Review Il Nostro Posto - Melbourne

It's been an amazing discovery! It's a fully vegan Italian restaurant, with a great menu. It really felt like being in Europe (it reminded me some of the best local and family restaurants in Spain). Small place with a cozy looking. Very friendly staff. Booking is hihgly recommended! Have something small to share and then a main each. Leave some space for dessert! Food is delicious, traditional and all vegan.

This place is hands down one of the best restaurants in Melbourne. We were in awe of the food and amazing service. Such a beautiful location, tucked away in Hardware lane. We ordered the calamari, meatballs and two pasta dishes. I could not fault anything. This place is a must visit.

Blown away by the food. I have been waiting for a vegan Italian restaurant for years and this has fulfilled all of my wishes. The fish is amazing and not like any other vegan fish dishes I’ve ever had. Sizes are good and the price reflects the fancy menu and dishes. I personally would recommend to pick anything but the Italian schnitzel, it looked a bit sad in comparison to the other dishes

Great plant based Italian restaurant. I brought my wife and sister here for dinner and we ordered the chef selection because we didnt know what to order. (Too many great choices). The service was excellent and the staff are so friendly and helpful. Will definitely come back and try more dishes. The fish is still tripping me out, don't know how you guys do it!

Located in Hardware lane, Funghi e Tartufo has a lot of great things about it. The location is superb, but so was the food, which was expertly put together to highlight authentic Italian food with depth of flavours. The service was also very nice, with helpful and attentive staff. I'll be coming back.

It is so refreshing to finally have authentic Italian food, made vegan, in Melbourne. Everything was sensational. We ordered a variety of dishes and nothing disappointed. An absolute must visit.

Utterly delicious! We had the $70 degustation and were so full! Every single element of every dish was exceptional - 10/10. Cannot wait to go back. Thank you for bringing your excellent dishes back to the table.

We had a booking reservation for 2 and were seated outside in the lane, lovely atmosphere there. The staff were attentive and very friendly. All the food served was lovely and impressive, considering it was plant based. Probably wont order cotoletta rustica Italian schnitzel again as it was very dry. The schnitzel itself was thin and mostly crumb, there was a dry tomato paste on it and dried herbs. Also there was a charge for the table water. i look forward to dining here again.

Came here with some visiting family, and as we were a big group we were seated downstairs- which was fine as we were a fairly boisterous group so it was for the best that our excitement didn’t bother other patrons. Be warned, there can be quite a strong musky seafood stench as you head downstairs. <br/><br/>The food was lovely (although it took a little time to come out) and overall a tasty dining experience which was unfortunately somewhat marred by the unrelenting upselling by the waiter. The man was fairly impatient but didn’t really understand what we were saying. After multiple people advising they’d stick to tap water, he later mentioned 2 bottles of sparkling water when repeating the order back to us. When deciding on some shared entrees, he constantly told us what we’d chosen wasn’t enough and insisted we order more (resulting in a fair bit of leftover entrees which the waiter cleared while we were waiting on our mains so we could no longer graze).<br/><br/>When choosing our mains (after getting quite full from all the entrees) a few of our group decided to share some pizzas- to which the waiter told us the pizzas were quite small and that there wouldn’t be enough (he tried reassuring us that we could take any leftovers home). This resulted in us ordering 2 additional salads and 1 more pizza. The portions were much larger than he lead us to believe, we had basically an entire salad and pizza leftover by the end of it. One of our dishes didn’t come out and when questioned the waiter came back and told us something had gone wrong and that it was not their fault- which we didn’t really understand. Would’ve been nice if they’d at least taken ownership of the mistake and apologised properly.

Will come back for:<br/>+ Bruschetta<br/>+ Fettuccini Marinara<br/><br/>Popped by here for a bit of dinner after a bit of shopping in the city. Hardware lane is bustling on a Friday night and had a great atmosphere. We loved the bruschetta with the mozzarella cheese and the fettuccini marinara that was cooked in baking paper. The pasta was slippery, tasty and the seafood cooked well. Unfortunately, the beef tortellini that we order were a little tough and the margarita pizza was a tad “wet”. A couple of hits and misses for the night. Service was great though and prices was reasonable for what you get.

Lovely vibes..of this lane ..very Italian..and the pizza was really fresh..like da Michelle napoli

Carb loading on a Monday night is where it’s at 👌😍<br/><br/>This place was lovely, nice food and friendly service, with great fixing offers available (booking through The Fork but also the Entertainment Book). Service was great until it was time for dessert/the bill when we waiting about an hour for either before eventually giving up the dessert dream and going inside to get the bill and pay! Otherwise a lovely night with great food!<br/><br/>Pictured is the Tortellini (beef tortellini with mushrooms, sicilian pork fennel sausage and parmigiano)

It was a huge disappointment.<br/><br/>Firstly the menu shown on The Fork does not match their restaurant menu when I arrived. For example the price of the Eye Fillet was $6 more expensive ($36 vs $42) and lesser in weight. The sides with the eye fillet was not that much different, possibly cheaper to make but costs more for some reason (rocket and Parmesan vs speck served with fig and Gorgonzola sauce, rockets and roasted potatoes). The manager said they were different cuts but they were both labelled eye fillet so I feel like there is no transparency in this restaurant. Other meals are priced differently as well and I think it’s misleading to not have the most updated menu posted on The Fork. Everything was overpriced. For those who don’t use discount, it’s laughable. <br/><br/>After an hour wait after our entree has been served, we still didn’t get our mains. We asked how much longer and the waitress said not much longer it’s just finishing. All the tables that arrived after us have already finished their meal. We waited another 15mins and decided to leave. When we were paying for the entree the waitress looked confused and asked if we’ve gotten our meal and I said no. I asked why there was such a delay and she said theres no reason. Although they apologised, for them to not have a reason is very lousy and dishonest. <br/><br/>Long story short the service was terrible because chefs took too long to prepare food or the waiters/waitresses didn’t realise that our table wasn’t served for a long time whereas everyone around us already left even though we arrived earlier.<br/>Big waste of time for me but luckily I didn’t waste my money.

