Carboni’s is definitely one of the best restaurants in Ballarat.
The food was outstanding, the limoncello cocktails I highly recommend, the decor reminded me of a high end Melbourne restaurant.
And the service by ( Thai ) Jo was some of the best I’ve had the pleasure to experience.
This place is certainly a treasure and we look forward to returning.
We came as a group of 6 with no kids and were greeted and welcomed warmly to our table. There were a steady flow of people who entered and left throughout the evening. We thoroughly enjoyed tasting Italy in all it's splendour from the fresh seafood fettucine, italian slaw, chilli prawns and gnocchi to pannettoni with ice cream 😋 This placed reminded me of my trip to Salento and around the Puglia region. Highly recommended and definitely returning again and again! You have to get your meal with a side of their amazing Italian slaw with mint and parmesan cheese!
Carboni’s Italian Kitchen pays homage to Raffaello Carboni, an Italian national who arrived on the Ballarat goldfields in 1853. The restaurants' black facade and striking white logo make it a beacon amidst the mostly residential street of Eureka Street. Through the doors, there’s a shiny black Vespa to your right, a statue of David adorning the entrance to the function room, prints of old Fiats and Italian race cars line the walls, a floor to ceiling bookshelf filled with beautiful Italian wines, a portrait of a gorgeous young lass on a Vespa is painted on the gorgeous red brickwork, and a huge variety of Italian goods sits in produce crates mounted on the walls. It’s cosy, classy, eclectic, quirky.. it’s Italian through and through! Read on via the link below.
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If a pub's going to shut its doors then you would want it to be reincarnated into something like this. We started with the arancini and they were absolutely morish, crispy on the outside and loads of flavour from the porcini mushrooms and mozzarella on the inside and they were served with a very nice truffle mayo. For mains it just had to be pasta!! I absolutely love home made pasta and these pappardelle had that perfect al dente texture, the pasta was perfection. The ragu was amazing, that pulled off the bone lamb shoulder meat was melt in the mouth and the salsa verda and parmigiano cheese gave the dish that lovely zing though i would have loved the waitress to come along with a cheese grater and offer to top my meal up with a little more of that fresh parmigiana (that's just to my liking though it didn't really need it!) My friend has the Pollo Valdostana and even though it had nice flavours, the chicken was a tad dry and he thought the prosciutto could have been served crispy to add another dimension to the dish. The service here is very friendly which adds to the atmosphere. Overall a good italian eating experience and an establishment worthy of its fine reputation.
The minute we went in, we were greeted by a smiling and very accommodating staff. The place is very welcoming even from outside. The food was great! My partner, who is usually very critical about restaurant food, went home with a satisfied grin on his face. And the place is child friendly, which is a big plus for me. The ambience is very relaxing. You would really want to come again. And again.
Visited on a Friday night. It was full but service was still prompt and friendly. I had a pasta dish which was excellent. Ravioli seemed handmade and was full of flavour.
A friendly welcome,from the manager and team, into a dining area with authentic Italian items, decorating the room. My pizza was delivered to my table, only a short time after I ordered, by a very friendly and polite waitress. The pizza tasted delicious and although I'd not spend that amount on lunch very often, I do plan to return for a treat. I've yet to try their coffee, which they tell me is the popular brand, Piazza D'Oro. A short-black double shot after another pizza should further enhance a tasty meal. Buon appetito!
I had a wonderful meal at this restaurant. The service was friendly and helpful. The meals arrived in a timely manner. The presentation was excellent and the food was flavoursome. The homemade Gnocchi with Blue Swimmer Crab was excellent. Tiramisu to die for!!
Fantastic traditional Italian for our family of four. Fresh made pasta and pizza. We shared the calamari for entree, had spicy pizza and ravioli for mains whilst the kids split the pollo dish (it was no problem swapping asparagus for broccolini as well ). Deserts were awesome too. We will be back if down this way again.
Got the halfhalf pizza and brocoli salad. This is my second visit here. The first time I got the lamb pizza and rocket salad. The food is great ! No complaints ! The price is pretty high especially for a uni student like myself but the perfect place for a nice dinner out. Not much to complain about, the customer service could have been a little friendlier but it's not like they were rude, also my cup was a bit dirty but they noticed and changed it before I said anything. Definitely will be back when I have the money for a nice dinner.
Had an awesome cheeseburger pizza at lunchtime on a work day. Service was great and really fast, food was delicious so a few days later I brought my partner. Again great service and food, enjoyed the croquettes to start, prosciutto pizza and white chocolate panna cotta.
A fancy pizza experience with delicious food.
Had the shearers lamb pizza and anvil pizza. Thought the anvil pizza was better than the shearers pizza.
Both pizzas were well constructed and the crust was nice. Nice amount of toppings as well.
If I were to recommend a pizza I would go with neither of these options. I think another option would be better.
A nice experience at the Forge. All staff were very friendly - from the moment we walked in until we left, they really looked after us. We ordered Anvil and Butcher and we enjoyed every single bite. The nutella and strawberry pizza was our highlight - nicely decorated and delicious. Highly recommended.
Wow this place is simply fantastic. By far the best pizza in Ballarat. A couple of good beers on tap as well. I had the clap IPA. Ordered the pulled pork pizza and gnocchi and arancini balls. Gahd dayum. The gnocchi sauce was amazing. I dipped the pizza in the sauce and oh mayne. I was in heaven.
Absolutely 10/10 dinner experience, couldn't fault. Food was beautiful and staff were so friendly and efficient! You must try their apple crumble pizza. Definitely recommended!
Wow, this was my fist experience here after hearing so much hype from friends and social media and I'm happy to say that they did not disappoint! The service was great, the food was fresh & hot - I enjoyed every moment of it
Been in Ballarat for over 18 months and it's the first time dining here despite ordering takeaway from them many times already 🍽
We decided to order a feast and it not disappointment
Got ourselves the Pull Pork Pizza, Volcano Pizza, Rigatoni Amatriciana and the Kids Bolognese.
ALL dishes were superb but special mention to the Pull Pork Pizza 🍕 which was out of this world. The Rigatoni was also out of this world and little Daisy loved it as well as her Bolognese.
Worth the experience dining in here and looking forward to dine here many more times later.
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