So many choices on Lygon street but always come back to this place. There’s a reason why this restaurant has stood the test of time.. authentic Italian - rustic traditional and full of flavour, generous portions - I’m Italian I like my food, well priced and service is always friendly and fast - real Italian hospitality. My favourite is the pasta trio because well why choose one when I can have 3!!
Highly recommend �
Love your work guys and I love that it’s not just a family business, but that they also treat you like one of the family xx
Thank you Fabio and family for continually providing a fabulous dining experience time and time again.
A decade has passed & always a pleasure to wine & dine in beautiful atmosphere. The friendly staff pay a great attention to detail and all above the most tasty flavoursome menu! Thank you Fabio & family for many laughs & amazing food!
Love this place. Love the vibes and the staff. They are amazing and just the best. Amazing food too. Highly recommend
The best food by far in Melbourne.
Food was super fast, so fresh and absolutely delicious.
The salads super fresh and the best.
I was skeptic about the waiter not writing down our order but he got it 100%right.
Thanks for a great night
Hands down best Italian restaurant in melb! Staff are so lovely, place is homely welcoming and warm and my god the food is incredible
Amazing food! We had the pasta platter to share which was perfect as there was too many choices! Will be back without a doubt. Great atmosphere as well.
Best service, best food and best atmosphere on Lygon Street. Why would you go anywhere else?
Amazing service, atmosphere and some of the best Italian we have had. Highly recommend!!
Best restaurant in Melbourne. The entire family and staff compliment the fabulous food, service and atmosphere. Fabio is every diners best friend - simply fantastic. My daughters and I happily attest to the fact that 'It's not just dining out - it's a complete experience'. 5 star recommendation.
Always love this place! Been a regular visitor for many years now. So many choice in the street, but always been truly happy with food, service and ambience at this venue.
I've been to this eating heaven every time I come to Melbourne. The service is great and friendly but the food is beyond delicious. Every time I want to lick my plate clean. If you haven't figured it out yet, I love the food. Do yourself a favour and try this little slice of heaven on Lygon street. You won't regret it.
That was fabulous! Thank you for a delicious Mothers Day Dinner. Top marks for our waiter, too - very good service for such a busy night.
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Rating: 4
Food: 4
Value: 4
Ambience: 3
Service: 4
Along Melbourne's busy Italian district, this hidden gem is run by a family, but can sadly get lost in the crowd of noisy neighbours. The food, however, is something worth visiting. You can really see the love they put in their food, with staff being so friendly and welcoming, always offering anything we needed.
Something that many restaurants do not offer but La Spaghettata does is the sharing platter that includes 3 different types of pasta that can be shared between at least 2 people. This style of plating gives us the opportunity to have a bite of everything without getting too full, and just really embracing the moments with your friends and family.
We ordered a variety of pastas: crab spaghetti, gnocchi gorgonzola, gnocchi bolognese; spaghetti carbonara, spaghetti marinara, risotto alla siciliana; penne arrabiata, spaghetti meatballs.
I loved the marinara and tomato sauce they had in their pastas - it was very rich in flavour, and had plenty of sauce wrapped around each strand of spaghetti.
My favourite would be the gnocchi gorgonzola which is some type of blue vein cheese and cream, which can smell a little off-putting but is so heavenly in the mouth.
I would also recommend the risotto - the unique intense sweet flavour from the sun dried tomato was balanced by the creaminess of the sauce, while the chicken was seasoned well to bring the entire dish together.
The carbonara lacked a bit of flavour, but was still enjoyable since it is my favourite sauce on pasta.
The seafood pastas were new to me, and I enjoyed them. The crab, however, was hard to crack open, but I guess it comes with experience. The waiter was thoughtful enough to teach us how to use it, but sadly there wasn't a lot of meat in these crabs by the time we cracked them open, and our food had gotten cold.
Overall, everything was enjoyable to eat, and the idea of a sharing platter was fun.
Very warm atmosphere. The staff is very friendly.
