Review 400 Gradi - Essendon

Always curious of the 400 Gradi Experience Whilst a nice pizza, their prices are likened to main dishes at renowned fine dining restaurants in Melbourne. Unfortunatley the experience in my humble opinion does not justify a mid $30s pizza price. If you are curious also, this might be something you try just once.

I was expecting great things based on 400 Gradi’s reputation but sadly, we were a little disappointed. I had the rigatoni al sugo which was flavoursome enough but the pasta was undercooked and it was almost devoid of meat. My wife had the gnocchi and beef cheeks which, again, was flavoursome but almost completely lacking in meat. I expect better than this when you’re paying almost $40 for a pasta dish. One bright spot was the house made bread which was outstanding.

Advertised as world's best pizza....all I can say is worlds wettest pizza. The pizza was saturated and cut into 4 huge slices, so when you pulled it apart all of the toppings had slipped off leaving a wet base to eat...

Great ambience and service. Couldn't decide on what to eat and was recommended to some fantastically delicious food. Definitely will return to try the other food when we return to Melbourne. Good to call ahead to check/reserve a table because it was packed with people.

Really delicious, relatively authentic Italian foods. Very nice thin base, perfect chewy crusts. Pasta dishes very simple and quite small but very nice. Side of green beans wash delicious! Service a bit slow, but considering they were very busy you understand, management tried to make up for slow wait staff service... quite expensive, but no more so than most higher end Italian restaurants...

400 Gradi. Renowned for amazing Napoli pizza, we trust it to reliably deliver the quality and restraint of authentic Italian cuisine. But wait, three stars for Essendon? Why? We ordered pizza tonight for pick-up - no delivery available via the usual sites, informed when I called to clarify that apparently they were too busy for delivery ... but not too busy for pick-up via driving up to the store and having the pizza brought out to me. Ok, so we order pizza as offered, to be brought out to our car. Great, not too busy to have it available for pick up in 20 minutes. Pizza ordered, we receive the message: " Park in our drive up carpark, and we'll bring your food." I arrive and wonder, where is this drive up carpark? Is it just outside the store? No signage to make it clear. So I call the accompanying number for questions and am told that the drive-up service isn't available tonight. Ok, well that's not what the website instructed, so here I am sitting outside the store 10 minutes after pick-up due, told that I need to go in. I go in, place doesn't look that busy, but can only see 1 guy coordinating the house, I'm in line waiting for my food, finally get his attention and he responds with some very cranky attitude --- not sure if he's annoyed with me or his employer - and tells me to wait outside in my car on the street, like I should have known ... rather than be confused by conflicting advice. Hmmm I wonder where I should have parked if there'd been no spaces outside. Anyway, get home, open up the Caserta. Look at the accompanying picture. One is the professional shot, generously covered in prosciutto, soooo covered in cured meat, so tempting we couldn't resist. The other picture is what arrived - most of the red you see is sauce, adorned by 3 and a half pieces of prosciutto. Lame. So disappointing. Is this what happens when a venue becomes a chain? Yep, it often is.

This place always delivers! I recently tried the one at crown, and was blown away by the quality and great tasting food. I tried a paste dish this time, out of this world, it was a creamy mixed mushroom dish. Their gelato was pretty good as well, perfect texture and consistency, the passion fruit is made with yoghurt, so it tastes creamy.

Fantastic service by the wait staff, glasses always fillled when empty. Delicious food compliments to the chef's and the birthday cake was delicious. Great job by all and the fantastic service provided by Maria for the booking and the night went off without a hitch. Will be definitely back whether for an intimate dinner or party booking.

Overall rating: 3.5<br/><br/>Been a while since I had Italian but this franchise doesn't equate to the other stores in terms of quality and taste of food. <br/><br/>Favourite was the Pappardelle Ai Fungi - mixed mushrooms, truffle cream and some shaved truffle on top. The pasta sauce was so creamy and had that subtle truffle flavour that enhanced the savoury taste. A gourmet worthy dish in a bath of umami. <br/><br/>The lasagne bolognese was also quite a delicious treat to share. Its bolognese ragu paired well with the bechamel and mozzarella. It was a bit too salty for my liking and nothing to cut through the rich heavy elements. It made me get sick of eating it. <br/><br/>Pizza was a bit underwhelming. Crust was hard, and very hard to cut the pizza slices with their shard roller cutter. One of the pizzas we ordered was awarded the World's Best Pizza in 2014, whereby the store did not reaffirm in their Margherita Verace. Definitely was tasty, but did not shine the BEST. Lacked a bit of that exciting flavour that may have got it to the #1 spot in 2014. <br/><br/>I preferred their 154 Formaggi (154 cheese blend). <br/>Other dishes I enjoyed at my visit here was their Linguine Alla Pescatora which is a Napoli based sauce spaghetti with mussels, clams and scallops. Only complaint would be it still had the grainy texture held in the shells which kept the fishy sea taste. <br/><br/>Mocktails were interesting and very refreshing to drink. Got ice-cream to finish off the night. Overall, delicious with a few misses and we had a fun time eating at this casual dining Italian restaurant. <br/><br/>Food: 3.5<br/>Value: 3<br/>Ambience: 4<br/>Service: 3.5

This restaurant barely scrapes it to a 3 for me, because while the food and service isn't bad (although with some significant flaws), the price doesn't reflect the quality. The highlight of the meal was the focaccia pizzas which were quite oily but not overly so, and also came with some mild chili oil to pack in a little more flavour. After that there was the 154 formaggi, a pizza that is apparently formulated with 154 kinds of cheese. Frankly, 151 of those cheeses were impossible to discern, because the flavour was dominated by the feta and flakes of parmesan on top. The feta was quite lovely, it melts in your mouth after a few moments, but the parmesan was obnoxious and became more difficult to stomach the more I ate. It was also surprising that they could pack in so many of varieties of cheese, yet the pizza base was so thin. Of course, a thin base isn't necessarily a bad pizza, but depending on the topping, thicker dough would probably suit it better. I think the 154 formaggi was more of a gimmick than an innovation in flavour.

