Review Italian And Sons - Canberra

We wanted something really nice on our last night of our honeymoon... This place did not disappoint! The food, service and ambience- just lovely! We went the tasting menu and loved every dish! Thanks so much!

We elected not to go for the tasting menu as we were in a group of 4 and wanted some variety in our dishes so we could share. We had a good variety of some of the finest Italian food including the following entree: Fremantle Sardine 'in short and chickpea panelled, Grilled octopus, Wood baked eggplant, Zucchini flower. For the pasta we had: Asparagus, leek & ricotta agnolotti, Squid ink tagliolini, and Rigatoni. We also had Jack's Creek Striploin with insalata caprese and that was delicious. I rate the food, though it took a long time to come out and the service wasn't that great, especially when we told them we ordered the zucchini flower and the waiter denied taking the order and made some other excuses. There's a lot of tables in a small space and it is likely they couldn't keep up production for a near full capacity restaurant as I looked around and no one had any food for more than half an hour. Regards @fooderarri

Simple, classic, and good tasting Italian food. The tiramisu is absolutely to die for. The only downside I have to mention is that the meals are quite small and I was still hungry after the entree, main and dessert. Otherwise the space itself is dim and moody (in a good way!) and the staff were nice and knowledgeable about wine.

I cannot rate Italian and sons more highly even if I could! The waiter was absolutely hilarious and certainly made us laugh, and their martini's are great! So many options for drinks I nearly couldn't choose! I will definitely be going back.

We had a lovely meal here and would absolutely return again. We started with the focaccia with whipped Ricotta and chestnut honey, which was light and delicious, and a serving of olives. Main course was pasta. I had spinach pappardelle, with lamb ragu, and the lamb was so tender. My partner had conchiglie with pork sausage, chard & pancetta, and greatly enjoyed it. Then tiramisu and a chocolate hazelnut and salted caramel dessert with meringue and poached pear. The service was excellent and I would absolutely return again. There were gluten free pasta options on the menu if needed.

Yet another fantastic meal from Pasquale and his Team. This is one of my go to restaurants when I want to show off how far Canberra has come in the field of fantastic, world class food. My suggestion is the Rigatoni... simply amazing! A lovely place for the family to visit or for a more intimate meal for two. I've done both and have never been disappointed. Thanks again guys... So Good!

This is fine dining at it’s best. We were in Canberra with family and decided to spoil ourselves. I recommend the focaccia with ricotta and honey. What a start 👍 Followed by best braised Octopus I have eaten 🙏 I then ordered the snapper which was jam packed with flavour 👏 For desert I recommend the Tiramisu with a Machiato 🙏🙏🍷🍷 We washed this down-with 2 bottles for Prosecco heavenly 👏👏

Good Italian restaurant in Canberra overall. Speedy service and flavorful and tender lamb pasta. Recommend.

I was recommended this restaurant from a friend. So I took a friend with me as they have never experience a 4 course tasting experience before.<br/><br/>We walked into the restaurant only to be treated by the very on the ball waiter! He asked if we had a reservation? We said yes he said follow me this way. He took us out to the back area. It was amazing with a fire place. <br/><br/>The took our seats then the head bar guy asked what we would like to drink. We started with a spritz. It was strong and I loved it. <br/><br/>He explained the entree we don’t need to pick the whole 4 come out. We need to choose a pasta and a main and dessert.<br/><br/>The entree came out first was this raw meat. It was so full of flavour it was amazing. <br/>Second came the sardines. My friend didn’t like it because it was strong so I ended up eating both. It was nice however it was so strong i kept on tasting it over the night. The eggplant was so yummy. <br/><br/>The pasta came out and that was the lamb neck ragu that was so full of flavour it was cooked to perfection.<br/><br/>We then had blue wagyu beef. It was really yummy when eaten together with the fennel.<br/><br/>Tiramisu was so authentic.<br/><br/>Through out the whole night the waiter was on the ball, and his choices of wine was on point. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Delicious. I don’t have to say any more. This place is just delightful. The staff were attentive and friendly and attentive, knowing the specials menu off by heart. The food is simple, but constructed with great ingredients and care. I would highly recommend this place. I will be back soon. Thank you.

I have been here about 6 times over the last 3 years and have never left disappointed. The food is terrific. The lamb Ragu pasta is my favourite dish in Canberra. The diavola pizza is mouth watering with the perfect amount of heat. If you want to impress someone, take them here. It isn't cheap, but you get your money's worth. This is, imo the most consistent fine dining restaurant in Canberra.<br/><br/>As a side note, I wouldn't recommend the tasting menu. I enjoyed it thoroughly, but wished I had stuck to my usual routine. Just stick to either the steak special if it is on or the pizza and pasta with tiramisu for dessert with plenty of good Italian wine.

The food was lovely and full of flavour. I especially loved the margarita pizza. The bread was so soft and fresh and the cheese just melted in your mouth! My lower rating really comes from the fact that we asked for chilli on our pizza and in the pasta and we got given a few small cut pieces of chilli. When we went to pay they added an extra $9 on to the bill for chilli but failed to tell us this at time of order. Just made us feel a bit ripped off having to pay extra for chilli and not actually being told it. Food was lovely but it’s these little things that make me not want to come back.