Me and my friends visited this place since we were looking for an authentic Italian restaurant. The place was really cute and stood out as Italian with the red, green, white decoration. They market themselves as family owned for several generations as well, with traditional Italian recipes passed down. The vibe it gives off was like an Italian household, with Italian music playing. There were also lots of family photos hanging along the walls, which was very nice.
The gnocchi was good. We weren't that hungry so we only got two more appetizers: bruschetta and salad. It was quite pricey ($14 and $15) for the appetizers considering the small portion. But we understand that authentic dishes may require more expensive ingredients.
Overall, the vibe and service was great. Definitely the place to go if you're looking for some authentic Italian food and casual vibe.
The service was fantastic-nothing was too much trouble. We had the trio: scampi, gnocchi and spaghetti carbonara. Out of the three, the gnocchi was my favourite.
We also had the seafood for starters: scallops, prawn cutlets & calamari. The sangria was okay.
There’s a tipping culture here, which we weren’t too fussed about. I also appreciate that most of their waiters/staffs were older workers. I think that’s a fantastic initiative and I’ve always been supportive of businesses that fosters that kind of culture.
We (the Wife and I) really enjoyed La Spaghettata, we had our wedding anniversary dinner here and it did not disappoint. great food (we ordered Steak and a Pasta) super friendly staff and enjoyable setting, We are looking forward to spending another special Dinner at La Spaghettata
Relaxing environment with very attentive service. If you couldn’t decide which pasta to choose, you should definitely try their pasta platter which you can choose any three kinds of the pasta. Their food and service are both 5/5!
Was in Carlton and visited la spaghettata, I have to say this is a really authentic italian restaurant .
The bruschetta was like be in Italy, tomato boccincini prosciutto and basil just delicious .
Ravioli where fantastic and the veal scaloppini to melt in the mouth.
Will go back for sure
There is an abundance of Italian restaurants on Lygon Street, Carlton, but La Spaghettata is one that stands out from the crowd. The set up provides a homely atmosphere and relaxed environment. The staff were friendly and attentive.
The food was absolutely delicious; one of the best lasagnas I've ever had. I finished it to the last speck. The bruschetta entree was average at best. The mains took quite a while to come out, despite it being only 6pm on a weekday when we dined here.
Other than those two last points, this is a great spot to have your Italian fix.
Have come a few times and must say the Pasta dishes are some of the best I've had. The marinara is my favourite. Getting the 3-mixed option is a good way to taste a few different pasta's. When I've eaten from the mains, they've been good but wouldn't say they've blew me away. Like the option of sitting out front on a nice day.
Have only ever ordered here from Uber Eats so have no idea what service or ambience would be like BUT the food we get every single order is amazing and when we come back to Melbourne every year we always have to eat here. The serving sizes are SUPER GENEROUS which is amazing! Quality and taste rank high for La Spaghettata. The only negative I have was last time we ordered th crab spaghetti and one of the crabs weren't fresh so you could taste the difference. Overall the food is absolutely delicious! Would 10/10 recommend.
Small restaurant but they serve nice food,big portion for share. very friendly waiter,real italian home made food! As starter,order olivette and it was really delicious!
Our friends had already ordered by the time our party of four arrived. The restaurant was very accommodating and added another table to theirs so we could all sit together. We were given water and menus on arrival. Drinks and food were ordered and arrived after a short wait. The antipasto was generous as was the pasta with seafood. The meals were well presented and fresh. A real Italian feel to the place. Our party sat outside on the footpath which gave it another dimension. Service was a little hit and miss but overall quite good. Meals were all finished so must have been enjoyed by everyone .
I had a work Christmas lunch at La Spaghettata last week and was very happy with the experience.
Our group got a range of share pasta platters and seafood platters which looked great. I ordered my own pasta which was penne with eggplant, peas, tomato & cheese. It was so good and very filling. The garlic bread was nice and our group finished off with a cheese, cold meat & olive platter.
Staff were very friendly and the service was prompt - especially considering how busy it was.
Really enjoyed dining at La Spaghettata, didn’t expect too much from the start as I was just looking for somewhere to eat, we arrived at the venue and was warmly welcomed, we ordered scampi linguine and marinara spaghetti, the food was great, paired with nice red wines, but the winner that night that really made it was the service, we were very well taken care of by the waiter, (Luciano I think his name was).