Had the mozzarelle fritte, carnivora and suprema.<br/><br/>Mozzarelle fritte was really good. Crunchy on the outside and the cheese was stringy when you bit into it.<br/><br/>Carnivora was nice. Salty from the prosciutto.<br/>Suprema was alright. Kind of plain.<br/>Pizza base was the best. Thin and chewy base. Crispy and chewy crust. Surprisingly, it's very filling. Looks like the pictures.<br/><br/>Staff was nice. Not many people during 6pm on a Friday. I wouldn't go back, too expensive for what I'm getting. $28 for Canivora, $26 for Suprema and $16 for the mozzarelle fritte. $10 for sparkling water.

The food here was amazing. It is soooo tasty 😋 - Well worth a visit. The staff were also lovely. The pasta is spectacular and the pizzas 🍕 are dreamy!

We were in the Essendon neighbourhood and found 400 Gradi opened a new shop in the area, what a nice surprise. The shop looks a bit dark from outside but after you walked in its all warm service. <br/><br/>We ordered the calamari for entree, the famous margarita pizza, seafood spaghetti, chip and a kale salad on the side.<br/><br/>The Calamari was slightly deep fried and the zucchini and eggplant on the bottom is such a good add on. Pizza is amazing as usual, the seafood spaghetti had a lot of seafood in it, good portion size! In all we had a great dinner there and will definitely recommend 400 Gradi Essendon!

Beautifully crafted pizza and pasta. We were served by a lovely and bubbly Italian chap which made the experience even better

Visit 400 Gradi for a weeknight and it was actually quite busy. We had the pizza and pasta and really liked it. The pasta was cooked to al dente perfection and the pizza base was really good. Loved the decor and interior inside.<br/><br/>Would you to be back to try out the other items on the menu

Really delicious, relatively authentic Italian foods. Very nice thin base, perfect chewy crusts. Pasta dishes very simple and quite small but very nice. Side of green beans wash delicious!<br/>Service a bit slow, but considering they were very busy you understand, management tried to make up for slow wait staff service... <br/>quite expensive, but no more so than most higher end Italian restaurants...

Came here for a birthday and was able to redeem the birthday deal. The manager was super friendly and attentive. The food was delicious, especially the thin crust wood fire pizza. Super family friendly and would intend to come back to try out other dishes on the menu.

We booked online for the 2 hour bottomless pizza and drinks deal at 6pm. There was some confusion when we arrived about whether the bottomless deal was available or if it was only for the 4pm sitting, but this was sorted and the venue manager kindly apologised for the mistake.<br/><br/>Onto the food - this deal is very good value. The margheritas come out very quickly - lovely thin pizza base and great tomato and mozzarella. We finished our first pizza and the second one appeared in a matter of minutes (thereafter they asked each time we finished if we’d like another). The service was very attentive and friendly, especially after the initial issue, and we felt right at home. The glasses of red wine were very generous and the Black Mule cocktail in particular delicious. This was a really nice experience, and I think we’ll be back!

I took my wife to celebrate her 60th birthday at the Niddrie branch. I was MOST disappointed with the restaurant food quality and quantity. It was way overpriced, food quality was poor, taste was poor, service was poor, comfort level was poor, my rating of 1 is probably a generous reflection in light that they made a special occasion into a poor dinner evening. Thankfully my wife was very forgiving of me for having made a poor choice in restaurant to celebrate the evening.  Would not recommend anyone ever go there again. We even contemplated going to KFC across the road afterward.

Very busy, no one at the front to arrange you seat, and after waiting, not a smile, feel like you are bringing them trouble. For a well decorated restaurant like this, the service is not matching. Good environment, but people all talking very loud, because music is loud. Food is beautiful, taste good, but for seafood pasta, seafood is salty, pasta need to working on the flavor little more. Dessert is good, but you need to make sure they take your order, adding some food and they forgot to put them on, and before you pay by card, EFTOPs machine has an option to give tip or not, not so willing to give tip after all, little awkward. The overall experience is good, but within this price, the experience is only in average level, not outstanding at all.

Had a mixed experience with the service. The lady who served us wasn't all that friendly but the man (he looked like a senior figure, perhaps a manager or owner?) was really lovely to us. We got to take advantage of the free birthday meal which was great. The food came out quickly and was pretty good. I can definitely justify the price of the mains but the chips were so small for eleven dollars!

Excellent staff, excellent food and amazing service. Pizza and pasta is as close as you’ll get to Naples pizza. Can’t recommend this place enough.

Really good food and awesome service<br/>Tried the squid ink pasta and margarita pizza. Nutella calzone for dessert. Would come again in the future

Took advantage of the March unlimited margarita pizza and drinks special for $45. Have to say we were blown away with the value and quality of the food. Had a suspicion that maybe they’d bring the food out slowly but it was quite the opposite. it was all timely and the staff were happy to watch us fill our faces. Looking at the menu during normal dining times it’s quite pricey but the food is really good so if you have the money to spend it’s probably worth it!

we come at gradi in essendon invited by a gropu of friends , we did not like the idea because reading some review made us worry about it. <br/>as i only like good food and good services , and let me tell you guys , 400 Gradi could be the most authentic napoletan place outside Napoli. beside the pizza to be simply 100% verace ,the food is a refresh of the Mediterranean cuisine, fresh pasta made with squid ink was amazing , and the tiramisu MAMMA MIA... this place is like walking into a restaurant in Naples (i have been there many times )  the manager was a crazy Napoletano , the pizzaiolo Vinceso was also a funny Napoletano , staff super friendly. <br/>if you want to try the real Pizza Napoletana, made and served by real Napoletas , then there is no place in Melbourne better then 400 Gradi !!!<br/><br/>Bravi Ragazzi

Staff were excellent, good service. On the pricey end & ultimately it’s about the pizzas here. Good pizza base but found their pizza tomato base and toppings very bland, just lacked the flavour for me & my guests.