We had a fantastic evening here last night. The food was superb and the service excellent. The truffle pasta and the steak were great and my husband rated the desert (the baked bread and butter budino) as one of the best he had ever had. The waiters were super friendly and efficient (water glasses never empty, dishes came out at a good pace for a special evening) and recommended a great bottle of wine for us. Would definitely come back. Book ahead - it was packed on Thursday night (online booking through their website worked well).<br/>Do not be put off by negative reviews!<br/><br/>Do not come here if:<br/>You intend to bring small children and expect a fast food experience- this is a place for adults to savour exquisite cooking at a pace set to enjoy your meal;<br/>If you agree to an early sitting with no intention to leave on time. This is just rude and fair enough the staff would remind you not to keep other customers waiting;<br/>If you intend to ask the chef to change a carefully designed dish to suit your diet. The ingredients are on their website so manage your expectations and go elsewhere if you can’t see anything you can eat. <br/><br/>P.S. The owner wasn’t chatty but wasn’t grumpy either. He is a man concentrating hard so that you can have delicious food :)<br/>

I went for dinner a couple of weeks ago with my wife and kids. We arrived just after 6 and were about the third table to arrive. We ordered promptly and the kids food arrived after about half an hour - good, but expensive as they don't offer any specials for kids. The entree I ordered to share with my wife arrived after about 50 minutes & was lukewarm at best.<br/><br/>On at least three occasions we asked staff when our main meals would arrive and were repeatedly told "soon". After 90 minutes we got sick of them crying wolf and left without our main course arriving (a full hour after our kids were served).<br/><br/>As if this experience wasn't bad enough when we went to pay the owner said "that should not have happened but there is nothing I can do about it". This is patently untrue, occasionally you experience bad service in a restaurant or there is a mix-up in the kitchen - most of the time they cannot do enough to make it up to you. I did not ask for a discount but was flabbergasted when I was charged $140 and I had to go round the corner to buy a hamburger...Our meals supposedly arrived after we paid - but by then we had enough of their rudeness and incompetence.<br/><br/>Search "owner" on the Tripadvisor reviews and you will see this guy has a lot of bad form as being rude & obnoxious. This place is not worth it - go somewhere where they show some respect for their customers.

Wow what a restaurant.<br/><br/>I decided to shout my work colleague dinner at Italian and Sons and luckily we booked a table as the place was heaving.<br/><br/>The service was very efficient and had the wine flowing (a Vernaccia di San Gimignano) while we read the menu.<br/><br/>We had the zucchini flowers, the dogs with prosciutto and scampi to share - they were all divine.<br/><br/>We then changed to a Barolo and had the slow roasted veal cheeks with risotto, pork belly and puttanesca pizza - the veal cheeks were a bit dry but the rest of the dishes were fantastic.<br/><br/>We finished with a goat and sheeps cheese and the chocolate desert.<br/><br/>The service was efficient and very friendly - our waiter was also damn funny.<br/><br/>We will be back.

Very rude!! <br/>I made a staff christmas party booking 3 weeks in advance for my husband's business of 8 staff. The man who took my booking did not seem interested and so I double checked the information for the booking before hanging up with him. When the first guest arrived on the day of the booking they were told the booking was only for 2 people and to leave, and when he asked further questions he was told to "get the **** out of the restaurant". We were disgusted by the arrogance and lack of respect. The staff at Italian and Son's did not even try to accommodate for their stuff up (why would we book for 2 people when there is 8 staff?) or take any responsibility at all. <br/>We have a very large network of family and friends in Canberra and so they will be loosing a lot of business form this experience.

Had dinner here the other night. The ambience, food and service were excellent. Started with two entrees, zucchini flowers stuffed with gorgonzola, and duck liver parfait and red wine gelatina. The zucchini flowers were paired well with the gorgonzola and the batter was light and crispy. The duck liver parfait was beautiful with a generous serving. We ran out of bread and asked for more to which they happily obliged. For mains we had one of the daily specials, clam spaghetti and a fior di latte pizza. Both were delicious. The pizza was light and authentic.

Amongst the best Italian food in Canberra City.Everything from Focaccia to casarecce with lamb to linguine with blue swimmer crab has the word perfection written all over it..To too it all such a cozy ambience with great service.Thanks for the experience guys..

Fantastic service and quick delivery of food (6pm - Saturday). We enjoyed a delicious platter to start and lovely red wine. Can't recommend the pasta more - both mine and my partners were delicious. The wait staff had a very relaxed and friendly attitude but still the standard you would expect with formal dining. Would definitely go again.

We had a lovely meal I had lamb pasta my friend had a special. We also had a side salad. The waiter was attentive and friendly. But they are over priced and the wood work made it too noisy to talk. Nice atmosphere for a romantic special night out if not for price n noise I would have given an extra .5

Always have an exceptional date night here ... Amazing food and nice atmosphere, great wine and friendly service. Will certainly be going back again

Excellent Italian. The food is fresh and authentic - I really enjoyed the wood fired oven! Pizzas were good and almost comparable to the likes of something like 400 Gradi in Melbourne. My company very much enjoyed their duck pasta.<br/><br/>The service was attentive, although it felt like they went out of there way to not be too overbearing, it was fine. <br/><br/>The restaurant itself has a very intimate atmosphere and was packed, but it still feels pretty relaxed and doesn't take itself too seriously.<br/><br/>I read most of the other reviews before coming here, and I was a little put off by the extremely negative ones. I experienced none of the issues described, perhaps they have improved themselves? In any case, I wouldn't feel deterred, it's a good place and definitely worth checking out.

Food was great. But the service was terrible, actually the worst I've ever experienced. The waiter was rude and just seemed annoyed by having to be there. He wasn't helpful with the menu selections and didn't seem to care about a very serious food allergy. Wouldn't recommend this if you are looking for a good dining experience, especially given the price. A smile wouldn't go astray.

I can't understand the negative reviews of this restaurant - we had the most amazing meal and great dining experience here a couple of days ago whilst visiting from Melbourne.<br/><br/>The service was attentive but not bothersome. The atmosphere was great, even on a Monday night - a perfect mix of casual and sophisticated.<br/><br/>The food was outstanding. We started with the olives (very fresh and loaded with chilli) and garlic foccacia. The foccacia was far from standard fare - smoky, crispy and chewy wedges of bread topped with sweet, roasted garlic. A nice touch which meant that we weren't left with a lingering sharp garlic flavour that would have overwhelmed the other dishes. <br/><br/>For main course, we had the gnocchi and fish special. The gnocchi was outstanding - large pillows filled with oozing taleggio and topped with fresh figs and mustard fruits. I am not a big fish eater but I loved the fish, which was soft and moist with a nice crispy skin. Well seasoned and served with a delicious sauce and ribbons of zucchini. The desserts were good, but not quite up to the same standard as the other dishes.<br/><br/>I would highly recommend this restaurant and will definitely be returning when next in Canberra.