Will definitely come back to visit one day again as it was a very positing experience.
Nice little Italian restaurant on Lygon St. Pasta here is delicious. I ordered the Tagliatelle Calabrese - loved the spicy hot salami which delivered a nice kick to the dish.
This is my fave Italian restaurant hands now. The owners are lovely and the food is amazing. Every time we go, we try out a different type of pasta and some antipasto and are never disappointed. The coffee and desserts are just as good as the mains. Couldn't recommend enough!
Went here with a group. We loved sitting upstairs with the cool wooden cooking utensils handing from the roof and lovely Italian art work. Food was delicious and friendly authentic Italian service.
Got the alla pollo because the everything is very pricey
Overall the quality of the food was good, the sauce and everyone tasted nice and fresh
Would of liked to have more chicken in the meal
Also would recommend to get a main, not a entree as it wouldn’t be filling
Overall a good meal
My go-to place for Italian. Love the food and the service! Every time I have come here with my friends we have never been disappointed. Definitely worth a try.
Old fashioned, homemade style Italian. Great service and lovely wholesome dishes. Warm and welcoming atmosphere. Huge selection of pasta dishes. Nice for a date night or special occasion.
Very good.very friendly staff and good service. The food is really yummy, especially the seafood pasta. Will definitely come again soon. Thumbs up
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This restaurant has been a family favourite for almost 40 years! My mother came here with her friends when she was my age, and the quality is timeless! For a good quality pasta this is my go-to place. There are plenty of mixed reviews about this place so let me just first clear a few things up and prepare you to avoid having a "bad experience"..
Firstly, the surcharge issue. Please understand that if you plan to go to Lygon st for dinner, the majority of the restaurants on that side of the street have a surcharge. Most restaurants now do, and if you want an authentic Italian experience then a surcharge would be included, if you actually go to Italy then you'll notice every restaurant/cafe has a surcharge.
Also, the quality consistency. If you take note of the back of the restaurant, you'll notice there is not much kitchen space compared to the customer capacity. On busy nights in a very renowned street for Italian food, quality can become an issue anywhere. If you find yourself at any of these restaurants on a busy night, don't be so quick to judge the quality based on one experience when a place like this can only do so much with the kitchen space provided. Remember there's also a lot of pressure on the staff competing with all the other restaurants.
Now, I always order a pasta platter (3 pastas to choose from), and usually take home whatever I don't eat. I enjoy the mains though I don't order them much, however everyone I have brought here has always been satisfied with the dish they chose. The quality is great and even if it's not, I know I can come back and it'll be better the next time. The staff are super friendly and very eager to serve you and meet all your needs.
There's also a beautiful upstairs section that would be a gorgeous setting for a private function.
The improvements that I feel could be made are really small things. One being the staircase, it is quite steep and it curves making it a little difficult to use. The issue with this is that the bathrooms are upstairs and I'm sure any patrons who are elderly/disabled would struggle with this. Putting a bathroom downstairs would fix this. The other small thing is the table arrangements. Sometimes seeing 3 people taking up a table to fit 6 and then seeing 5 people take a table that fits 4. Maybe noting the most common party sizes and re-arranging the layout will fix this.
Overall, this place presents:
Quality- 4/5
Staff and service- 5/5
Decor- 4/5
Value- 5/5
Just remember, they are on Lygon st, and every restaurant has their bad days. Also remember they have been here as one of the longest to remain on Lygon st, so they have to be doing pretty well!
Very nice spaghetti platter, the steak is a little bit over cooked to be a medium rare.
However, still a very good place to enjoy Italian food. It seems the seafood is another option, will try next time.