Nice little Italian restaurant along Hardware Ln. <br/><br/>🍕 Pizza 4/5 ⭐️<br/>Authentic woodfire pizza with very generous toppings and quality ingredients. They’re the thick crust kind which I personally like. The one aspect that made them lose the 1 star is that their tomato paste is too watery. By the time the pizza arrive, it gets a little soggy in the middle.<br/><br/>🍝 Pasta 5/5 ⭐️<br/>The carbonara is a MUST. I love the creaminess and the consistency of the pasta. Beautifully topped with Pancetta giving it the extra oomph!<br/><br/>👯‍♀️ Service 5/5<br/>Got served by very friendly Italian waiters who has a very good sense of humour. Quick and attentive service by them too<br/><br/>💰Tip💰<br/>Entertainment book offers a buy 1 get 1 free voucher.<br/><br/>Overall ✅<br/>Given that they’re at Hardware Ln, they get alot of competition. Nevertheless, give Il Nostro a try and you’ll definitely taste the authentic Italian touch to it - let it be food or service 😊

Great Italian food in a really vibey area. Ordered the homemade pasta and pizza which was very fresh. Happy to have stumbled upon this restaurant!

The pasta and mushroom risotto were pretty good! Really like the homemade tiramisu that we shared, at the end I had the extra one for takeaway. The service was warm and so friendly. We were on the quite big table of 10 and the staffs were attentive on our orders.

Located on a ambient lane filled with restaurants, live musicians and a busy cluster of people dining, you’ll find the Sicilian Restaurant - Il Nostro Posto.<br/><br/>The seating out front is highly recommended. The street musicians create an ambience that makes you feel like you’re walking through a small European city. <br/><br/>Unfortunately, there wasn’t space outside so we were seated inside. It was quite loud inside and there wasn’t much to drown the noise out. <br/><br/>What we ordered? <br/>🍝 Tortellini; Beef Tortellini with mushrooms, Sicilian pork sausage and parmiagano<br/>🍝 Gnocchi Al Sorrentina; Homemade potato gnocchi with Napolitana sauce and basil<br/><br/>The flavours were great but unfortunately the pasta was pretty chewy. Both the tortellini and gnocchi did not seem to have been cooked long enough. This was pretty disappointing. <br/><br/>After looking at the menu, and the prices - my hopes were set quite high. Unfortunately, on this visit - it did not deliver. If I’m honest, this place has the potential to be great, but it’s not somewhere I’ll be visiting again. <br/><br/>✅ Outdoor street ambience<br/>✳️ Look out on the “Eat Club” App for up to 40% off.

Tonight, my friend and I had a terrible, maybe worst experience.<br/><br/>First of all, we waited for a meal until 8:40 pm for 1 hour while people at least 4 groups around us already had entrees. We chatted a lot and when realized it, a male manager apologized us and gave us bread and olives just before the meals we ordered, saying that due to the technology of order docket, it did not come through to the kitchen. (only our  order docket apparently) <br/><br/>We had ordered a pasta and a risotto, we totally did not wanted an another carbohydrate he offered us. <br/><br/>No staff realized we had no meal even we were the first customers on 4 tables in row. The female staff said "Why? Why are you upset? We already gave you the bread and olives. " She apologized after but it sounded rude and light, not apologizing from bottom of the heart. Her words also made us upset and shocked more. We had an impression that it was all good as long as they gave us an extra dish. It was Sunday night and I have to work from tomorrow morning. We simply did not wanted eat late tonight. Furthermore the risotto with mushroom and truffle oil was TERRIBLE. Because I like truffle smell, we ordered it but there was too plain and no taste, NO smell of truffle at all. We closely attempted to smell it, but only we found was mushroom smell.<br/><br/>Tomorrow, it is my big number of birthday. I must say it was fortune that is not today though but still terrible and I think we will remember here so badly.<br/><br/>In the end we were almost last customers leaving the restaurant, we were mentally and physically (sitting so long) very exhausted.<br/><br/>I feel bad for my friend who visited and do short stay first time in Australia.<br/><br/>I would be sorry to other working staff who may do good service, but honestly I can not recommend anyone here at all.

We popped in for dinner Saturday night and the welcome was warm and friendly. My Chicken Saltimbocca was very good but ny partner's Carbonara was just so-so. That said desserts were delicious. The Tiramisu was yum and I was surprised how delicious the Pannacotta was (since i'm not particular keen on this usually).

Pacino,Brando and De Niro would have love this place for their food and folks ... must try their Pear fruit dessert .. a true taste of beauty

😱Lizzie’s first impression: a great place on hardware lane that spans across a few stories and even has seats outside. <br/><br/>🍩Lizzie enjoyed: the arancini balls were made differently to what I’m used to with Napoli sauce bolognese in the middle of the ball. The risotto was cooked well and tasted delicious - especially with some Parmesan on top. <br/><br/>🍅Lizzie did not enjoy: I had to wait almost an hour after our entrees and it still hadn’t come so I was pretty hungry by then. The salumi platter was not as good as it looks - the meats were not the freshest as I felt the prosciutto was a little dry. <br/><br/>🥇Lizzie rates overall: their pastas are surprisingly good and worth trying but I’d pick a day where you’re not rushed to go back to work.

Very good option for Italian good, with rich menu and good pizzas. They also have a good wine choice. Although the oven is electric the pizzas were still fine. The pasta is quite good, and their cold meats board was just delicious! Definitely coming back for more!

