Review Cafe Marcella - Brunswick

My partner booked a table for Valentine’s Day Feb 14, closed on arrival. Thought we’d give them a second chance via Uber eats. Food is disgusting. Pasta covered in oil and low quality ingredients and the the garlic bread was revolting - garlic granules stuffed in the middle of the bread so you get a mouthful of garlic and then a mouthful of bread. Do not eat here. Poor service, they never got back to my partner about accepting his booking and being closed. Horrible food. Eat elsewhere.

The ambiance is great for a group dinner. Excellent customer service. The barramundi dish is superb. We had a great time, we will be back!

Pizzas not quite the same quality since new owners took over, sometimes ingredients not as generous or pizzas not quite cooked enough. Still a go-to place for nice meals, but not as excited to order from here as we once used to be.

A quick check of the area for Italian food revealed Café Marcella. We arrived with a parking spot fortuitously waiting for us right outside. It was a quiet day and the staff were only too happy to welcome my companion and I. We perused the menu and ordered. I had a vegetarian pizza and a Greek salad while she had the lamb shank, which came with mashed potato and asparagus. One small issue is that it would have been helpful if they had have mentioned that the lamb already came with mashed potato as she ordered an additional plate of it. The salad was delicious and the pizza was well prepared, though quite mild in taste. The serving sizes are quite small too. Aside from that, we had an enjoyable meal with a decadent slice of cake for dessert. Add a coffee and an orange juice and the meal came to around $100.

As a Canadian, I enjoy Hawaiian pizza and cafe Marcella delivered on flavour and taste. The pizza was cooked in a timely manner. The server was so kind and quick to serve us. The cost for this pizza plus a long black and latte was just under $25. Overall an excellent experience. I will return and I recommend you give it a shot. I am excited to try other things on the menu as their burgers are only $12.50.

Delicious, high quality food, really lovely service, a great ambient atmosphere and very reasonable prices! Would love to come back here. Great lunch place, dinnertime options are pretty standard pub style meals. Came here with a group of 5 and they were happy to split the bill.

Service was great and food was well priced. Food had good flavor and the portion size was reflective of the price. One thing I could fault was the music was not suited to the venue and the staff would have to skip songs constantly.

This place was very clean. Had no staff two people running the place. Girl was waiting on table and making pizza. Boy was cleaning and ready to close for the night. Told we had to be out by 8 pm. Couldn't have coffee they had no milk. Bad services.

Fantastic service very attentive staff,there were 20 of us and meals were quick and tasty x Great atmosphere definitely recommend a visit for others x

I went here with my mum and sister and can honestly say it is one of the best places I have had dinner at. The service was 5 star and the food was amazing. The place it’s self has a very comfortable and easy feel to it Will definitly be going again.

Amazing service very friendly! Amazing food and drinks !! A place that feels classy but homely because of the friendly staff :)

Friendly service, BYO, reasonably priced food that is reliable and occasionally spectacularly good.

Friendly staff, breezy air from the windows, nice and clean, great pizza, chilled sparkling wine, for two only $52. Great value

The service was fantastic the food was presented well , hot and tasted excellent. Thank you we would highly recommend a visit.�

We enjoyed a lovely meal at this restaurant on Friday for dinner. Service was great, we found them very responsive to all our requests. I loved my main which was Veal Masala. We will definitely be back soon. Keep it up and don't lose focus. 👌👍😊

Amazing food! Really friendly and chatty table service. Beautiful chicken fillet in horseradish sauce with golden potatoes and fresh veg. Great European atmosphere. ��

We arrived and waitress let us quickly know that with a groupon voucher we couldn't order ribeye or porterhouse. Shattered as this was a main reason we bought this voucher. I pointed this out to her that there was no mention of this in fine print..only the seafood and pork belly.. She agreed to honor this but changed her tune and was extremely RUDE... Made us feel like we had ripped her off.. Steak came out and it was soooooooo dry. Almost unedible!!!!!! Wont be ever going back here again.. Shame as place looks very nice and has potential. One female waiter was lovely.. Very disappointed !!!!!!