I came in for a business dinner not knowing what to expect. The reviews as a whole appeared pretty good and boy they were not wrong! There were four of us dining and we decided to share a number of dishes. We started with the most amazing olive dish with mushrooms, chilli, garlic, tomato sauce and white wine where you dipped bread into the bowl - we could not get enough! Grilled GIANT king prawns and Sicilian style bruchetta with prosciutto were also fabulous. For mains we ordered a platter of 3 different types of pasta and steak - we are all big eaters :) Highly recommend the pasta combination we chose - spagehetti calebrese, veal tortellini and a vegetarian one I do not recall the name of. The eye fillet steak was cook perfectly medium/rare with a fantastic kind of cacciatore sauce on top filled with mushrooms, olives and capsicum. My only issue was that the night had to end. Thanks for the great night! Will definately be back!
Really nice experience. Food was great and staff where helpful even though the place was jam packed and they where ran off their feet. Authentic Italian atmosphere really added to the meal.
Great ambience and very good quality food especially the bruschetta, mushroom fettuccine and eggplant pasta. The downside is the poor service. That said when you do manage to get the attention of the staff they are friendly and courteous. and to be a tad fussy the wine list for Italian restaurant in Melbourne was quite limited. and to be a tad fussy, the wine list was very limited for Italian restaurant on Lygon street. Overall good experience and worth coming back to.
Tonight, I came here alone and I ordered the fettuccine, with avocado, mushroom and cream. I also ordered garlic bread. The garlic bread was very nice, crunchy and flavoursome. I found the green fettuccine was also nice, the mushroom and cream blended very well with the dish and the fettuccine was cooked well. Service was fantastic, the waiters were helpful and friendly. They were efficient and eager to please.
I had the delicious and very fulling gnocci. The atmosphere was great and the staff were friendly. Made for a throughly enjoyable evening. Will come again.
Lovely setting and welcoming decor. Staff were very warm and welcoming and very helpful. Great food and great service would come here again!
I've been here for years and service is always great. I must picked the right day of all good chef and staff on Valentines day💕
Today's dishes were all perfect 👌
Oyster Kilpatrick with full on fresh thick bacon, trio pasta dish: choice I made of creamy tasty Spaghetti Carbonara, fresh made smoked salmon with green Fettuccine Salmone and soft delicious Lasagne with excellent sauce totally earned scores.
On top of that the waiter gave me a rose for celebration. Thank you and always enjoy eating here.
Very enjoyable experience that the Pasta was good, it was raining heavily and the waiters were so helpful and nice. The house was full of people even during the bad weather. Calamari was nice. I am happy to go there again.
Thank god for La Spaghettata!
After a horrible experience down the road they were so accomodating and the food was Bellissimo! I don't review all that much but this is definitely worth my time! 👌
Poor quality pasta that resembles something from the supermarket and service is pretty bad too. Fairly cheap though so I guess it is ok if other restaurants are full.
Great old school restaurant .. great food and great service .. very happy with the staff .. the food was perfect . Thanks for our great meal
Came across this place in lygon st and was drawn in by the friendly gentlemen at the front that assured us we would have a pleasant meal and even offered us free garlic bread as a starter!
The marinara pasta sauce was packed full of flavour and the staff were super friendly which added to the nice and relaxing ambience.
Had the fettucine vongole which had clams. Was very nice. Nice delicate seafood flavour and simple presentation. The outdoor setting was very cosy and had genuine European feel.
This was the most yummy Italian restaurant I have been to in a long time. The service was impeccable and the pasta was delectable. I recommend this place to everybody unless you want a Parma.
Yummy food definitely we'll come back! I enjoyed the garlic steak so good,everything's good.. Service is very good too..always busy but it's worth the wait and money
Absolute favourite restaurant that I’ve been going to for years which NEVER disappoints. If you want the best pasta, this is the place to be! And cannot forget the gorgeous face of Fab who brightens up the place!
Came in without a booking. Was greeted by a warm and friendly waiter. Food came out quite quickly and the portion was huge! Not complaining! I got the spaghetti marinara and they were really generous with the seafood. Pasta was perfectly cooked and seasoned. I drizzled on some of their house chilli oil to bump the dish up and eventhough I was so full half way through, I still polished everything off the plate. That is when you know the food is good!!
Great food and service, I suggest the oysters, cheap able and delicious. A lot of people come on Friday night! Beautiful street site, it's really a good place to spend time with friends, he's glad I take him here.
