Review University Cafe

Joyce L.

Great service… fresh cook pasta and food.. I prefer this restaurant over Papa Gino.. in terms of both the food and service 👍👍👍 although the taste of food sometimes are inconsistent.. but 5 stars for their service.. I wouldn’t order the tiramisu again because of the extremely small portion and the taste is not really that good, maybe other dessert or cakes next time..

Paolo

Very nice restaurant, the tables outside are a little uncomfortable but the dishes were very good, gnocchi al pomodoro with superb tomato sauce, the “scarpetta” is a must… Staff very friendly.

Jia Yin

Nice and Soft gnocchi. Decent carbonara. Nice coffee. Chai latte, milk with coarse spices....recommend to skip this. Recommend to eat the bread before it turns cold. Friendly staff :)

Wasserman C

They serve gluten free pasta feel free to choose. Pizza is nice.

Jessy Xie

Very delicious and reasonably priced. Zuppa di Pesce, pizza and calamari were all very yummy. The young waiter with small moustache is a legend! Will be back again soon! ☺️

Piper Ford

Good coffee and cakes but staff definitely need to learn how to treat elderly customers. I went here with my grandparents and the waitress didn’t treat them kindly. She rushed them, placed us next to the very loud kitchen, only spoke to me (when both of them are perfectly capable of talking and ordering for themselves) and overall behaved disrespectfully. Not a place I’d ever want to go with family again.

Jo Sé

A tasty a cafe, a place, the people never changed , for many years ...same owners for 20 plus years ...a true establishment and classic. The food and coffee Tastes comparable to that U can find in Italy

Vera Booth

First time here and found the menu extensive. The food was good, service fast and efficient. Not much atmosphere and hard chairs were not inducive to sitting for long. Overall it was OK but with so many places to choose from in Carlton this would not be my first port of call.

Absteriffic

Don't get the Orrechiete con Gamberi pasta. It was bland and quite disappointing. The pizza with pork sausage was good halfway, but half of the pizza had burnt undersides-not just toasted but burnt bottoms. The saving grace for the meal was the Veal. Tender, salty with a touch of lemon, a good dish through and through.

Snacker

Food was very average (and overpriced for what it was), and diners on the ground floor were packed together like sardines.

M3lissa____

There is always a que here and it is popular amongst the uni students! Cheap and reasonable portion meals is what youll get here

Warren

Had dinner here last night my wife had lasagna I had gnocchi gorgonzola, both meals came quickly and tasted great, service was excellent and very friendly. Great Italian food and not expensive. Will be back again.

FoodieInMel

Very casual setting, casual Italian style food, the pasta and risotto we had was bit average, the service was nice and friendly, in general was nice.

The Wandering Reviewer

Took a lovely friend here as he had fond memories about the place years before as a student - he’s now a professor. It’s always interesting to see how restaurants stand the test of time and this one certainly has. It’s been two years between visits but it feels like yesterday. I ordered corn fritters and he ordered a big serve of smashed avocado with bacon. The meal took around 15 minutes and in the meantime, we watched the amazing Lygon Street experience unfold in front of us. Food tasted fabulous. Fresh, good portion size and presentation was as you’d expect - practical and perfect. Oh I so love dining in Melbourne. Service was fast and staff were friendly. Wheelchair and kid friendly. Good coffee (of course - its Lygon Street). Will return!

Suhujana

Its a restaurant with a classic look to it. Good value for price. Portions are the right size. Friendly staff. *ABBA is playing in the background!*

QB

Food- overall good was average. bruschetta just had pile of tomatoes dumped on bread, no oil no garlic or basil..... seafood risotto was cooked well (rice component) but lacked seafood there was 3 scallops with missing roe and a long piece of calamari and that was the extent. Mussels was falavoursome but half of them were closed and a touch of chilli and even bread on the side to soak up the sauce would of been nice. Also never received the two waters we requested early into the night Ambiance- nice resto itself, typical LYGON st deco. Service- seriously needs a looking at, I spent at least 10 mins trying to flag down one waiter and he waved back at me in condescending manner. My girlfriend is a smoker and he hushed us away from the table referring to us as mateys then watched us like hawks thinking we were going to do a runner from dinner. Service lacked pizzazz or any form of welcoming QB👸🏼

Jonathon L

Staff were quick to take my order and bring out the food . I had a vegetarian pizza which was very tasty . They were happy for me to make changes to my order . Worth a visit . I will go back .

