Review Zio's Ristorante - Melbourne

Modern Australian cusine. We had the Morton Bay Bugs, Barramundi and steak - all of which were delicious. Excellent and helpful service. Restaurant vibe is pleasant and suitable for smart casual attire.

Extremely welcoming nice and cozy with great calming music! Perfect especially for the winter! Super friendly staff. The food - absolutely scrumptious and delicious! I had a three course meal and each course was to die for! They even provided cheese and crackers in the end! No small portions of pretentious food. Fancy with large enough portions to get you nice, full and satisfied. One thing I would like to give special mention to is the chef! This guy was the highlight of the evening. Cheeky, funny and gets involved with the guests. Threw in a couple of glasses of free wine for us. Makes jokes and keeps you entertained while serving some of the most delicious food! The chicken in particular was so tender and delicious! Well done! I am so impressed and will definitely be back for more! Thank you.

The food was extremely beautiful. The presentation was gorgeous and the taste was delicious. We had duck breast and baramundi for fish of day. For desert we had Belgian white chocolate mousse which is one of the best chocolate mousse I've tasted. The manager is very friendly. They gave the best service for the customers. Would like to come back again for sure! :)

Very disappointed with experience at Zio's last night. Have been regulars but won't be going back. Two of us ordered crab but got chicken. Chef told us crab was frozen and we would like this better anyway!! (Were not told of unavailability when ordering). We told him we didn't want chicken and asked to look at the menu again. Never got to see a menu and waited about 20 mins before being presented with the crab after all! Must have been unfrozen! Meanwhile our other friend had finished her meal. We were charged for a bottle of sparkling wine $76 - we had 5 small glasses between us. Don't think it amounted to one bottle but decision was taken away from us. Bottle not opened at table and wasn't very bubbly. No compensation made for stuff up of meal. Not even a free coffee. Two of the main courses were unavailable due to a busy lunchtime apparently. Felt we were ripped off at $73 per head.

Perfect ambiance of refined elegance and understated chic. Exquisite cuisine with carefully selected meals, always freshly prepared and served in most appealing manner. Definitely an experience of fine dining that's hard to rival. If I have to pick one single dish out of their perfect menu over and over again, it would be the pan-fried king prawns. And believe me, their chocolate soufflé is worth the wait.

Our experience at Zios was simply fantastic. The food is simply fantastic and the atmosphere is lovely. The Chef came around to the tables to find out exactly how we would like our food prepared and made great suggestions on how he'd propose to modify the dishes to suit those with dietary restrictions. We'll be back as soon as we can.

I was there with my girlfriend and we totally liked the ordered meals. Especially the Spinach Fettuccini were delicious with its rich flavour. The cherry tomatoes were fresh, for sure. The prices were high, but for special occasions they can be acceptable.

My husband and I both 60 something's went to Zio's to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary on 9/3/16. When we arrived my husband said he booked a table for 2 and the head waiter/maitre de or whatever his title is said "sit where you like" pointing to a couple of empty tables, and there were a few, but when we decided to sit by the window he said in a harsh manner "that table is reserved" this was the start of a memorable evening all for the wrong reasons. We took a bottle our favourite wine the waitress opened the bottle and walked away after just putting the bottle down on the table. We had to ask the waitress for a ice bucket she brought one over and just put it down in the middle of the table, not even putting the wine into the bucket. What a bad start. The food was very ordinary for the outrageous prices they charge. If the food was good I would not be complaining but it was not. We had 3 courses each and the only good one was the lovely chocolate souffle. But what amazed us more was this head waiter I think someone called him Joe, he was more interested in the regular customers, kissing cheeks and so on, he. was fussing about them like the old rooster. We also noticed how many times he filled up wine glasses with the regulars, but not once did he attempt to fill our glasses up and neither did the 2 young girls serving, we were left to our own devises. Not once did he come over to us and ask if everything was ok. Well I suppose you have to keep the regulars happy to get your tip. All I can say is go somewhere else. We dine out quite a lot and this is one of the worst places we have been to. Its a shame as it's a lovely old terrace building. The food they serve is not worth the cost, it's very ordinary. And to top our evening off they have the nerve to charge 7.50 per person corkage. There are far better dining experiences around Melbourne. You have been warned. Visited March 2016 1 of 5 stars Value 1 of 5 stars Service 2 of 5 stars Food

Had to visit a nearby clinic and stumbled across this cosy restaurant with a romantic fireplace.  Came here again a week later because the food is so delicious. So far my partner and I have tried the duck risotto, mushroom + truffle risotto, fish of the day and white chocolate mousse. I have no doubt the other food on the menu will also taste amazing. Very enticing menu! Food came out slightly slow but definitely worth the wait, the detail and taste is spot on, customer service was lovely on both visits! Thank you so much.

My wife and I used a coupon to enjoy the 6 course degustation menu at Zio's on Friday night. The restaurant is in an interesting old house tucked between larger buildings. It has a very pleasant sophisticated warm interior- there was a log fire burning in the fireplace - I think it was fake but very realistic. We were given a friendly welcome by the serving staff.<br/><br/>There was a choice of house wines included in our coupon - 2 whites and 2 reds. We both chose the shiraz and were not disappointed. It was good quality and Zio's definition of "a glass" was generous.<br/><br/>The first dish was a duck and vegetable consommé. It was rich in flavour with a slight spicy kick to it. The seared scallops should have been warmer but were still tasty. The truffle and mushroom risotto was a little disappointing, lacking in flavour. The barramundi was cooked to my preference - crispy skin and firm textured flesh with tasty sweet potato and lemon & caper sauces. The eye fillet was lightly grilled, tender and tasty, enhanced by the potato & chorizo ragout and shallots. We finished with macadamia honey semifreddo - a delightful dessert to finish the 6 courses.<br/><br/>Overall we enjoyed our dining experience without it being outstanding. If we return we would try the a la carte menu which looked interesting.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>

zio's very cozy interior and warm ambience in a double story victorian terrace are a few of the restaurant's elements that complemented our dining experience here last night. <br/><br/>we had their six-course degustation for dinner, and the flavouring and presentation of the food were wonderful. i must say i particularly enjoyed the truffle and mushroom risotto and the macadamia honey semifreddo dessert that was paired with almond práline and tuile a lot! <br/><br/>service was quick but i have to mention that one of the waiters asked us a few too many questions regarding our reservation of 6 people, and we felt that he wasn't too happy that a few of our guests arrived less 5 minutes later than us. other than that, great dining experience and their food is highly recommended!

