Such a beautifully run restaurant, staff were polite and helpful, food was incredible .. I can’t believe how many times we walked past this treasure of Italian delicacies .. definitely will be going again, could not recommend this place more .. forget Carlton, this place is better.
I hadn't eaten in this place for a very long time but was not disappointed. The place has a modern vibe whilst maintaining the integrity of great food great service and value for money. Fantastic night
Absolutely beautiful pasta!
The service, the food and how cosy this restaurant is will make you feel like you are in italy. Pls order the seafood pasta (the one with the blue crabs) - it was honestly amazing! The staff were really friendly and helped to explain the specials menus and house red was fantastic! Would go again :)
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
Welcome to Aunty Teresas. No not my actual Auntys house (not unless you want to be force fed till you burst).
But rather Zia Teresa.
Dimly lit and quaint, Zia Teresas is the perfect location for your next date night. Rustic italian meals that are all home made that would want to make you blow a kiss into the air as you pronounce "Balllisimo!" 😚
We highly recommend the Rabbit here (tip: say 'Coniglio' when ordering to impress your date). It's tender meat is slow cooked in balsamic viniger, rosemary, sage and sweet and sour wild onion sauce (licking your lips yet?). Couple it with a nice glass of pinot and your in a vinyard somewhere in Tuscany.
What about the service you say? Well the majority of the time you'll find the lovely waitress' who have been perfecting their art here for decades and will make you feel that you really are at your tzias.
Again I say MAJORITY of the time. If you are unlucky enough not to get the regular staff, you may have to settle on the waiter that we got on Friday night who looked more lost then an penguin in the dessert 🐧
We rate this Ristorante 4.5/5
Will we be back? Si
I don’t usually go out of my way to visit Italian restaurants but I came here for a family dinner and was very impressed. The trattoria-style restaurant is cute and quaint and offers a pretty large menu with vegetarian and even some vegan options. The price is moderate-high but you get what you pay for. For vegetarian dishes, the eggplant parm, cheesy gnocchi and rocket salad are all great.
It was an incredible experience eating here. The service was warm and friendly. That alone would make me want to return. Our table had the braised rabbit (their signature dish), lamb from their seasonal specials menu, vegan eggplant parmigiana, and vegan ragu.
Servings are generous so I recommend sharing the appetizers. We also had the grilled vegetables as a starter and words cannot describe how delicious the eggplant was, my partner who normally dislikes eggplants in any form, raved about it. We had to fight for the last piece.
100% would recommend and return again.
Super cute Italian restaurant, perfect for a date. The restaurant is large and provides perfect ambience for a warm night in (there’s even a fire lit in the tea room section of the restaurant).
Entrees here are amazing, I recommend the prawn and zucchini dish as well as the prosciutto platter.
The cocktails, espresso martini and hugo, were sweet and delicious.
Their pastas are super filling and would definitely recommend the shell pasta. Steak here is also done well (not on par with a steak house but still to good quality).
Desserts, tiramisu and lemon tart, were a great combo to finish off the night.
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
A beautiful old gem in the heart of Brunswick. Zia Teresa has been open in Melbourne since 1985 and it’s still serving authentic, high quality Italian cuisine to this day!
The restaurant is cosy, dark and intimate. With lit candles and antique decorations, it has a very romantic vibe to it. Upon arrival we were greeted so warmly by the staff, who took care of us throughout the whole evening.
We started off with a Vodka Illy Espresso Martini and the “Today’s Special Cocktail” which was a Prosecco-style one. The Martini was very strong and sweet, while the Prosecco was light and refreshing. I preferred the latter although both were great!
Our first course consisted of small sharing dishes (Assaggi in Italian). We had the Buffalo Mozzarella and Prosciutto, and the Pan-fried Prawn Cutlets, as recommended by our lovely waiter. The Prosciutto was amazing and the buffalo mozzarella was so creamy. The prawn dish was our favourite! The sauce was sweet and pleasant, the grilled eggplant was amazing and the prawns themselves were so succulent.
Next was the pasta course. We had the Spaghetti Misto Mare (with fresh seafood) and the Conchiglioni Dello Scoglio (shell pasta with crab). The two dishes were very different and both had their own unique flavours. The spaghetti was stunningly presented, and topped with plenty of fresh mussels, prawns, fish, and calamari. A very simple and mild flavour of olive oil which lets the seafood shine! The shell pasta was amazing - 4 large thin pasta shells fully filled with diced crab, prawns and fish! The sauce was very light yet still flavourful and brought the dish together.