Domenic Domma Cafari

Came for dinner with friends and we ordered the calzone Russo . Was sadly disappointed to get a air pocket of dough with a 5 cm piece of ham and few mushrooms and half a dozen olives cut in half and melted cheese. Have had calzone all over Melbourne but this place never again even the table next to us were disappointed

Karma Clarke

Rating 3.5 A bit of a touristy Lygon street pizza restaurant. It had an old school vibe! We ordered a veggie pizza which had a crispy base, and they was not heavy on the toppings. However, it did lack a bit of flavour, which was strange - it may have needed some more basil and sauce.

Minhee

I really enjoyed my dinner here and the customer service was great and attentive despite it being so busy on the night I came. Food was delicious too!

Aubrey

Came here for lunch before seeing a movie. We ordered the spaghetti bolognese and penne amatriciana. The serves were huge and delicious. My only complaint is they don’t allow individual Parmesan bowls to be left on the tables - I love to add cheese and although the waitress sprinkled my pasta twice, I would’ve loved more.

Olivia.mcfarlane1998

Very delicious decent servings too and nice and fast. All the staff were so lovely and friendly and all seemed amazingly authentic and great Italian vibe

Rennie

Seven of us booked in for Sunday breakfast and its been a while since I've been here and the first thing I noticed is that how tired the restaurant looked, it really needs an update and clean (the air conditioning vents looked terrible). The service is just OK, the two servers were not particularly friendly and often it was difficult to get their attention. The coffee was great, but there was no orange juice.. really... how can this happen? The meals are generous and were all well received and enjoyed. My omelette was huge and really hit the spot. The pancakes are amazing and again they were huge. We enjoyed our breakfast but there are some areas that should be looked at.

Damien Stefancic

Excellent Customer Service and the food is amazing. My recommendation is to try the Carbonara Pasta, it was perfectly creamy and the bacon was great. A close location to everything else in Carlton this place is a great spot for breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Samuel Pinches

I’ve been to this place a couple of times, the food has generally been excellent, and the staff are wonderful. 👨🏻‍🍳👩🏻‍🍳👍 🍝👍 Their pasta dishes are all very satisfying, and I especially recommend the wonderfully balanced veal and mushroom tortellini. The carbonara is also a great choice. 🍕👎 However, the pizzas leave a fair bit to be desired. I found the four cheese pizza severely lacking in all toppings and a bit burned too. The general restraint towards toppings on Italian pizzas is in full force here, with only a minute portion of the pizza actually being covered with anything more than what appeared to be a fine coat of parmesan. The flavour of the tomato sauce is great, and for the one mouthful I could actually detect it it was delicious. Sadly, the rest of the pizza scored lower for me than the moreish crusty bread we received as entree - the bases of their pizzas are good, but I didn’t order just a base... overall I left still hungry and unsatisfied. Stick to their pasta, or perhaps try a calzone instead. ☕️👎I don’t drink coffee, but the consensus from my coffee snob friends is that they use a very average mass produced bean blend, and they didn’t rate it positively.

Descartesmuse

This is a nice modern Australian eating place. The food and service are good. All stable stuff with some good lunch options as well. Its often busy, but generally plenty of room, so booking really isn't a necessity. An above average mid-range place.

The Cranky Foodie

Enjoyed our lunch here today. We ordered a minestrone, meatball pasta (daily special), and the tortellini. The tortellini was so lovely that I forgot to take a photo of the entire dish! Make sure to ask your server to sprinkle some Parmesan on your pasta.