Fantastic pizza. Awesome wait staff. Thoroughly enjoyed it 👍

Good food and service. A wide range of food types and a spacious and well located business.

Amazing food friendly atmosphere and excellent customer service we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Spaghetti bolognese was delicious, if slightly salty. My friend's spaghetti ragu was also good, however the meat was a little overcooked. Still, great food. ❤

Take away carbonara had about 3 pieces of bacon in it and looked and tasted like a pile a slop. The good thing about competition is I can go somewhere else next time.

Great food, great atmosphere, friendly staff & you can take your time, not rushed out the door! Love it, I'll be back often

Spent 3 weeks in Australia in 2014. Was the best meal I had for the whole trip. Thank you!

Ordered the Lemon Pepper Calamari and it was amazing! The portion was great and the calamari was grilled and crumbed to perfection! The veggies were also really generous! In terms of flavour, it was perfection and the portion was great!

Had high hopes for this restaurant after hearing good reviews but unfortunately my hopes were crushed, it seems as though they have changed owners since I last heard the rave about it. Food took a while to come and there was many complaints from everyone who I ate with, I ordered the scallops which were quite small and more of a starter than a main meal which was disappointing, the chicken fajitas were very spicy and came with only 1 piece of bread?? The smoked salmon pizza was quite dry with it being normal salmon cooked with the pizza not added after like traditional, the other bad side was you have to order a side salad or chips witch your $25 snapper fillet, really disappointed with this one..

Very friendly and charismatic staff. Could sell ice to an Eskimo. Helped us to evenly distribute the wedges and kept our thirst quenched. Who could say no to bottomless sour cream?

was aiming to get pasta but enticed by the pizza. had a couple of vege pizzas and coffee - pizza base was thin, had a nice crunch and loaded with ingredients. service was lovely, polite staff. the coffee really fell flat though, that is actually the 1 mark down. a strong coff would have complemented the pizza but hey, thats not their specialty. unpretentious food in oddly cosy atmosphere on syd road. good for a late dinner where you can chill, chat and eat

Very attentive and friendly staff who make an effort. <br/>Good fast service. <br/>Food was fresh, tasty and hot!<br/>Lovely atmosphere - very cafe but suited us fine. <br/>Definitely recommend. First time here, we will be back. Thank you!

We ate here on a Friday night, and my companions loved the place and the food. I thought it lacked warmth and my scaloppine fungi was rather tasteless. :-(

Enjoyed the meal , the Antipasto platter was enormous. Great selection to choose from on the menu. Look at the daily specials and try something from the dessert selections.

Pretty disappointed with the food portioning. <br/>Presentation wasn't bad but I needed a Maccus run afterwards to fill me up. <br/>Probably would pass next time around.

Convenient half way point in meeting friends from Preston, after a bit of research decided something on the menu here to please most. For starters, chose the Arancini and the Camembert. The Arancini were a delight, golden and crispy on the outside and soft and cheesy on the inside served on a bed of Napoli sauce. The serve was very large and easily could have shared it. However the deep fried camembert was disappointing in terms of value, around the same price as the arancini but only 2 pieces of cheese and loads of bread. For mains, two of us chose the Pork Belly and when it came out it was obvious it was burnt, one side of the pork Belly and the crackling was charcoal. How could the chef send out burnt meals? It was a shame because the flavours were there, beautiful parsnip puree, fig jam, and stunning pomegranate salad with a delectable jus. We were disappointed in the burnt bits but need to state we ate all of it except for the crackling and the wait staff were very proactive in seeking feedback which was appreciated. On paying the bill, the offer was made not to charge for the 2 Pork Belly mains and the owner and staff made it clear it was unacceptable for those meals to be served, the passion and care for customers really showed. Will we be back, yes because the menu is extensive and impressed with the service, flavours and the outcome.

We ordered delivery. First sign of trouble was the delivery company calling to apologize due to the restaurant running 30+mins late. Order received and was cold, inedible, rubbery and for $27.50 a main far from value (see photo). Expensive lesson, meals thrown in the bin. I'm sorry to say we will never eat there again.