Zio’s Restaurant in East Melbourne is a warm and welcoming restaurant in a Victorian terrace building situated in East Melbourne and actually reminded me of a much smaller version of Woodland House. We thoroughly enjoyed our six-course degustation journey, the highlight being the truffled mushroom risotto, however, all the dishes were delicious.

Three of us enjoyed a very pleasant night out at this double storey Victorian terrace with a warm ambience and good service. The food was well presented and of good quality plus a great wine list

Dined here about 18 months ago and it was good, and again yesterday and it was GREAT! The place was significantly better this time around so I asked. It's now under new management and the service proves it. The degustation menu is superb, portions are significant and service is spot on. Met the chef, Nick, who's lovely and dedicated! Highly recommend visiting this little East Melbourne gem. Make sure you try the duck and vegetable consume, and the ross river barramundi with sweet potato and asparagus! Yum! Decent wine list, which wasn't over-priced.

Since the new management team took over, Zio's it has blossomed into a superb, city fringe restaurant. Stylish ambiance with well spaced tables, this comfortable, silver service restaurant with a moderate noise level, is a destination one MUST visit. The quality of food served was well ahead of most restaurants in its price bracket with the ribeye steak and duck main courses standout dishes. All courses displayed a professionalism rarely found in most similarly priced restaurants and led all at our table to compliment our waiter on his and the chef's prowess. The courses were well spaced and perfectly proportioned. It was obvious that this team knew how to provide a "cut above the rest" dining experience. The wine list is relatively small but quite comprehensive and moderately priced. Parking is reasonably easy to find in the street out front, especially after about 6.30pm. In all, a gem of a restaurant which we will certainly be revisiting.

We ate at this restaurant last Saturday. Had been there several times in the past when the food was excellent but this was before new owners took over. We were a party of 9 that had booked for 6.30pm. Had to ask for food menu after waiting 20 minutes. Entrees took a long time to come out but for those who had not ordered an entrée, waiting 2 hrs for a main was unacceptable.  When they did arrive, every meal was cold. Yes they were busy but having only 2 waiters to serve a room full of people did not work. Obviously the kitchen was understaffed as well. A couple of us had the grand marnier  duck which came on orange polenta. The polenta was like a piece of cardboard.  We won't be going back.

The restaurant was very busy and the waiters were very apologetic. We didn't mind waiting while they reset our table, waited again for a drinks list, waited again for a menu. Scallops were cooked well but tasteless, nothing to them. Seafood linguini was nice but nothing special. We won't be back. Also, I think it was the new owner wondering around the restaurant in his hooded tracksuit? Not very appropriate for a fine dining restaurant.

Zio's is under new management but they kept the cook and I'm glad they did. This is high quality silver service with excellent food that resists the temptation to be different. Everything we had was excellent. Pork belly and scallops. Grand Marnier duck. Mushroom and truffle risotto. Attentive and friendly service.

We are still waiting for an apology for a disastrous family Christmas lunch where the service was atrocious - waited over an hour and half for our mains which had not been ordered and eventually came with no wow factor - with no sense of responsibility for ruining a special day. Such a let down...

I don't normally write reviews for restaurants, but tonight has been an experience I'll always remember. The food was very impressive and served to a high standard. The owner Jacob was very friendly and offered my family a lovely table by the fire on a very cold night.<br/>They offer a good variety of wines and meal options, including steaks and seafood. I ordered the duck plate, which was well presented and was delicious. Best I've had in a long time!<br/>I highly recommend this restaurant, where you can enjoy a very pleasant evening with great food and wine!<br/>

Went there with my girlfriend on a Friday night and it was surprisingly quiet. We both ordered the scotch fillet and it was nicely seared on the outside and inside was perfectly cooked to our liking. We really enjoyed the steak as it was a good cut packed with flavor. Waiter was friendly and informative with the menu and specials. However it bugs me how it was dead quiet on a Friday night.

Sadly it has gone down like the Titanic <br/><br/>We haven't been there for a while, so when interstate friends want to dine with some fine Italian food not far from the CBD, Zio's comes to mind.<br/><br/>It's an iconic institution in one of the best suburb of Melbourne that is lined with Victorian terrace houses, you can't go wrong.<br/><br/>My mistake, for a start; the waiter was very rude when we booked a table and even ruder when it came to serving. We've ordered two glasses of Pinot Noir and 2 glasses of Sauvignon Blanc NO, we are not wine connoisseurs although we've drank quite a few good wines in our lifetimes so far....the nothing wrong with the Sauv Blanc, however the Pinot Noir wasn't good, we both agreed that is was not quite right. When we suggested that and the waiter shouted across the restaurant to make sure that his other guests knows that there's nothing wrong with his Pinot Noir, really????? BTW, he's the only one serving.<br/><br/>Worst still is the food, it was okay but not to the standard we've experienced before and at the rate they are charging, seriously Uncle?<br/><br/>We didn't even bother to take photos.<br/><br/>Have they changed the ownership and the chef? <br/><br/>A lot needs to change before you can revive this Lazarus.