Our terrible experience began the moment we stepped in the door. Staff were disorganized and lacked communication. We were asked by three staff if we had been taken care of before being asked to sit at the bar to wait for a table. Whilst waiting for our table we were served food which we clearly hadn’t ordered. Once seated, we waited twenty minutes for a waitress to notice us to take our order. I ordered the kingfish for entree which was dry and left a foul taste. We then waited 45 minutes for our mains whilst a family had been seated next to us, had ordered, received their food and were waiting for their desserts. The manager tried to tell me that our order was delayed because we had ordered a pasta and a pizza dish and the pizza section was busy. He had nothing to say when I asked him why the table next to us had received both their pizza and pastas and finished eating after being seated next to us. We received no apology from the staff and were told our food would be out in 3 minutes. Our food came out warm. My crab pasta had tiny shreds of crab meat. I’ve emailed gradi regarding this experience with no reply. Disappointed to say the least for $160 dinner.

Hi have been at many restaurant that claim to do pizza in melbourne , and i reading some of the review regarding the pizza at Gradi made me come to the conclusion ,  that there is still a lots of ignorance on how the pizza should be !!! people saying "minimal topping" ... "soggier base "....and other stupidity like this should be banned from ratting food and leave review !!! i had pizza at gradi , at Mozza bar , at circa 900 to name few and they all do the vera pizza napoletana !!! guys do not listen to review , especially from people that have ZERO traditions in food and culinary culture!! <br/><br/>Bravo Gradi always a pleasure to come and dine at your restaurants !!!

Special•I got one of the specials of the day! I had to get steak again. Since having the Tagliata Di Manzo last time was very nice I thought to try the steak special of the night. I didn’t expect the steak to be so big and on the bone as well! So that was really surprising, there was also sauce for the steak, mashed sweet potato and Beetroot relish. The sauce tasted Smokey and salty, very strong tasting, tasted very good with the steak. The mashed sweet potato was nice too! taste as expected. I found the beetroot relish very interesting, I thought I’d hate it but it tasted sweet, the texture was like eating thick jelly. I think all the combinations are quite unique and worked really well with the steak. Overall I’d recommend!!! If only I remembered the name…     <br/><br/>  I had to get the Tagliata Di Manzo Steak…it’s a must if I’m going to a nice restaurant. The char-grilled eye fillet was grilled to medium rare, wonderfully done! The meat was tender and easy to cut, the eye fillet was drizzled with a balsamic reduction and topped with Raspadura parmesan. The steak tasted kind of plain but eating the parmesan in-between bites actually added more flavour. I didn’t eat much of the rocket but mixed with the balsamic reduction it tasted quite nice. Overall it’s a filling dish even though it looks simple, I would recommend it to any meat lover.    <br/><br/> The pizza Romana was absolutely delicious, the dough was so soft whilst the crust was crunchy. It’s a simple pizza with only three ingredients, San Marzano tomato, Fior di latte cheese and Prosciutto Cotto. I like Prosciutto so this pizza really worked for my taste buds. I believe the pizza was drizzled with balsamic vinegar or some sort which I thought was going to taste sour but it added sweetness to the savory pizza. Overall, no negatives with the Romana pizza! I’d advise anyone to try one of their pizzas because the quality of the pizzas is unbelievable you can taste how fresh it is! No pizza tops Gradi so far..

Delicious pizza, Gradi 400 really lived up to hype. We had not booked & luckly got a table. Service was expectational which was great after we’d had not a good experience at lygon st awhile ago.

Great ambiance, good food. Kinda pricey. The staff is also nice and enthusiastic. Good wine choices too. Not that better dining experience but would go back here and try some other food on their menu.

Decent pizza and great appetizers. Bit pricey but a good night out. Toppings are a bit sparse but that’s what you get with gourmet style I suppose.

Came here for our anniversary and were not disappointed. Warm welcome, excellent service and delicious food! My spaghettini with crab & lobster bisque was so yum, and my partner loved his lamb. Thank you for the treat on the house for our celebration. We will be returning!

I organised a dinner for a large group the other night and were extremely happy with both the food and the service. I organised the whole dinner within a few days, and found that the staff were easy to help out. <br/><br/>We had the $45/person set menu and all of our guests were extremely pleased. <br/><br/>Our server, Sebastian, also made our night so memorable. He made sure we always had drinks and was always available when we needed him. He is one of the best servers we've had. <br/><br/>5/5 service and food, and we'll definitely return for our next dinner.

400 Gradi at Essendon has a good ambience, good food, although the place is slightly pricey. Friday evenings are busy. The staff is also good and enthusiastic. Being a vegan and glutenfree dodo I had trouble given that the place has limited vegan and Glutenfree options. Practically just one dish - Glutenfree vegan gnocchi and salad. Both the items were just ok but nothing spectacular.

I have been going to gradi Brunswick for 3 years but now that I moved there I thought Id try the one in Essendon. I normally order a margarita with extra prosciutto and no rocket which one day a person there told me it really was caserta pizza without rocket. <br/>But today when I ordered I asked for a caserta and I said I wanted prosciutto on top (genuinely forgetting it came with prosciutto). But instead of the person on the phone telling me it already had prosciutto then charged me extra prosciutto for 2 pizzas. $10 extra!!! The worst is that when I picked up the pizzas there was exactly the same amount of prosciutto as a caserta would have except you pay $52 for 2 pizzas and I paid $62 for 2 pizzas. It’s ridiculous. I will never go there again as it really is a rip off.