For the main dish, we had the Grilled Eye Fillet. It was cooked perfectly medium rare, and the meat was very tender - not at all tough! Absolutely loved the roasted vegetables too which added nice colourful element and freshness to the dish.
Of course, we couldn’t finish without dessert! We had the classic Tiramisu and their Lemon Tart. The tiramisu was gorgeous! The coffee was strong and it had a rich flavour yet still light and creamy. The lemon tart was delicious - the tartness of the lemon went well with the vanilla ice cream. The tart base was not soggy which was great!
Overall, we had a wonderful night at Zia Teresa! Everything was perfectly paced and we did not feel rushed at all. If you’re looking for traditional Italian food then this is definitely the place to go!
Thank you for having us!
This is such a lovely spot to go to in Brunswick to get your traditional Italian food fix! Every dish we ordered was good, that steak was cooked to perfection as well!
Staff were super friendly and attentive. They were really helpful in helping us pick what to order.
Will definitely have to be back soon to try their other dishes (I’ve got my eye on their home made gnocchi)!
Melbourne Lifestyle Blog
+5
The eggplant paccheri is the best past I have had in a long time. The pasta is fresh and al dente. The eggplant is so soft but flavoursome. The tomato sugo is intense, bringing a richness to the dish. It is served with buffalo mozzarella and basil. This dish can also be made vegan.
Stumbled on this place and loved it. Probably 4.5 stars for traditional bistro style Italian food, we loved the roast goat and lamb dishes that were authentic and beautifully prepared. Entree prawns also good but maybe with some more dressing. Don't mistake this place for trendy Italian - it isn't trying to be that - it's much better. Staff were superb. We landed late without a reservation and were made to feel like kings - the staff were professional, polite and on the mark, food arrived in perfect time and cost was where it should be.
Fantastic little place! Expertly prepared meals, lovely atmosphere, authentic Italian experience. We'll be coming back 100%
![5]( "Recensione")
TLDR: an Italian gem - must visit.
Service: Julian was great - Friendly, quick and helpful.
Entree: mozeralla - light, fresh and subtle flavours.
Pasta: pappardelle duck ragu - for once, I actually finished this dish. I order it almost everytime at an Italian restaurant, and it usually let's me down Usually the duck is too tough or hard, or the pasta is not aldente. But the duck here was consistently soft and tender, and the pasta was perfect.
Mains: baked rabbit - the meat was tender (fall off the bone soft), sauce was amazing (sweet, savoury and full of umami notes), crunchy greens and balanced vegies.
Sides: roasted potatoes - not as crunchy as I prefer, but flavours were punchy (full of butter and herbs).
Beverages: Amaretto sour and the Chianti (red wine: both delicious. The Chianti especially.
Value: To be honest, we've paid more and have received much less (in taste, satisfaction, service, serving size) at other places. By no means was it a cheap meal, but very satisfied and happy with the recommendation. A must visit for our next special occasion.
Has been to this place recently. A warm welcome by the staff really made a great first impression. We are 4 and started with 4 different entries. Mushroom arancini and Prosciutto wrapped artichokes and prawn cutlets are best. On the main course side, slow cooked baby goat is succulent and tasted great . After parmigiana, vven baked rabbit and duck tasted ok. Ended with Tiramisu which is yummy. Place is little cozy than how it looks in the pictures. However we really liked the ambience, atmosphere and food.
Six of us went there today for the first time. All the reviews are right. Even a slice of garlic bread is delightful as were complex and sophisticated dishes such as the eggplant palmigana.
We ended up ordering seconds for the two of the mains. A very delightful experience.
Some vegetarians with restrictions had a limited choice.
Even after lockdowns and staff shortages in Melbourne, Zia Teresa has maintained an uncompromised level of professionalism and quality of food. I have frequented this establishment for the past 7 years and its consistency of friendly staff and heartwarming food and drinks is amazing. Thank you for another great experience for me and the family.
Went with a group of 6 and all ordered different pastas. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meals, wines and the affogatos were amazing. Staff were attentive and pleasant. Reasonably priced delicious Italian food.
Stumbled across this little gem and am so glad we did! Food was incredible…simple Italian flavours executed perfectly and service was great too. We look forward to going back again!
Make a reservation
Order online
Find the best restaurant in Brunswick East
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes