Review Maccaroni Trattoria Italiana - Melbourne

I love this place! Visited this place a couple of times, but the crowd every time has been unpredictable. So best to book before you visit. On our latest visit I noticed that we were ignored quite a few times when we wanted to order although 3 people seemed to be doing nothing and the 4th one was busy talking to customers at an existing table(noticed lot of similar incidents on the reviews). We almost got up to leave when finally orders were taken. However, The food was amazing as usual. Love the pizzas. Tried their almond ice cream dessert, did not like it as much. Food service was quick.

The pasta was great! Loved it! Pizza was sooooo salty, because of the olive and another little things which I dont know the name. Atmosphere is okay, nice decoration. Service was good. The staff were very friendly and welcoming, we didn’t have booking but I think its get very busy!

I must say food was great, we really enjoyed having dinner here. However customer service was not as I expected. We told the male staff when entering the restaurant about our booking, he said we needed to wait for 5 mins for him to set up the table although there were many empty tables around. So what’s the point of booking? And staff never asked if ok to take the empty plate or was food alright etc. because no one asked if we needed coffee or dessert after meal so we have decided to leave the restaurant. So please improve your CS!!

Amazing place, Great staff and great food. The food was prepared promptly and was of a high quality. The atmosphere was nice with it feeling relaxed and comfortable. And just to top it off the staff were accommodating and very friendly. I would highly recommend this to anyone visiting the area.

Expensive for what it is. Decent flavour but I'd expect more for this price point. I found a hair in my pasta and let the wait staff know. The restaurant manager handled this situation very professionally.

The 2 stars are for the lovely venue and the friendly wait staff - it definitely wasn’t for the pizza. I’m sure the other items on the menu are just fine but the pizza isn’t up to scratch. Chef needs to understand pizza! I ordered the margarita pizza and it was very underwhelming - I’d struggle to give it a 5/10. In fact I’ll give it a 4.5. Dominos pizza is better. Why? The base was doughy and chewy - it simply wasn’t cooked enough and the oven base isn’t hot enough. The topping was way too cheesy - and it was greasy cheap cheese too. As for the tomato sauce - there was hardly any and impossible to taste. Sprinkling dried oregano on it only reinforced the lack of effort put into making it. Sorry - I wanted to like it but it was very ordinary

Absolutely fantastic 💯 Would recommend 👌 The service and the food was great. Was good to see Melbourne back to life. Great coffee and desert too.

I can say, without hyperbole, that the pumpkin gnocchi was the best I have ever had. My mother loved the salmon gnocchi. Excellent service and timing of entree and main. Definitely worth booking a table if you enjoy delicious gnocchi.

Stumbled upon this great restaurant when walking through Melbourne late on our first night down there. We were looking for something decent for dinner and we were so glad we found this place. Yes it is a small restaurant and it was a bit noisy but that was because it was full of people enjoying their food the whole time we were there. Great staff and service and some of the best Italian food we have ever eaten. Will definitely go back next time we are in Melbourne!

Awesome find! I highly recommend the spinach and ricotta cannelloni. Great vibe and reasonable prices. Will be a regular joint when we visit from Sydney. �

The service was fantastic at this restaurant and the found was great at very good prices. I recommend the gnocchi ! 😍 I don't even like gnocchi that much but it was so delicious

Looked for a restaurant with simple good food near Athaneum Theatre Maccaroni came up. From 1st contact felt really happy got good advice as to arrival time. It's in a great spot it's a true Trattoria bustling great atmosphere fabulous food as only the Italians can do. I had Swordfish my husband pizza he can't help himself. We loved it as 1st time customers we booked just as well but it had a happy busy throughput. We'll go back no question it's got great well priced food served quickly lovely atmosphere.

Thanks for the great meal yesterday perfect location to have lunch before heading off to a great performance of the "Bodyguard" a great place tucked away in Manchester Lane - Melbourne

excellent food, warm atmosphere and service at the top! We are delighted with our experience in this property and will be happy to return on our next trip!

Loved the presentation and the food. Staff are very friendly and welcoming. Loved the ambience of the place.

Food was ok but it took a while to come and our entree never arrived we had to tell the waiter not to worry about it rather poor considering the fact we arrived after the lunch time rush

Some of the best Italian food that I have ever had! Fantastic service, friendly staff, and a lovely atmosphere. Will definitely be coming back and recommending here to other people! �

Food is always delicious though they forgot to bring a liquor and other times the waiter could have been a bit better.

I am disgusted at how I saw my friend being treated by not one but two staff tonight. She was brought out a meal that was quite inedible (no meat only fat, very much undercooked, pepper on everything even though she didn't ask for pepper, sauce was like water etc etc) and when asked for it to be taken back she was met with rudeness by the waiter and then again by another waitress who told her that she was wrong about all she had complained about. The waitress then continued to argue with my friend when she decided not to order another meal since the waitress was still going to make her pay half for that meal! I work in customer service and if I treated a customer how my friend was being treated tonight, I would be fired on the spot! Needless to say, NEVER AGAIN!

Unfortunately for us the food was very ordinary. I can only describe it as being similar to a frozen meal. Staff were lovely and service impeccable. Ambience was great! Drinks menu very good.

We had a tipical Italian antipasto and gnocchi, I can't really tell how good our lunch was. We are Italian and it was like to be in our home country tasting our amazing food again. Thanks guys it was a great experience, the best place to go dining when I feel homesick. Great job!

Fantastic food fantastic service a restaurant I would be ever so happy to recommend

A wonderful find, in a laneway. Great food and great wine, at a very reasonable price. Friendly and helpful staff.

one of the best Italian restaurants I have ever been to. The food was simple, authentic and prepared with attention to detail.

Very delicious Italian restaurant with great ambience! The menu boasts a great selection, with lots of vegan options. The restaurant is great for after work dinner/drinks, or a dinner with friends. Cocktails are also delicious! Would definitely recommend it and definitely would come again.

Lovely, clean ambience and we had a friendly and accomodating waitress. Pasta was absolutely fantastic and authentic Italian. Have seen this restruant on zomato gold for a while, and the dining experience our expectations. The location is tucked away nicely in a quiet location away from the bustling streets and is easily accessible by tram, train or foot. Highly recommend the gnocchi and pappardelle! One of the best pastas we’ve tried for a long time. This is definitely an Italian restruant up there. Would definitely come back again.

I'd seen Maccaroni Trattoria Italiana before but finally got tempted to try it with Zomato Gold and I'm glad I did! The pasta and pizza were delicious and the serving sizes much bigger than we expected. It also worked out to be only $15pp - extremely great value. We were intially seated at a small table in the middle but they moved us when we asked, despite it being quite busy. Service was really friendly throughout as well.

Nice meal in quirky surroundings

I had dinner here some friends. The initial service was kinda slow, and we waited a while for our drinks. The staff seemed more interested in socialising together than the service which is fine but not when when ppl are waiting for a drink and a meal. <br/><br/>My tortellini lamb ragyu was alright, there were small pieces of lamb balls and the sauce was alright. The pasta was al dente. <br/><br/>My Campari spritz was ok I guess but I was hoping for a lot more Campari hahaha.<br/><br/>This place hasn't changed much since my last visit.<br/><br/><br/>November 2017<br/>Today we decided to try Italian and w a good Zomato rating this place sounded like the place to visit.<br/><br/>The service was very very casual from the young Italian waiter but friendly enough. <br/><br/>We had garlic bread as an entree which was average and for me the bread didn’t taste fresh. <br/><br/>I ordered the Fettuccine Pork belly w porcini which was ok. The pasta was a bit too al dente for me personally. Thankfully we had some chilli flakes and some chilli oil and Parmesan or The dish would have been quite plain. <br/><br/>My partner ordered the Macaroni, beef meatballs, eggplant, parmesan and a touch of pesto gratin which for me was quite dry. <br/><br/>Overall this was an underwhelming experience. I’m hoping that it’s because of the public holiday but that’s not really an excuse either!

Fast and friendly service. We had the fettuccine lamb ragu and the maccaroni incasciati, both were very delicious. I’ve never had a specific craving for pasta before, but that has changed since eating here!

Been here a few times as the restaurant has Zomato Gold, and it’s always consistently good. The flavours are fresh and the staff are friendly. It gets very busy but I’ve never had issues getting a table. Recommend the truffle mushroom pasta and their pizza’s.

Ordered the Maccaroni Incasciata and it was tasted great. Good portion. Quick service and friendly staffs. Definitely a recommended place to eat in CBD Melbourne.

Had lunch here with a friend using the Zomato Gold 1 for 1 deal. I had the mushroom pappardelle. Pasta is nice and freshly made, the sauce was creamy and tasty too. My friend had the mushroom risotto which apparently was also quite good. Good value with the discount. Would return

I've visited this restaurant's other outlet in Clifton Hill before to try their vegan fare and had a pretty good experience, so I decided to give the city restaurant a go. But honestly, I was underwhelmed. The food seemed cheap despite the pretty high price tag. The garlic bread was just sliced white bread with some herbs and the vegan Bolognese had a very bland sauce made with tvp (one of the cheapest and least tasty meat replacements). Would have loved to see a higher quality alternative used for the mince. The pizza wasn't the best I've had but was pretty good and the salad was the best value item for the price. The best part of the meal was the cannoli I tried a bite of. It was an alright meal, but I definitely didn't feel like I got my money's worth.

Atmosphere, staff, and pasta were great. Pizza base was somewhat soggy.

Came here around lunchtime on a Friday. I was not really busy. <br/>We ordered a seafood pasta and a pizza along with a side dish. The food came pretty fast ✅. The pizza is average for me but the pasta omg amazing. You can really taste the flavour of seafood. I love it

Great Italian restaurant in CBD. It was a busy night and we visited here without a reservation, but the staff organised a table quickly. Thanks to them we had a good dining experience.<br/><br/>- Caprese ☆☆☆☆<br/><br/>- Spaghetti Carbonara ☆☆☆☆☆<br/><br/>- Macaroni incasciati ☆☆☆☆<br/><br/>Loved their pasta!! Texture, flavours and quantity, everything was good. Especially, carbonara was my favourite.<br/>If they had more choices for risotto it would be great. But I would definitely come back, thank you.

A cute little Italian restaurant hidden in a laneway. Upon arrival we were greeted warmly by our waitress. The place is very cozy. We went for the fettuccine lamb ragu and the pappardelle funghi e tartufo. My favourite was the pappardelle - the wide pasta was cooked really well, and the creamy truffle sauce was amazing. The fettuccine was also delicious, and the lamb was extremely tender! We used 1+1 Zomato Gold here which made it super affordable too.