Serving Italian food with a twist along Sydney Road in Brunswick, Cafe Marcella offers breakfast, lunch and dinner in a contemporary and relaxed venue. Taking over the site more than a year ago, owner Simon has transformed the venue and its menu into something that entices people searching for modern Italian food further north of the city.

Absolutely love coming here. This is by far my favourite cafe/restaurant in Brunswick. The food is always fresh, delicious and full of flavor and their service is excellent. If you go there for pizza, try one of their Gourment-Pizzas. The one with pumpkin, goat-cheese and pinenuts is my favourite! But not only their pizzas are delish, I love their Marinara pasta just as much :) And if you feel like something sweet try one of their mouthwatering cakes (Check-out their coffee and cake deals). I will be back soon to try your weekend-breakfast. I had a look at the menu already and I can't wait to try one of those yummy dishes! :)

Best place to dine-in. Hungarian waiter was the best one me and my partner have ever seen. Pizza is well prepared. It was one of the best pizzas I've ever had if not the best! Service was amazing! They were just about to close when we walked in and they were still happy to serve us with a smile on their face (not only the Hungarian one, but everybody that were there). Definitely a place that I would go often! Thank you guys! Everything was amazing!

While much fine-tuning is still needed to perfect their newly launched breakfast menu, the produce utilised by Cafe Marcella was fresh and of good quality, and the execution was perfectly serviceable for the most part.<br/>All in all, it was a tasty, though not overly-creative breakfast menu that’s bound to satisfy. We eagerly await Cafe Marcella to slowly perfect their execution of the breakfast menu over time, and the introduction of more innovative and adventurous items.

It's sometimes hard when a new business takes over from a well established one - Marcella's is doing just fine.<br/>Last night I had the pasta marinara, with gluten free penne (at my request). It arrived at the table laden with silky smooth pieces of calamari, fish, scallops and topped with perfectly cooked prawns and mussels. I kept eating even when I was full, it was that delicious. I wish I could have tried it as chef intended with spaghetti but the gluten free penne was pretty good too.<br/>I'll be back to try a gluten free pizza!

Have dined here several times in the last year.  The food and service has always been excellent.  Last Sunday I hosted a largish family gathering comprising 9 adults and 7 children. Pastas, Pizzas were superb.  The waitresss attending to us was friendly and super efficient.<br/><br/>I have enjoyed several long lunches at Marcella with groups of friends who come from all over Melbourne.  We keep coming back!

Cafe Marcellas extensive menu with high quality food is bound to cater to everyone's needs. An intimate vibe despite being a huge restaurant. Pizza and pastas are great as well as extensive entrees and salads which are all presented beautifully! The eggplant chips for entree are an absolute must! Service is great and coffee is good too! They also just launched a breakfast menu too which is super yummy!

My pizza was a sloppy, fatty mess!! <br/>I picked up a slice and all the toppings just slid off.. <br/>YUCK - Will not be recommending to anyone

Stopped in for Friday night takeaway after having food delivered from here through UBEReats a few weeks ago. Ordered a couple of traditional pizzas (nothing fancy) and a plain pasta dish for the kids, who loved it. The toppings were fresh and generous, and the base a good thickness and not too doughy. My son was transfixed by the beautiful cakes on display and demanded a piece for after dinner - I obliged, knowing I would have to eat most of it (chocolate and coconut, it was delicious). The staff were all friendly and courteous, next time we might even try eating in if the kids behave themselves!

We came to Cafe Marcella for a family lunch, having been here before, prior to its re-opening. Our experience was pleasant enough - the staff were friendly and the food was quite nice. I must confess that nothing really blew me away though, although of course that's better than having a poor experience! Good venue for a family gathering, with a typical Italian/Australian menu.

This place is a great middle of the road Italian joint. You don't come here for the fine dining or to be seen. You just come here for consistently good food at a really good price point. <br/><br/>We've now been here a few times and it's always hit the mark. <br/><br/>The American girl working there (possibly Canadian...sorry!) has also given us amazing customer service a couple of times. <br/><br/>Make sure you try one of the cakes.