Very nice environment and decor.Deserts were delicious and really pretty! Good wine choices too.. Ive been there two times and two times I’ve order a Margherita pizza with extra mozzarella so buffalo. I don’t know why but both times my pizza was soooo watery that my crust was just soggy.. very disappointing considering the price. Not planning to go back :(

Expensive.  One pizza, one pasta.  a glass of red, and a soft drink =  $90  Food is good, but not worth the inflated prices, can get better equally as good at Lygon.  A kids soft drink, Fanta $6.50 for post mix.  A basic glass of red, $15.  A bit over the top

such an elegant yet comforting place to eat! the pillows of gnocchi were so delicate in the best way possible and were such a delight, so yummy too! the waiters/waitresses were also so polite and helpful which really made us feel cared for and looked after. would definitely come back.

I've had two amazing dining experiences here. Staff are professional and courteous and the food was delicious 😋. Definitely will be back soon!

400 Gradi is definitely a quality destination.<br/>Service is polite and friendly although can be a little erratic at times.<br/>Food is always consistently a fair bit better than you would expect.<br/>Pizzas are magnificent.

I loveeeee Ragu and the pasta did not disappoint! It was so nice!! The lamb ragu just beautifully done. I didn’t know how I would feel with the peas there but it was fine! The peas didn’t have to be there as the main component of the dish shone through. I could’ve had a little more pasta. You can’t go wrong with the chocolate gelato as well too finish with a side of moscato!

‘400% tasty’<br/><br/>There really is a taste of Italy right here at Gradi’s.<br/>It’s been a while since I’ve been and let me tell you, it was pure satisfaction all round.<br/>We decided to have their Linguini Pescatore which was a combination of fresh mussels, clams, prawns, and scallops in white wine with a touch of napoli sauce. It tasted so fresh that that clams were talking to me!!!!<br/>We had to try their famous award winning Pizzas and their Capricciosa delivered the goods as you can taste and smell the wood fire as it was cooking. <br/>Together with their fresh ingredients and style of cooking it’s the reason they’re successful at what they do.<br/><br/>And to top it off, we couldn’t resist their deserts on offer and opted for their Salted caramel peanut semifreddo, chocolate ganache and peanut brittle.<br/>By this stage I was so full but managed to squeeze in their beautiful coffee to go with the scrumptious dessert.<br/>It’s definitely a place to sit back and enjoy the taste of Italy.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>

Gradi sets the bar for pasta quality and taste all around Melbourne and it isn't hard to see why. Having tried the Crown restaurant, we were eased to visit a more local option in Essendon. With service that attends to your needs from entry, you are made to feel like an appreciated guest the moment you sit down.<br/><br/>Today we ordered the Carnivora pizza, Mushroom pasta and bolognaise. The pizza was delicious, soft enough with the cheese and flavours oozing into your mouth, however it was the pasta that deserve recognition. Creamy, tasty, and simply close to perfection. We highly recommend the pasta here and it is definitely our favourite in Melbourne. Unique sauces and the way it's cooked simply are unmatched, definitely a favourite for us.<br/><br/>Highly recommended for a lovely date or night out. Amazing pasta, good pizza, great service and an overall memorable dining experience!<br/><br/>Food: 4.5/5<br/>Service: 4/5<br/>Ambience: 3.5/5<br/>Value: 3.5/5<br/><br/>Overall: 4.5/5

Loved it! They need to train the chef at Ringwood how to cook pasta!<br/>Staff were lovely and very attentive! Food was amazing - wish my stomach was bigger so as I could of had dessert! <br/>Thank you for a beautiful meal!

Enjoyed the ambience.<br/>The waiters spoke Italian.<br/>The manager went around every table asking if everything was ok.<br/>Food was good. Service was friendly.

Great casual Italian restaurant with great service staff. The restaurant made sure that each of the dishes were prepared fresh and just right, special mention to the Beetroot Risotto(see photo).<br/><br/>Thank you for the awesome Friday office lunch.<br/><br/>Keep up the good work and the awesome service standard.<br/>

Best Pizza Verace in Australia by far, i have been traveling the world for work all my life , and most of the time i have been disappointed by the so call Pizzerie in the world , but 400 Gradi nailed it , i tried many pizzerie in Australia , but non of them can be classify as authentic Verace like the one i had a Gradi Essendon , and i was not surprise to find out that the main man running the show and the main pizzaiolo are from Napoli , you can't go wrong when you have Napoletani running a pizzeria , 100% Verace from the oven to the table , grazie Armando for the great night and grazie Vincenzo for the best pizza i had away from Napoli so far !!!! people that do not appreciate this style of pizza , should not be allowed to talk about pizza at all , as it is like a priest talking about marriage .... no sense :-)

Everything was on point tonight, <br/>Pizzas were tasty and nicely charred, the pastas were on point, usual spanner crab spaghettini was Amazing and the mushroom fettuccini, not sure about the chip pizza though

Been to 400 Gradi a few times. The service for me has always been good however I think the food needs extra seasoning to make it interesting. While it’s cooked well, the pastas and the base sauce they use seriously needs seasoning and flavour. I think it’s too basic and needs something to make it interesting or enjoyable to eat. Overall I think it’s an ok place for Italian food but certainly doesn’t live up to the hype.

We went to gradi on a quiet Wednesday night, not even ten tables were filled. We waited a good ten minutes before a waiter approached us to ask if we wanted drinks. We ordered our drinks and food at the same time. Our drinks took another 15 minutes to come out! We received an entree after 20 minutes and our mains another 45 minutes later! We had a small child with us and the kids meal took that long to come out as well. The waiters didn't even acknowledge our wait time, no apologies and when our food finally did come out it was literally thrown down on the table in front of each of us! The portion sizes are very small, a main of one of the gnocchi dishes was smaller than the kids meal which is hard to understand, the pizza was extremely soggy and only 4 tiny pieces of prawn on there. Flavours of the meals were good but unfortunately everything else made it a negative experience and does not make us want to recommend this place.

Delicious gnocchi and gorgeous desserts!!! I cane here with a group of five friends and it was a lovely night. Those who ordered pizzas were stoked with them as well The place also has a fun ambience and lovely service. Will definitely be back!

Always love the authentic Italian pizzas with the calamari starter in 400 gradi. And I especially enjoy the atmosphere, which is passionate and full of life here.

The food was average but service was good. Very disappointed that a nice restaurant didn’t have a baby changing bed. We had to take our baby back into the car in order to give her a nappy change. Also there is a cost if you bring a cake.

Came for an early weekday dinner and ordered the Capricciosa which was quite good. The prosciutto was tasty, tomato base was good and the crust was thin and chewy without being soggy in the middle. Service was quick and attentive. Pizzas are on the pricier side, but comparable to what you'd pay at the higher end pizza restaurants these days.

First time eating here and I can say that I definitely left as one happy customer. Food was amazing and the pizza was so simple yet so good.<br/>Atmosphere and vibe here is really good, especially at the time we came (just before sunset). Awesome authentic Italian feel and food.<br/>Will definitely be coming back.

Ordered the spaghettini al grancho- 🦀. Specifically told the waiter to change the order to spaghetti but he still brought the -ini. Waiters in there need to talk less and listen more. Remember your are there for the customers..<br/>Portion is so small - are you kidding me!!<br/>And for the quality is excessive in $$$$. <br/>Not worth it...<br/><br/>

Came here for a friend’s farewell as she’s moving interstate. I have been here a couple of times and this time around the good is still as good. They are known for the pizza, I think the owner won the best margarita pizza in Italy a few years back. So I ordered the Capricciosa pizza. The topping is reasonable, not generous but they are fresh. The dough is just right, not too thick and not too thin. They left a huge amount of crust which I cut off as I feel like it’s missing it’s topping. Some of my other friends had pasta, which I regretted not getting (maybe next time). They looked substantial and delicious. Will come back next time and try the pasta and maybe dessert too.

A great addition to the Essendon area is this pizza place. The original is in Brunswick and the essendon iteration is just as good. Traditional Italian pizzas being served here with delicious toppings. I can never go passed the Caserta because I’m a sucker for prosciutto. They are thin base pizzas, so sometimes the centre is a bit soggy, but the flavours are delish. They also have gluten free pastas which are really good!

Great night at 400 gradi. Four of us enjoyed some tasty entrees. Calamari, pizza, bruschetta with egg on top.<br/>I had home made gnocchi for main which was fresh and tasty.<br/>Dessert was gelati - again beautiful!!<br/>Also had some interesting entertainment with three boys flipping pizzas 🍕

Not a good time. Staff were really rude and struggled to serve our larger table even though we ordered straight off the menu with no dietary requirements. I don’t know why they had the specials menu on the table when they weren’t available and then got cranky when we tried to order them. Over priced average food with small servings and putrid staff. Won’t be living by my partners mantra of try everything twice- once was more than enough.

The pizza is amazing. Really tasty. We had the gnocchi too which was so fresh. I had my 40th here and will definitely return. It is a little pricey but you get what you pay for. The wait staff are really friendly and attentive. They even did a candle in my desert! ..

Came in for a late dinner and we managed to get a table straight away despite not having a reservation. We were quick to order however the food took a while to come. The waitress came to apologize and offered us complimentary breads while we were waiting as they had some issues with their boiler. Luckily the food were definitely worth the wait, our pasta were cooked to perfection and really flavoursome, the lamb dish was juicy and tender as well. What surprised us the most is their complimentary desserts at the end of our meal which we didn't expect at all. Their customer service is definitely one of the best!

Attentive service, delicious pizza, and very accommodating to making the vegetarian pizza vegan.<br/><br/>Pizza is definitely worth the price, proper woodfired bases with quality toppings.

Had a late dinner( slightly after 8pm)for 3 on a Thursday, we didn't have a booking but there were tables available. We were quick to order however the food took ages to come..I think it was close to 30minutes and we were quite frustrated waiting that long. The waitress then came with complimentary bread (should've came earlier!) and apologized for the long wait...apparently they had some techincal issues with the boiler. <br/>The dishes came slightly after; we ordered the linguine, spaghetti and the lamb shoulder. Portions are good sized despite being on the pricier side. I had the lamb and the meat was super tender and yummy. My friends loved they pasta dishes too. <br/>Food was super good despite the let down with the slow service, however we weren't expecting when they served us extra complimentary desserts after our meals (since they already given us the bread)...super surprised!<br/>That definitely made our dining experience better since they took the extra initiative to express their apology. I'm glad that our meal ended on a sweet note :)

Really good service and atmosphere, lovely waitresses, calamari was satisfying and the Margherita pizza was also delicious, a little flimsy and not cut right which made it a tad frustrating to eat but overall very good quality. Crepes were also great! A tad pricey but it's worth it. Recommended

Some days you feel like being ultra productive, do your laundry, clean your house, meal prep and conquer astro phsyics whilst blogging. And then there are days where you wake up and decide that you’re going to have two dinners.<br/><br/>400 Gradi has enjoyed success receiving ‘The Best Magherita in the World’ a coveted prize that has curious locals (like me) and the rest of the world noticing. I like pizza and I eat a decent amount of it that borders between obsession and straight psychotic. Which begs the question, what a will the world’s best slice do to me?<br/><br/>As the great Reggie Fils-amie once said, ‘My body is ready’. Also, if that last sentence sounded as though Reggie is dead – he’s not. I assure you, his very much alive. Wikipedia confirms this. To the food!<br/><br/>400 Gradi welcome diners with an air of intimacy and waiters take your orders with confidence of knowing the menu with ease. Also helps that they sport a handsome moustache and a charismatic Italian accent to boot. Definitely a good place for first dates as you pretend you’re not a messy eater and play the ‘will-she, won’t-she’ game for the next for months.<br/><br/>The awesome:<br/><br/>   - The pizza’s at Gradi are tasty. They have the crust baked to a crusty, chewy delight that blends with the ingredients well. I ordered the standard Margherita and was prompted by the waiter that the yellow version yields a much better, sweeter flavour. Whilst eating yellow tomato’s was a bit off putting at first, I didn’t notice the tomato being any sweeter. Great for instagram but my heart still belongs with the Margherita’s at D.O.C. The Diavola is virtually the same in terms of it’s sister restaurant at Docklands.<br/>   - Ingredients all taste fresh at Gradi as the natural flavours shone through. Sodium lovers like me may need a pinch of salt here and there.<br/><br/>I will eventually make my way to Gradi’s Brunswick branch as this where they won the coveted award. In the mean time, I’ll keep my options open!

<br/>Visited gradi 2 weeks ago service is so slow the waitresses do not understand a word you say. They mixed up the orders we asked for drinks atleast 6 times and yet again it was the wrong drinks. We never received our pizza for entree asked the waitress however she had no idea what we were saying. Needs improvement

The first time I came here I wasn't wowed... I decided to give it another go and WOW their pizzas are soooo good! We got 3 pizzas; their classic Margherita, Suprema (pumpkin, rocket, pinenuts and goats cheese) and Ortolana (white sauce with capsicum, eggplant and zucchini). All 3 were amazing! We ate too much and only realised at the end that they offer to pack up your remaining pizza to take home! Great service! Love this place

The following sums up my experience tonight at Gradi Essendon: <br/><br/>We ordered the "marinated quails chargrilled served with green olive, pinenuts and raisin salsa". We were instead provided with half a bony quail on an extraordinary bed of unseasoned red cabbage. $21 for this?! really? <br/><br/>My seafood pasta was lukewarm, had only TWO prawns in the entire dish and did not have any scallops. When this mistake was pointed out, the chef cooked exactly 2 scallops and bought it out after I'd finished my meal, on a separate plate. Cheers for nothing. <br/><br/>Finally, we also unfortunately spent $45 on a grilled seafood platter. Just when we thought that'd we'd hit a winner, one of the prawns turned out to be well past its expiry date. <br/><br/>Gradi, I really wouldn't be so upset at these amateur mistakes if the prices were not so unjustifiably steep. I don't think I will spending another cent at any of the Gradi restaurants after my extremely disappointing experience here.

This was the best pizza I've had outside of Naples, the first time I went. <br/><br/>However, ordered take away tonight and it was odd. There was almost no seafood (1 scallop) on the seafood pizza and they forgot the tomato (on a Frutti di mare pizza?). <br/><br/>The Toscana was meant to have 'mixed mushroom' and had almost no mushrooms and only the usual, el cheapos. They were quite cold and we live 500 metres away. <br/><br/>We called and they blamed Deliveroo (I suppose the delivery guy jumped off his Ducati and stole my prawns and licked the San Marzano tomato off. Bloody Ducati.)

Delicious pizza, and very welcoming and friendly staff! We came here for a family birthday and had a very pleasant experience. Grazie mille xx

Friendly service and beautiful food. <br/>I actually felt I was in Italy. The only downside is they forgot to bring out our mains and the music was not suitable for a restaurant.

This place is very overrated and do not understand the fuss. Only thing I liked was the ambience and how the restaurant looks. Staff is also friendly.<br/>However, it is over priced for starters. Too fancy, not many options (like chicken or beef pizzas), small portions of pasta. Pizzas are also quite bland and not flavourful? Quite disappointed with the quality. <br/>If you are upper class, fancy shmancy and maybe on a date where you are trying to impress someone, then sure..... but you might find yourself heading to KFC afterwards to fill yourself up. <br/>Also, nice dessert options.

italian food has always been one of my favourite cuisine and i was pretty stoked when my boyfriend brought me here for dinner!<br/><br/>we had to wait for several minutes as we didn't make a reservation but we were led to our table pretty quickly. i ordered a glass of red wine and we had a margherita pizza to share (i forgot to take a picture though because i was too excited to eat it ☹). the pizza tasted pretty good and the crust was thin and crisp.<br/><br/>i ordered the pasta of the day that was recommended by the waiter, which was pasta with mushroom base topped with duck breast. the flavour of the pasta was very good and i liked that the sauce coated the pasta well. the duck breasts were tender and moist, and it paired really well with the pasta. <br/><br/>my boyfriend ordered the gigantoni al sugo d'agnello, which was short tube pasta with slow cooked lamb ragu. he enjoyed the pasta a lot. the lamb ragu was juicy and full of flavour, and it complements the pasta really well.<br/><br/>overall, we had a good time dining here and would definitely be back in the future!