My wife and I dined at this restaurant on Sunday and we were both excited to find another Italian option. The location was great, the restaurant was quaint and we were seated relatively quickly. I ordered the Gnocchi and my wife ordered the cappelletti. Unfortunately, my Gnocchi had a couple of serious issues. First, the gnocchi itself was tough, more like a large German spatzle than a traditional pillowy gnocchi. Also the sauce was so laden with cheese that when I tried to scoop it up with a gnocchi I had to stop and cut it from the strings of cheese—like you would get from a Chicago style deep dish pizza. It was edible, but disappointing from an Italian restaurant with this rating. <br/><br/>I will add that my wife’s cappelletti was better. Not perfect but was a definite step up from my gnocchi. If we were rating just for this dish it would have been a 4.0. <br/><br/>All in all, a disappointing visit. Maybe they had someone new in the kitchen, I can’t be sure, but I would hesitate to visit again after this experience.

Food is delicious and good ambience. ZG accepted here. Definitely will return.

Nice restaurant with great atmosphere. IMHO, they have limited choices of pasta and the taste is average.

3.5<br/>Pleasantly surprised! It was far from traditional but it was tasty comfort food. I had the fettuccine with bacon and zucchini and loads of sinful cream. My girlfriend had the spaghetti marinara and there was a generous amount of seafood. It’s priced similar to Tipo 00 but it was more of a comfort food style. Tiramisu and pana cotta for dessert also hit the mark. Kudos to Evan who was very affable and helpful.

Come one, come all, come hungry.<br/><br/>Maccaroni Trattoria Italiana serves enough food on its $45 set menu that you wont feel the urge to eat again for another 45 days. But its not all quantity over quality here, the banquet includes an antipasto platter, fresh caprese salad and some of the best bruschetta you have ever had to grace your taste buds.<br/>And thats JUST the entree.<br/><br/>We recommend the scallopine or the maccaroni incasciati as that is what we ordered. But our entire table was so satisfied with what they ordered that they gave us pats on the backs for choosing Maccaroni Trattoria Italiana and said we dont have to pay them to be there friend for a whole month.<br/><br/>So thank you Maccaroni Trattoria Italiana for making our lives a bit cheaper.<br/><br/>As for service; once you get passed the front of house staff that look more lost than a penguin in the dessert (or at least thats how lost you will be if you decide to brave the trek to the bathroom) you'll be served by charming and knowledgeable waiters.<br/><br/>Overall we rate this bello mio: 4.5/5<br/><br/>Will we be back? It's a no brainer.

Came in no booking for one in this bustling restaurant set in an alley way on route to a car park believe it or not.<br/><br/>Once inside I was greeted and shortly shown to my table.<br/><br/>There are a fair selection of Italian wine by the glass and daily prices for the CBD.<br/><br/>The usual fare of pasta, pizzas and mains are available. Pastas are made on premises.<br/><br/>Prices are all very reasonable with soups for $15 and pastas in mid $20s. Many places more fine dining end charge double. <br/><br/>Honest food here with friendly service. Well worth a try!

Love the pizzas, i go there almost every week to eat. I guess this is by far the best place for pizza in Melbourne &hearts;️

We went here expecting more given the rating. It wasn’t bad per se, but just basic OK food. Service was similarly OK – not bad but not very good either.

Good service and great atmosphere.<br/><br/>Tried the prosciutto pizza and the macaroni. The macaroni was great had great flavour and was baked in the oven with mozzarella cheese. The pizza was ok, a little try, the base didn’t taste fresh.

Ordered a couple of beers, pappardelle with mushrooms and prawn fettucine. The drinks didnt arrive as they forgot to put the order in. The food took about 30 mins. The restaurant wasn't that busy so I don't see why the service was so poor. In summary, average food and really slow service, not a combination that will warrant a return visit.

A great Italian restaurant in the city and one of Melbourne’s best kept secrets. They have gone through multiple renovations but the food remains top notch - and our go to for Italian cuisine. My favourites are the pappardelle funghi e tartufo (pappardelle pasta with mushrooms and truffle in light olive oil) and Maccaroni incascati (penne pasta bake with meatballs, eggplant and pesto).

Perfectly cooked pasta. Some very interesting items on the menu including multiple vegan pasta options. Generous pasta servings and friendly service. <br/><br/>We ordered the beetroot spaghetti (9/10)<br/>Perfect al dente light summer pasta with a subtle beetroot sauce. <br/><br/>Mushroom And truffle pappardelle (9/10)<br/>Delicious lightly truffle and pepper mushroom sauce<br/><br/>Discovered this place through zomato gold. Glad we checked previous reviews which recommended making bookings as the restaurant was fully booked. Understandably so, due to great flavors and quality pasta! Will definitely visit again.

We had lunch during the week, using the Zomato gold offer. The service was very friendly, the food came fast, and it was very refined and good. The pasta especially tasted delicious.

Slight overpriced but the pasta was really good! Love their maccaroni ! Wish they add more cheese in it. <br/> Spaghetti bolognese was so so but overall good experience

I went to this restaurant as it had been many days that I’d had any Italian food. So I decided to try this place out because of the good reviews and Zomato Gold availability. I would recommend you to get a reservation before going here. I went in without a reservation on a Monday night and was lucky to get a table. The staff had to divide a table of 4 into 2 tables of 2s to accommodate me. That is probably the only good thing that happened with service that night as It was a disaster after that. More on that later.

Came back here for another dinner in a while because they recently joined Zomato Gold. We had 2 entrees, 2 pastas and a pizza for just $74 thanks to Gold! The highlight was definitely the pastas. The baked maccaroni with meatballs and eggplants is my favourite. The crispy edges are the best! The pork belly and porcini fettuccine was really nicely balanced with the sweet pumpkin mousse. The pan fried vegetables were surprisingly good as well even as a side. This is one of our favourite pasta places in Melbourne and we will definitely visit more often now that they are on Zomato Gold.

