Review Il Parco - Melbourne

Unassuming Italian woodfire restaurant with a solid menu and wine list. Pizza (Tartuffe pictured) and pasta are staples and done well, however the dishes are also very very good. I'd recommend the veal, as it was high quality meat and cooked to perfection. Recommended for "everyday premium" lunch or dinner

It’s Amore. From the very first second the host greeted me, I could feel the warm welcome, family homeness, heartwarming atmosphere, tradition and respect. So good to find a place that is still like this. It’s good food. Both nutritious and tasty. The menu is traditional Italian and the drink list is very friendly priced. I had some lovely seafood with a salad and I could have easily been somewhere on the Amalfi coast overlooking the Tyrrhenian sea.

This is definitely my favourite local ! Very welcoming . Food delicious. Italian food made with pride and attention to detail.

Very nice food. The staff are friendly and will joke around with the kids.

This is a nice and friendly suburban restaurant serving good meals. Service was very attentive, although there were lapses, perhaps caused by kitchen delays. Nothing was sensational but the meals were good, reasonably-priced and served by efficient staff. There were meat dishes, but they seemed to be in the minority, despite a reasonable overall balance. Definitely worth return visits.

Great service, staff remembered us from weeks before. Food was fantastic. We wil be back

Love the food here !! We had not been for a little while. But great to see nothing has changed. Family always happy to see you and make you feel welcome. We enjoyed both our dishes and will return again. Great Italian food yum!!

This is the best experience we have ever had eating out. The service is really wonderful, the food is delicious and genuine. The restaurant is run by a family who are sincere and kind and go out of their way to make you smile. They were very accommodating to us and our 11 month old. Looking forward to going back.

The best pasta ever !!! The staff were amazing so friendly, funny and kind!! I was recommend a sausage pasta dish which was out of this world ! We will be coming back!!! X ��

I discovered this little gem in sleepy north essendon village about 2.5 years ago and have been an il parco 'groupie' ever since. There are very few weeks over a year where the restaurant is open and my availabity don't collide; it is my local "Cheers"! A unique brand of service - warm, welcoming, family-oriented and genuine - consummate service professionals. Each mouthful of food is wholesome and flavoursome; i have covered the stated menu and then some.. The wine selection comprises an interesting range of both local and imported. The ambience, whilst a good pace, there is always time for the team members to catch-up with YOU, the customer. Don't miss this authentically human event with great food, services and prices. Out of 5 I would rate Il Parco a 10, hands down! Disclaimer: I am not related, just lucky to have found it 😂🤣

My family and I love this place! Best local Italian restaurant. My parents come from the region in Italy that this restaurant gets its inspiration from, so we attest to the authenticity of the meals that are on offer. The food is fresh and incredibly tasty and the staff are very friendly and accomodating. The decor is also tastefully done. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting a quality night out.

Very good italian cuisine - great flavours that capture true italian flavours. Friendly service, great authentic Italian food and drinks make for an enjoyable experience. Best place to eat in the Essendon area. Will go back.

Authentic pizza and pasta. My fave Italian restaurant so far in Melbourne. We keep coming back. Also great for families.

Best Italian food and great pizza ,I always have fresh oysters and seafood platter,delicious

Great authentic Italian food. Family business so the service is warm and inviting. Very creative menu! Highly recommend them. 👌🏼

Absolutely charming place! Great service and amazing food! Highly recommend.

The food, the service, the ambience, the welcome, the attention to detail, the customer care, the smiles, the pizzas, the calamari, and finally the location make this restaurant one of the very best in Melbourne. The food is truly delicious �

The best calamari we have ever had, so fresh and cooked to perfection. For mains my husband and I ordered the lamb ragu, absolutely amazing! Of course we couldn't leave without trying the coffee and just like the meal, we were not disappointed. Will be coming back again for sure

One of THE most exciting eateries in the Moonee Valley area, this venue is easily in the top three along with Philhellene and... make that top two. The family who own and operate the business are ever so polite and friendly, as are their staff. The service is immaculate although slower on Friday and Saturday nights due to the absolute fact that they are chockers full. In which case, like we did tonight, grab an outside table. But next time, ring and book.

Food is amazing and staff were very friendly and attentive. Cannot fault anything. Definitely will be going back!! Best food in town!

Yum yum and yum. Oh amazing service too � thanks again for a beautiful night out. Can't wait to come back.

Fantastic evening with my parents at this local Italian restaurant. The food was lovely and fresh, all homemade, and the menu was so thoughtfully created. The staff were amazing, really friendly and knowledgable. Sam was very attentive without hovering and never felt rushed. Also spotted a beautiful beer garden that we're looking forward to making use of in the coming months!!!

Great pizza, great Italian food and best service! :) I'll definitely go back

This establishment is worth visiting. Food was exeptional. No one had a complaint. Definately going back.

Easily the best wood fired pizza in Melbourne (authentic Napoletana style).. this place is a hidden gem right in the heart of Essendon.... A nice family owned restaurant with Super friendly staff.