I really like this place, and have dined here over the years and have been really happy with the food but whoa ... tonight I had undercooked fish and returned it to the kitchen. It came back browned on the edges & leathery. What a shame, management couldn't see why I was unhappy. Lost a customer and future recommendation over a $36 fish dinner.

Unfortunately this is all show and no go and quite overrated <br/><br/>We waited close to an hour after our original booking.<br/><br/>We felt ignored . The service was slow<br/><br/>The pizzas how ever are good, as is the rest of the dishes, how ever given the experience it was quite over priced and we were left feeling disappointed

It was my sister’s birthday during her visit to Canberra. Seeing as we both love Italian food, it only seemed fitting to take her to one of the best Italian restaurants in town – Italian and Sons. The last time I was there was early last year and I was eager to revisit the restaurant. I made a lunch time booking during the weekday so it was very quiet in the restaurant that day.

Terrible service. Here's a suggestion: don't have two sittings if you are just going to rush your patrons through the service. We were told by no less than four different wait staff, multiple times that we needed to vacate. We heard you the first time.

Excellent Italian done simply and well. We started with delicious eggplant fritters and the meatballs in a rich tomato sauce followed by the maccheroni and the linguine. All nicely done. Best avoid the fig and spinach salad, basically just all baby spinach leaves. We finished off with three beautiful scoops of gelato. Wine selection was fantastic. Service was friendly and efficient.

I'd suggest always going with the Piatti del Giorno. Then ask the waiter to recommend a wine to accompany it. This has served me well every time I've eaten here

Short Review: It was unfortunate how disappointed we were at the end of this meal. It really didn't have to be the case either. With extremely poor service and a major lacking in flavour across the pasta and main dishes, it appears this restaurant needs to go back to basics: More focus on flavour and less on filling the tables. <br/>Long review: Will be available on foodwrites.weebly.com soon.

My first time eating scampi and I wasn't disappointed. The sauce accompanying was delicious and the scampi cooked perfectly. Great portion size and overall amazing atmosphere

Pricey. $7 glass of lemonade. You decide...

Been twice - won't be back. First time the waiter was arrogant, serves were tiny, wine extremely overpriced. <br/>Not much has changed after 6 months. Waitress had no idea about the specials and forgot to mention the main ingredient in one of them. Serves were again small. Sour dough bread was served with a tiny amount of oil that did not last for the amount of bread. Wine at $17 per GLASS was ridiculous! Tables too close together. AND the menu script and size (with the low lighting) made reading it absolutely impossible. We were not the only ones with this problem (and no, we are not old!). Precocious. The Brazilian waiter however was brilliant - a shame he's not staying.

User reviews. Underwhelming. I have been a fan of this place previously but my last visit on Monday failed to inspire. The food was pretty ordinary and the service was bordering on ameteur with food ariving out of order and late. We arrived early so 'busy' was no excuse so maybe it was a Monday night thing or just an off night but with all the new and interesting altenatives exploding in and around Braddon its difficult to find a reason to go back.

Not happy. Horrible customers service

WOW. If you live here or a passing through as we are don't miss Italian and Sons. It has the perfect Italian ambience combined with great service and food. My wife and I shared an appetiser of crispy baby prawns. For mains we had spinach and ricotta cannelloni with burnt butter sauce. Then the dish of the day- suckling pig served with cavolo Nero and mustard fruits was sensational. Altogether a special night in Canberra, don't miss Italian and Sons.

Totally rude welcoming, didnt even get to make a booking !!!. Having just returned from a group trip to Italy where we found the food, and most of all the service, absolutley charming. <br/>I walked past Italian and Sons in Braddon this morning and it looked like a nice place for us all to gather this weekend for an Italian meal and reminisce. Being late morning it was closed and they had no phone number displayed on the frontage that I could call to book a table. I wanted to talk to the guy inside as one of our group has a food allergy. So I knocked on the door.<br/>He initially ignored me then finally dragged himself away from the much more important task of writing on the blackboard to reluctantly come to the door and serve an actual customer. I said hello and asked if I could book a table to which he promptly responded that they were "closed ". Before I had a chance to say it was for Saturday night. I then apologised and indicated that there was no phone number to which I could call. He then rudely said "yes there is, its right there on the front". He went to point it out but obviously couldnt find it. He was so rude and insolent that I just said "Dont worry about it" to which he replied" I wont worry about it !!!" and shut the door.<br/>I was shocked, amazed and quite upset by his Rude and Arrogant attiude, but unfortunately it is all too common in this city where Customer Serrvice does not seem to matter. The money will still roll in no matter how bad you treat them or the slop you serve up.<br/>They obviously didnt need the $700 to $800 our group woiuld have brought in on Saturday night, nor the business of all of my friends and workmates, (and of course all my Tripadvisor and Urbanspoon friends) that I will relay this story to.<br/>You should be ashamed of yourself !!!!

Must have missed something.. Unfortunately didn't live up to expectations, food was mediocre, over priced, with staff pre occupied - can only assume the planets were not aligned. Could do better at a Westfield food court.

Noisy, pricey and overrated.. Too many tables in a small space and wooden floors and walls made for a cramped, noisy and uncomfortable environment. Staff were OK, but the food was a joke. My partner ordered a pasta dish - couldn't believe the minuscule amount he received, no more than a handful of pasta. Tasted OK, but nothing special, and at $32 was a complete ripoff. Can't have been more than 50g of pasta on the plate. My beef dish was nice enough, but like the pasta was pretty ordinary and just wasn't worth $34. Absolutely no extras - no salad, no bread, no veg. These had to be purchased separately, which I really resent given the high prices charged for such small and ordinary main courses. Really really bad value, definitely won't be returning.

Terrible Treatment of Staff. The food was fine, but it was immediately apparent that the staff were under a lot of negative pressure from the manager/owner. I saw him take aside one of the staff (who had not as far as I could tell done anything wrong) multiple times to tell her off, and at one point she even started crying. I have previously heard very negative things about the manager's treatment of his staff, and having now witnessed it myself, will never return. I would recommend skipping this restaurant.