I’m so in love with this restaurant! The ambience and vibe and the service were all so perfect! <br/><br/>Had the fettuccine pork belly & porcini and it was so unique!! I’ve never heard of a pork belly pasta ever but the combination of mushrooms, pork belly, pumpkin mousse, walnuts, sage and parmigiano was perfect! <br/><br/>also had a few bites of the risotto marinara and they were great too!! <br/><br/>It’s also a really romantic setup so you can come here for special occasions :) <br/><br/>One of my new fav places in melb!

The staff was really friendly and attentive, but we found the food to be quite bland. We also got the arancini, and ended up salting them and the two pastas. The flavour of the pork belly fettuccini and gnocchi was quite good, but again lacking seasoning.

Very good service. The pasta was firm and tasty

Overall food was great. Restaurant wasn't very busy at lunch time on a weekday. Quick service.

Went here previously in March 2019 and feel the pork belly and mushroom fettuccine was mote impressive on our first visit. The walnuts was more generous and the pasta was served in a dish on top of a bed of pumpkin mash.<br/><br/>This time we went on Zomato Gold, the pasta was still chewy and delicious as you would expect from fresh pasta but there was very few walnuts and the pumpkin mousse was only a small smear on the side of the plate. On the previous occasion we also remember the mash being sweeter and a great combination with the pasta. <br/><br/>Garlic bread was decent but had a wet paste (garlic paste?) on the top which may not be a texture everyone enjoys. <br/><br/>The food on this occasion is probably 3.5 stars but given we got one of our pasta’s free from Zomato Gold, I think 4 stars is deserved. Would return to try their other fresh pasta dishes, we don’t think the pork belly is our favourite anymore.

Friendly staff, unfortunately not matched by the quality of what they serve. Pizzas were decent while the pastas were not of adequate quantity.

We came here on a Thursday night to take up on the Zomato Gold 1+1 on food offer for the first time (bill came up to a total $31 for 2 people excluding drinks)!<br/><br/>We made a booking for 7:45pm as we heard it would be very busy, and upon arrival, it certainly was. The place was clearly understaffed, with 2-3 servers for a bustling restaurant. We didn't even get the chance to notify staff that we had to make a booking before we were told to wait outside briefly as the doorway was crowded due to patrons trying to pay and leave. After 5-10 minutes, we were finally allowed inside and were then seated.<br/><br/>The vibe of this little restaurant was everything! Very casual, but cosy and romantic. Dim lighting, and real candles at every table. Once again, due to under-staffing we had to wave someone down to take our orders.<br/><br/>We ordered:<br/><br/>1 x Spaghetti Carbonara<br/><br/>1 x Maccaroni Incasciati<br/><br/>1 x Garlic Bread<br/><br/>The spaghetti carbonara was delicious- noodles were perfectly al dente! My boyfriend found the maccaroni incasciati "average" and wished he'd ordered the spaghetti carbonara. The pasta came out super fast- even before the garlic bread did (although the server told us he'd come out with the garlic bread first). <br/><br/>Overall, this meal was such good value, and I loved the ambience as it quieted down after 8pm. Would definitely come back for the spaghetti carbonara or to give the raved about pappardelle mushroom and truffle a try! ^_^

100% would recommend the mushroom pasta. It was amazing. Chips weren’t that amazing as they lacked flavour.

(3,5) <br/>Food: ⭐️⭐️⭐️<br/>Service:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️<br/>Price: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ <br/><br/>Usually I don’t like eating Italian food in Melbourne, specially the pizza that doesn’t taste good as a pizza should. But I give it a try here. And I liked it. <br/><br/>Food: I ordered arancini and panelle as entree which didn’t impress me, but it was tasty. It’s a good starter, but nothing special. I ordered a 4 cheese pizza and I liked the pizza (at least they have some original flavours and put some cheese), but I just can’t explain... there’s nothing special again. I think the best was the lasagna in my opinion, it was tasty and the bechamel was quite good! <br/><br/>Service: A very good and friendly service, nothing to complain. Really feel that they worked very well!<br/><br/>Price: the Arancini and panelle ($14), pizza 🍕 ($23) and the lasagna ($23).

Walk in and feel the chill vibes. Well lit restuarant with brown tables and vines that dangle above.<br/><br/>Gnocchi sorrentina- imagine light balls of homemade potato gnocchi packed side by side and infused with the semi soft fior di latte and napoli sauce.<br/><br/>Romana pizza- thin slices of ham with flavoursome mozzarella cheese, the crust is slightly crisp.

We dined at Maccaroni Trattoria on a bitterly cold Friday night. This restaurant was warming and inviting with a fully stocked bar and a certain bustle and buzz about the place. There was a good variety of drinks and a reasonably sized cocktails list which was good to see. I chose chiante wine by the glass while other had cocktails. <br/><br/>I had already pre-read the menu and decided what I wanted and stuck to my guns and ordered the baked macaroni with meatballs. It was this sort of<br/>comfort food that I was craving and it didn’t disappoint. So cheesy and satisfying. <br/><br/>Others on the table ordered one of vegetarian pizzas called Fungi Carciofi E Ricotta and a classic Margherita with added anchovies. The Margherita was tasty and anchovies shone through but the base lacked that delicious bubbly crust that we enjoy and the crust was quite dry. <br/><br/>For entree two of us shared the arancini with panelle (fried chickpea flour) entree which tasted ok but each arancini was just a taste and I would have loved them to be a little bigger.<br/><br/>Maccaroni participated in Zomato Gold so we received our second most expensive main for free as part of our Zomato Gold membership. Can’t complain about that.

Tasty food! However the small serving size wasn’t really worth it for the price. After ordering a pasta and risotto my friend and I still felt hungry, which was disappointing

Sometimes visit here cuz not too crowded inside and staffs are friendly food is overall okay. Zomato gold 1+1 dish is very worthy to use it here!!

Great food, Italian wine, service and value. Tucked away on a side street off Collins St, I am glad I found this restaurant on Zomato because I would not have discovered it normally. Appreciate that this restaurant is a Zomato gold partner. I will be back!

Delicious gnocchi as per usual, kind staff and lovely warm atmosphere!

3.5 stars ⭐️ Really like their lasagna here and their carbonara, but their calamari with chips was so so. The portion size is also a bit weird. The lasagna was quite big, but I felt the carbonara was much smaller.<br/><br/>Price-wise it’s slightly expensive for its home style atmosphere but it was nice.

I have been to Maccaroni Trattoria Italiana a number of times over last 3 years, due to its convenient location and tasty pasta. On this occasion I was here for a work lunch yesterday.<br/><br/>🔆LOCATION🔆<br/>Maccaroni Trattoria Italiana is located on Manchester Lane, close to Swanston Street Corner off Collins Street. If you have never walked down this laneway, you may not really notice it.  For landmark purposes its between Ganache Chocolate and OPSM.<br/><br/>🔆SERVICE🔆<br/>Our reservation was at 12pm, and we arrived on time. The restaurant only had about 2 tables so it was quiet which was nice. We wanted to be here before the lunch hour rush as currently this restaurant has a lunch special promotion - any pizza/pasta plus drink for $20 which is very good value.<br/><br/>We were seated promptly, menu and water was provided. The waitress was very friendly and helpful.<br/><br/>We were at the restaurant for 1.5 hours and this whole time they left the front door open. It was really cold.  Have no idea why they did that, but once I had some food I was a little warmer but it was an unpleasant experience to sit in a restaurant when you're feeling cold.<br/><br/>🔆MENU/PRICE🔆<br/><br/>We ordered the following: <br/><br/>Garlic Bread, $7.00<br/><br/>Pappadelle Funghi e Tartufo, $26.00<br/>(Fresh pappadelle, mushrooms, truffle sauce, parsley)<br/><br/>Penne Arrabbiata, $23.00<br/>(Traditional dish from Calabria. Penne with fresh chopped tomato sauce, chilli, olives, capers and red onion and pecorino cheese)<br/><br/>🔆VERDICT🔆<br/><br/>The Garlic Bread was delicious, if only it was baked for a few more minutes longer it would have been perfect. The bread was still too soft and the garlic paste although had flavour still needed a little more time. <br/><br/>I had the pappadelle with mushroom and truffle oil. The pasta was cooked to perfection, al dente! The mushroom was nice however the dish lacked in flavour. I was a little disappointed as it was a work lunch and I had suggested this restaurant. <br/><br/>My client ordered the Penne Arrabbiata, it was apparently pretty good, sauce was rich in flavour but he only consumed about 70% of his pasta as it was a bit too heavy for his liking.

Commenting on the vegan dishes: it was pretty average in terms of flavour. We ordered the "chicken" and mushroom risotto and forest orechiette. Wish that it didn't have large leaves of rosemary in the risotto, maybe some people like that, but it was like eating twigs. The orechiette was the better dish, but the sauce was really watery.<br/><br/>Service and atmosphere was great. I'd try again if they updated their menu. Happy that they have vegan options, but not up to the standards I've had in other Italian restaurants.

Hidden away in a laneway is this Italian restaurant. Upon arrival we got greeted by an Italian waitress. Although without reservation we soon got 2 seats by the window.<br/><br/>We ordered the barramundi casserole, mariinara pizza and chips. Really like the pizza but its got the shell on top of it i nearly choked on it. Casserole was nice but the musscle was over cooked and it's tiny. Chips is average nothing special.

Nice place, was pretty full as I imagine it would be each night. Food was fantastic as was the service. Just be aware if your after a quiet dinner this is not the place. The only downside if the concrete floor and being a small establishment it for pretty loud in there.

A very good Italian restaurant with some very authentic, tasty and memorable dishes.<br/><br/>Located on Collins St near Flinders, my friend and I were seated promptly, greeted with enthusiasm and professional acumen. The staff here seemed to take pride in their roles, often seen laughing amongst each other and ensuring all patrons were attended to and met with friendly service. We opted today for the carbonara and a Ramona pizza. The pasta came with some parmesan cheese (a good sign for service and Italian restaurant status) and was very good. Good textured noodles with a thick, tasty creamy sauce lathered in flavours. A highlight carbonara by any measure. The pizza was also very enjoyable, fresh and mounted with a mix of aromatic flavours that made for an easy, yet delicious taste. We especially enjoyed how light it all tasted, not too oily or fatty, whilst still having good portions to fill us up.<br/><br/>Really nice restaurant experience, would recommend it for your Italian cuisine needs!<br/><br/>Food: 4/5<br/>Service: 4/5<br/>Ambience: 4/5<br/>Value: 4/5<br/><br/>Overall: 4/5

We loved 😍<br/>We ordered the truffle and mushroom pappardelle and it was absolutely delicious! We have ordered the same dish twice. It wasn’t as saucy the second tom though. The prosciutto pizza had a doughy base which we aren’t usually the biggest fans of but this it seemed to work well.<br/><br/>We disliked 😖<br/>We weren’t the biggest fan of the tomato bruschetta.<br/><br/>This is one of my favourite Italian places in Melbourne. If you’re a fan of Italian wines, this place has a great list.

A solid dining experience, although it did seem that as though they were a tad short-staffed the day Your Dear Luncher was present. It felt as though it was necessary to flag someone down for assistance or orders every <br/><br/>Putting this issue aside, the food was commendable. The Dear Luncher's spaghetti carbonara didn't look overly exciting from a presentation standpoint, it was heavily dosed with pancetta which is just the way The Dear Luncher likes it. All other diners reported back positively on their dishes. Lunch specials at this particular inner-city Trattoria are very sound options for the budget-conscious diner. <br/><br/>3.5/5.

There was great service and friendly as well. The food was great quality and fast really love the gnocchi was great dad had meatball speacial and said it was lovely

Pizza was not bad but Pastas was bad I and my friend even couldn't finish it <br/>Staffs were really nice and friendly but I don't recommend this place

We had Mother’s Day lunch here today and really enjoyed it! I had booked online but for some reason it hadn’t come up in the restaurants system - they were very accommodating though and got us a table straight away anyway. The caprese salad and antipasto board were a nice way to start our meal - the only thing is there could have been a bit more bread on the antipasto board. I had the gnocchi as my main and my husband had calamari - serving sizes were very generous, and the food was tasty! Service was quite attentive and friendly. Would definitely eat here again. Wasn’t particularly expensive either for a nice meal in the city.

Will definitely be returning! I stuffed up my booking time and they were more than happy to accommodate us. Great meals and great customer service, what more could you want!

So many positive reviews for Maccaroni Trattoria Italiana, but can't say mine will follow suit.<br/><br/>Ordered:<br/>/Entree/<br/>🍅 Caprese (v): Fior di latte, tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, basil ($15.00)<br/>🍞 Misto Fritto: a selection of traditional arancini (bolognese, spinach, truffles & mushrooms) and panelle (fried chickpeas flour) ($14.00)<br/>/Main/<br/>🍝 Gnocchi Sorrentina (v): homemade gnocchi, napoli sauce, fior di latte, basil ($22.00)<br/>🍝 Fettuccine Porkbelly & Porcini: fresh fettuccine with minced porkbelly, mushrooms, porcini, walnuts, sage, parmigiano. Served in a bed of pumpkin mousse ($26.00)<br/>🍕 Rucola e crudo: tomato sauce, mozzarella, proscuitto, fresh rocket and shaved parmigiano cheese ($26.00)<br/><br/>Review:<br/>Starting off on a positive note: the one thing I'd recommend is the 🍅 caprese. Simple, but executed extremely well both in choice of the creaminess of the fior di latte and in presentation. A treat to eat!<br/><br/>Everything else was incredibly ordinary. I've had better 🍞 arancini served at functions where I'd burn my hands reaching for seconds. Here, there was barely any flavour. Could've gone without it. <br/><br/>Now for the pasta dishes. The 🍝 Gnocchi although pillowy softness, had no real depth of flavour to it either. The presentation wasn't exciting, which truly foreshadowed every dish after that. <br/>🍝 Fettuccine porkbelly had potential, with texture of the porkbelly crackling. However, there was no flavour to the porkbelly and it seemed to add no value than just being a figurehead on the menu. I can't say I recall eating walnuts either - that nutty texture wasn't evident. <br/><br/>The 🍕 pizza base was hard and the toppings weren't on properly. This means with every bite, you've got high chance of dragging off the rocket, proscuitto and mozzarella in one fell swoop... which leads to quite a stressful eating experience. <br/><br/>Perhaps we've stumbled across them on a bad night. Nonetheless, when they accidentally charge you for another table double the amount (~$250) which neither of you checked that you paid for. Luckily, you notice and when you go back to correct them - to which they present you with another table's invoice - the sheer disorganization was a little inconvenient.

Saw this spot had great reviews on Zomato so my friends and I figured we would have to check it out for dinner. <br/><br/>We ordered garlic bread for starters and it was great, bread had a lovely bite and the garlic butter had a lovely flavour.<br/><br/>For dinner I ordered the Risotto Marina without mussels as I’m not a big fan and didn’t want to waste them. And I replaced the risotto with spaghetti instead. This dish was delicious, had a beautiful seafood flavour, spaghetti had a nice bite and there was a lot of squid rings and prawns which I love. Overall I really enjoyed my experience at Maccaroni Trattoria Italiana.

What a beautiful little spot! We were lucky to eat here before going to see a show at the Regent theatre. The food was really good, I had the papadelle with the truffle sauce. The pasta was cooke beautifully; perfectly al dents (I’m not even a fan of al Dante pasta) but this was done to perfection. The truffle cream sauce was yummy too, the truffle wasn’t over powering so it was perfect accompanied by the mushrooms. A few other people tried other pasta dishes and there were no complaints about the food! Service was a tad slow; but not enough to hinder the experience. <br/>Definitely recommend going here Especially before the show!<br/><br/>Food: 4.5<br/>Service: 3.5<br/>Ambience: 3.5 <br/><br/>(Sorry about the picture the lighting in the restaurant wasn’t great)

Undying is my love for Italian food. Yet another Italian place I visited recently as the craving for that fresh homemade pasta and wood-fired pizza was overpowering! A restaurant easily tucked away in Manchester Lane at The Collins Street. Came across it through online searches and the visit was definitely worth it.<br/><br/>We ordered the classic Capricciosa pizza and a pasta ‘Pappardelle Funghi E Tartufo’ - fresh pappardelle with mushrooms, truffle sauce and parsley. It was an amazing mushroom pasta I had in a long time. The pizza was exactly as I like it, aromatic and flavourful toppings with a bit charred and crisp crust. Can’t wait to have another bite of the pizza at this place!<br/><br/>Meal rating - 4.5/5<br/>Next visit - Definitely

Service was fantastic. Super inviting and welcoming staff. Restaurant felt very relaxed and warm. Charming atmosphere. Yummy food. The highlight was the spaghetti carbonara.