Came for dinner with a good friend. After waiting at the front desk to be seated for almost 5 minutes, we chose to sit outside. The place was bot busy at all. The waitress gave us menus and water then disappeared and never came back to us. Another waiter came out and read us the specials off the specials menu which we had already read and then told us he would come back in 5 minutes to take our order. We waited a further 20 mins with menus closed for the waiter or anyone to come take our order but no one came. We didnt even get asked if we wanted any drinks. Beside that the menu wasn't really appealing as it was filled with a lot of high priced dishes which you could get cheaper at other Italian restaurants in this area. Cant say how the food was as we left and went else where after 30 mins of waiting. Very disappointing.

I think I must be one of the few people that hate these establishments. I'm still trying to figure out what the big hype is about this place. For starters, since the owner was crowned with best Pizza in the world, that "fame" has completely gone to his head. when the first one opened up on Lygon St I actually enjoyed it. The pizza was really nice and the desserts were lovely. But since then, what a complete disgrace. To order a drink, when the wait staff eventually come around, you have to ask the Right staff member because everyone has their own jobs. Being in. hospitality for over 10 years, I understand this system, however, after not even receiving menus or drinks after 20 mins is unacceptable. I will most definitely not be going back to any of these restaurants. Complete waste of money & time. The extremely poor service has turned me off for good! never going back!

Thursday dinner for 4. The restaurant looks simple and stylish. We ordered calamari fritti, capricciosa pizza, beetroot salad and mushroom risotto. The base of the thin pizza was a bit soggy for my liking. All other dishes were very nice. My favourite was the lightly battered calamari. The staff were very friendly and attentive. If you are price conscious then maybe look at other options. All in all, an enjoyable experience.

Don't understand what all the fuss is about. If your after overpriced pizza and pasta and want to be hungry afterwards then this place is for you. Life is too short for average pizza!

Gradi is good. Margherita was delightful - crispy and bubbly dough, creamy and delicious sauce, laden with basil (just the way I like it) and a good amount of mozzarella. For the price?.... I'm not too sure. I've had other traditional pizzas that rival Gradi. Certainly not a waste of anyone's time.

This place was a flat out waste of money and my review here is only going to echo the legions before it. Walking in we realised quickly the place was less a restaurant and more a place to want to be seen. This sort of wank factor doesn't usually bode well for the quality or price of the food served and indeed it didn't.<br/><br/>The price was high and servings breathtakingly small. Like 'sorry honey but you can't have any' small. It was like Lord of the Flies. The gnocchi with a basic nap sauce was $27 and nothing special, lacking any particular distinguishing depth or standout features and enough for about four mouthfuls. The pizza was also unremarkable and lacked flavour and substance.<br/><br/>On the flipside I worked out why they set up shop just across the road from KFC and Macca's in what is arguably a brilliant move of departing hospitality. After your meal at 400 Gradi, you're going to be hungry, so you probably want to stop in and get some fries on the way home like we did. Save your money and your relationship and go to Kaprica, or DOC if you actually want standout Italian pizza and/or pasta.

This place is our go-to for a dining out evening. Considering how busy they are, they do pretty well with customer service and getting out orders fast! Service is VERY friendly and attentive. Function room upstairs is a beautiful feature, as well as the zero gradi stall in the outdoor seating section. Beautiful interior design and very warm environment. The menu is very authentic and the food never disappoints! If only the menu expanded, they would be the top dogs! A few more pasta options and some more chicken on the menu and it would be a perfect score! Yes they are busy, so it is some-what noisy, but what busy restaurant isn't!? That is just the sound of success! I'd like anyone complaining about the waiting staff to be put in their shoes for one night and see if they could handle a shift with a restaurant as busy as this one!! <br/>They do very well for themselves, and they'll just keep getting better at this rate!

2 star pizza for a 5 star price. Greeting at the door was friendly 5 stars for a very charming Maitre d <br/><br/>I Dined alone and was seated at the bar which I am quite happy with. Was given bread with oil and vinegar too much oil not enough vinegar and when I asked for more only got another small spot so I did not use much of it. Had the Frutti di mare pizza. Plenty of cheap mussels in shell and clams but only 2 prawns and I overcooked Scallop I asked for not rocket and mushrooms received plenty of rocket and no mushrooms. I had to take all rocket off. Once you ate the mussels and clams in the shell you were only left with 3 pieces of seafood, once I removed the rocket all you had left was soggy over cooked pizza base I have had better seafood pizzas and for a third of  the price.<br/><br/>For dessert I had a pavlova which as nice but a bit overcooked. The waiter at the bar was friendly. I would give it one more go and have a pasta but their prices are too high

Very happy. Love the location yes we had to walk due to the parking but a little walking doesn't hurt. Food was delicious and the waitress was lovely. The only complaint I had that when the waiter was serving hot beverage he did it with a baby under the tray that could have slipt out of his hands if she went backwards. We tried to tell him but he didn't get it. Other then that, thanks for a great night.

Worst customer service. Had dinner there tonight at 400gradi essendon, to celebrate my best friends engagement and the "manager" told us to relax and we would understand when we are older and that he was old enough to be our father when we complained about the noise from a function - which was not even closed off. Even an apology would have suffice.<br/><br/>Instead the so called manager said it was an Italian restaurant and that we should expect noise? Italians may be loud.. but for us to not even be able to hear each other- your waiters and the so called "manager" not being able to hear us and getting our orders wrong, seriously indicates noise beyond what an Italian restaurant would have. We didnt receive a call or was told of such an event when we booked the table.<br/><br/>Should we not also have expected good Italian hospitality which Italians are known for? Or is this 400 Gradi service?<br/><br/>Our ears are still ringing now.