I love going to this restaurant. <br/>The food is Modern Australian, the menu is extensive, the staff are very friendly and attentive, and there is a nice ambience. I had the Char-Grilled Tenderloin of Beef (Eye Fillet) which was cooked to my liking, with a delicious, tasty compote of potato, tomato, garlic and a mushroom sauce. Our table ordered sides, so I had the creamy potatoe, which was silky smooth and the sautéed spinach. For dessert I had to order the chocolate soufflé. I have had this before and I can never fault it. It is light and fluffy in texture on the inside with a very lightly crisped shell, which just melts in your mouth. <br/>I highly recommend this restaurant for a intimate dinner or for special occasion. Food, wine, customer service is all of a high standard.

something has happened.  I expect it has changed hands & is trading on its previous excellent reputation.   Oysters were room temperature because they were served on rock salt (usual for cooked oysters) not ice.  Luckily we didn't get sick.  Pork cutlet with a tiny bowl of salad ($42.00) was fatty & overcooked.  Scotch fillet was good, but end of cut with connective tissue running through it.  Flavorless pear & rhubarb tart was burnt on the edges & was covered in soft crumble that turned it into a pie.  Service was cafeteria like.  Cutlery was not placed from the side but across my body.  Staff were too familiar. We were chastised by the head waiter for asking for wine when we were drinking our aperitif.  WE DID NOT ASK FOR WINE TO BE BROUGHT EARLY.  WE could not wait to get out of the place.  For $230.00 a bitter disappointment, never again.

Nice food and intimate ambience, but lacked a "wow" factor. Everything was satisfactory, but could be better. We ordered the duck plate and scotch fillet for mains, and panna cotta & mousse for dessert. While there was nothing too amazing with the mains, the desserts were creative and well-presented. For the prices though I was expecting a bit more overall.

A gorgeous little gem tucked away in East Melbourne... Food is so wholesome and delicious, and beautifully presented - every single time! I've always had a booking for 6pm (when they open for dinner), and even being the first into the restaurant, it still feels warm and inviting... with low lighting and open fireplaces, and the host is never short of a smile :-)

Disappointed.<br/>We recently moved into the area and have been trying out different restaurants. Zio's was well remembered by my partner and were also in the Citibank restaurant wine list, so we went tonight.<br/>Not only was the food below expected standard, risotto was closer to a casserole or soup texture and the scallops tasted old or overcooked, the pasta was overkill with sauce, and ask for water and they automatically provide a $12 sparkly, which I don't drink and the waiter then stated that's what my wife ordered. I heard her ask for water, He should have given us the choice. Then paying the bill and a tip was already added, which I noticed before pressing the accept button. I was told I must have added it!<br/>Between lies and bad food we wont be going back. No wonder only one other table was taken in this restaurant on this Friday night. What's happened? Have they changed chefs? The waiter was obviously unhappy that we had the Citibank free bottle offer, however that's no excuse for lying about what my wife said, delivering inferior food, and automatically adding a tip to my transaction, and then suggesting I must have added it.<br/>I have family running two of the best restaurants in South East Queensland so know how a restaurant should look after all customers as guests, and Zio's need to pick up their act if this experience is anything to go by. <br/><br/>I don't normally review restaurants, I will now start making an effort for the benefit of others, which may also provide more reviews that help me decide which restaurant to book.

We strongly recommend the seafood degustation. The food was succulent and delicious. I wish I could have eaten all night. We all ordered the seafood degustation and everything was cooked to perfection. The only thing missing was a wedge of lemon - a very minor detail. The ambience was warm, cosy and serene. Decorated very nicely and lovely music playing. The waitor was very friendly, but I think they need more staff as he was the only one serving.

Disappointed, restaurant has real potential if managed better.... My partner and I stopped in for lunch. I’d done my research and found out that this restaurant was listed as “fine dining” in the Entertainment Book - so figured it had to be alright. When we arrived, the restaurant was relatively quite (as expected for a Monday lunch sitting), with only three other tables occupied. When we were seated we were asked if we’d like to start with a drink. We asked for some water as we’d just walked some distance from our car. The waiter left the table and brought back some menus. We were presented with the standard menu. Because I’d done my research, I knew there was a lunch menu which consisted of a main, dessert and a glass of house wine or premium beer for $25 - pretty good deal! When I asked for the special lunch menu, the waiter snatched the standard menus from us and reluctantly came back with the special ‘secret’ menu. Very rude behaviour which I did not expect from a “fine dining” restaurant. The waiter was very snappy and seemed to be the only person running the floor. <br/><br/>We proceeded to order from the special ‘secret’ menu and once again had to ask for the water we requested when we first arrived. I ordered a glass of wine and my partner ordered a premium beer. Turns out the premium beer was VB - far from premium in a beer drinker’s opinion. We had ordered bread as an entree - this was brought out with the main - just poor organisation. The mains were more like entrees - we both ordered the ravioli - which consisted of 5 pieces of pasta. In addition, we were seated at a table which had a ducted heater vent underneath it - really poor table placement. <br/><br/>It’s a real shame that we had such a disappointing experience, as this restaurant is set in a beautiful old Victorian style building and has loads of potential given the right staff who manage it, the right waiters who provide the service and the proper layout of tables and better decor. I kept having visions of Faulty Towers!

Hidden Gem. Hidden away in Landsdowne St amongst only a few remaining original houses is Zio's. A great menu and unusually selected wine list, with no nonsense service and prices. For instance, Zio's have been quite selective about which beef they have put on the menu, the Kilcoy 2 year old grain fed tenderloin (280g) is a standout, and better than most export quality rivals. The Frozen delight dessert was a very generous portion and great on a hot night.

We enjoyed the dinner and its wonderful service. The menu and ingredients used were greatly inspired by Asian and Chinese which was very interesting especially in a fine dining restaurant.

