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!

I expected mediocrity at high prices and I was still disappointed. Prosciutto, calamari and…read morefocaccia were quite nice, however the anchovies had 6 small fillets, no different to store bought anchovies, while the olives had an unprocessed and still bitter olive within. Pizza Diavola was nice, but the Pizza Rustica was bland and heavy, and the veal scallopine had split by the time it had arrived to the table.

They could serve me a plate of plain pizza dough here and I'd be in heaven!…read more We booked for 6:30 on a Tuesday night and to my surprise it was actually quite busy. We were tucked away in a windowed corner, worrying me that we would never been seen by staff. I clearly had nothing to worry about - everyone was attentive, fast and funnily enough, Italian! It took us about 2 seconds to choose our meals. I'm used to going to 90 secondi which has an identical menu. Margherita and gnocchi with 2 glasses of Sangiovese rosé. It couldn't of been more than 10 minutes before everyone was on the table in front of us! Absolutely delicious and the perfect share meal. Once we'd scoffed down the food we opted for the Nutella calzone. GET IT! Don't worry about the rest of the menu. Just get the calzone! It was almost more satisfying than the meal itself! So much chocolate, so so much chocolate and delicious pizza dough and perfect ice cream. It's very big though and can easily be shared with 2-4. It's nice to know there's an authentic pizza place less than 10 minutes from home for something a little different to the takeaway joint around the corner. It's made the regular list.

I watched Woodstock as it came to life just around the corner from our house. Initially I was…read moredisappointed when I realised it was going to be 'yet another pizza place'. Still we gave it a try and we were not disappointed. The night we went it was a warm night and the place was full and almost bursting at the seams. We took one of the few remaining tables outside and watched as a queue began to form with tanned happy couples and families waiting for a seat. We shared a pizza and salad which was enough food for two. The pizza was just as I like it, thin crispy base and evenly distributed toppings. The only downer was that we were unable to order alcoholic drinks as the licence does not extend to the outdoor tables. Woodstock is going to be added to our pizza restaurant rotation!

Enjoyed a beautiful lunch with pizza, eggplant Parma, stuffed olives, pescatora spaghetti and…read moretiramisu. All very good with great service.

Of the two butchers in Nth Essendon, Florence leans more to the traditional Italian than the other…read more A big range or pastas & sauces, frozen fish, cheese, small-goods, and ofcourse lovely dry aged Victorian beef. In winter, its gets very busy because of the Italian pork season where everyone makes sausages at home. This is the time to get really cheap pork meat. Service is excellent. There is nothing these guys wont do for you. Prices are really good compared to major supermarkets, and the quality of the meat is twice as good.

This is a fantastic butcher in the North Essendon shopping area. The staff ae great, freindly and…read morehelpful; I was in there recenly seeking some gravy beef, and one of the butchers got a quarter of beef from the chiller and cut it up for me then and there@ Not as cheap as the market for meat, but the prices are good and the specials are great. They also sell briliant sausages, chops, fee range chooks and a range of other pantry items.

My wood fired pizza Calzone Piccante was all I expected and more. Spicy Pizza with great taste; the…read morespice was well balanced with the fine tastes of the rest of the pizza, yum. The Affogato can be developed further in presentation but the port and port glasses blew me away, long stemmed tulips.

Best pizza I've ever had. Absolutely loved the friendly…read moreservice and relaxed atmosphere.

When writing a review what do you chose to write about? well…read morein this one I guess I will just jump around. There are some really well put together dishes, rather tasty dishes and some that need to be left off the menu. Tasty? the Spaghetti Bolognese!!!! and the Stuffed calamari! (when they have it on special) and MOST of their pizzas! I am NOT a fan of their calamari, but I am a Calamari snob. The staff for the most part are attentive and very good at their job. There are some who do need some fine tuning on their customer service. But over all, this place is worth a visit.

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.

The staff here are Italian and even though I am not, they make me feel like a part of their family!…read more The dining area is nothing special, some of the tables are uneven and there is a large TV that steals your attention, however it is clean and the staff are friendly. The pizza menu is split into two sections; traditional featuring the usual players, and gourmet that includes names such as formaggio di capra and salmone. There are also numerous pasta, meat and seafood dishes. We usually get take away and have had the odd surprise thrown in when we have had large orders! The staff are LOVELY and the owners are always full of enthusiasm and larger than life smiles!

Wonderful warm and inviting, Sam and Dianne make you feels as though you are part of the family,…read morefood is always great!