Nice friendly waiters, but overall low rating was due to overpriced dish.   Had ordered the calamari with salad as main course.  It seemed to take ages to cook this simple dish.   When it arrived it was simply fried calamari on plain rocket with dipping sauce.  $27.50.  The calamari was over marinated with salt, it was too salty to eat, the rocket salad was already sprinkled with salt.  Not sure what was going on with the preparation with this dish.  Had only few mouthfuls, was a waste of food.  Told the waitress, presumably she ignored it and cleared the dishes.  I think staff should be trained to listen to feedback, and learn how to respond.  No plans to return.  The other's meals seemed to be okay, still feel it is overpriced on the quality, mostly likely paying for the hype.

Worst customer service ever!! they will try to scam you so naturally. First of all they were very rude and had absolutely no respect towards us customers. While eating a pizza, we discovered hair inside. It was under the topping so obviously it went in while making. We complained to the staff and once did they not apologize, rather accusing us that it is our hair that may have gotten in from the wind, which made no sense. The "boss" came and asked if we wanted a new pizza or some soft drinks for everyone. As we were getting full we asked for soft drink(they gave us 3). It was all fine until, we went to pay and the three drinks was part of the bill!!! They clearly offered us FREE drinks due to their mistake, and they tried to scam us by entering it in our bill. We were extremely disappointed and had the worst experience ever. Will NEVER EVER be coming back.<br/><br/>please educate staff properly.

we waited the food for over an hours. other tables were served and we were still waiting. manager / staff was rude when we asked where were our food. my colleague ordered a salad with no dressing and cucumber - when the food arrived it came with dressing and cucumber and a HAIR I have ordered calamari salad - only rocket there and no other sort of veggie, portion was small. will not come here again<br/>

Worst experience ever..<br/>No quality.. no quantity.. over rated, over priced and hyped!<br/>We had to eat our dinner twice..<br/>Please do not go at this place.

I have stopped by at this restaurant many times for dinner and have mostly enjoyed my meal. I also like to come here for my dose of Panna Cotta. Aaahhhmmm it’s yummmm. Along with Affogato to balance the sweetness. 👍

I would never have come here if I didn't have an Entertainment Book voucher.<br/>One of the main tourist traps of Hardware Lane. Sure the street dining is atmospheric with live jazz but the menu and cooking style is trapped in the 80s/90s.<br/>The signature dish - Fettucine Marinara is served cartoccio *style*. Not actually baked or cooked in the baking paper, just served in it. What's the point? If you’re not getting a discount, $37.50 would be very disappointing for this pasta. The fettuccine is cooked al dente but depends on the simple tomato sauce for flavour. <br/>Beef Tortellini – was presented like they had boiled everything together, including the mushrooms and pork sausage meat, and finished with a sprinkling of chopped parsley. Quite plain in flavour.<br/>Sorry guys, but Italian food has come a long way these days. There are lots of improvement opportunities to be made, including service. I didn’t appreciate the scoff and exchange in Italian when I presented the Entertainment Book.

Ambience: 3/5 <br/>Food: 3/5<br/>Staff: 3.5/5 <br/>Will I return: No <br/><br/>Came here on a Sunday night. It wasn’t really busy and we were ushered to be seated in their lower level. The restaurant is a bit older in their decor and their toilet really needs an upgrade. <br/><br/>The food was quite pricey. We ordered a charcuterie board, a pizza and seafood pasta to share. The meats on the charcuterie board was underwhelming to say the least. The meats unfortunately tasted like store bought packaged ones but they did give a decent portion of it. <br/>The pizza was a medium sized pizza and it tasted ok but again, nothing spectacular. The seafood pasta had good flavours but the pasta itself was not al dente and was quite over cooked. Given the price of each dish, I had expected much more. <br/><br/>The staff was prompt and relatively nice but the music they had playing really did not suit the atmosphere of the restaurant and it was really loud. <br/><br/>There are plenty other Italian restaurants in the same price point as il nostro postro, so we definitely will not be returning.

This restaurant is amazing the food was beyond my expectations. The service from the staff was fantastic very friendly and extremely attentive. It is now one of my favourites. Will definitely be back! 😊

Two things I love about Melbourne; the laneway alfresco dining that reminds me so much of Europe and the fact that even on a weekday evening, the city has an incredible vibe. Combine that with live chilled music and good food ... ah my perfect setting! And this is what Il Nostro delivered.<br/><br/>I ordered the tortellini which, to be honest, tasted very bland, both the filling and the sauce. However, my friend ordered the carbonara which I ended having quite a bit of and it was delicious; flavoursome and just the right amount of sauce. The portions were average size but we were somehow still hungry so we ordered the Diavola pizza which was really tasty.<br/><br/>Overall, I was satisfied and absolutely loved the setting when sitting outdoors.

Felt like we were back in Italy. The food was absolutely delicious and the service and staff are fabulous. My partner was very pleased to finally have another Messina beer in Australia! We had a gorgeous night out

My husband and I wanted to soak in the lane dining European vibes in hardware lane. We’ve been here before but only for brunches. This time we went for a dinner date only to be throughly disappointed. All the restraunts were competing for music-space-loudest conversations and customers and not looking after the people already dining. <br/>Food was okayish. I wouldn’t go back for it again. We’d ordered a Capriosca pizza and Pachheri Big Rigatoni Pasta. Pizza lacked any particular flavour or substance and the pasta so dry that it took the thunder away from the brilliant pasta sauce and salmon. Since we were just 1 inch away from the table on our left, their pizza and gnocchi looked much better. But I wouldn’t risk getting disappointed again.