Amazing! The best italian food this side of Rome, great service and great vibe!

It was a pleasant evening. We went there for my partners birthday, just a quiet dinner on monday evening. We were quite happy, especially the food was amazing! For entree I had carpaccio and my hubby had octopus - amazing!! For main - special beef filet and goat ragu & finally for dessert - panna cotta and tiramisu. Everything was just yummy! Only the panna cotta was little bit over powering. The service is good, full on! Only thing I didnt like was that staff was keep looking at us and walking between tables, they sold us extras (saying that he will just add it cause we need it) and I could not understand the specials...very hard unclear language and italians names.<br/>Overall I left very happy and will come back, as the food was worth it, even that is expensive!

Shame about the attitude. We enjoyed our meals, however, the experience was undermined by the judgemental attitude of most of the staff. Left a sour after taste. Wouldn't go back.

Loved it! Delicious authentic Italian food. Friendly attentive wait staff. A little on the pricey side, but the food was so yummy it was worth it. The venue was a little crowded and people were pushing past our table to get to the facilities but still managed to have a great atmosphere. Do yourself a favour and treat yourself to a lovely night out at Italian and Sons.

Very disappointing meal. The welcome was rude and unwelcoming. The food was bland- mushrooms on pizza watery with no flavour.asked for pepper and after 5 minutes still had not arrived do had to re-request at bar. Not good value for money. Not a great start to weekend in Canberra.

My first experience of Italian and Sons reminded me of the Seinfield Soup Nazi episode. Follow the rules, do as you're told and you'll get some nice food but don't expect any niceness. The wood fired focaccia, lamb special and homemade gelato were delicious. My friends also enjoyed their meals BUT the service was pushy (interrupting our conversations, reminding us of the time, rushing us along). We ended up feeling harrassed and not nearly as relaxed as you would expect from a $400 meal. We also ran out of time for coffee and probably would have stayed longer for a post meal tipple if we hadn't been rushed out the door. Paying the bill was also a rude experience, not so much as a smile or a "thank you" from the owner, not a word at all actually - strange man.

Pretentious, greedy italian and sons gone down hill!. Usually delicious food and quality service. Not so anymore.<br/>Bizarre behaviour from our extremely pretentious waiter and owner unnecessarily rude. Two sittings a night, what greed! All staff appear very unhappy and this is reflected in the food and the service. <br/>Will not return. Inflated egos and inflated prices.

Excellent Food and good service - Sydney Diners Try Canberra. We read many of the recent reviews of this place on Urbanspoon and they all seemed to concentrate on the "grumpy owner". We drove down from Sydney and were looking forward to trying this restaurant as had heard pretty much positive things except these reviews - it appears mainly from Canberrans.<br/><br/>I just can't believe some of these reviews - have concluded that at least half the residents of ACT cannot tell excellent cooking from a chicken nugget. Canberra has the highest incomes in Australia and close to the highest labour costs yet when a restaurant owner wants to pump through two sittings on a Friday and Saturday night and makes that policy clear he's a big naughty rude man - well boo hoo Canberrans - all I can say is that we are used to far worse every day in Sydney and we don't go to restaurants to bond with the owner - we go for food and service and in the case of Italian and Sons they are top notch.<br/>So Canberrans - suck it up and harden up !<br/>We had garlic focaccia - excellent - served with good quality olive oil - they sure put that wood oven to good use - every table should try a dish or two cooked in it.<br/>We started with school prawns deep fried - good - not outstanding and calamari - really very good - so tender - cooked to perfection - sweet, soft succulent - pretty much the best calamari I have had.<br/>For mains I had kingfish with caponata - fish was fresh, perfectly cooked and the caponata beautifully made with a delicious sweetness ( muscatels ?) that offset the slight tartness of the fish - an incredibly well balanced dish - top marks. She had salt crusted wood oven roasted beef with horseradish cream and a capsicum sauce reduced in wine. Wow - I tried the beef (cooked med -rare) it was perfect - the best piece of beef cooking I have encountered in recent times and the capsicum sauce was rich, sweet went very well with the beef.<br/>Wait staff were excellent - a bit crowded but not unbearable - as I said make sure you try something cooked in the wood fired oven - at Italian and Sons they seem to turn out great dishes from this unit.<br/>Yes the owner made it clear when we booked we could come early and be out by 8-8.15 or come at 8.15-8.30 and that we both had to confirm our booking on the Friday when we got a text message and show up on Saturday or else ? ( maybe he has cousins in the same area as my ancestors around Naples). We did see the owner and he didn't exactly crack a welcome smile - more stony faced - but as I said - hey we're from Sydney and we won't take offense - if he has to be a bit grumpy an direct to make this place fire, produce both really good food and a profit - then more power to him.<br/>Forget these petty local reviews - I give this place a big tick and recommend.

Diner from ACT. I have had previously good meals at Italian and Sons and was so looking forward to special dinner for mothers' day . Unfortunately very disappointed and really bad value for the high prices. The food was tasteless and really odd and unsuccessful flavor combinations. The heavy handed use of mustard fruits (and other dried fruits) in so many dishes was simply not balanced. The octopus antipasti was one of the few successful dishes; it included currants and they worked with the chili. Not so the ricotta tortellini with mustard fruit with sage butter. It was sweet, oily and the tortellini on the hard side of al dente. Equally bad was the stretched curd ‘burrata’ with salad of shaved celery heart, fennel & bottarga - flavorless and oily tasteless salad. Whoever thought that would work together!! I had the fresh fish - this night it was kingfish 'caught fresh from the South Coast'. A nice piece of fish tastelessly served on an odd mix of eggplant, tomato and currants. Side dish of beans with garlic and olive oil was appalling and overcooked. Clearly reheated and shriveled. Needless to say I won't be going back until food standard reaches it previous good heights. Final comment on the service - the waitresses were helpful and attentive, perhaps over attentive. One poured tap water into my sparkling water even though clearly a different glass etc. The owner has reputation for rudeness but this wasn't obvious on the night. However i was outraged by attitude when I originally rang to increase booking from 4 to 5 people. No they couldn't do it because it meant pushing two tables together and obviously losing seating capacity. As it turned out we only had 4 in out party so I re-booked. Really wish I had saved my money and gone to Grazings or Lanterne Rooms. So many other better restaurants in Canberra.