Suzysays

Wow how rude is the service here which made me give the low rating! I was thinking I’ve love to come back to eat here next time when I sat down 1) don’t advertise your a cafe if after your customers sit down about 9pm to order coffee you say “you can’t stay long okay after I’ve ordered. One side is restaurant and one side is cafe. There was no line waiting to sit and eat.... 2) the affogato was actually one of the best I’ve had but they put a sour taste in my mouth and probably will never be back. Ruined my mood, first impressions count

Ryan Hall

I have visited University Cafetwice now with my family and both times we have left happy and talking about the next time we will come back. The food here is very tasty and of high quality. Prices are fairly reasonable for the area. The place is clean and the staff here are excellent, always happy and very friendly. I would strongly recommend a visit here. POSITIVE: + Great fresh tasty food. + Staff are super friendly + Clean and bright sitting area. NEGATE: -

L

I got the gnocchi which was definitely made in-store, as it says - very soft and flavourful. The pizza and focaccia were also good with great bases. We were waiting awhile for our food and though they did apologise for the wait, they also forgot to bring us water as well. When I asked for it again, they just filled up the glass and took the jug so I had to ask a third time for more water because I was really thirsty. I can understand it was a very busy night and the restaurant was packed, so I will probably come back sometime as the food was nice.

Willie Yang

Lovely service and great food. It’s easy to walk to since it’s not far from the city or the uni. Smiles of the staff delighted our day. Will definitely revisit.

Food Dine Roll

Surprisingly good. We went to Lygon today but find most of all fav places closed so we decided to try our luck here and it did not disappointed. Pizza crust was well done. Sausage on the pizza tasted great. Maybe a tad lack on the topping but no biggie. Pasta - carbonara tasted good. Lack a bit more sauce to my liking. Another one bacon and spring onion tasted good with some chilli flakes. Overall very enjoyable. Better atmosphere if sitting outside since inside doesn't makes you feel like you are in Italian restaurant at all. I don't particularly know if it deserves a 4 but it's around 3.8 for me so it's only fair to give 4.

Jacqui

Lygon Street is always a favourite when dining in Melbourne, and The University Cafe is a great example why. We dined here on a late Saturday evening (around 9 pm) after a fabulous show at the Theatre. Parking was easy with a choice of on-street parking, or tower parking was just a short stroll for a $10 flat rate. They had a great selection of delicious Italian fare (including vegetarian) at very reasonable prices. Entree: $8.50-$22; Sides: $7-$9.50; Pasta: $19 - $28.50 (GF pasta is available for an additional $3.50); Pizza & Calzones: $18-$23.50; For those wanting something a little lighter - Salads: $16-$19.50; Dessert: $9.50-$16. The old favourites of Spaghetti Bolognese & Tagliatelle Carbonara that our table ordered were all faultless. The service was friendly, fast and attentive. The al fresco dining area was very enjoyable, soaking in the hustle and bustle of all the passers-by, while the glass petitions roadside helped to prevent the traffic noise invading conversation. They also had over-head heating which took the chill off the night air. All in all, this lovely restaurant had a casual home-style feel with great food and matching service. Other than them not taking online bookings or splitting bills, it was a lovely experience, & I'd highly recommend.

Kyle Jones

Came here for Coffee. Stayed for the Gnocchi. Simply amazing. Second best I've had in Australia. I will be back for sure! With friends and family.

WePreferEatingOut

A relaxed Italian cafe experience with great "home style" cooked Italian food. Authentic and affordable. We enjoyed our Sunday afternoon. #sundayfunday #weprefereatingout

Ellylovestoeat

We were in the mood for pizza when we came and were not disappointed. Considering they use an electric oven the pizza came out just as good as a stone oven. Definitely worth checking out. Staff were very friendly and the atmosphere was nice also. Great heaters for outside dining too.

Rosie Raiti

Chicken salad delicious and light, freshly squeezed juice perfect and chicken dish very tasty. Great service, fast and easy. Relaxing atmosphere inside and outside.

Ilja Spence

The gno-key to my heart - velvety pillows of potato enveloped in a divine sugo, finished with a basil drizzle. At no point did it feel heavy, I am in love. Please save some for me next time. It's a matter of life or life-without-gnocchi, which is worse than death.