Credit where it is due... This is one place that rivals Lygon St... Nonna has certainly taught the chefs her secrets... Pesto Gnocci is to die for, and the Pizza - superb... Antipasto platter is perfect for 2 or share it with the mozzarella, tomato and basil with a group of 4... <br/><br/>Treat yourself for a great wine too! Old vine Shiraz is perfect match!<br/><br/>A great place for dinner; nice, warm and inviting... Will be back

Service is not so good, not very friendly. Spaghetti carbonara was quite decent, Capricciosa was so so.. might say not too good also honestly, because there was bitterness from the pizza, guessing it was from the olives.. burnt or something.. which affected the overall taste of the pizza. Overall not really worth the price, or maybe was ordering the wrong dishes 😅 But there are plenty other Italian places that are much nicer than this in Melbourne. Oh and they also charge another 10% on Sunday - Sunday surcharge.. appalling 😳

The service was terrible. After we were seated at a table inside, we sat there for 10 – 15 minutes, trying to get the attention of someone to bring us water, menus and a drinks list. Finally, someone noticed us and we could order. We ordered Antipasto to share while we made up our minds about main courses. Big mistake. Our fault – we should have checked the menu more closely. The $29.50 antipasto consisted of slices of delicatessen mortadella, ham, salami and prosciutto with four 2cm slices of focaccia and a few grissini. There were no olives, no anchovies, no artichokes, no pickled vegetables – just sliced meat and a bit of bread. We tried, again, to get the waiter’s attention as we did not have enough cutlery. It took nearly 15 minutes to get an extra knife and fork!<br/>The mains came out, but our entrée dishes had not yet been cleared away. The waiter then tried to find a spare table to put the mains so the entree plates could be cleared. She gave us a filthy look when we asked for clean cutlery for our mains. Excuse me, but if I’m paying nearly $40 for a main course, I would like clean cutlery!<br/>For the mains, two of us had ‘Guazzetto di Pesce’, which was nice, but unfortunately, we were not provided with a spoon for the bisque and there was no waiter to ask, so we could not finish the dish. One friend had the veal – which they said was ‘nice’. Our other friend had the Chicken Saltimbocca which they said was small, dry and tasteless. We had to leave the table to go and find a waiter to ask for some more water. <br/>There was no salt and pepper on the table and none was offered. I observed people at the table next to us asking another table if they could use their salt and pepper as there were no waiters around to ask.<br/>We ordered coffees – and two had to sent back as one was luke-warm and the other was the wrong coffee. The coffee was bitter.<br/><br/>For the prices we expected better.

Ordered: risotto, carbonara, caprese and penne arrabbiata <br/><br/>Good: customer service <br/>Bad: the caprese was alright, the mozzarella tasted cheap. It’s too expensive for its low quality <br/>The risotto base/stock tasted like Campbell’s cream of mushroom, and it did not taste authentic

Word of warning if you order the guazzetto di pesce there is about a 30min wait for it to bake, we were not informed about this and the wait seemed like forever. When it came out thought it was a sight to behold. Once the crust was cut open it revealed the magic inside. The flavour of it was delicious. Majority of the seafood was cooked perfectly although the prawns were a bit overcooked.<br/><br/>The hapuka was ok, it was cooked perfectly however it was drowned in olive oil which was a bit overpowering. <br/><br/>Service was good and the outdoor seating was perfect on a sunny day.

We came for lunch today and left really disappointed. Calling salad rocket thats been drizzled with oil is not quite accurate, then not specifying in the menu the way the calamari is cooked is but confusing. Would not recommend it, nether come back.

This place is a good bet for Italian good on Hardware Lane. The caponata, bruschetta and linguini marinara were all great. The atmosphere inside is a bit muted, but it’s pretty good outside.

We were ambling through Hardware Lane looking for somewhere to get out of the rain when a spruiker invited us in for a $15 lunch. The restaurant has great ambience the staff are efficient, friendly and personable.<br/>I ordered a chicken salad with anchovies and crostini bread pieces. I was pleasantly surprised by the generous serving and how delicious it was. The chicken was chargrilled, the ingredients fresh and the dressing was perfect. My wife had lasagne which she also enjoyed.<br/>Typical Italian homestyle cooking. Team it with a glass of house wine and you have the perfect lunch whilst in the CBD shopping on a saturday for under $40 a couple.

Seafood pie signature dish, very flavoursome! Good service. Enjoyed a 2015 Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay. Seafood risotto has bacon so no good for pescatarians.

Make them an offer they can't refuse :)<br/>It's Day Three of my Melbourne CBD food safari and I returned to Hardware Lane with an appetite. In the mood for Italian today I decided to try Il Nostro Posto Authentic Italian Cuisine. After a friendly staff member directed me to an outdoor table I took my seat and put my bag down. No sooner had I picked up my menu though did my Inner Connoisseur take a seat opposite me and offer her usual sage advice.<br/><br/>"We should've gone to Dorsea's," she says as she adjusts her glassses. "I could've gotten us in."<br/>But I'm paying her no attention as I scan the menu, I feel like Lasagna. 'No one goes to Dorsea's any more," I tell her and as the staff member returns I order Lasagna. <br/><br/>The Lasagna is a generous size and as I bite into the noodles, meat and sauce I can taste the authenticity in a pinch. It tastes of home, at least if I was Italian it would taste of home, that meaty, tomato and herb taste that is so good. And at $15 it's an offer you can't refuse. Have lunch here and you'll be saying Grazie too.

Recently dined here for a celebratory birthday and overall everything was pretty good. The antipasto dish was lovely and my house signature seafood in cob bread was amazing. Service was great at the start of the evening however went downhill and was hard to find a staff member. Then we noticed the staff were having dinner together. Will return to try again as the food was definitely worth it...