Really want to like it, but had a not so great experience there. I went along for lunch, on my own. I sat at the front window bar. I didn't really feel welcome, no smiles, no effort on the floor staff's part. I tried to be friendly to establish some niceness but ended up feeling a bit self conscious and sadly probably wouldn't return. The food was nice though.

After looking forward to our reservation for months on end, partner and I were thoroughly disappointed with our Valentines date at Italian and Sons. Restaurant was tiny, packed and stuffy- felt claustrophobic. I can usually put up with densely packed space but that was too much... As for the food, as Mr Ramsay would say "Bland and Uninspiring". Fresh ingredients... but the taste notes did not work together... left hungry.. Not worth the money for the food standard.

Definitely gone downhill since the last time I was there - the food was not as good but the prices are the same. Disappointed.

What a pitty.... While the fine choice of ingredients and wines, authenticity of the food and clear talent of the chefs are obvious, the arrogance and sourness of the manager can wipe it all of in a flash. After being allocated a table next to a very noisy party of 18, we kindly asked to be moved as other tables were available in a quieter area.<br/>Our request flatly refused. No explanation. Period. We were almost abused by Pascale (owner) as we walked out.

Italians and no Salt. Walked in on a busy Thursday night. The staff seemed nice enough but the food was well below the price. I had the beef Wagyu cheek, the plate had a chance to be delicious. However the most essential ingredient to cooking was missing. Salt. The beef was tender, but no salt. The sauce had hints of nice wine, but no salt. I am fine with too little pepper or too little wine. But too little salt and the food has no taste. <br/><br/>My partner had the duck risotto. She described it as lacking the creaminess you would expect from a high end restaurant. <br/><br/>I could see myself going here again at half the price and with a few packets of salt up my sleeve.

I like it, but..... From my own experience at the early dinner service last Saturday night and the comments from others here makes me wonder what Italian and Sons are thinking with their approach to service. We had really lovely food, but the odd service really did detract from the experience. We started the night with a young male waiter who seemed to have cultivated an air of snobbish indifference which was communicated from the moment we chose tap water of sparkling (picture an almost eye-rolling look of disdain). It continued into an oddly self-conscious rendition of the specials and then some hilariously pompous advice on our wine selection (which we ignored because we did actually know better!). As frequent restaurant diners we all thought this was rather behind the times - these days people expect waitstaff to put them at ease (but perhaps that means they need to be at ease themselves). We were enormously relieved when our waiter was replaced (or perhaps as we suspect replaced himself) with a lovely bubbly young woman. The rest of our meal was much more enjoyable. I may eat here again, but service like that is off-putting and I wonder why the management doesn't see how this makes a difference to the experience. And the two sittings just seems a little greedy, but that's their business decision. Some come with lowered expectations and you may be pleasantly surprised.

Incompetence shines. Made a booking days in advance. Repeated contact details whilst on the phone with the person taking the reservation. This person repeated the mobile number back to me correctly.<br/><br/>Told I would receive an SMS to confirm the booking the day before the reservation date. Never received an SMS.<br/><br/>I tried to contact the restaurant on the evening I should have received the SMS, to follow up on the missing SMS, but calling only leads to a recorded message. I leave a message as asked, repeating all details and a request for someone to call back.<br/><br/>I call back 5 minutes later to see if anyone answers but still no human contact, so leave a second short message repeating my request for a return call.<br/><br/>On the morning of the reservation date I receive a phone call from the restaurant telling me they don't have my booking and are unable to accommodate me at a suitable time. End of story, nothing more they can do.<br/><br/>Thank you Italian and Sons for a great example of exemplary customer service. NOT!

Have been there about 5 times. Great food. Extremely rude owner! Left a bad taste in my mouth, would go back!

Elegant. Delicious! Only good experiences to share! Great flavours and portion sizes for the price! Good service and knowledgable staff!

Do not ever eat at this restaurant. It is overhyped for average food with extreme prices. In addition, it is cramped and noisy. We felt that we had to eat quickly and leave as we were informed about a second seating. The owner (?) of the restaurant was arrogant, rude and very inhospitable. He treated us as though we were dirt and did not even look at us as he served our food. My ragu lacked flavour and my husband's pasta tasted and looked bland. We have experienced plenty of fine dining, and this restaurant was easily the worst, if it can be classed as 'fine dining.' <br/>I would strongly discourage anyone from dining here, unless you enjoy throwing away ludicrous amounts of money for average food, wine and terrible service.

Botched Birthday. On eating my goat ragu I came across 2 small bones to start with, then 2 pieces of what looked and tasted like plastic. The waitress took the offending items to the chef and returned saying the bits of plastic were tough bits of onion skin. No mention of a reduced bill, no mention to the manager. I rang the next day, as I didn't want to spoil my birthday experience any further. The co-owner Joe apologised and said he would get back to me after talking to the staff. He didn't get back to me, and when I finally called again, he said he had been too busy to call. He said I could come back to the restaurant and he would give me "special attention", no mention of a refund. He was defensive and rude, telling me that I was being unreasonable. Never again!

Good food but so rude!. Had a terrible experience with a senior member (owner??) of this place. We had called to make a booking at 6:15 and left a message. We didn't hear back so we turned up only to hear "we didn't make the booking because we don't take quarter hour bookings." !! Obviously we should have known that!! He claimed to have called but we had no missed call or message on the mobile.<br/><br/>We were given a table but told we had to be out of there within an hour and were pressured the whole meal. The food was good (but expensive), and we finished easily within the hour. They then asked if we wanted dessert! Umm...no thanks.<br/><br/>Canberrans seem to be very driven by fashion and this place is very fashionable. But there are lots of great restaurants with good service, and I'll be going to one of those from now on!