EsmeEats

Came on a Saturday night and was surprised how quickly we were able to get a seat outside due to it being a consistently busy place! Sadly the gnocchi had all been sold for the day so I ordered the veal ribbon dish which was one of the specials. The veal nuggets were beautiful - melt in the mouth! But it was absolute pasta overload and lacked a certain amount of flavour. The pizza was crisp and extremely tasty. We also ordered olives for a starter and was slightly disappointed at how small the portion was. However service was polite and prompt and the food was certainly good quality - would return.

Helen

Delicious gnocchi, lasagna and pizza here. Home made and fresh with efficient and friendly service. Unfortunately we were all too full to fit in dessert. Open since 1952 and my parents used to come here in the 60's.

Dimzib

I have been here on several occasions and have had mixed experiences. Their cakes are well-known for their large serving size, yet decent quality. The cheesecake is recommended, here. The pizza is slightly lacklustre compared to its competing Italian restaurants within its vicinity. The pasta is well made and it's sauces and included ingredients in differing dishes complement each other to a decent standard. The manager is very friendly at University Cafe, and the staff are attentive, however are not necessarily welcoming. This restaurant could not receive a higher review rating from me, due to a previous experience where I had found shards of a plastic container in my pasta dish. This made me and others question the cooking methods used here. The restaurant's staff were quick to redeem themselves by efficiently replacing my dish, however without compensation. Or apology, which was slightly disappointing.

Alison Read

Italian food and generous serves make this a must visit in Carlton. Sit inside or out. Water brought to the table and menus and specials and drinks menu. We were presented with warm crusty bread and butter to enjoy while waiting for the mains. We ordered spaghetti frutte de mare, chicken with beans and baked potatoes, seafood risotto. Just soft drinks for us as we'd been drinking at the races. Very enjoyable late lunch and delicious food.

Irene Khoo

We started off with a foccacia with garlic and cheese which was as delicious as you would expect. The bread tasted like it was freshly made. For mains, I had the gnocchi al pomodoro which was divine. The gnocchi was pillowy, light and paired well with the sauce. My friend had the penne telefono which was also yummy but even he agreed that the gnocchi was better. The waitress was attentive and friendly. All in all a good experience.

Huiyi

Came for brunch & ordered customised egg bene; toast with poached eggs, salmon/bacon. Pretty average. Only bad with the choice of toast, slightly tough. And no sauce with option. Service was good, staff was friendly & proactive/attentive in our orders.

Talia

What a pity! Beautiful food so terribly let down by a rude waiter! "Are you finished" , he asked as I'm taking a bite - "No" we said and he promptly starts cleaning up plates from under us- even took my bread plate away - leaving only my bowl of pasta on the table. With so much choice on Lygon Street, we won't be back

Michael Bagnato

I've been coming here for years and this place still never fails to disappoint. I got the tortellini Bolognese, and without question it is the best pasta in Melbourne. I'm definitely coming back

Andrew Shelton

Once upon a time this place served good quality food at reasonable prices. Now it just trades on tradition. I had a prawn pasta dish. The pasta was stuck together and the prawns were not even deveined. Eating prawns with their poo chutes still in them? No thanks. The pudding for dessert was inedible. In a street with so many excellent restaurants, this is one to avoid.

Lesa Claudine Kelley Kelley

I have been dropping in to this cafe for quite a while. I have thoughly enjoyed everything I have ordered and the wine coffee and staff , I cannot fault.The cost is very affordable on any budget. I have not eaten everything on the menu,but I intend to.Lesa

Christina

Favourite dish is the eggplant parmagiana. It is one of the best I have had.Nothing else really shines out on the menu.. Very safe menu and safe execution. Somewhere you would go for a work meeting or meeting the in laws.

Blueberrypie

Comfy environment, good and fast service. Tasty pasta although could have been cooked a little longer. Average prices. Overall a good lunch!

Barryhost11

The perfect example of a institution turning into a mess. My wife and I had dinner upstairs on Saturday night the food was (OK) the service was painful like taking blood from a stone!! We won't be coming back anytime soon. It's a shame to see such a lovely restaurant go down this way.