...this beautiful place has excellent service and food, especially the duck & chocolate souffle! I had a great time there & will visit again when my mommy flies to Melbourne. For a more detailed review of Zio's & 4 other fine dining restaurants, read my article here. I shall post t

Zio’s is located at 14 Landsowne Street, East Melbourne, just across Victoria street from the hospital. It’s not the most obvious place for a restaurant, and it doesn’t help that it’s a converted townhouse that looks the same as its neighbours but that quickly disappears once you’re inside. The inside is beautiful, feeling sophisticated with being over-bearing. It was quiet, but that may be due to the fact we were there for a weekday catch up with friends. I’m lucky they’re so forgiving about me photographing all their meals. All of the food was beautifully presented, but the winner was the seafood platter for two. Due to

I’ve resisted competitions thus far but Scoopon's Red Carpet Restaurants offers are simply too irresistible! Check out their offers here: http://www.scoopon.com.au/ events/789 . These irresistible offers for some of Melbourne's top-rated restaurants, are available until Sunday.   For one lucky reader and a friend, there is a 6-course degustation meal with a glass of bubbly at Zio’s, East Melbourne up for grabs.   All you have to do is the following: 1.    Follow me on Instagram (louise_ruyi) or Twitter (@size8glutton) 1.5 Be kind and follow Scooponau on Instagram and karma may be kind in return 2.    Tag me in an Instagram photo or Twitter post featuring something “gluttonous” (in an ode to this blog)   The most sinfully gluttonous post will win and the winner will be contacted / announced by 3 pm Saturday 19 th July 2014 (AEST), so be fast!   Xx        

Our favourite in Melbourne. We've been to Zio's many times and have never been disappointed. It has a lovely personal aura and Jacob and his team are always very friendly and attentive. Food is high quality at a reasonable price. The chocolate soufflé is always a treat. We enjoyed Christmas lunch here last year and were spoilt with delicious food, amazing service and lovely table setting. Thoroughly recommended!

Always exceptional!. We have never been disappointed with Zio's. We've eaten here many times and the food is always amazing, fresh, balanced, interesting flavours and the menu varies often enough to ensure it is never boring. There are too many favourites! My husband always has the signature chocolate soufflé, the duck plate is exceptional, the oysters are plump & delicious. Last night we had the degustation which was incredible. So many delicious, varied flavours in several dishes. Loved every mouthful. The wine list is extensive. We've celebrated a special event here, hiring the restaurant for a Sunday, ( usually closed on Sunday's), Yacob & Cathy & Chef, Tran, went out of their way to make it a day our guests will never forget! They were ALL very impressed with the ambience, the food and the service! Eaten at many fine dining restaurants and none beat Zio's.

Superb. Have been twice now, once with the Groupon voucher and once without. Both times the service and quality of food was amazing. Will be back for sure!

I went there for lunch today with a friend and the food is fantastic. Great professional service and each dish entree, main and desert was just beautiful to eat. I'll definitely be going back again.

This place is hands down amazing! Inside the atmosphere is calm and mellow, exactly what you want when your having amazing food. Calamari for entree and the duck plate or seafood platter for mains will keep you coming back for more! Service is prompt and very polite. And to finish off the night with their famous chocolate soufflé just tops it off. Keep up the good work Zios, I firmly believe one of the best in Melbourne.

Groupon deal. I bought a deal but could only book one day after the deal ended( short time from payment to end of deal). They wouldn't honour the deal and was abusive as well as telling me lies that they don't receive the money if we don't turn up. No one honoured the deal so I lost $99 so after speaking to the resuraunt I don't think I would ever go there as they were rude and argumentative. Good luck if you go there.

Don't bother with the Groupon voucher. Not being used to attract new customers - relatively poor value compared to other groupon offer.<br/>- very mediocre food<br/>- pushed into upstairs area with no ambience despite empty downstairs area<br/>- inexperienced serving staff<br/>- no request for feedback after dinner<br/><br/>Not worth the money. Don't bother.

We have dined here for lunch and dinner, also for a work celebration and most recently for Xmas in July... <br/>the food has always been above par, clean & tasty. Quiet & polite waiters. Welcoming host. Highly recommend.

An impeccable experience!. I came here with my husband and two friends on a Groupon 6 courses degustation. I came with high expectation from all the good reviews I read and from friends who have dine here previously. I have to say it exceeded my expectations from service to food. <br/><br/>Yacob was so friendly and professional. Was such a delightful experience. Thank you Yacob and chef Trieu Phan. <br/><br/>The food Omg was the best we ever had. Every course was amazing from presentation to taste. We could not possibly find anything negative to comment on. Even my husband who is very picky with food has totally loved it. While we were eating my friend bought another deal which I was going to buy another deal myself but my husband is actually inclined that we come back next time and pay full price...cause he believed the amount of effort and quality delivered on each and every plate deserves the price.

Don't waste your money on the voucher!. I wish I read the review below from Jo before we bought the voucher! If the purpose of putting your restaurant on groupon is to attract new customers to give your business a try to expend your customer base, then Zio definitely failed that for us tonight. The lobster bisque was like lobster favoured gravy, king prawns was average, and the rissotto was not cooked to al dente. The worst part of the dish was the steak. Mine was totally over cooked and basically burnt. My friend's steak though was cooked perfectly. When I told the waiter that, he was very applogetic and said he'd return it to the kitchen. Then the second waiter came and told me that the steak was cooked to what it's supposed to be. I told him to look at the steak my friend was served and he agreed that they are totally different. Then he came back again to tell me that the kitchen was admant it's fine. Then he offered to warm up my already overcooked steak for me which I refused. He did offer me a glass of complimentary wine but as I was driving, I refused it. Then the dessert pear almond crumble came. It was once again pretty average. My 6 course dinner somehow became 5. This management was aweful as even though We dined on a voucher, we are still paying customers who deserve better service. Oh.. The salmon was cooked to perfection with lovely crispy skin but that definitely is not enough to get us back! On the plus side, lucky we tried this place on a voucher! The incocsistencies of the food from the kitchen is too big for this place to be considerred as fine dining! Anyone who watch my kitchen rules will agree!