I like the atmosphere, feels very authentic Italian. The staff are so nice and you can see they are very passionate about their restaurant! Food was very tasty but the kitchen stuffed up our order and a table of 6 who came 20 or more minutes after us had received and eaten their meals before ours arrived, could have been better but I would like to come back and give it another chance minus the screw up!

Very friendly staff and very accomodating to our needs.<br/>Pasta was soo nice, would definitely be back again.&amp;nbsp;<br/>Maybe next time will try the pizza.

Oysters killpatricks were good. The pizza was alright but a bit low on ingredients for my liking.<br/>Staff warm and friendly. I didn't get the home made gnocchi but the people on my table who ordered it loved it.

The Marinara was like I was back in Italy. My husband wanted carbonara which wasn't on the menu they made it for him using prosciutto. Delicious

Thoroughly enjoyed our experience at Il Parco. Friendly staff, good ambiance and excellent food. Love the Italian music, goes will with the food.<br/>I’d recommend Il Parco for a date or dinner with the kids. Something for everyone. Family friendly, date friendly and solo friendly. BTW try the Martini.<br/>

We enjoyed our dinner last night at il parco! We tried the wood fired pizza and risotto. The pizza bases were SO good, they rivalled bases I have had in Italy! My friend said her risotto was nice and it was a large portion. Service was friendly and attentive. I deducted a point as we shared the formaggi e salumi plate for entree and it consisted off cured meats, olives but only 4 small cubes of Parmesan! Change the name to salumi platter!

This is such a cute Italian restaurant!! The service is outstanding, this is a family owned business and the staff go above and beyond to meet your needs. <br/>The quality is also delightful, serving an authentic, affordable Italian menu, with beautifully presented food that tastes so wholesome you will have a long-lasting aftertaste of TLC, and it won't break your wallet either!<br/><br/>The place in itself is clean and well-decorated, it can be a little dark in the back during the day, nothing a few more lights can't fix.<br/>The only improvements I could suggest is perhaps extending the menu for a wider range, especially the mains. And also having longer operating hours for those of us who work in the evening and would like a nice wholesome meal before starting a long shift. <br/><br/>Food quality- 5/5<br/>Staff and service- 5/5<br/>Decor- 4/5<br/>Ambience- 5/5<br/>Value for money- 5/5<br/> <br/>Overall, with this amazing quality and service, I will find myself coming back indefinitely!

Beautiful! The service was lovely and the food was fresh and delicious! Our waitress was lovely, the pasta was cooked perfectly and the coffee was spot on! Not 5* cause they didn’t have almond milk.

We visit this delightful Italian family restaurant whenever we can.  I like it for its reliability and consistency in the quality of the dishes, service and friendly atmosphere. It ticks all the boxes.  Their best pizza is the Il Parko.  Otherwise, I'm never disappointed with their home-made gnocchi, calamari or veal.  Simply delicious.

Nice place but a bit overpriced for my liking. Pizza was good you just can’t beat Woodfire. Had an event there and the banquets were good portions

E: After a disappointing visit to a different local Italian-cuisine establishment not too long ago, I was determined to mend my broken heart and heal it with some super good pizza and pasta. Did I find that emotional healing at Il Parco? Have I found a new go-to restaurant for when Kevin and I want good Italian food at a local distance? The answer is yes to both.<br/><br/>Food: Oh man, the FOOD is a very well deserved 4/5. It was my first time trying restaurant-quality gnocchi, so I will refrain from commenting on that as I do not have a platform of comparison to judge the taste or quality, however I will say that I personally found it delicious. The pizza was honestly par with Baby Pizza. If anything, it was very thin and the base became slightly soggy once we got to the last piece or so, however the taste and quality was delicious. With each bite, I felt a warmth and love flow though me as I shut my eyes to delve myself completely in the taste and the joy this pizza was bringing me. The fries were crunchy yet soft, and covered in the most intriguing salt I’ve ever tasted, never trying it prior. It was delicious and I couldn’t help but keep returning for more. Please do yourself a favour and make sure to order the chips as a side. I’m salivating just reminiscing on such an experience. <br/><br/>Ambience: I would recommend requesting to sit outside (if appropriate weather) if possible. The outside dining area had an amazing patio area of plants trees surrounding patio-styled benches. The inside dining area seemed a little squishy amongst visitors and very loud. <br/><br/>Service: Service was a little difficult to judge. It seemed we were forgotten and only tended to at the very minimum due to only having a table of two as compared to the many tables of complete families, however I have scored bonus points as our initial waitress made recommendations when we were ordering and offered a lovely conversation to start our dining experience.<br/><br/>Value: Not too much to comment considering it was the expected price (maybe slightly higher, if anything) for an Italian meal.<br/><br/>Overall, I definitely will be bringing Kevin back here. With Il Parco, I can proudly announced we have found a new go-to local restaurant when we are craving a hearty Italian meal made of nothing but love.<br/><br/><br/>Food: 4/5<br/>Ambience: 3.5/5<br/>Service: 3.5/5<br/>Value: 3/5

Pleasantly surprised by how good this place was! <br/>The menu and some parts of the restaurant are a little bit tired looking, though it is nice inside. <br/>The food was great - pizza cooked perfectly, great amount of toppings and cheese, fresh ingredients, totally delicious. Only thing to fault was it needed more tomato sauce on base. <br/>I'm usually not a fan of calzones, but this was faultless. Decadent amount of cheese, fresh vegetables and great serving size. We'll definitely be back for the food!<br/>Beautiful cocktails, very well made, but the size is small. <br/>Generally good prices, a few things might be overpriced.