Aki

The environment is great, but didn't really like the service. Staff doesn't look approachable and it is hard to speak to a staff when I am seated on the second floor. I have Spaghetti Marinara, Pizza Capricciosa and grilled chicken thighs. Spaghetti Marinara is spot on. The calamari, prawn and scallop are tender and juicy. The pizza has different layer of flavours. Chicken is tender and cooked just right, but the sauce is very salty.

Jason

Terrible service and very bland food. The waiters only seem to offer bread for certain tables?our table definitely ordered a lot more food than others that good some bread Water was not poured for or offered, not once did a staff member came to check if our food was ok or not. Please treat your customers with respect as you can see from other reviews that customer service is not a big priority in your establishment

Kenny Nguyen

For the price of food and service here one would expect a little bit more than staffs telling him that "water is self-served". There is also a very unwelcome vibe. Food for me was average. I will not come back to this restaurant again.

Jules

Definitely one of the worst joints I've ever been to in Melbourne. Mate got served pink chicken and was treated as a criminal when showing the waitress the atrocity they served up. Lygon street is a joke because of places like this

Daniela

Had dinner here catching up with a friend, the food was not bad, but the service was quite disappointing...staff wernt very friendly and felt like as soon as we finished eating, they were pushing as out. They brought the bill to us when we hadnt even asked for it and while we were still talking and wernt ready to pay, a older man came with the eftpos machine waiting for our payment! It wasn't busy at all with no queue with people waiting so found that very rude...as soon as we stood up, they came to clean the table and we hadn't even left the table yet! Such a shame their service lets them down...wont be going back.

Little Pink Piggy

Solid and reliable every time. I've visited this establishment over 15 times and always order the same main- marinara spaghetti. It is the best dish on Lygon St! As entrée I would encourage everyone to try the quail salad or the calamari. Genuinely Italian, fresh ingredients and good staff. The only drawback would be that they sometimes rush you out to make way for the next lot of customers. Ask ro be seated downstairs, the vibe is much better. Total bill for two entrées, two mains and two wines is about $80.

Skinny Glutton

I found myself in a Garfield mood – in that I was craving a meaty, cheesy lasagne. It is very rare that I will eat pasta at a restaurant and I generally try to avoid ordering something I could very easily conjure up at home. On our search for a place that serves lasagne, we stumbled upon University Café. University Cafe on Lygon st is one of the better establishments on the strip and the lack of haranguing by spruikers is always a nice touch. Note Lygon St Restaurants: harassing prospective patrons to dine at your restaurant, unsurprisingly, has the opposite effect.

Kathleen Noonan

University Cafe should stick to what they know best and not carry on about the magnificient plane trees outside their restaurant. The owner is quite happy for customers to wine and dine in the car fumes of Lygon street but balks at the plane tree droppings. The plane trees bring in the customers. They make Lygon street look cosmopolitan, beautiful. Stop the whinging.

Ann Marie

EXQUISITE!!! our first time has been very pleasant! Entrees, drinks and coffee amazing. The mains - Tortellini Fungi and Broccoli and Prawn pasta was amazing!!!!!

Labradongle

What used to be a good place for solid, dependable fare now has new owners, or completely new staff. My last meal here was not so great with awful slow service. Not many diners and it took over 40 minutes to be able to ask for a coffee - no waiters were around.

Davo

Not so sure about the revamped university cafe...staff unfriendly and curt..table of 4 with one meal not turning up for 5 minutes and when it arrived was cold!' It's off the list of brekky spots in Lygon St

A Chronicle Of Gastronomy

University Cafe is the oldest cafe and restaurant on Lygon St, established in 1952 by Eros and Gianni Milani. A popular spot for coffee, it’s also open from breakfast through to dinner. Although I knew it was a popular local, I was still surprised by how busy it was on a weeknight, with a number of regulars coming in. After ordering we were offered a basket of sliced sourdough with little tubs of Western Star, but didn’t have long to eat it before the dishes arrived.