Not my bro. My mates rate this place because of the very friendly staff. BUT: Salmon serving sizes varied dramatically, and unfortunately mine was tiny and had numerous bones. Waiter (manager?) asked everyone for their drink order, took my glass and then zoomed off. eh hem. My mates had to yell for him to come back so I could order my drink. "Oh sorry, forgot about you." Wine menu is very limited and average. Waiter's response to ordering "a glass of wine to match the salmon" was returned with "what do you like to drink? Red, white, sweet or dry" After some discussions to get a recommendation, the comment of "Moscato is sweet" was made.

We bought the voucher for six course dinner for $99. Tried to book twice during Nov but both not available. due to some health reason we didn't keep trying until 4 days before the voucher expires in early December, and we were open to accept any day or even lunch, however, when the restaurant aware we were voucher customer, they told us the restaurant have been fully booked for all the rest of the days, while My friend could easily make the booking for one of the nights after my call but without mentioning the voucher. It is so disappointed that the restaurant cheated to the customers and treated the voucher customers different. If they promote the voucher again, please be careful before you buy.

Lovely staff great food I am looking forward to returning !

Fantastic, attentive, friendly service. Organismic food. Highly recommend the Seafood Plate and chocolate soufflé. To die for!

Beautiful dining room, good service, and a great degustation. The pâté was brilliant and the beef was divine.

We went to the restaurant on a living social voucher The food was magnificent and service was impeccable we will go again definitely !!!

Zios - Always a fantastic choice!. We have just arrived home after yet another fantastic dining experience at Zio's Ristorante in East Melbourne. We are great fans of this lovely restaurant and have been regulars for many years. The menu is innovative with plenty of choices for everyone including the gluten free folk! We are never disappointed. The food is really good, there are plenty of choices on the wine menu and the service is fantastic. A fine choice for those who enjoy the pleasures of fine dining like we do.

High quality food, great ambience. We eat at Zios on special occasions and are never disappointed. We all ordered the steak last time and it was stunningly tasting and cooked to perfection. The deserts were delightfully presented and a well balanced finish to the meal. We especially like being able to bring a particularly good bottle of wine from our cellar to complement such high quality food.

Warm atmosphere on a cool evening. We tried this restaurant located In a stylish Victorian terrace for a family birthday. A good range in the menu included vegetarian choices. Not a busy night, and the service was attentive and friendly. We were all pleased with our three courses and wine selection. A bit pricy, but well suited for special occasions.

The food is well presented, though I think the shellfish on the seafood platter was a little over cooked. I had the duck confit which was quite good but not great. Went with the entertainment book and think it to be a little over priced otherwise.

I dined here on a work night. The service was attentive, the food & wine exsquiste. A perfect evening. <br/>Highly recommended.

Great food, lovely wine, awful service.. Four of us went to Zioo's for dinner, three out of four meals were absolutely wonderful, but one of us ordered steak and it was terribly over cooked.<br/><br/>The service was terrible, we were waited on by people seemingly novice, and our expectations were not met from a service perspective.<br/><br/>That said,the vegetarian platter was quite possily the best fine dining veggie delight I've ever had.

For this standard food try la porchetta at 1/3 of the price. Used to be good 5 or so years ago. Now try to avoid.

Used our entertainment book to find this restaurant. Wasn't disappointed my husband and I had a seafood platter each. We've eaten at many seafood specialty restaurants and Zio's wins hands down. Great service from Yacoub and even greater food wine desert and coffee. Thanks to entertainment book we found a jewel.

Lovely food and service - great ambience. I've been several times for lunch and dinner and it's always a delight.

Far from fine dining!. Don't waste your $$$ here - so many problems with this place. First, the host got my entree order wrong and didn't bother to apologise or change it for what I ordered. Instead, he tried to blame the customer! I regret being the bigger person and not insisting on changing it because it was an absolutely bland creamy mess and not worth the price (it was the pumpkin ravioli). However, if I actually received what I ordered, I might not have been much happier because my partner disliked his seafood ravioli as the pasta was overcooked and tasted like the previous night's leftovers. After the entree mix-up, the host's attitude towards us was noticeably unfriendly and cold. This was obvious as he was friendly and smiling with other clients but avoided our table for most of the night after his mistake. Then our mains came out. I ordered the roasted pork and my partner got the duck plate. Mine tasted like diner food trying really hard to be fine dining. Granted my partner liked his main, but a fine restaurant demanding upwards of $100 per person for 3 courses and a drink should show some consistency. We ordered chocolate souffles for dessert and the quality of the chocolate was noticeably lacking. Although the dessert presentation was superb, It was a saccharine sweet flavour reminiscent of a diner, not belonging in a fine restaurant charging $18 for dessert. Overall this place was disappointing and I won't be visiting again or recommending it to anyone.

Awesome food! Great service!!!. OMG! the food looks and tastes amazing! <br/><br/>We had the main mix seafood dish. The servings were huge, was nearly nearly food for another person. The dessert: coconut sticky rice with mango panna cotta tasted also delicious. <br/><br/>Zio's prices are decent and the servings are good. I am definitely going back there soon!

Always a winner. Zio's would have to be one of my favourite restaurants in Melbourne. My husband and I came across it one day looking through the entertainment book for somewhere new to try. We have now been there so many times it feels like the local.<br/>Whilst it may be on the expensive side, I have never been able to fault the service or the food and I'm happy to pay for quality. The chef has always been accommodating to my fussy eating and the chocolate souffle is a must.