Been here for many times. Great cozy place on Lygon. Very friendly staff, small shop but homely. Terrace is lovely, spaghetti is great. They also offer a whole range of meals including steaks and salads etc
Came here after Melbourne cup win a couple of mate. Even without a booking it was fast getting a table. Awesome vibes and food. Would come again!
A couple of friends and I ventured into La Spaghettata on a Sunday night. I ordered the Bruschetta as a starter, it was alright - certainly not the best I've ever had. For my main, I ordered the spaghetti marinara which on the bland side. I was hoping for some good Italian food, but what I got was 'meh', I could have just gone to La Porchetta. Service was okay, we did have to try and get the attention of the service staff several times for basic things.
Really good food. Highly recommend. We always come here and enjoy it. The service is excellent and there is a terrific family atmosphere. Tony always welcomes us with a smile.
We came across La Spaghettata on a pumping Friday night where we were lucky to get a table. Italian vibes all round - felt like we had just stepped into Nonna and Nonnos house! Being Italian, this is a wonderful feeling!
On the menu: Bruschetta Siciliana, Calamari Salad, Tortellini Alla Panna & a side of chips. The Bruschetta is all things Italian, from the bocconcini to the drizzling oil, this is a heaven of an entree. The Calamari Salad was fresh & tasty while the Tortellini was that authentic it tasted homemade! We recommend - Buon appetito!!
We came here Saturday night, it is the most popular restaurant around that place. We got excellent service, all the staff are friendly. We ordered grilled FISH TRIO with bay bugs, scampi& king prawns, the meat is firm texture and tasty.
The second dish is FRITTO MISTO, that's scallops,prawn cutlets&calamari.However, i only ate calamari, I reckoned scallops and prawn are in the sauce which was contained in the scallop shell, so it is not worthy to order.
There was special, three pasta on one, we ordered Fettuccine Al Pollo, Spaghetti Marinara and Spaghetti Crab. I love the spinach fettuccine and cooked avocado stirred with creamy sauce. I highly recommend it. I'm not interested in soft crab caused barely any meat and less flavor. The top of spaghetti is not too salty and greasy, after finishing, a lots oil remains on plate.
After meal, I just felt thirsty and drank plenty of water. If put less salt and seasoning, that would be better.
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I had dinner there for the first time last night. Let's just start by saying I would have giving them a 4 if it wasn't for their 5% surcharge and the musician asking for money.
First, ambiance is great it's a very nice restaurant and the tables at the front with heaters and decor make for a great evening out with good friends or family.
We were seated straightaway and given menus promptly. We were impressed by the man who took out orders ( 4 people) for entrees, mains and drinks without writing anything.
The food came within a reasonable time and drinks came almost straightaway. Staff were courteous and our water glasses refilled. The food was very nice, we ordered pasta and the consensus was that it was great around the table. We also ordered the desserts which were very nice, loved the lemon tart.
At the end of the evening we were splitting the bill and could not understand how we were short until advised of the 5% bill. I'm not quite sure how this came about in this particular restaurant as I have eaten at many other places on lygon street and was never charged a service fee.
In the middle of our meals, we were approached by a musician playing guitar and asked to play a song for us. The guitar playing was very nice however his singing was.. well.. let's just say we had no idea what he was saying. He then asked us for gratuity after which we obliged. I know the guy is working and trying to make a living in his own capacity however, it's not a great feeling being ambushed at dinner then feeling like you have to give money. We could always have said no to him but we thought naively that it was part of the service! Anyway he gave us s copy of his CD, hopefully they are better songs!
Other than that, it was a pleasant evening with good food good ambience and and attentive staff.
PS-For those who have the entertainment book, this restaurant is featured for discounts. Alas I forgot to redeem mine.
Thank you.
Came here in an group of 6 on a very cold night. It was warm, cozy and has a lovely homey ambience.
The pastas were great, especially the marinara and the pollo pasta which had green spaghetti. The service was incredible. Our waiter's name was Jay and he was just amazing. So friendly, warm, polite and just incredibly attentive.