4 Stars. Nice wine selection, Great pasta choices, warm relaxing comfortable vibe and friendly professional staff! <br/><br/>Will be back for dinner next time Im back in canberra!

Great real Italian food. That's why you need to book ahead of time.<br/>They tend to do two sittings and the menu has alot on offer from light thin Pizza, cured hams and proscuitto through to good old meat braises, pork bellies etc. They have a good daily specials (day of the week) as well as great main stays. Desserts, the Panna Cotta is to die for. They have a solid wine list with many Italian wines (worth the try as Australian wines can over power lots of food these days). The service is neat. They do two sittings, you should see the other restaurants in town who try that! So it tends to get a little bustly but it comes together in the end. Seating is a little tight, but in line with modern eating around the world these days. Remember book ahead.

Forget it. Reading other bad reviews due to the rudeness of the owner (tall,thin,fair), I just had to add my comment. We went first in the first few months of their opening. On entry we were ignored then rudely spoken to by the man at the counter. We were left standing near the door in everyone's way due to cramped conditions . We were on time for our booking. I felt like we were dirt on the floor and that he would prefer if we just left. Food was good and waiter friendly. I decided to give them a second chance - same. I don;t like to be humiliated. We eat out often at very good restaurants here and in Sydney. Have they been to Pendolino in Sydney ? - that's GOOD Italian! Strangely, we eat often at Mezzalira and have always had a wonderful evening of good food, wine and service - same owners!!

Lovely atmosphere. Pleasant service-did little things like always making sure our water glasses were full. Amazing cheese and cured meats. Amazing ragu! The best Italian I've had in years

Horrible experience with one of the brothers who own the place (the skinny sallow faced one) making a big scene after we had finished dinner by slamming a water glass I had accidentally left outside on our table and carrying on about us disrespecting his establishment . He and his brother were happy to take our $160 for 2 meals and then proceeded to threaten us when we said how rude he was. Poor staff tried to maintain dignity while having to put up with peasant behaviour from the owner.

Overpriced. Has gone downhill. We arrived five mins late for a booking and were greeted very rudely and told we had to be out in an hr. Poor service. Wine was corked. Food arrived at different times. Small servings and very overpriced. Not worth the price.

It's so hard to get a table at Italian & Sons that I found it hard to believe the bad reviews - places are usually busy for a reason. Not this place, why anyone would go twice is beyond me. We won't be back. Very small servings, my pasta was so salty that it literally tasted like a mouthful of seawater. The pizza was good, but no better than any other good italian. For the price bracket, I expected much much more. We left hungry and and went straight to another restaurant for a proper meal.

A lasting experience - never again!. Had this restaurant as a regular venue for a friendship group luncheon - but recent experience has left us vowing to never return. We always share a selection of entree dishes and deserts - being a lunch time and valuing the taste and experience of the food as opposed to quantity. Still quite expensive as food plus wine usually leaves us with little change from $100 per head. This time we were served the wrong dish - (not a big deal and was replaced with the correct dish once brought to their attention) - BUT then we were charged for both! The owner was extremely rude when we pointed this out and implied that it was quite unreasonable for us to be concerned about this (the wrong dish had been partially consumed before we realised it was not what we ordered). He was so rude we were quite taken aback as we had never experienced such hostility before. Never mind - lots of great places to choose from in Canberra and we come together for a good foodie/friendship experience - not to be patronised - not on our 'to be recommended' list anymore.

Rude and Arrogant. Have been to Italian and Sons many times and have enjoyed the food (good but not great) but always considered that it was way overpriced. At my latest visit, we were given an entree that we didn't order and didn't realise until we started eating but we then asked for what we ordered. We were charged for the wrong entree as well as the one we ordered - (most restaurants would have acknowledged their mistake and not charged for the wrong order) - fair enough - but the rudeness and arrogance of, we assume the owner, was totally offensive when we queried the bill which was not clearly itemised. Maybe his bad behaviour was because we weren't business men and didn't run up a large bill. Really don't waste your money going there!

Expect quality. Food was of superior quality and taste. Service was attentive and polished. I love that the environment is warm, cosy and bustling. Whilst it isn't the cheapest restaurant in ACT Italian & Sons is well worth investing in whenever funds permit because i could probably guarrantee that your meals, vino and entire experience will leave a lasting, delectable impression. I will be back for the beef cheeks.

Rude!. Upon paying for our bill, the manager/owner/whoever HE is, was very RUDE! Never going back!

Mediocrity at its worst.. Before I will write about the dick head guy who was at the bar & apparently in charge of the bill, let me say that taste-wise it wasn't that amazing.Mediocre but I cant say it was bad. I had the lamb specialty for that day and it was tender, yet it lacked flavour. The prawns with the eggplant caponata was delicious in my opinion. The Panna cotta was not really a fav but it will do. The staff who served us were really wonderful and kudos to them for a job well done.<br/><br/>I booked earlier for my friend's birthday because they wanted to try this restaurant as being one of the 'TOP' to go whilst in Canberra. Unfortunately, when we arrived we already had few bites and were not so hungry. There were 4 of us but only ordered 3 mains and 2 desserts. 1 main was shared by 2 people since the pizza was big enough and we only had 2 desserts because 2 of our friends already had too much chocolate when we went to Koko Black in the afternoon. <br/><br/>When my friend took care of the bill, the guy in charge made a discriminating comment about 'sharing' the food and had he knew that we were only paying that much they wouldnt have accepted the booking. Our friend didnt tell us what happened until we were near the parking lot.. <br/><br/>If the ordered pizza could not be shared by two individuals, the one who served should have told us ahead of time and we would have appreciated it. . The audacity of that person to say those things to my friend was appalling and in my book the WORST customer service I have encountered. <br/><br/>For this guy, the $129 bill was so small he had to be such an ass. But really, we need not to order more because we were simply full. The good service by the staff was overshadowed by one man's rudeness, I would have been forgiving on how the food tasted but not his attitude. what a shame.