Dude. Ok we came here with expectations of good service and food and we weren't disappointed..this restaurant is in a lovely house and the staff are very receptive to service...we were not disappointed either, service or food...my partner had the king prawns in lobster butter which were very nice, and i had the quail with stuffed crab meat which was tender and delicious...my partner then had the scotch fillet which she asked for medium well done and it was! i had a 2 1/2 inch eye fillet with parsnip and mushroooms, again, very tender and tasty...overall this is a great place to dine

Amazing Food & Service. My partner and I visited this restaurant on 18 th February 2013 after reading the reviews on Trip Advisor. We are very glad we did.<br/><br/>We had not booked a table but the restaurant very kindly accommodated us even though they were very busy, we found the manager and the staff to be very warm and welcoming. <br/><br/>The food was delicious and made for a real gourmet evening; the courses were nicely spaced out and well presented. We enjoyed the prawns and oysters for entree, duck and kangaroo for mains finishing off with creme caramel and there famous chocolate soufflé( yum).It was a truly wonderful dining experience.<br/><br/>I cannot recommend this restaurant enough.

A Favorite resturant - great food, duck plate , fish, Courgette - the best ever!!<br/>But you must try the Chocklet Soufflé - amazing

Make sure you check your bill! They chopped and changed things on our bill and were so rude when it was bought to their attention.<br/>No pork on the menu and very overpriced.<br/>Tasty meals in general but not tasty enough to justify price. <br/>Won't be back.

What an Amazing Restaurant. Absolutely awesome. Can't speak highly enough of this place. Fantastic service, wine selection were spot on and the food is Devine! I had the Duck Plate and I was in heaven, it was so rich and tasty. The desserts are also very good, I had Chocolate souffle which was devine. I will be back next time I'm in Melbourne... guaranteed

Not for me. The food lack flavour and does not justify the associated prices. I tried it the first time a few months ago, but put it down to being tired and drunk.<br/><br/>This time I was on the ball, but they just weren't.

Delicious!!. We celebrated our anniversary at Zio’s Ristorante last night and the food was amazing. I highly recommend the Seafood Degustation Platter and the Duck Plate. The Cinnamon & Cardamom Crème Caramel with Honey and Pistachio Ice cream was pretty special too. Yacob offered us personalized service and made us feel welcome. We would return.

I was hoping not to be disappointed by Zio's as I had been wanting to try this restaurant for many years. I'm always sceptical about dining on a Cudo voucher but since they offered I thought why not? I couldn't fault Zio's initially, the welcome, champagne, wine, service attentive but not overbearing. Our entree of calamari and king prawns was very nice and I couldn't wait to be delighted with the next course, but that's where my ideal Italian experience ended...our mains arrived. After consideration of the wonderful main fare on offer we decided to stay true to our Italian heart and try the pasta - we are at Uncle's remember! My husband had the Linguine Marinara and I chose Prawn Cannelloni. <br/>The cannelloni was so beyond rubber it was almost too tough to cut with my knife and the filling was a mash of nondescript ricotta and I'm still not quite sure swimming around in a deep pool of tasteless olive oil. My husbands Linguine was straight from the Barilla packet and a sauce that was way too heavy and rich. Bitterly disappointed we left soon after.<br/>Sorry Zio's your not the favourite Uncle I thought you were going to be :-(

Lovely little place. The food was divine, fish of the day was steamed wild barramundi cooked to perfection and the vegetarian platter was gorgeous and exciting. It was light but the serving is by no means small. The best part though was the pandan creme brulee with coconut icecream....mmm yummmm. Service was very attentive, the waiter called me by name several times. Make the effort to get out of the centre of the city and visit this place! The seafood looks amazing!!!

Just finished dining at Zio's tonight. First it was lovely to have a restaurant which opens on a Monday night. My friend had booked and told them we had an Entertainment card and was told it would not be a problem and it wasn't. <br/>We both had the Goat's cheese and onion tart with a quince salad and it was absolutely delicious. That alone was enough to make us return. <br/><br/>My friend had the duck tasting plate for her main course and I had the seafood degustation plate and they were both superb. Of course we tasted each others dishes and were very impressed. I had never had periwinkles before (which I was told is a sea snail) but I gave it a go and liked them!<br/><br/>We finished with desserts and coffee and my friend chose the rhubarb made 3 different ways which she loved. I had the chocolate and hazelnut pudding with double cream and frangelico icecream and it was delicious. <br/><br/>This restaurant had a very diverse menu and although it has an Italian name, the range of food is more Modern Australian and European exactly as Urbanspoon suggests. <br/><br/>The service was excellent. Our waiter Yacob was lovely. I'm not sure but he may be one of the owners too! Yacob was attentive without being annoying. <br/>The atmosphere was very peaceful, you could actually carry a conversation without any difficulty hearing it, and the decor was lovely. <br/><br/>Would definitely dine here again with or without the entertainment card. We also left a good tip because we were so impressed to get 3 courses that were all equally fantastic!

Great food. Zio's has great food and great service. The atmosphere is wonderfully peaceful and i highly recommend dining here.

The customer is always right. We went here impromptu last night, the food was lovely, can certainly recommend the Seafood Degustation platter however after 3 of us spent $250 on food the Owner came to our table and argued with us because we were trying to claim the discount on our Entertainment Card. We ended up paying full price because the owner would not back down and got louder and more aggressive. The argument was over $16 we believed we didnt have to pay. When I said to him "the customer is always right" he laughed in our faces and said "no they are not". <br/>So be it at your own peril if you want to go here. I was actually checking it out for an event I am organising but wont be returning as I cant believe the owner would ungraciously argue and yell at a customer, particularly if they are looking for repeat business. There are so many restaurants in Melbourne, perhaps Zio's management need to understand that even when the customer is wrong, the customer is always right.