Supermarket pasta served by a sexist waiter who overcharged us. The waiter addressed only my husband throughout. I had tortellini with spinach and mushrooms. It was unremarkable. My husband (finding no healthy option in the mains) ordered a whitebait starter and a salad in lieu of a main. He was brought a large plateful of oven reheated dried out whitebait that I can only assume they were desperate to use up. They tried to charge us for a main for this awful dish. They also charge a 2% surcharge for credit card. Tourist trap. Avoid.

Service was great, really friendly staff. Was nice and quiet. They suggested an Italian beer which was great! The food was good, not amazing though.

Excellent food - the guzzetto di pesce was superb. Thoughtful service - bread was brought to the table without asking when it was apparent that more was required to accompany the juicy fish dish.

Don't bother. This place looks lovely and has a cosy feel to it, but that's about where the good things stop. Went out for dinner just after 5pm on a Friday. The customer service felt cold and unwelcoming. There was no one else in the restaurant, so my bf and I sat at the table closest to the window so we could enjoy the view (it was also the table we'd sat on one of our first dates. So nostalgia). But the waiter told us to move because that was the table for four, and we were only two. I again highlight: there was no one else in the entire restaurant. That was a bad start, and it got worse. My $5 diet coke came in a tiny glass filled with ice, and filled only about 80% of the way. And when the food came out, my dish was nice, but my bf's pasta was undercooked. Too many set backs for the hefty bill at the end.

Cosy space, friendly service and good atmosphere for group dinner. Had the 'Cavati dello Chef Alla Norma in Tegame' which was okay but still smashed it because I was hungry. Portions across the table were quite generous especially the linguine marinara and amatriciana. Presentation of ravioli was sloppy but apparently tasted good. Given the food didn’t excite me I probably wouldn’t return as there’s plenty of authentic Italian options around! <br/><br/>Side note: online menu doesn't reflect actual menu

Ordered steak of the day which came without any sauce hence it was pretty dry. Thought it may have been brought to my attention as even pubs will let you know. Isn't the first time this has happened here either. <br/>Shame really as it's a cute romantic space inside and out.

My partner and I went there for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. Food was average for the price but the low rating was for the bad customer service! The service staff spoke to us in a very rude and arrogant manner. Eating at a restaurant is a full experience. Having good food alone is not sufficient for customers to come back. If you want to spend an enjoyable meal, i don't recommend this place.

Came here after a Comedy Festival show and was pretty impressed. Loved all the staff that attended to our needs, attentive but not over bearing, personable and professional.<br/><br/>Food is typical italian done well. Quality ingredients with well balanced flavours. A bottle of Sicilian red was the perfect match for the food.<br/><br/>Will definitely be back 😊

I was eating lunch here, and one of the wait staff decided it would be acceptable to reach over my plate without asking and take my pepper mill to place on another table. I was completely shocked. I made a quiet complaint to one of the other staff who seemed surprised, but apologized. The offending staff member said nothing to me whatsoever. A bottle of beer also cost me $10. The pizza was tasty but soggy. I'll never eat here again.

This one is on Melbourne's Hardware Lane. We had only just eaten breakkie a few hours earlier but decided to stop for lunch. Had the lunchtime special - linguine prawns and it was quite tasty. The pasta was cooked to al dente perfection and the olive oil it was tossed through was beautiful. Another thing that was beautiful was the price! I think I paid $13?? Only complaint is the waitstaff was a tad snooty.

Came here for lunch with friends after trying this place a year before and being surprised by the taste and service and what can I say....Authentic Italian cuisine at its finest!!! For $12.50 lunch special and $17 with a drink how can you not be wowed by this place. Carbonara pasta is amazing as well as the amatriciana and the arancini are as good as one you would eat in Italy. A Must if you are in the city. Could not fault anything and the prices are very good!!!<br/>

Food and ambiance was comforting for a Melbourne rainy day. We had the lunch special- meatballs and gnocchi. Both dishes had two different rich favourable sauce that when well with the main ingredients

Went for dinner with friends on hardware lane on Friday, a nice Italian place, a very decent menu and the food was decent.<br/>Tried the lamb Raghu pasta it was pretty good along with the pizzza's

Good food and a great waiter who proposed a very nice wine to go with the meals. Too bad the staff pumped up the music so loud to make us take our after dinner conversation elsewhere, which we did, and will continue to do..

We almost walked right past until the waiter pulled us over and introduced us to the $12.90 express lunch specials. I took a quick look at one of the other customer's pasta dish and knew we had to give it a try. <br/><br/>Best decision of the day. <br/><br/>We ordered a creamy tortellini pasta and a prawn pizza between two. The pasta dish was full of flavour and authentic. The pizza was nice and saucy with a good portion of delicious prawns. <br/><br/>Service was friendly and could not be faulted. <br/><br/>Will visit again soon.

Hardware Lane, brunch is what first comes to mind. It was here and specially at the Hardware Society that we first heard of brunch. This is as far the west side goes in term of popular food areas, when the business food areas are closed (think weekday only lunch spots that close by 5pm). Tonight we had an express dinner at Il Nostro Posto before speeding up to the East End. A Sicilian restaurant specializing in seafood, so naturally my +1 tonight is a meat eater... just like that time we took the vegetarian professor to the meat market. XD

Ambience and wait staff was really lovely. They were all Italian and just being on hardware lane brings you into this feeling where you feel tucked away into another country. <br/><br/>Started with an Arancini ball. Wasn't the best I've had. It could do with more sauce and ingredients, less rice, served in 2 smaller balls rather than 1 big serve. Salad on the side should have dressing or plating can improve. <br/> <br/>The man loves a good pizza, and he opted for the Pizza Calzone (pizza folded in half like a puff). Loved the taste of the Calzone, I kept asking him for more after I had my taste. You can really taste the woodiness from the oven and the flavours inside were so cheesy and comforting. <br/><br/>I ordered the Large Rigatoni pasta with Lamb Ragu. Pasta was al Dante & sauce had nice chunky Lamb cubes. My partner was dipping his pizza into the Lamb Ragu sauce frequently, while I was asking for more of his. Guess we should've swapped plates! <br/><br/>Overall a nice casual/romantic date night for us, not too expensive with large serves. Unfortunately too full for desserts.

