Review Il Carretto

Wayne Webber

If you live in Melbourne, you probably already know Il Carretto Pizza Restaurant and I can't tell you anything you don't already know. If you're visiting Melbourne, like we were, what a great find for genuine italian cuisine. The meals were promptly served and the attached pics speak for themselves. The food was great and the decor is interesting too. We highly recommend dropping in for a meal.

Bihter Altuntas

Pizza was good with its thin base. Steak was cooked to perfection and spaghetti marinara tasted marvellous. What else do you need from an Italian restaurant. However, it looked like a place from late 80s. I guess some people like the old furniture/decoration look. Service was excellent as the waiters were attentive as well as welcoming.

Tania C

Great food. We went on a Saturday night, just after 7pm. The place was extremely busy and at capacity. The decor is dated and very culturally themed, however I suppose it reflects the family history. Food was of very high quality, however I think they must've been short staffed, because we had to wait quite some time. For a double front premises, at capacity, only 3 waitresses were assisting customers, taking orders, serving food and tidying up. They were quite literally run off their feet. Everyone there was very polite and the food did not disappoint. It was just so busy, there was not enough staff, and we had to draw their attention to place our orders.

Paulina Stedall

Absolutely love this Italian restaurant! The food is authentic, wholesome and generously portioned. It feels like a home away from home with the decor and friendly staff. One of my favourites in Melbourne.

Tony Doslov

Loved it .... Fresh ingredients just like mamma made back in Italy ..... Bellissimo.... Recommended The Chef is No.1

Andrew Ristovski

If I could give it a higher star rating I would. The place is absolutely amazing!! Really cheap, excellent service, food comes out really quickly and Is amazing too. I would 100000% recommend this place to a friend and will always be coming back for years to come !!

Cindy Tran

first time going here, friendly homey vibe, they just opened for lunch and it was already filling up. i got the marinara, it was delicious. only wished there was a bit more seafood. otherwise very full and happy customer

Oriana Aprico-Wister

When it comes to Italian food in the inner North, nothing comes near Il Carretto. Their seafood marinara is the stuff of dreams, whilst their home made pizza's always hit the spot. Great service and brilliantly run. When your looking for Italian food, head to Il Carretto before heading to Lygon Street, you won't be disappointed.

Zoe Zogga

If you love pasta that is cooked properly and mixed with authentic Italian sauces this place is for you! The spaghetti marinara is the best in Melbourne (yep I said it). Been coming here for years and honestly it doesn’t get better than that ❤️

Anna0083

Been coming to il carretto since I was very young with my family. Pizza & pasta always fresh, tasty and delicious. Love this place

Nic

This place has been here since Jesus wore short pants!! The reason why it’s still here is because it serves good old fashioned home cooked Italian meals , that are full of flavour and reasonably priced The service is great and you don’t have to wait too long for your meals. Great place to take the family also the pizzas are excellent!

Minuka Sandeep Reddy

My go-to place for Italian food in Melbourne! Food is amazing. I still haven’t been able to get past the pastas they offer. There are plenty of other stuff on the menu too. You‘ll be delighted by the Italian wines they’ve, while waiting on your food.

Quewa351

The best home style italian food in Melbourne & great pizza !! staff are lovely, fair price's you must try the spaghetti marinara .....wow wow wow John Warrandyte

Mr Calamari

As good as it gets for a pizza pasta trattoria ! Marinara is awesome and a must have. Pizza’s are tasty, light with the right amount of toppings.

Hillary Finds Food

By far the best marina I have tried. Come here consistently and have never been disappointed. The artichoke pizza is also a highlight but the marina is a must try. The seafood is fresh and the pasta sauce is so good...you could probably lick the plate clean.

Rennie

We've been coming back for years now for our special pasta marinara, it's always been terrific, lots of seafood with a rich and flavoursome spicy sauce. This time our pasta was cold, we sent it back and it was returned the way it should have been with what appeared to be extra seafood (no complaints) but the sauce was lacking flavour, and it wasn't just mine, we had si.x others with the same meal and all felt the same. Its an old school Italian restaurant in desperate need of a serious renovation but it's warm and unassuming, what you see is what you get. Service has always been adequate and we feel that they're always a little under staffed so we make a little allowance for a missing smile under pressure.. We'll be back again for some house wine and a pizza.

Shane

I have been visiting this restaurant for about 23 years on a reasonably regular basis. Pizzas are thin based and have just enough topping. Pasta meals are always hearty and seafood meals are good too. Specials change from time to time to try something different. This is an authentic Italian restaurant that is popular with family’s and occasional birthday parties. Lots of photos around the walls of famous Italian entertainers. Licensed and BYO and friendly staff.

Vpollock

Nice food, quickly delivered BUT we showed up - family of 5 near empty restaurant at 5:45pm and were made to feel very unwanted. We didn’t have a booking but we spent over $120 and were out in an hour. The man in the Pizza kitchen called out rudely to the front of house Don’t take people without bookings- look at our numbers...in front of us. Pretty poor form. Almost walked out.

Nutsandbolts

Super friendly staff and super delicious, simple food. The mussels were scrumptious as was the Penne Puttanesca. Il Carretto never disappoints.

Eliza

Great large servings for food and good for groups but service has never been outstanding and pizza always seems burnt. All pasta sauces i've tried have all been pretty salty as well (especially the creamy ones)

Mabelle Bo

We ordered two pastas: a entree marinara and main cabonara. Seafood serving was generous for an entree, which was great and we enjoyed the cabonara too. The waiters were polite and service was quick (though we did eat in on a Tuesday night). The ambience / decor is like eating at your Nonna's and Nonno's home, and they have enough seating to cater for larger groups too.