Absolutely Brilliant Food. My girlfriend and I had dinner there last Friday 15 June 2012, and we were amazed!! I cant recommend this restaurant enough!! Do youself a favour and try this place! We had the pork belly, duck, prawns, & chocolate souffle (amazing dessert)! We dine once a week at a different restaurant everytime but Zio's I would go back to regularly now! I'm usually very critical with my food...but Zios is in my top 2 ever restaurants, along with Lulo in Hawthorn!

Great food and lovely ambience. Went here on a Cudo voucher and it was well worth it! Fabulous food, exceptional low-key service and a lovely open fireplace. My meal was perfect, but i will be going back to have the dish my Mum ordered - the Duck Plate - which was unbelieveable!

Thanks a million!!. We recently has a function for 19 people at the restaurant. . Mine host Jakob and his staff were welcoming and absolutely superb. <br/>The food was simply amazing. Faultless.<br/>The unobtrusive table and drink service was all that could be desired. <br/>The souffles are to die for !!!!!. <br/>Most highly recommend this establishment. <br/>DESERVES 7 HATS

Zio's. A seventeen year gap between visits for us but my now wife and I enjoyed a wonderful meal and great service last Saturday evening. Utilised our Cudo voucher no problem although obviously very popular so booking advance a must. Compliments to the staff!

Fantastic Service and Delicious Food. The service was fantastic and the food was amazing! You need to try this restaurant! Beautiful and relaxing atmosphere. I recommend it! Try it for yourself!

14yrs later. Hadnt been here for 14yrs. 10 tables occupying floor space, didnt give an intimate feel as tables were to spaced out. 2 waiting staff must have been international students, the best they did was placed out napkins on our lap. i was under the impression that it was still fully italian atmosphere. ranged from asian cook, pakistani/portuguese owner, japanese waitresses, indian waiter and australian manager.very mulitcultural and all very polite.the manager yacob was indeed lovely and kind.it was nice but wont rave about the food .just lacked atmosphere.my belief.italian restaurant can only be italian when the pastas and kitchen are in the hands of italians.

The duck plate was heavenly!

The best chocolate Soufflé in Melbourne!. I went to Zios with some girlfriends, to get away from the wintery cold Melbourne & enjoy some yummy food, good conversation and to die for Chocolate Soufflé!<br/>The intimate atmosphere, open fires and stylish ambience was exactly what we were looking for. Also just a short walk from the CBD, and quiet location, It's a great location for a girls catch up, romantic dinner, special occasion or perhaps business meeting.<br/><br/>It was hard to pick what to have from the menu because it all sounded delicious; from the lamb rump to 3 ways duck, I decided to have the vegetarian platter which had tempura asparagus with a basil sauce, roasted peppers, arancini zucchini and onion tart. My girlfriends got the 3 ways duck and kangaroo, sharing each other’s plates we were very satisfied. <br/>As any girl knows you can't go out for dinner and not have dessert & having heard so much about the chocolate soufflé (be prepared to wait 20 minutes as the menu says), we all ordered the fluffy. 'I'm still thinking about it' now' soufflé. And oh my...it was amazing. The chocolate has this sort of melted marshmallow texture and it just melts in your mouth. The vanilla bean ice-cream accompanies it, though the chocolate soufflé is really the star! I've been to other 3 hat restaurants in Melbourne and I promise you hands down Zio's soufflé trumps them all, it really is something amazing!

Amazing Meal. My husband and I went to Zio's on a Cudo voucher 26/4/12. No problem making a booking as sometimes happens with these offers. Restaurant was full and service was excellent. We were blown away with the meal. One of our best dining experiences. Maitre De was friendly and the waiters were good . Normally cudo deals are hit and miss.....but this 3 course fine dining experience, was far beyond what we expected. Steak was divine, and the Souffle to die for. We will definitely be going back again.

Beautiful Restaurant. We were at this beautiful, charming, cosy restaurant thursday night. I was greeted by the head waiter and seated near the cosy open fire. We started with the prawns and oysters then followed by the Duck and Rib Eye, then to finish we shared a souffle and a mousse. the meal was fantastic the thought of it while writing this review has me salivating. The service was great its a great place for a romantic dinner. Price is not that bad for what you get and the wonderful service compared to alot of the high end Restaurants and this restaurant is not stuffy and they dont looked down at you. We will be returning to Zios it was wonderful.

Amazing. If you want to have a stylish and tasty meal, at a better restaurant without murdering your budget, try Zios. Service is impeccable, food is great ( and just a little different ) and ambience is classy the duck and the slow cooked pork fantastic and the souffle is to die for!!!!!!!

Delightful. Discrete & professional service, wonderfully flavoured food, excellently presented. This is a serene & sophisticated location which the general rabble may find a bit quiet, slow & expensive - may they continue to stay away !!

Dont bother. I have tried three times to book in after been told therewas a vacancy <br/>i then tried to use a cudo voucher <br/>and surprise surprise they are now fully booked......<br/>very poor attitude from manager who told me to get over it mate............<br/>so potential customers do u think this sounds like a fine dining exp >>><br/>i dont...............

This place was highly recommended to me by some friends. I don't see what the big fuss is. The food we ordered (pork and steak, because they had no duck that evening - let down!) were mediocre. Very simple food. Souffle which was supposedly "amazing" was meh. Dinner was about $140 for the two of us. Wasn't worth it. I think people believe its great cos of its Chefs Hats awards.