Ann Fitzpatrick

Went to University Cafe for a meal yesterday evening. Very nice ambience and always reliable food, not inspiring but consistent. The menu announces that you have the option to choose gluten-free pasta. I'm medically diagnosed as gluten intolerant. I asked the waiter if the Penne Salmone on the specials menu had a GF version. He asked the chef and was told none of the specials are GF. I asked if the other pasta dishes had GF options and was told, a little impatiently, that if they did the dish would be marked as GF. None of the pasta dishes were marked as GF. My conclusion is that University Cafe does not offer the option of GF pasta. This is not a problem as I may go the cafe again, however, why set up a customer to be treated as a nuisance by the waiter for asking for an option that is published on the menu but doesn't exist.

Ann Hood

Stay away. A friend & I had the chile sardine salad: sardines with rocket & orange salad. The sardines were soggy. They were placed on top of the salad which turned it soggy as well & therefore no crispiness & orange taste expected. My friend did not eat her meal & we both agreed it was the worst Italian meal we have eaten/not eaten. Our guests has spaghetti marinara & bolognese - could not see much sauce. Very disappointing, in fact quite awful & we would not return.

Food 2 Run

Not as good as it once was...

Philam

Not worth it. Came for dinner in the evening, ordered a pasta dish and salad. The ragu in the pasta was cold and a few strands of spaghetti found their way into what was meant to be a penne dish. Service needs big improvement, took 30 minutes and three waiters to get the bill. Quality of the food also needs a lot of improvement. Plenty of better places on Lygon Street.

F4fitfunfoodfly

Roast lamb ribs. Entre $18.50 enough for a days work. I did not have to order a main. Spinach poached with drizzle of lemon to go as a side at $9. The lamb has a bed of tomatoes, onions and cucumber. Topping of warm sour cream. Good prompt service. Not fine dining but good wholesome food.

Jenster

This mushroom risotto was very well-cooked and had the perfect amount of flavour. There were plenty of sizeable pieces of mushrooms and the caramelised onion added a nice contrasting texture. It didn't taste too creamy or too bland.

Libby Margo

While the service was friendly and speedy, we both thought that the pasta should suffer the same fate as some of the scumbag characters in Polisse. Generous portions aside, they were very two-dimension and boring. We’re not frequent cooks at home but hell, I’m pretty sure we can both whip up better pasta dishes at home. That said, University Café was reasonably busy for a Wednesday night and I can’t see it struggling like a Judd-less Carlton team any time soon.

Hannah Ryan

The best pasta I've ever had at a restaraunt. I normally steer away from pasta when eating out because I find it to never be as good as when you make it yourself. I ordered the tortelini and my partner ordered the bolognese. Both delicious! Will definitely be back

Thefunklub

Hello uninspiring breakfast :(

Lulu T. Legrand

Pleasant ok. I had their risotto with sausage and rugola and it was massive in size and quite tasty. My friend had the universita pasta and liked it. The food is nothing to rave about but not bad either. The place inside is very cosy and welcoming and perfect to have a catch up. The staff were lovely, very attentive and promt, although there was a confusion with our order. The stove was "on fire" ad being an open one it was a sort of spectacle.

Mickb1965

Michael. We had breakfast there on 2nd January 2015. All five of us agreed it was possibly the worst we've ever had and the service wasn't much better. My family has had experience in hotels and restaurants and my advice is STAY AWAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Phoebe

Garlic, garlic and more garlic!. Now I know Italians use and cook with a lot of garlic, being an Italian and all......but too much garlic on my spaghetti Napoli was not enjoyable or make the dish any tastier. Try hard facade with Italian speaking staff, but not a true rustic eating experience. Not bad, but not good. Would not go again unless I had to keep the vampires away.....

Smlbgm

Tasteless food. The veal was tasteless and the table near the kitchen so noisy that you could not hold a conversation! Very disappointing!