Pouring in Melbourne and the waiter was pretty insistent that we eat at an outside table with an obvious drip, close to a heater though.
Service was casual and quick. As the restaurant started to fill up things slowed down. Pasta and salad were very tasty and recommend a try.
Push to sit inside if you want as I noticed other dinners doing just that.
Much more pleasant for a wet winter's night.
A pasta house dedicated to pasta so you'd expect them to do it well! I wasn't disappointed and I love how they give you the choice to combine your 3 fav pasta on one dish.
After having been turned off by many pushy restaurant staff attempting to gimmick us into their tables, La Spaghettata simply left us with "we've been open for 37 years." It is definitely safe to say that we understand exactly why and how they've managed to be open for so long on such a competitive street. The food was amazing and the staff were extremely accommodating. The bruschetta and pasta left us speechless. The panna cotta was perfect. Definitely a must if ever in Lygon Street.
Good place to catch up with friends. Very inviting and cosy. The pasta was a little bland but the lasagna was good. Although this plate of food doesn't look like much for 2 people, it was definitely filling. I'd come back
Had an enjoyable dinner with friends. The food and service was great! The restaurant ambience was nice and cozy. Would recommend and come again
Has really good food - Risotto Alla Siciliana was bomb 👌🏼! Great service by waiter. Lovely italian restaurant. 10/10 would recommend!!!!!!
Good food and good service!!!
Very nice waiter, friendly and helpful!!
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Great food and service. Love the table cloth and the aesthetics! Would recommend to other friends.............................................
Used our entertainment voucher, our moscato tasted very funny and we asked for another glass they were a bit surprised but did pour us another glass. Food was average, service was okay.
Great meals here! A perfect place for dinner! It's my last day in Melbourne and this restaurant gives me fabulous memory of this city!!!!!!!
The food was average. There are many good restaurants on Lygon street, not recommended this one.
The service was bad. The staff were not friendly and even coughing when they serving food. At the end, they charge 5% service fee which surprised me.
Loved it! Food and service was fantastic. Our waiter was lovely and very attentive. Meals came out quickly, and were absolutely delicious. We will definitely be back.
A great family lunch at La Spaghettata. Great family restaurant delicious casalinga food. Service was impeccable. Children friendly and don't get pushed out. Lovely relaxing afternoon. Thanks Fab for your great hospitality.
Catherine Widyaputri Suprapto
+5
Delicious and fresh spaghetti for lunch!!! Their serving is quite huge, perfect for sharing. the service is also good, the waiter is very friendly. Definitely recommended guys!
(Saturday 6/5/2017)
Was here for friend’s birthday party.
The place always seems busy and crowded during the night.
Staffs were attentive and friendly, and gave us time to pick something from the menu. They were so many choices to pick from.
My partner ordered the Steak Diana and myself, Spaghetti Marinara (cream sauce). The Steak was cooked perfectly to her liking (medium), and the potatoes were amazing, rich and creamy. The gravy sauce was the ultimate winner to add the bonus marks for the dish, caramelised and smooth richness. I wasn’t feeling like having bolognaise so I requested cream based sauce for my spaghetti. The sauce was amazing, I could taste the fresh seafood broth and white wine, fusing together with rich creaminess. The seafood ingredients were fresh and the spaghetti was cooked al dente.
Our friends enjoyed the dishes and the night, there was an accompany of music to celebrate our friends birthday too.
One of the oldest pasta restaurants on Lygon Street, keeping a very fresh and family warm atmosphere going, with great food. Whilst I am not a fan of barkers, its how Lygon Street operate today, and the young man was very pleasant. Antipasto de la casa, chilli crab and penne putanesca, with house wine was a great finish of the week.
W.o.w
Service 3/5
Food 4/5
Ambience 4/5
We ordered lamb and trio seafood and entree scampi.rocket salad and more but all was tasty and good quality.satisfactory guaranteed
Another happy tummys on mother day celebration.
They give away roses for motherday celebration but dont give my mother and me any.100% sure it was a racist thing.
It is 100% all italian customer for that perticular moment when i eat there today at 14.50
Cheers.
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