Risotto marinara is absolutely amazing! Fresh material and best cooking. It surprised me. Rice is soft and tasty, best balance with the soup. <br/>Maccaroni incasciati is okay. Traditional taste, beef ball have strong flavors. You will love it.

Nice, casual italian. Food is not fussy or fancy, very homestyle. Our waiter was super nice and friendly. They’ve remodeled and it’s not as cosy as before, plus they were playing some horrendous pop music which completely ruined the mood for me. The tiramisu was excellent tho, not too much cream and a strong coffee flavour. Overall, it was better before the remodel when it was cosier and felt more “italian”.

Food:<br/>The fettucine pork belly was an absolutely delicious meal. The pasta was creamy and flavourful, the pasta was well cooked. The mix of the sauce, mushrooms, pork belly, walnuts, et al in the dish, is so wonderfully done.<br/><br/>The pasta is however on the smaller side, basically felt like an appetiser. In addition there definitely could have been more pork belly in the meal.<br/><br/>Ambience and service:<br/>The venue is small and cosy. Probably great place for a date. Whilst we anticipated a long wait given our table size, the food arrived surprisingly fast.<br/><br/>Overall:<br/>Great meal but underwhelming portions.<br/>If looking for value the pizzas looked much more substantial.<br/>

Ordered the capricciosa pizza and my friend ordered the ‘4 cheese’ pizza. Pizzas were of generous size but the taste was quite average. Although service was good there was no wow factor with the food and probably will not be in a hurry to return.

The place is very cosy and place where you can enjoy food and talk. The no wifi policy is very nice. This gives people chance to enjoy the food. The pasta is delicious. House wine is good. As far as deserts are concerned double chocolate moose is a must try

Visited this place last year, and with so many options in Melbourne, it's always hard to choose. <br/><br/>The food looked great but the taste was just okay. Maybe it's more popular for the dishes we didn't order but that's always a problem when you're  a vegetarian and go after highly rated restaurants to find out their vego food is average.

It was my friend’s birthday and we wanted to surprise her. Booking this place for the special event was the perfect choice! The food was good and the service was amazing despite the rush hour (we were there at 7pm on a Saturday! I suggest you book ahead so you can escape the queue) They dimmed the lights and sang a happy birthday song to my friend and she felt so special. Thank you to the whole team for a great experience. :)

We were quite surprised that such a nice restaurant would be so quite at noon. The vibe and service was great, so did the food here! We ordered a Caprese as a starter n it was so refreshing n yum! The handmade pasta were definitely the highlights of our lunch, I would so recommend the pappardelle with mushrooms n truffle source as well as the fettuccine with seafoods! FYI they have changed the menu seven months ago, ink fettuccine is no longer served in here now.

Came here for lunch with a friend as conveniently located for both of us. It’s a blink and you’ll miss location as located down an alley with not so much signage. Once you arrive you’re warmly greeted by lovely staff. It was a lovely day and they seemed to be quite busy. <br/><br/>Our eyes were immediately drawn to the home made pasta. With quite a few choices it took a little time to settle upon one. I went for the Maccaroni Incasciati which consisted of the home made pasta, napoli sauce, beef meat balls & mozzarella cheese all baked in a small dish. It was a tasty dish and thoroughly enjoyed it. Although not a fan of eggplant this was deliciously incorporated in this dish and all the ingredients worked in harmony. My friend had the Tagliatelle Bolognese sauce. The fresh pasta tossed with bolognese sauce and served with parmigiano. Bellissimo! We both commented how tasty these dishes were. Unpretentious and fairly well priced.

We found this place while searching for a casual Italian restaurant and we had a great experience. It was last Friday so public holiday and they had a 10% surcharge. We had the special snapper for entree, it was grilled and there was a lot of beetroot so I didnt quite like it. The fried calamari was perfectly cooked, lightly battered and crisp yet tender inside and not chewy. The rocket salad was not bitter at all so we really enjoyed it. I had the spaghetti marinara which was really good, the sauce was a bit too runny but it was still tasty. My bf had the tagliatelle bolognese, it was great too and he was very satisfied. We had one tiramisu for dessert and it came out really quick. For $10, this tiramisu is a must to order! We had to wait a while for the mains but apart from that, the service was great. Will come back for calamari and tiramisu!

Cozy restaurant with friendly staff. We ordered Caprese, Pappadelle Funghi, and pizza. <br/>The pasta was cooked to perfection. Rich sauce. Highly recommend!

Had dinner with a few friends on a Friday night after work. <br/>Ambience : 4/5. Cosy with warm dimly lights. Stylish contemporary decoration with soft music playing at the background.<br/>Food : 4/5. Perfect place to have a simple yet delicious pasta. The seafood marinara was cooked to perfection. Seafood was fresh and delightful. The pappardelle sauce was full of flavor and the pasta appetizing. <br/>Service : 4/5. Great service. Staffs were very efficient when taking orders and delivering food. <br/>Definitely a place that I would come back to.