Only ever had desserts and wine here, but the service is friendly and the chocolate mousse is hands down the best in Brunswick! If you get take away they give it to you in a coffee cup which seems weird at first, but you will be struggling to finish it. It is to die for. Decadence!!

I came to Cafe Marcella few times and very happy with service and food. I had the marinara pasta and it taste very good and seafood was fresh. Definitely will come back.

My favorite day and place. There is nothing better than a long lazy Sunday lunch at Marcella friends wine the best food and service. Simon a credit to you are your food staff and ambiance. Bring on next Sunday!!!

Excellent delivery service and food, 10/10 will order again. A+<br/>Pizzas are always on point and the lamb shanks always arrive at our door super tender.

We went to Cafe Marcella last night for dinner after a show.  The service was excellent, best chips, my mum had the risotto with chicken and mushroom - perfection, just the right seasoning, not too rich, delicious!  My dad and I shared a large pizza with the lot, really really good.  Prices are very reasonable too.  Will definitely be going back.

We love Marcella's for many reasons: the welcome is warm, the staff friendly and the food is consistently delicious. We're regulars here and always know that we'll spend a pleasant moment in the company of Simon and his team. Having been here many times now, we can say that this restaurant provides a consistently excellent dining experience.

Perfect easy lunch with two small kids in tow. Meals were quick and we loved the provision of high chairs and plastic crockery. Staff were great. Going there again.

My Brunswick journey led me to this nice looking Italian restaurant in Sydney Road. I ordered a pasta marinara and a glass of moscato. The ambiance and the service is fantastic, considering that it is Mom's Day weekend. I think the price needs a bit of toning down, though. It's quite premium priced for a mid-range setting. Either that or give the dishes a but more generosity. All in all it is a solid choice but can easily be overshadowed by its Italian counterparts in Lygon St.

This is the place to come for a gorgeous pasta dish.  Absolutely impressed by the flavours and especially the quality of the seafood in the pasta dishes.  Great service, good eat!!!  Equally unforgettable was the chicken and advocado pasta, excellent flavours, all dished ordered were severd nice and hot.  Very happy, Highly recommended. Will most Definately will dine here again.

We've been here a couple of times and are very impressed with the service and cleanliness of the restaurant. The pizzas are particular good and the coffee is quite decent. The menu is affordable and portions are generous. Wine list has a good range. Highly recommended.

Very impressed with the level of customer service provided. Food was delicious and staff were extremely friendly. Price was affordable and there was a range of dishes to chose from - food was so good we had to re order more. Highly recommend!

Stopped by for a quick bite last night. Nice looking restaurant obviously recently refitted. Greeted apon arrival by a lovely waitress and taken to a table. Order spaghetti marinara and Greek salad with marinated chicken. Both dishes full of flavour and a good amount of seafood in the spag. Would definitely visit again and recommend 😊

Came here with the family for a nice Sunday lunch. The pizzas were delicious as well as their special garlic bread. Other family members also commented that the pasta dishes were very good. Great ambience and the service was excellent. Will definitely come back here with friends next time.

Good ambience and comfortable feel to the newly renovated restaurant. We tried the signature entre garlic focaccia and loved it. Havent had anything like that before. Mains were well executed with melt-in-your-mouth veal marsala and al dente vegetables. Portions are quite generous. Staff are well trained and friendly. Overall a great dining experience. Would come again.

Yummy delicious food, nice friendly staff with great ambiance... Highly recommended and will definitely come back for more scrumptious meal with family and friends..

We were hoping for a fresh new restaurant after the re-opening but were sorely disappointed. While the service was very friendly and the space clean and appealing (though a bit too bright for dinner), the food was a major letdown. Overcooked pasta, lasagna cold (!) in the middle, and seafood pasta that didn't taste very fresh. Nearly $20 per pasta dish was nowhere near worth it. Too bad, but we won't be coming back here.

To preserve my credibility as a reviewer I've decided to withdraw my previous review for this restaurant until it can improve. In recent months the quality of the food and the prices have gone in opposite directions. Let's hope they can reverse this trend.