Blash. My wife and I went to Zio's last night for dinner.<br/>We had a very enjoyable evening. We were met by the matre D at the door and welcomed. The service was prompt, polite, friendly and efficient. It was a hot night and the iced table water was constantly refilled. We had the pumpkin ravioli in sweet cream sauce and the quail stuffed with cheese bacon and spinach for entre. Both were delicious. For mains we had the duck dish and the charcoal grilled eye fillet. The duck dish consisted of 4 types of duck on various bases. All lovely, tasty and tender. The steak was excellent and rare as ordered. For desert we both had the signature chocolate soufle. WOW! It is worth going there and having 3 of these instead of 3 normal courses! We will definitely return. Cost is a bit more than many restaurants but we thought the value was there.

Disappointed. Slow service. Saturday night and two ran out of duck!?! Pork was boring, have had better from the pub. BF's steak was average, the sides were TINY, a spiral of potato u can eat in one mouthful. Souffle was ok. So much hype, this place disapointed me :(

Fantastic don't know what they talking about. I am a frequent dinner at Zios, I have never had a bad experience ever! My husband and I, took my boss and his wife there on Saturday. We had a wonderful night the staff and the owners are always very kind and helpful. I could never think the owner to be rude. I think some people expect that the waiters are only there to serve only them. I have see at many places how rude the customers are to the staff trying to show off or act like they are a big shot!<br/>Remember that the staff have to look after more than just one table. I went to Rockpool recently I not only waited more than 25mins for a menu they mucked up my booking then my order! And when I left my wallet was empty!!!! Zios Is a small boutique restaurant middle of the range in price and top end in food and service. When I'am at Zio's there always seems to be a lot of regular customers and they all get on with the staff a lot of joking and kisses and hugs. Zios is somewhere to go for a wonderful night out, not a fast food one course wonder place! And of course a souffle is sweet its made from sugar egg whites in in zios case chocolate. And I always pre-order as not to miss out!! It if fantastic and I love to see when others on differnt tables recieve their's and how immpressed there are.<br/>Zios you are No.1 with us!!!!!!

Terrible service!. The head waiter / manager was so rude, he had the audacity to ask if I had a mouth when my partner attempted to order for me.<br/>The food was ok, I had the duck which wasn't bad but the waiter had ruined any chance of us enjoying the meal. Service was slow and the restaurant wasn't even half full.<br/>Anyone wanting decent service should stay well away from this place.

The food was overprice but we still enjoyed the food. Table service was fine. We may come back again for the seafood platter.

Horrible Service!!!. Came in with great expectations as their website suggested a "fine dining" experience..<br/>Was welcomed with a rude maitre de who also served the entire restaurant for the time we were there.<br/>It took him 20mins to get us a menu and another 20 to come take our orders.<br/>Food was average, although impressions may have been tarnished due to the bad start.<br/>After we finished our meal, the waiter then overcharged my credit card!!!<br/><br/>Needless to say, NEVER GOING BACK

Seafood Degustation. My friend took me here for my birthday and we both had the seafood degustation! It was really tasty and the service was excellent!

Think twice. This restaurant is by far one of the worst dining experience I have had. We should have taken hint by the blinking blue LED lights out the front so we really only have ourselves to blame (and those of the glowing reviews in this forum).<br/><br/>The food was sub standard for a cafe let alone a "fine dining" establishment. It was so bad I highly doubt they have a qualified chef in the kitchen. <br/><br/>Entree - Seafood Bouillabaisse<br/>For a soup, any soup, this was extremely bland. The broth did not exhibit the qualities of a soup that has had anything simmered in it; seafood, herbs or vegetables. To add insult is to then call it a bouillabiasse. A more suitable name/description would have been seafood brine. Note I don't appreciate crabs that are not fresh either.<br/><br/>Mains - Vegetarian platter<br/>The pattie was undercooked.<br/>The tempura vegetable had a very thick batter on it, most of it still uncooked under the surface.<br/>The frittata was dry.<br/>The coucous was a mish mash of flavors and texture<br/><br/>This is the kicker, something even a home cook could not get wrong but Zio's did. A parmesan and rocket salad. Simple? not for Zio's. The salad was drenched, absolutely drenched in a puddle of apple vinegar (note not vinaigrette).<br/><br/>Dessert - The famed souffle<br/>Ordinary at best and extremely sweet.<br/><br/>The technical execution of every dish and the pride in the dishes being delivered out of the kitchen is VERY questionable. Zio's, I don't know how you've survived this long, kudos for that but if you really still have a passion for this industry I highly recommend you overhaul the entire set up starting with the blinking LEDs!

Just dine at this great restaurant. Cute boutique restaurant, good prices, great wine list and very good food. We have just shift here from london and was recommened to this restaurant. It certainly lived upto is glowing reports. The owner was fantastic his wine knowlege was amazing he really knows his trade. The food was to die for, I had the prawns and rack of lamb followed by the souffle mouthwatering. I enjoyed it so much booked again to bring group of friends in 2 weeks time.

If you have not experienced the Chocolate Soufle at Zios you haven't lived! Best Soufle on the planet and I'm not exaggerating. Service is awesome and the food is always top notch.

Would Not Return. Beautiful decor/cosy ambience let down by lacklustre service and poor value- for- money food. If the dining experience lives up to expectations & all those glowing reviews, we wouldn't be the only diners (2 of us) there from 6-8pm on a weekday evening.

Found the manager/owner to be incredibly rude when we ate there. Definately won't go back. It's a shame because it was always a very pleasant dining experience when the previous owners were there.

Food was superb, service great and the wine a fantastic match, made for a perfect night with the perfect company

Not a bad experience, the waiter was patient and friendly, food took awhile to come.. This place is supposedly famous for it's wagyu beef, the steak came slightly overcooked but remained yummy, esp the sauce n sides. I still somehow think I've eaten better steaks at other places tho.. <br/><br/>Had the chocolate soufflé for dessert, never had one before but taste-wise it was too sweet for me. The merlot we ordered was really good and went well with the steak. <br/><br/>Overall it was a pleasant fine dining experience.

Zio's - simply stunning.. Fine dining is done so well at Zio's.