10/10. Top notch ambience, food and service. Family run business and it's obvious hospitality is their passion. Highly recommend the house made gnocchi.

Really great service, very friendly and couldn't have been nicer. Disappointed in the meal though. Ordered the Scotch fillet and at nearly $40 I expected something a lot better than what was offered up. Steak was cooked well but was wafer thin and really miserable in thickness and size. Felt that the meal was way overpriced. Won't be back as there are so many better value for money restaurants around and compared to the likes of Squire's Loft, Il Parco needs to look around at its competition.

Il Parco is by far my favourite Italian restaurant in the area. The food is consistently delicious and they've got the friendliest staff around, who welcome their customers like family. Just wonderful!

Had dinner on Thursday night <br/>Me and my friend had beautiful time<br/>Food was amazing, the pizza was unbelievable and the service was outstanding <br/>Thanks for the beautiful time<br/>We'll be back soon, for sure.

What a little hidden gem close to home that I recently discovered. I took my husband here for his birthday & the food was very authentic & well priced. The wood oven pizza was delicious & the homemade gnocchi was perfect. They had a great wine list & overall a good vibe throughout stunning shop fit out. <br/>The hostess made us feel welcome & catered for our pram with open arms, some places frown upon families with prams but not this place. <br/>She even surprised my husband with ice cream & a birthday candle. <br/>We will definitely make this place our new local & will be having future functions here.

I loved when it was oscars and even love it more since it had changed. My first impression was defiantly the staff, so lovely and attentive. Also I love their cocktail menu. The only problem is that they have a beautiful courtyard area but unable to drink outside. But no need to worry because inside is so cosy and out the front you can people watch. Please check out il parco you won't be disappointed. Thankyou for having us!

Simply amazing food with the friendliest service in town!<br/>The restaurant is family owned and you can tell that pour their heart and soul into their establishment.<br/>We had the barramundi and the gnocchi. The fish was cooked to perfection and was served with on a succulent bed of greens. The pièce de résistance; the homemade gnocchi was simply out of this world! I have never experienced gnocchi this good anywhere else in the world. This far surpasses dishes I've had in Italian restaurants in New York and Italy itself. <br/>Hands down, #bestgnocchiever

The friendliest staff are a big part of this amazingly set out restaurant. It doesn't stop there - their food - amazing! The homemade gnocchi is a definite recommendation. A must visit!

IL PARCO has great ambiance food was delicious and the new wood fire pizzas are amazing service was outstanding I would highly Reccomended this venue.

Recently moved to the area, previously residing in the likes of south yarra and yarraville where service and food can only afford to be nothing less than great. Il Parco could well be the best thing in Essendon in the way of restaurants and could easily compete with the previously mentioned suburbs and the best they have to offer. It's a family owned & run affair - the love and warmth they have for their customers, restaurant & food is visible throughout. Great menu, nice wine selection and a recent refurb to top it off! I'll most definitely be back! Mother & daughter who work the floor are both absolutely lovely and are impeccable in their approach to their passion/work.

My partner and I came here for lunch today for my birthday, the food was lovely and the service was very friendly. We had the seafood board starter which was really delicious and I had the seafood linguine and my partner had the chicken caesar salad, both of which were great. Nice restaurant set up as well. We'll be back for sure!

Finally, a restaurant where you feel loved and appreciated. Family run from front of house to kitchen. Awesome food, great value and fantastic service.

Have been here a few times and the steak has always been of high quality. The same can be said of their seafood platters and wine selection. My only criticism of this place is due to the wooden floors the place can get loud at times

This for me is a sad review only because the service here is above expectations yet the food is a massive let down. Couldn't ask for better service, amazing to say the least. The food was over priced and extremely disappointing. Two steaks and an entree plus two drinks, $160 later. I've had a better steak on the bar at a cheap hotel. Really bad food. Really cheap bad steak. Steamed veggies out of a bag would be more appetising. Other then the service we won't be back !

Want a quiet warm environment to celebrate a work end of year function? Want prompt service, warm food, tender steak, and a hot Christmas pudding? Then DON'T come to Oscars and you won't be disappointed. Cold tasteless entree, small, stiff piece of overcooked steak and cold pudding with tasteless ice cream. A waste of a night.