Nice friday night out we decided to go at Il nostro posto. decision was good cannot fail the food fish of the day was just perfect and the risotto di mare was good as well. service is typical Italian lots of noice haha we loved that but very efficient. Only the cannoli for me are too over price come on guys is not gold.

Was walking around the city with my friend and was blessed by the gods to come past this place. Never have I enjoyed my food so much and to add on the waiter was incredibly professional and nice. It felt as if I entered a cousins house as the service was extraordinary and sincere. Food was delicious and incredibly cheap as we managed to come in during their cheaper lunch prices. Overall I would highly recommend for anyone to visit this place.

Great food and great atmosphere. Service at times was a bit slow but can't complain. The meatballs were totally yummy (try them!) as was the Italian waiter serving our table! Definitely eat there again. Highly recommended.

Great waiters BUT ordinary in terms of quality, snail like in terms of speed (2 hours to get the food). Expensive wine. A tourist trap to be avoided. Quite frankly my worst Italian Restaurant in 15 years of Melbourne dining. Harsh but it has to be said.

We nipped here for a quick lunch today. Their express lunch menu was good value and the service was fast and friendly. My gnocchi was light with a nice texture and it worked well with the simple sauce. My other half had the meatballs and he said they were soft and juicy and he loved the sauce they came with.

Nice efficient service, prices are reasonable and food comes in generous portion. I was only expecting a bit more seafood in each dish. It is nice to have a bit of outdoor dining on a sunny day here.

I rarely complain, but this was a horrible customer experience. Food was reasonable and came out quickly, but teach your waitress some manners for god's sake. I've never encountered somebody so rude at an Italian restaurant.

Nice, authentic Italian. Full flavours. <br/>Good restaurant space, pasta really well made an desserts were very good. <br/>Service a little hit and miss.<br/>

Delicious authentic Italian! The carbonara is the best I've ever had! Definitely made me want to learn how to cook proper Italian food. The wait staff were very friendly, cracked jokes and were all round helpful. Prices is cheap compared to places similar on this street. Definitely recommend booking a table ahead of plan as the place was full!

Exceptional!<br/><br/>On the way to a comedy show we took the walk along Hardware Lane. For those of you familiar with this precinct, restaurant owners are easily spotted on the footpath engaging with passers by to win their business.<br/><br/>I say we hit the jackpot and thank you to the owner for not being a pushing as your competitors, it made all the difference to our evening. We were lucky enough to score a table outside across the brick Laneway from a small jazz band. <br/><br/>The wait staff as you would expect, authentic Sicilian, describing menu items with such passion, as if they had made it themselves. Service was friendly and seamless. We shared the Braised Lamb Ragu and Sausage and Broccoli pizza, both were cooked to perfection. The ragu, soft meat which fell apart as we mixed the pasta through the sauce, fresh herbs and well made tomato base balanced the dish well, as expected pasta al dente. The pizza perfectly cooked, a good amount of toppIngs finished with just the right amount of cheese.<br/><br/>The only downfall, we didn't have enough time to stay for dessert! Will definitely be back to work our way though the menu.

We really enjoyed the food here. The mussels were great, they happily topped up our bread so we could finish off the sauce. The signature seafood pasta dish was delicious, I swapped the fettucine with linguine. The pan fried chicken breast and penne lamb ragu were also impressive. Good wine and food service. Looking forward to our next visit.

Approached by a lovely waiter and had a great chat with him<br/>The meal was amazing. Great seafood risotto, red wine and very helpful wait staff. <br/>

I really like this place not just because of the food but because they don't hassle you too much to try to convince you to eat there, unlike others in the same area. I had the contadina pizza and hubby had piccante, both were delicious and I would rate the pizza 5/5.  The waiters/waitresses were all very helpful and polite.  I would definitely recommend this place!!

Best Italian food I've ever had. Been coming here for years and have never been disappointed. This place has no gimics or  bells and whistles, it is simply amazing food, wonderful service and nice setting.

Quite friendly and accomodating service. Stereotype Hardware Lane establishment which is quite packed with tourists and pricewise quite high for what you are getting. Food is quite decent but nothing spectacular. Went for dinner using Entertainment book voucher, will not go back for dinner but might consider lunch offer.

This is a very good restaurant with value for money food. I took a group of 8 people who were all very positive with regards to their meals however I think if you are going to put a 2% surcharge for credit card you should have it loud and clear on the street menu and not announce it when one pays at the register

Best italian food i have had! Plus amazing service, quite a cheap price and great authentic meals! The spaghetti marinara was delightful and their deserts are to die for! Will definetely be coming back!

For once I decided to give in and try one of these small restaurants, I have to say that this place did not disappoint and that I would really recommend everyone to try this place out. The service was great, their staff was friendly and the food was just amazing! In my opinion if you choose from their cheap lunch menu, you actually get more than what you paid for.<br/><br/>My friends and I all got different dishes and shared. some pasta, risotto and aranchini<br/><br/><br/>This place calls for a muzz~!

Very good value for the price!! Passed by the place and we just stopped there to have lunch. The plates were huge and actually quite good. I've ordered the tortellini which were tasty, al dente and creamy. My boyfriend ordered a Cappriciosa pizza, he was not disappointed.