Unexpected Horrible Ending. The whole dinner would have been decent because the servers were nice, food was average yet on the already expected expensive side and the place was pleasant enough but there was one person that made all the difference just by giving us the HORRIBLE finish to this whole dining experience. This person who could probably be the owner, manager or whatever was the one receiving our payment. He rudely questioned why we ordered only 3 main dishes and 2 desserts as there were 4 of us, then, he made a comment if that was the case we should not have made reservations. <br/>Point #1: Did he expect that only 1 person should eat the pizza being served even if its size could be good for 2 people? By the way 2 slices would have sufficed for me personally but as a respect to their chefs, I ate my share anyway because we don't want to leave unfinished food on the plate. The amount of food one person can digest should only be controlled by that person alone.<br/>Point#2: If sharing was such a crime to receive atrocious snide remarks then why not put a sign on the entrance or even on the website "NO SHARING OF FOOD ALLOWED" or better yet put a desired minimum amount of food orders *sarcastic tone*<br/>Point #3: Not everyone wants desserts after dinner for varied reasons. (This as an issue is unthinkable) <br/>Finally, Point#4 A Booking was done because it was a sure way to get a table but if there was any requirements for the said booking then let it be known ahead of time so people can gladly avoid such disgusting treatment.<br/><br/>I therefore conclude my husband, friends and I will gladly NEVER going to step foot in this restaurant ever again.

Love this place, best Italian restaurant in Canberra, can't eat anywhere else. Must book ahead but should try the daily specials... Love the Woodfire Crispy Suckling Pig. Actually everything is good.

Mediocrity flourishes in Lonsdale st.. I really dont get it.<br/>Italian food shouldnt be expensive because its ingredients are not expensive, and when done right it is simple, fresh and certainly not labour intensive.<br/>The italian blokes who own it are rude twats - and theres always an upsell attempt when all you want it a simple bottle of wine. It makes even a seasoned diner very uncomfortable.<br/>Who are they bribing to get into the food guides? and so close to the top too! so many better venues to eat at in Canberra.

Overpriced, over rated, pokey, uncomfortable and inhospitable. Food basic, service centred on selling and they overcharged on the bill. So not fun..

So incredibly, severely overrated. A $20 entree involving TWO scallops? Is this a joke? Hype has gone to their heads.

Loved it!! Great food staff friendly and attentive and knew their food. Will certainly be back and recommend to friends.

Would go again. The service was friendly and very attentive. They could probably afford to be a bit more relaxed. My partner interpreted their eagerness as being rushed (even though we were at the 8pm sitting), although I just think they were eager to please. Even though it was full, the food also came out quickly.<br/><br/>All the dishes were tasty and well presented. I had a seafood spaghetti with snapper and snowpeas - beautifully cooked. My main (albeit minor) criticism would be that the portion could have been larger. For an Italian restaurant, it was smaller than usual. I suppose the point of this place is not to be your average trattoria, and to encourage you to try primi, secondi, dolci etc, but even a 1/4 more pasta and I would have felt satisfied. <br/><br/>The waiter advised us to get a side dish (beans) with the other main (barramundi). We were glad we did. I always find this irritating, especially when you're already paying a fair price for the 'main' meal. Maybe include a choice of sides in the price of the dish - so you don't have to have the awkward 'how big is it?' conversation or be fooled into thinking any vegetables in the meal description will be anything substantial.<br/><br/>All in all, I enjoyed this place.

A Joke. I have attended Italian and sons on a number of occasions and the food has been hit or miss. When it was good it was fantastic, when it was bad it was vomit inducing.<br/><br/>My last experience was the later. <br/><br/>The treatment my partner and I received from the general staff was rather pleasant, but the reception from the owners (or the individuals I presume to own the restaurant) was shocking.<br/>The man at the counter who had taken my booking on the phone, abused me for turning up a half-an-hour late, when he was the one who had made the mistake. With an air of pathetic arrogance he declared that we needed to be gone within an hour-and-a-half to make way for more "important" patrons.<br/><br/>The food was shocking. I love any duck liver. However, the serving I received during this meal was horrible. The proceeding meals that came out were increasingly ghastly and overpriced.<br/><br/>I will happily pay extravagant sums for exciting food, but as I sampled each dish, I felt increasingly cheated. One example would be $17 dollars for two scollops that where pathetic in taste and presentation.<br/><br/>When I went to the counter for the bill, the owner didn't even ask my how my meal was. He was happy to take my money, but didn't care about my experience.<br/><br/>It was purely pathetic.<br/><br/>I would not recommend this Italian and sons to ANYONE.

Despite having to wait for our table which had been booked earlier , the service was attentive and efficient for a Saturday night which was great to see. The food was sensational . The wood fired oven focaccia was a great way to start the meal , crispy and well seasoned with rosemary and cracked sea salt . Margarita pizza was also impressive with a perfectly cooked base, crispy and chewy with a delicate tomato and cheese tipping with fresh amounts of Italian basil on top. My dining partner chose the lamb with peas which also did not dissapoint . The lamb was soft , tender and was accompanied with a rich wine reduction . Definitely worth a visit if you happen to find yourself in the capital .

We travelled to Canberra for Anzac Day and got a recommendation from a local to go to Italian & sons. We got a seat which was awesome considering how busy it was. I suggest booking for sure. Awesome atmosphere. Fantastic food and great service. The menu was great. Shame we are not locals as we would certainly eat here more often.

Perfection!

Embarrassing end to a lovely evening!. Booked for Birthday dinner, no mention of another session at 8pm. Just finished coffee and were chatting, when a rude man asked us to leave as there were people waiting. Will never go back, have put a notice at work about our experience and another worker said he had the same experience!