This place is warm and family friendly. The staff were friendly and offered suggestions. Their special lamb ragu pasta is the best as are their pizzas . No complaints here

Very good place. Shared a pizza and pasta and have to say they were both very very good. Quite impressed. Service was good however initially on one of Melbourne's coldest nights we were told only outdoor seats were available, when this was declined we were seated at one of the 5 free indoor tables. Toilets location and key system was odd. Quality for food and the rest of the service prompted the 4 stars. Will go back.

Service 10/10<br/>Food 10/10<br/>This place is cute with the candle lights on the table, cute little restaurant for some delightful pasta. Would definitely recommend the pork belly fettuccini as well, just the right amount and extremely tasty. Probably one of the best pastas I’ve had by far. Can’t really say anything wrong with the restaurant, definitely worth the money and must go at least once if visiting Melbourne. <br/>

My partner and I discovered the place whilst getting lost down one of the many lane ways Melbourne has to offer. The wine selection was superb, and the food was probably one of the best Italian cuisines I’ve ever eaten. The staff were very helpful, attentive and everything was so well priced. Obviously a hidden gem!

Thought we would change it up and try something new. They have a whole menu dedicated to vegan if you're after that. A great range of food. The pizzas were spot on with flavours. Pasta was perfectly cooked. Extremely friendly Italian service, attentive and food came out fairly quickly. Would return to try more of the menu.

I came here for a friend’s birthday dinner and upon entering, felt a warm and cosy atmosphere that screamed Italian. I think what must’ve added to this was the dimly lit lights and the italian accents from the waitstaff that hurdled through the room when taking orders. They were all lovely especially the hostess with the short black hair. In terms of food, we ordered a couple of pizzas and pastas to share. I found the pizzas were spot on with flavours although were a bit difficult to chew. The pastas were definitely the better half of the evening as they were fresh and consistently al-dente albeit on the eggier side. A generous amount of sauce coated the noodles that I predict may have been emulsified prior to serving. The truffle pappardelle was my favourite for sure - earthy and rich; it’s one for the mushroom lovers. When it came time to sing happy birthday to my friend, the staff kindly dimmed the lights and brought out the cake for us providing a nice surprise to end the night.

Went for dinner last Saturday, my friend and I were lucky to get a seat without a booking. The atmosphere was positive and light. Food and beverages:<br/><br/>• Lemon Lime Bitters | 5/5 | You can’t really go wrong with this.<br/><br/>• Fettuccine Pork Belly & Porcini | 5/5 | Pasta was perfectly cooked as were the rest of the dish with a creamy sauces and a great balance of seasoning the dish was perfect in the cold weather.<br/><br/>I would definitely recommend this restaurant to friends and family visiting Melbourne.

Came to Maccaroni Trattoria Italiana on a cold Tuesday night for dinner and left satisfied. <br/> <br/>Atmosphere: Cosy, with candles, perfect for first dates (haven’t had mine yet!), although this may be a bit awkward for some. (4/5) <br/><br/>Service: Extremely friendly Italian servers, attentive and food came out relatively quickly (4.5/5)<br/><br/>Food: I ordered the Pappardelle Funghi E Tartufo, which was Fresh pappardelle, mushrooms, truffle sauce and parsley. Extremely hearty. The Pasta was cooked Al Dente, and the serving size was perfect, not too filling but a good size. Would return! (4/5)<br/><br/>

I was so looking forward to having a relaxing and nice meal with family for our parents 60th wedding anniversary. This restaurant was recommended. But I was badly disappointed with my meal. I ordered the Baramandi seafood disk ($36). The whole disk was over cooked, dry and stuck to the pan (the prawns were white without color and fell apart, the mussels were dry and hard, there was no sauce juices because it was dry and stuck to the pan) as if it had been prepared and reheated many time. It was full of salt which killed any flavor it had. My wife did not believe me on how bad it was. I asked her to try some and she could not eat it. If the Chef were to read this, they would know the rubbish they had served up. If you are going to have seafood on the menu, it has to be fresh and cooked on the night otherwise remove it from the menu. The regret I have is that It did not take a photo. I normally take photos of good food that I like. But this experience has taught me to take photos of bad food as well and post them. You may ask why did you not complain? Well I did not want to ruin our patents 60th wedding anniversary night, because of this bad meal that was presented to me..... This actions is stronger than words on the night. Would we recommend or go again? I do not think so. If there was a possibility to rate a negative score, I would do so on this dish. I normally do not post (I do share good experiences on facebook) . but I felt so much disappointment about this experience, that I felt I needed to post.

Disappointed as we really wanted to like this place. Gnocchi was rubbery and overworked, pizza was chewy and bland. Not sure what the appeal is to warrant the busy crowds

Used to love their lentil and leek soup for a nourishing and quick takeaway. But disappointed that it now costs $17, took over 20 minutes to prepare and didn’t even include a slice of bread for that price! Wondering if they have new management. Never again!

I have come here for quite a few times. You will come here over and over again if you try once. The best pasta ever had in Melbourne. Love the truffle pappardelle and pork belly fettuccine here. Pasta are perfectly cooked and seasoned. You will understand what is the meaning of "al dente" after trying the pasta here.

Came here for the first time tonight before a show at the regent theatre. Staff were so friendly and welcoming; really cute place nice and cozy. We got the aranchini plate and calamari for entree and split a pizza and it was all really delicious. We were full after our entrees and didn’t think we’d make a dent in the pizza but only left 1 or 2 slices. I love places like this and will be back 😊