Located in the busy Hardware lane where you can have plenty of restaurant and cafe choices, we're hooked by a man standing outside explaining how good his menu and restaurant is and bla bla..and we decided to give this place a try. Started with warm olives and crostini as entree then white wine mussels, ravioli with ricotta and spincah fillings (absolutely a winning dish of the night for me), pasta with pinenuts sultana and brocolli as well as porcini pizza to share as our mains. The pasta was definitely a highlight of our dining, pizza was disappointing coz it's bland and dough was too thick. Saved some room for desserts thus we had tiramisu and poached pear with gelato which were fantastic.

On a Saturday cold night at hardware lane, we strolled down the lane and Il Nostro Posto’s menu caught our attention for our not too hungry dinner. Busy at the outdoor seating… But they could accomodate us walk-in-ers. We were seated downstairs at the corner. My first thought was its so secluded that we might just be forgotten about when we need some service. And I was wrong, service was spot on, it was like the waiter could read my mind.

Had a beautiful time there !!! I had the ortolana pizza and they even made it as a calzone just to make me happy and it was amazing !!! The dough is awesome ! And the service is perfect !!! Waiters were so friendly !!! Definitely come back

Worst place. Waited 40 mins for the most tasteless meal. Not only that their frittata is a fried egg with chopped tomatoes and white bread. They didn't offer parmasan cheese for the pasta, worst experience. I would never ever come here again.

Got the lunch special linguine for $13 or so.. Did the job about par for the price.. Good place for lunch in city to get a nice table outside and enjoy the vibe

Went for dinner at Hardware lane and were a bit put off by the aggressive marketing tactics of the reatos there. One little Itakian place wasn't pushy and said they didn't give free wine like the others but had a great menu. We went in and we got free prosecco anyway. We had the seafod risotto and their signature fettucini and both were outstanding. We wanted canolli for dessert but they ran out, but we given riccotta with orange and pistachio tasters for free. So I got my cannolli anyway, jusy without the shell. Look for Saveiro, you'll get good service for sure!

Nothing special about this Italian on Hardware Lane. I ordered the spaghetti carbonara which was on the "express lunch" menu and it took ages to arrive. It wasn't particularly good, very oily, oil was actually the dominant taste of the dish. Not impressed. Won't go back.

Bland food and slow service on a weekend night. On first arrival we were greeted warmly by the two staff members standing out front trying to coax in more customers. Then service went downhill from there as we were basically ignored from then onwards. It was hard to flag down the waiter's attention even though we were seated outside right by the door. It must've been about 15 minutes before we could put in our order. The food took about 45 minutes before it came out. I ordered the seafood pasta which is apparently their signature dish and as a whole dish, it had no taste. Actually there barely was any sauce. My dining partner said that their porcini pizza had no flavour. Would not come back again anytime soon.

Whilst all of Hardware Lane tends to blend into one with the abundance of Italian food and servers jostling for your attention, Il Nostro Posto stands out. I have been on two occasions and having sat inside and outside both have provided for a lovely evening. <br/><br/>Firstly, trying the piccante pizza I found it to be an excellent blend of gourmet flavours but also equally filling. My girlfriend as usual, tried the mussels in white wine sauce and found it to be amongst the best she has ever had.<br/><br/>On our second visit we dined on some penne and bruschetta. Sharing opposing view, me liking the pasta for its simplicity but perfectly executed taste, her liking the bruschetta because of its combination of flavours, walnuts and pear.<br/><br/>A lovely venue made better by its food and service, would recommend and return.

Set in the lovely location of Hardware Lane, mimicing the hustle and bustle of a small Italian laneway. There is seating available outside and also inside the restaurant, which offers respite from the noise outside. Tables and dining areas are small due to the limited space, yet the arrangement seems to suit the place. <br/>The staff were attentive and very familiar with the food and overall I found the service very pleasant.<br/>The food was also pleasing. Simple, unpretentious Sicilian food made well in their optimum way. <br/>Over two visits, my boyfriend and I shared the Picantte pizza, Mussels in a white wine broth, penne pasta and the Bruscetta of the day. The mussels in particular were delightful, flavoursome and filling accompanied by fresh Italian bread.

Authentic Italian cafe and value for money $12 lunch menu with a lot of choices to choose from. Fresh seafood risotto, pizza, spaghetti serving portion is generous and fast service. One of the most popular and busy Italian cafe on hardware lane.

You get points for:<br/><br/>Food tasting ok even though the pizza was a tad too oily<br/><br/>You lose points for:<br/><br/>No split bills. Why not? It's 2016 and I have a calculator on my phone that I could have given you to work the numbers out, and<br/><br/>I had leftover Pizza and you said I couldn't take it with me. Why did you want to hold my leftover pizza hostage? So you could simply throw it out after I left? Box my slices and let me go!

Authentic Italian restaurant nestled amongst busy hardware lane in the city. I ordered pizza with speck, blue cheese, pear and rocket which was delicious. My wife ordered the risotto with porcini mushrooms which was also quite nice. Excellent atmosphere especially on a warm Melbourne night outside in the summer. Definitely recommend!

I'm sorry to say that if you served us a collapsed pannacotta, it just say how much you valued us as customers; two intact and one broken pannacotta.<br/>I'm not a fan of a restaurant with minimum respect.