This would have to be my favourite restaurant in Canberra and it has shown us again tonight.<br/><br/>The consistency of Italian & Sons is all but unparalleled, in food, staff and atmosphere. The food is great, I don't think anyone will argue that, but its the staff that makes a difference here. They manage to be attentive without being intrusive, friendly without being chatty, and all the while getting us through our meal before the next sitting without feeling rushed. <br/><br/>I would happily recommend Italian & Sons to anyone looking for a meal done perfectly.

Perfetto! Great food, service and atmosphere. We eat here often, despite it being a little pricey. Favourites: ocean trout with horseradish cream; eggplant parmigiana; salt cured beef; fish of the day with caponata; rosemary focaccia, always; and mixed olives if you can possibly fit them in.

Too Cool for ACT. We recently were in Canberra for a wedding and were taken to this great italian restaurant, felt l was more in Sydney than the ACT.<br/>The Anti was terrific and spaghetti with prawns a must, Great service

On a whim, called on a Saturday evening on the off chance we could get a booking. Staff were casual but very knowledgeable and happy to talk us through unfamiliar menu items. Highlight was the charcuterie: melted in the mouth. The nightly special (lamb on this visit) was sublime as was my friend's pasta with rabbit ragu. A bottle of lusty prosecco proved a great accompaniment. Only criticism is the noisy atmosphere which doesn't lend itself to easy conversation.

Service that flies. These guys were happy to squeeze us in on a busy night, despite not having a booking. I had a plane to catch and they could not have been more accommodating, fast-tracking our pizzas and salad to deliver up a terrific meal in ten minutes flat. Excellent pizza, beautifully prepared salad, friendly service. I could not have asked for more.

Rude manager. I rang to make a reservation and was directed to Press 2 for future bookings which I did and the phone rang out. I tried twice more with the same result. So I pressed 1 to make an immediate booking and was directed to an answering machine. I left my name and number and about an hour later received a call back.<br/>When I explained that I wanted to make a booking for the following evening the 'gentleman' turned rude and surly. He told me to ring again and "this time try and follow the instructions". I told him the phone on option 2 rang out, he told me that was rubbish and that someone always answered and if they didn't it would go to voice mail. He then hung up on me. Nice one mate, you've lost my patronage forever and I'll be sure to spread the word about your rudeness and lack of service.

Bland, boring, disappointing. For all the good reviews, sorry but I think people need to get out and expand their taste buds.<br/>I'm also very critical or weary of so called industry awards, they rarely live up to it; I think these seem to be self promoting and paying lip service to those in the industry for a time, and this appears doubly so in Canberra.<br/><br/>The staff were also poor, reflecting the food; bland with no cheer. The one waitress that seemed to inject any atmosphere into place I saw get in trouble for have a polite and funny conversation with customers, go figure. With management like that, can you really expect there to be any heart and soul in the food...

Amazing - up there with the best in Canberra. Food was perfect - great produce and well executed. Service was top notch - especially appreciated the wine advice from Tony!

Not again. I want to like this place....but my family had a really bad experience that has left a bitter aftertaste for all of us, after what was supposed to be a lovely evening. My best tip - don't bother with their gift vouchers as if you don't spend the full value ($200) you won't get the remainder in a subsequent voucher ($48). Disappointing.

Massively overrated. Service was pretty good but the armosphere is zilch - so crowded and noisy you can't hear yourself think, and the wait staff can't hear you either and as a result got my order wrong. The very limited menu didn't inspire me at all (and I love Italian food) and the few tapas items we ordered were vastly overpriced. And despite all this, you'll need to book three weeks ahead for a table. Don't bother.

Excellent food!. I will definitely return to this restaurant...yummy bread to start with and fresh charcuterie. The pastas were al dente and sooo good. The portion of the pasta can be a little larger though. Overall, I was very pleased with the food and will go back again..

Italian and Sons is overrated. Service was rude. Meals were extremely salty. Way over-priced. Honestly cant say a good thing about this place.

Went in mid week for a pizza. service was great and food was quick to arrive. authentic wood oven pizzas - and good wine list to match. margerita was simple, but delicious with lots of basil for extra flavour. looking forward to my next visit!

Dined here on Saturday night. Great atmosphere, fantastic food... Bottle of fiano a great addition to a superb meal

Great, random find. Excellent, although slightly expensive, Quattro Formaggio pizza.<br/>Good wine list.

Very disappointing, the foods not too bad but the service was poor. Everything took a long time. Monday night is rabbit night on the menu and they didn't have it so it was replaced by a poor lamb dish. Luckily our bottles of wines were good to pass the time, how they have 1 Hat is beyond me.

So disappointing! From the unwelcome greeting, delayed seating (there were empty tables!) slow service, no options for gluten intolerant, v average meals and 3 requests for v expensive bill and they couldn't even bring a pen to sign the cc! We won't be back!

The true trattoria experience. Had dinner at Italian and Sons last night and it is one of the best places I have dined at in the last 12 months. It is a great space, the interior design is well done, and it really encapsulates the whole 'trattoria' experience.<br/><br/>The food was rustic, but flavoursome, and I would go a long way to eat smallgoods of the quality that were served. The prosciutto had a real earthy quality, and little of the strong saltiness that I usually find disagreeable in more commercial varieties, and the capocollo had a delightful tang to it.<br/><br/>The pizza deserves a special mention as I have found pizza in Canberra to be fairly pedestrian on the whole, whereas I couldn't fault the pizza here. It had the beautiful light as a feather crust, with simple ingredients, mmmmmm.<br/><br/>However the clincher for me is the wine. Italian wine is the best food wine on the planet, in my humble opinion, and they have an awesome selection of top quality Italian, and other European, wines, at a range of prices to suit most budgets. Moreover Tony, is a maitre de/sommellier par excellence, who can help you open up your horizons.<br/><br/>All up a great night, and excellent value for money...

Canberra's Best Italian. This place is easily Canberra's best Italian restaurant. Wonderful food, great service & a cracking selection of Italian wine, cocktails & BEER! It's easy to walk past but well worth finding. My first visit here followed dinner at Iceberg's the weekend before & this place ticked the same boxes but without the view. Tony, on the floor, brings that much needed Melbourne level of service North of the Murray. Excellent.