees: SOUP OF THE DAY - CAULIFLOWER - Huge serving.. Huge flavour.. Creamy.. Smooth.. GARLIC & OREGANO PIZZETTA - Crisp thin dough.. Fresh garlic.. Lots of oregano.. Good olive oil.. ITALIAN SAUSAGE - Spicy pork salsicce, sliced.. Good tomato salsa.. Fresh white cheese, crumbled.. Scooped up and eaten with pane di casa bread.. Mains: CHICKEN PARMIGIANA - Thick chicken breast.. Napoli sauce.. Fior di latte mozzarella.. Fat rosemary chips.. Well-dressed very fresh rocket salad.. CRUMBED VEAL - Thin slices tender vitello.. Sweet and sour peperonata.. Fresh crisp cabbage and caper salad.. SAUTEED CHICKEN - Thick tender chicken breast.. Tomato and pancetta sauce.. Sweet potato mash.. Olive oil and lemon dressed greens.. Desserts: PANNACOTTA - Beautiful.. TIRAMISU - .. Water to table: Not chilled.. but it was filtered.. AND was poured.. We wanted to end with coffee - Smelled wonderful.. tried hard, couldn't fit it in...... next time.. Re Service: Friendly.. Efficient.. Energetic.. Loved that after each course, they would ask if everything had been okay... Yes... everything was much more than okay... except for two things - and I must be honest - not quite enough desserts on the menu.. and the Tiramisu was a little disappointing... Honestly... this didn't really matter on the night - we'd been overwhelmed by the flavours of the savoury food... Re Ambience.. Look it's not stunning visually - It's a very good.. very clean.. traditional type.. family friendly eatery.. BUT they do have thick white cotton cloths, contemporary table-ware.. and last night.. fresh white lilacs on table.. Thoroughly enjoyed this meal... Will definitely visit again... BEST BIT - We had Groupon Vouchers x 2 - The meal was an absolute steal... and included a complimentary glass of very drinkable pink moscato or a house dry red...!!! [Our gratitude and thanks..] REGULAR PRICES - Fair considering both QUALITY OF INGREDIENTS and PORTION SIZES.. Visited on Friday 23 October for Dinner with family and friends.

Came here for dinner and the room is packed. Everything is delicious, seafood is fresh, pasta is…read moregreat. All the staffs are very friendly and have a sense of humor.

Amazing app of mussels..... large. Meaty. Zesty sauce…read more The house Cabernet was dry and perfect. Nice price point at A$33/bottle My wife had Gorgonzola gnocchi & I had calamari over spaghetti. Both were excellent.

Well, it happens that lots of my friends really like this place, though it turns out that I'm not…read morereally in all that agreement with thing. I guess it may have something to do with not being a huge fan of chicken, but I still eat it. I guess the other thing was that I found the burgers to be, well, not all that good. I guess they were just a little to dry for me, and the chips were definitely not all that great either. Honestly, I pretty much pass on this one these days.

FAT was much better than I expected! I'm pretty fussy when it comes to the whole fried chicken…read moreexperience & they did not let me down. All of the fried chicken options comes with one side included - we ordered original fried chicken + fries & hot wings + mac & cheese & a gravy boat to dip our fries - so, all the healthy options. The original was three generous pieces of chicken (breast & thigh) & we got 6 spicy whole wings (wing + drum). The coating was really tasty for both flavours with a good level of spice for the hot wings & the chicken inside was succulent & perfect. The fries were awesome - whatever seasoning they have is excellent (but may be a bit salty for some). The Mac & cheese was good - initially I thought the flavour was lacking but that may have just been compared to all the big chicken flavours. Apart from fried chicken FAT do a solid range of burgers & there are a few salads on the menu (coleslaw, potato salad, chop salad), but this is a fast food joint at the end of the day so don't arrive expecting a healthy experience! It's called fried & tasty after all!! I'll be eating salads for the next year but next time I need a fast food hit I know where I'm headed!