My partner and I ate here lastnignt, and our experience was terrible I wold not recommend this place to anyone.<br/><br/>Firstly our booking was not there when we arrived despite having our booking confirmation receipt. After being questioned for a while we were then taken to a table. <br/><br/>The waiter then handed us the menu and we ordered some drinks which sat on the bar for about 10 minutes before actually being given to us. The champagne was fine however the beer was room temperature.<br/><br/>We then ordered our food. We asked for a pizza and were then told they were not cooking pizzas tonight (something we shld have been told on arrival or at-least when handed the menu) we then decided on some other dishes. <br/>We ordered arancini balls for entree, my partner asked for ravioli and I asked for pumpkin and spinach risotto the waiter didn't write any of this down. <br/><br/>Our arancini balls came and were extremely tasteless however I was starving and ate it anyway.<br/><br/>The mains then came instead of the ravioli my partner got a seafood linguini he didn't complain and ate this anyway as we had already waited for our food for long enough, in the end he didn't mind the Linguini , however My risotto was disgusting had absolutely no taste and was inedible I have never tasted something so bland and would not have expected this from an "authentic Italian" restaurant. <br/>Once the waiter came back he asked how we liked our meal (as mine was barely touched) I proceeded to tell him it was very bland and tasteless I did not enjoy it at all, after that he ignored our table and the already poor service became absolutely ridiculous. <br/><br/>The night was then made worse by the fact that there were pizzas leaving the kitchen left right and centre when we had previously been told pizzas were NOT available as this was our original order.<br/><br/>We tried to get the attention of three waiters to get some desert as I was still hungry after my awful risotto but was unable to get anyone's attention, we then had enough and decided to leave.<br/><br/>After asking 2 different ppl we finally got our bill which came to a total of 132.00.<br/>132.00 for terrible food and terrible service.<br/><br/>It is very hard to say anything positive about this restaurant and anyone looking for a nice Italian dining experience should definitely stir clear of this place.<br/>

Whilst the house signature seafood soup dish was amazing , the steak dish failed terribly . It was way overdone despite our order of medium well and the red wine mushroom sauce was too watery. Service was good.

Checked out the other menu boards on the lane and this place had the most authentic looking rustic Sicilian food. And that is how it turned out. Staff were attentive and very helpful with our strollers and the kids, but needed a table to change the baby. Food was very good, with the tallegio pizza and gnocchi with scampi the stand outs! Would recommend over the 'deals' spruiked by the Others.

My mother always told me you get what you pay for and with Il Nostro this is very true. The prawn linguine for lunch was heavy on the oil and low on taste and seasoning. For what the food lacked the service did not make up for, they were keen to seat you in the empty restaurant and that's as far as it went..I would not consider returning and given the staff's attitudes I don't believe they would care anyway

We really liked it here. We had the house antipasto plate for entree, and my partner and I both had the house special seafood linguine in the paper bag which was divine! Found this restaurant through the Entertainment Book, so got a good discount on the meal but would come back again without it.

Excellent staff, authentic sicilian family restaurant on Hardware lane in Melbourne CBD. Found these guys on the Entertainment book. Went with my lovely wife, we really enjoyed the atmosphere of the place, cool old school photos of Toto and various Italian/Sicilian icons.<br/><br/>Entree: Pan fried Calamari with Rocket and light garlic mayo. Lightly seasoned quite fresh calamari. Very tasty and enjoyable.<br/><br/>Main:<br/><br/>My wife had the Scampi Gnocchi with red sauce - Gnocchi was quite good (obviously not as good as my Zia makes it), but one of the better restaurant gnocchi I have had. Firm without being hard, and not too gluggy or soft or powdery - good happy medium, scampy was a tad overcooked but like the calamari fairly fresh. Well sized dish.<br/><br/>I had the home made Sicilian pasta with Smoked Salmon and a garlic based white sauce. The was excellent - reminded me of my late nonna, the sauce was not too heavy on cream, good balance. I would have have this dish again. I did expect a tiny bit bigger serving portion, but again I am used of having heaped pasta on my plate. <br/><br/>All in all a great experience - and we will return (even without the voucher incentive).

Wonderful dining experience. The staff are super friendly and helpful and the food was also delightful. Both entree and mains were satisfying and definitely would come back. This restaurant is family friendly as well as great for first date place to dine as well. <br/>The highlight dish for me was the pasta with artichoke and smoked salmon, I love both of those ingredients so I was very happy to have them in a dish. It was definitely sensational

My husband and I spent three months in Melbourne and we went to IL Nostro three times because it was so darn delicious! We had the lamb pasta each time and it was just as good every time we went. We didn't want to try any other Italian restaurants because we knew we would have friendly staff here, always get a seat, a great environment and the best food. We would highly recommend you go here, at least once, and make sure you get the fried rice started (I don't remember the name). I wish we had more time in Melbourne to go here again!

Annoying dining at Hardware Lane now because of the touting for customers but we were looked after at Il Posto Nostro by the owner maitre d'. Enjoyed the food but no culinary bounfaries pushed. Great service!

Love the atmosphere in Hardware lane though have struggled to find good food there, after reading reviews we thought we'd give Il nostro posto a go, still nothing special, can't help think when your seated it's all about getting you in and out quickly for next seating, food was OK although the cacciatore was far from authentic, needed loads of seasoning, my gnocchi was good, sauce was bland, expensive wine list for what your getting. No more Hardware Lane, too many other great places to eat in our wonderful city

Came here for a Friday lunch as I happen to be near Hardware Lane. The place was pretty busy and all the tables outside were full when we arrived. <br/><br/>We order the two lunch specials (see photo): spaghetti carbonara and contadino pizza. We also ordered the bruschetta of the day.<br/><br/>Food was good and portion sizes were adequate - a good deal for the lunch special.

Went here with my partner as we were wondering the streets of the CBD and was drawn to this authentic laneway restaurant. Very pleased with the staff and management as they were really friendly and helpful in choosing the best wines that compliments each dish. Enjoyed the experience and environment. The home made ravioli and linguine al cartoccio were great choices.

Great food, great service by authentic Italians straight off the boat. I highly recommend this restaurant for quality, genuine Italian food that is well priced.