Voula-tang

Massive Disappointment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Was really looking forward to having a yummy penne amatriciana yesterday for dinner. It was brought out to me cold!! Oh no!! I asked for it to be warmed up, I thought for sure it would come out piping hot!! Cold again!! What a massive disappointment!!!!!!! All they did was change my pasta into a warm dish????!!!! I will never eat there again! What a shame!!!!!!!

AaronN

Nice pasta dishes. Came in for dinner, had the Spaghetti with chili and mushrooms and the cannelloni. Good pasta, tasted fresh.

Rjdjwood

University Cafe. Breakfast on 27/12 Been going here for nearly 50 years when in Melbourne love the place Food Great. Service Great. Price Great. Atmosphere Great

Lauracole0

Getting worse. Never again. Coffee took 30 minutes to come and was overpriced. Went to pay and they have a minimum eftpos amount of $20 despite it not saying that anywhere in the cafe. Used to be ok but has gone downhill badly

Mikey

Enjoyable lunch. I caught up with a friend that I hadn't seen for years at this casual cafe. Friendly service, the food was tasty and the pastas were a good size for lunch. Great for an informal lunch.

Nadia Ava Giacca

Terrible soggy sticky chewy pizza with sauce that tasted like it needed to be on a dessert Toppings were sloppy and went all over the place

Sheridanworkshere

If this is the same restaurant that is made mention of in the wonderful film "Si Parla Italiano" (based on Lygon streets Italian beginnings), I would be very surprised. Sorry if this is not the right restaurant but I tried to search it and this is all that comes up. Inspired by the film, I went in to try some pasta (I cook a lot at home and being part Italian I look forward to going out to try some great pasta dishes) and the pasta dishes I tried there were absolutely terrible. Not Italian at all, not made with love, and not balanced. I tried both the Penne Amatriciana and the creamy spaghetti with spring onions. Way too salty. Very, very disappointing from what could be an Italian institution. Especially at about $17 each. I walked down the street and saw Noturno's lunch specials for $7 a dish (same dishes). I would be extremely dissapointed if this has anything to do with the original owner Giancarlo, the man who worked so hard building this restaurant from its original beginnings (as shown on Si Parla Italiano). Perhaps it's changed owners? I certainly hope so. But if this is the case, the business should change its name/branding and not trade of the Giancarlo brand.

Facebook User

Nothing exciting. Coffee was good but cold, food was okay

Maryjohn.mat

Attention to detail!. We had a wonderful experience at University Cafe on Lygon. The gentleman who showed us to the table, saw that we had kids and immediately engaged them in conversation and started to keep them entertained till we settled in. The waitress was pretty knowledgeable and recommended a few dishes from which we opted for the antipasti, lasagne and spaghetti bolonaise. Delightful, by the clean plate testimony we gave them. The gentleman who had his photo all around the place and on the coffee was a wonderful host and made us feel very welcome. It is the attention to the small details that make this a restaurant we will definitely go back to.

Hannah

Terrible food, three out of four meals inedible, drinks order was wrong and when the food arrived the rabbit was tough, the pasta burnt. Will never eat here again.

Deeree

Wonderful atmosphere. Great restaurant, food, service and price excellent. Would recommend.

Joan Robinson

Excellent. Hadn't been for awhile, but as always it was excellent. Had a special - the fetuccini veal ragu. Yummy. :-)

Mumba Foody

Great Authentic Italian!. I was on Lygon Street with a group of friends deliberating where to eat, and the University cafe caught our attention. One of the people that i was with mentioned that they had seen it in the movie 'Si Parla Italiano', and suggested that we try the Lygon st classic. Although the interior was a tad dated, the food and service certainly lived up to its notoriety! The menu is extensive, meaning lots of choice ensuring there is something for everyone. Each one of us loved our meals; and I can confidently say that the saltimbocca was one of the best I have had! Would defiantly dine again!

Janepost2000

Thanks :)

Ed

THE LAST ORIGINAL. This place is the last of the original Italians. The guys have been here over 30 years, Giancarlo, Paul and Brett know how to look after their clientele. That's why when you go there you see familiar faces. Food is great, service amazing and at a nice price. For a great night out look no further. Thanks guys

Vera

Good food great service. Worth going back again.