Lunch date with an old friend. Margarita pizza to share, soft perhaps a little doughy and linguine marinara and the gnocchi bolognese. The food was nice and fresh.

not sure why there are reviews that comment badly on the service, at least the place is giving young kids a job and from what I can see they're doing ok. Yeah, it's not perfect, but what is? anyway, 5 of us had a decent meal...I had the Capricciosa, delicious! not sure its worth $29, but it got scoffed down real fast..other 4 dined on pasta, risotto, goat and assorted desserts.<br/><br/>could probably do with a better beer list and some blinds for the afternoon sun..all in all, pleasantly surprised.

The staff were very courteous and accommodating, and all did their best to make sure everything was good for us. My partner and I both had the pizzas. They were delicious. The base is nice and thin and nicely charred, with fresh ingredients that take you straight back to Italy. It was not greasy and felt satisfied afterwards. We will definitely be returning here. The decor of the restaurant was really nice too.

Pizza was burnt with holes covered by rocket! rude staff,  environment loudly and wait staff with cold faces, I definitely won't come back! the price are overrated

I'm ITALIAN and I can say: Terrible experience, they pizza is not so good like in others Italian restaurant.<br/>They care only about the bill..

The place is nice but the food is too expensive and is not made by real pizza maker, but by apprentice, I don want pay so much if my pizza is not made by professional pizza maker.. service poor, rude staff

Been here a couple of times. Good pizza, but I prefer Il Camenetto in Moonee Ponds. I'm giving this 2.5 stars because both times that I've been there, the head waiter has been yelling at his staff. Last night he yelled at a waitress who tried to give us a table to serve other people. We had to ask for our drinks 4 times, from 3 different wait staff before we got it. If the service is lacking, but the food was amazing and at a cheap price then I could justify going back. In this case, it's not worth it for me. The Lygon St one is much better.

Great service! Meals were great! So happy that it's only around the corner and I don't have to travel far to get to an amazing Italian restaurant....

Came for a dinner with 4 + baby and pram. Staff were accommodating with high chair and place to put the pram. Margarita pizza was nice but not hot in temperature, the vegetarian gnocchi for main was great - good size, price and taste. We then finished with the Nutella pizza which is a must try! Service was a little slow after being seated but all staff were still friendly.

I love Gradi in Brunswick, and have given this a try many times. Atmosphere is good and they have a nice selection of wine and desserts, however, pizza and pasta have always needed some extra flavour and I've always asked for things to add. Overall it's a decent night out and close to home.

5th of September was National Cheese Day and I found out that 400 Gradi was going to do a special pizza with 99 different cheese. Can you even name 99 different types of cheese because I sure can’t. This got me super pumped so Mr Angry Asian and I decided to take a trip to the Essendon venue to check out this grand pizza.

Thought l would try this place out as it is new new my side of town. Disappointing, didn't like the pizza at all. Very overpriced wouldn't bother again. Certainly looked nothing like the picture....RIP OFF!!!.......<br/>

Magareta pizza soggy with inedible burnt crust. <br/>Spagetti bolognase bland. Gnocchi quite good but sauce again bland. Mixed up our order and bought a wrong main which still appeared on final bill. very expensive for what it is .staff attentive but had 5 different people over course of meal.there is much better pizza and pasta close by<br/><br/>Nice fitout but won't be going back by choice.

Friends have been recommending us to go to 400 Gradi for a while, so we decided to go on Tuesday night tho it was still very busy and had to book a table for 4! We started with their famous margarita pizza which was great!<br/> I never normally order pasta when pizza is on offer but the spaghetti al granchio caught my eye and ended up being a great decision!<br/>We will defiantly be a returning soon

Love love love! (: <br/>Went to the Crown location the day before with a friend and the Essendon branch the day after. <br/>I ordered their famous margherita pizza and the lobster crab pasta to share. Both of which I loved. I finished the meal off with their gelato which were both delicious. Arguably the best in the Crown vicinity. <br/>This meal left me in a food coma. Highly recommended to those who love Italian food. The Crown location is superb for a quiet romantic lunch whilst the Essendon location is great for families and friends catching up over a meal.

The food was average but nice. It was quite overpriced and we went at an hour where there was no one else in the place yet I felt rushed whilst eating. Don't think I'll return, but I would recommend others to give it a go before judging the place

Love this place, it's one of my regular Italian restaurants. It has good food and good service. Their award winning pizza is really nice and they make very authentic and delicious pasta.

I came here for an impromptu dinner and was throughly satisfied by the time i left. It was a busy saturday night, around 8, I had made no booking but they were extremely accomodating and slotted me in after a short 10 minute wait. Heard good things about the pizza and was not disappointed. Thin base and crunchy crust and excellent toppings. However don't personally thing margherita lived up to all the hype - don't get me wrong, it was good but not as amazing as I thought it would be. Dessert was good - however the coffee in the tiramisu was extremely strong, too much for my liking. All in all a good night and would come back and recommend to friends :)

Excellent traditional Italian pizza..modern restaurant and plenty of room for kids.<br/>Very nice staff too. Won't be disappointed.<br/>Plenty of menu options and fairly well priced

Some delicious food in a local location which suits us just fine. Having visited the other Gradi locations, we expected the same delicious taste and it did not disappoint. Well located in the back end of the Keilor Road food strip with ample parking available in the side streets sits 400 Gradi Essendon. <br/><br/>Other than ordering the Margherita Verace $22.0 which is always a crowd and international favourite, try out the Gnocchi Al Pomodoro $27.0 which has perfectly cooked little clouds of potato rolled in semolina or if your craving seafood - the Grigliata mista de pesce del giorno $45 which is a combination of mixed grilled seafood.<br/><br/>Service is spot on with friendly and attentive staff as one would require for the calibre of this establishment. Decor is set out similar to the other locations however this Essendon branch has its own flair to it tailored to the Essendon landscape. 400 Gradi Essendon will be much enjoyed by the locals from near and far for a while to come. Till next time, this is Our Foodie Find!