Richard

Came here for lunch with a group of 5 on Monday. Lunch menu is basically pizza and pasta. Very quick service as we ordered pizza, pasta, ceasar salad and I had a chicken wrap. One of our group ordered pasta napolitana which came with cream in the sauce. As she was lactose intolerant she asked the waiter if it could possibly be changed. He took it away and brought another serve without a problem. Even though I'm not lactose intolerant, it was nice to see the waiter deal with the situation without a glitch.

Facebook User

Worst experience on lygon. Had to ask over and over for water. poached egg came out both overcooked and stone cold. we had to ask for cutlery, and it came out dirty. The manager was accusatory and rude. completely disinterested. I will be avoiding this place from here on.

Linda

Real Lygon Street experience! Served rigatoni from the specials menu by an extraordinarily charming Italian-sounding waiter. And the food was good, too.

Florence Foggerty

Very poor restaurant didn't process our order so waited for ages. Manager spent all night fawning over a particular customer whist ignoring all his other paying customers. Other staff are incompetent and poorly trained. Try another venue as this place is below standard.

Laylay.xoxo

Friendly Sometimes. My family and I sometimes go here on a Sunday morning. The food is great, not to say the milkshakes my sisters have. They always receive lollypops from the manager. Though most of the new staff are clueless and once we ordered Jam on toast and they brought us Ham on toast.

Anna-Maria

Lovely food and prompt service

Elvin Chee

Definitely an award winning place! Award their service for being one of the worst or perhaps the worse along lygon st! Appalling! What a shame to lygon street. Very rude and incompetent staff and also the manager. Enough said. Ntg great to talk about the food either

Lee

I would not return. We ordered from the menu, when we didn't get what we ordered we were told there was a problem with the menu!!!!! Never heard of that before, then when it was exchanged it was still wrong, eat it only because we were going to the movies. Very poor quality.

Vivi

Rude staff and managemet. They treat customers as "in line" production. They give you the food and want you out of the door as soon as possible. Twice I went there and twice I was practically kicked out after eating even though there were many available tables in the place. I am never going back there. It is a shame places like this managed to keep profitable just because they are in a good location.

Salvatore

This place rocks but midispiace in wrong places...old giancarlo is after 30 odd years still the main reason to be there...

Kell

You get what you pay for. Ordered the chicken parma here and the dish is served in a boat-like plate because the serving size is MASSIVE. Definitely not the best parma I've had as it tastes only a bit better than supermarket frozen parma (chicken quality is substandard and so is the cheese and napoli sauce) but it certainly satisfies cravings. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the chips and coleslaw it comes with - chips were nicely battered and still crispy after the 50 minutes it took me to go through the parma and the coleslaw tasted fresh and had a nice strong vinegar taste to it albeit it was drizzled with some sweet runny mayo on the top. Would come back again when I have a huge parma craving that can only be satisfied by quantity and don't feel like spending too much.

Dave

Be careful what you order. Went here with my family and was seriously disappointed. My Sister ordered a 'fruit salad' only to be presented with half a strawberry, half a passion fruit on top of some cut up pieces of honeydew melon. Seriously the fruit salad was over 95% honeydew melon, I am not even exaggerating. Calling this abomination a fruit salad is IMHO false advertising. And for all this they charge the princely sum of about $12. I wish I was joking. Another of our party ordered the fruit toast which also looked underwhelming. Food was also brought out at all different times which was also annoying. On the plus side the eggs Benedict were very good.

Liz

Dodgy goings-on. Something dodgy is going on at University Cafe. The Manager informed me that he was powerless to allow payment by eftpos or by cash under $20. Powerless? How could that be? He said the owners have decreed that payment can only be by credit card for amounts over $20 or by cash. I sensed I was not being told the whole story. Dodgy dodgy!

HDE

The seafood risotto was quite nice, but I was jealous of my husband's Parma! It tasted like it was made by a nonna. Coffee was okay, not outstanding but fine. Would definitely return for the Parma.

Review University Cafe - Melbourne