Queen G

Food 🥘 was lovely but the service was terrible! The waitress got my order wrong and when I sent the plate back with another waitress there was no apology just picked up my plate and huffed!!!! Original waitress comes back to inform me that it was my fault I ordered incorrectly....ummmmm I think I know what my order was !!!! Will definitely not go back!!!!

Melissa Arch

Absolutely fantastic family restaurant. Best gnocchi and mussels in Melbourne. Friendly service and excellent value for money. It really does feel and taste like you're going home to Nonna's!

Lainey

What a wonderful homestyle Italian restaurant! Large enough to handle big groups of people but cosy enough just for two, we enjoyed our rather late dinner here. The staff were what really made the place. The warmest friendliest people EVER. You can really tell this is a family run place with all the pictures on the wall and how ridiculously nice everyone is. The pizza had a nice thin crust and my fish of the day was just cooked SO well. Fresh fish, not overcooked, lots of nice buttery sauce and the salad was very deliciously dressed. The free bread served at the start was no longer very warm (late dinner) but you could tell it was fresh and still tasted very nice with the butter. Could have devoured another basket of it! The only bad thing was I don't think they do home delivery... We will be back for more :)

Natasha Robyn

While the decor is amusing, if somewhat dated and the restaurant is crowded and noisy, this is entirely forgotten with the first mouthful. You could be forgiven for thinking there are a crowd of Nonna's in the kitchen, tenderly making each morsel of pasta, mixing their precious bolognese recipes and chatting over fresh herbs. The gnocchi is exquisite. Melt in the mouth sublime. Pair it with any sauce, it'll taste fabulous. Though my personal favourite is the rich and flavoursome Romana - generous with ingredients and aromas to tease the taste buds as it approaches the table! I know the garlic and cheese pizza is delicious, freshly crushed garlic providing a burst of flavour through the richness of cheese and the crispy thin crust. My cousin had lasagna and raved about that, it certainly looked a generous and well proportioned serve. I've also had friends (yes, we're regulars!) order the Arancini and other meals and raved about them. Then the Gelati is another taste sensation altogether! I have never liked strawberry ice cream or gelati and am really not a fan of desserts at the best of times. But my daughter always orders the 3 scoops of Gelati and recently managed to persuade me to try some. I'm converted! The chocolate is lovely and and lemon is light and tangy, but the strawberry is superb! It's the perfect way to complete your dining experience, followed only by a good Italian coffee.

Prakhar Singh

Had one of the best italian meals ever with my best friend. Absolutely stunning food and great service. Definitely will be going back soon! The manager was very kind to us.

Mandy B

Had dinner here with my family last week and unfortunately we were not impressed with the place. We usually love all Italian food but the food here was the worst Italian food we've ever had. The pizza had a soggy wet base, the pasta dishes were very bland, the vegetables served with the main were horrible, raw broccoli and the boiled potato tasted so strange I had to spit it into my napkin. Even the garlic bread was shocking, it cost $6.50 for 2 slices and 2 end bits and it was so hard it was like rock bread and totally inedible. Seating was really cramped too.

Tash Khoury

Average food, bad service - scary waitress. Pronounced a dish wrong when ordering and we laughed while she looked like she wanted to hurt me.

Alex Peever

An hour and a half wait to receive our first pizza, and lasagne. I'm not sure how they keep track of their orders but we watched other tables get their meals and finish before we got anything. An entrée came out half way through a main. One man making the pizzas in a 80% full restaurant. Get your act together, for the first pizzeria in Melbourne you would think an establishment would have a pretty good idea on service. I would rate this place a half star if I were able. I'm appalled.

Cristen Savino

Very enjoyable.... Great atmosphere, amazing food, great prices and very friendly customer service. We will definitely be returning customers.

Jeff

The food is great, the staff are kind, the owner... is just amazing. I Guess all that yelling would make me bold too, trying to enjoy a meal with my kids while hearing this foul mouth man loose it while im eating my spaghetti marinara (which is extremely good by the way). I came for dinner, not a show.

Sonia

We have been coming to il coretto for years now. We have always been happy with the service and food has always been great. We use to go once a week with the family. Up until last night. Omg worst service i have even seen. Staff didn't know what they where doing. Got drinks wrong, the waiter brought out our food and didn't know what he was bring out. Total mess. Food was not so good either. Everything was not good. Not to mention my hubby and sister in law where so sick all night. Not good guys.

Peter Evans

This place has been around for a long time . It has a faithful clientele that keep coming back for good honest Italian food without the frills. Traditional pizza, pasta and parmas. Many old pictures don the walls which gives the place its credibility. Inexpensive and hearty.

Magda Hrisovergis

I been here Afew times. Place looks outdated and gets a little noisy but food is delicious and the pizza is pretty good as well. The main chicken avocado is pretty tasty

Erin

I like this place - a Carlton North family Italian restaurant which has been around for years and years. No pretence about the decor or the way the food is presented. Bit of a a family atmosphere. What I can say is that the flavours are good. I went for the veal in white wine, cream and...

AP23

Although this is our local pizza place, we normally find ourselves going there for the mussels, we call them the 'famous Il Carretto' mussels. Here's the drill: start with the mussels and a side of chips and bread of foccaccia. Proceed to dip said chips and bread into the amazing mussel broth, die happy!! Then finish off with a traditional capricciossa. The best part about IC is the price. You can almost pay for your meal with loose change. Great local. Don't change a thing Il Carretto!

Dee

Love going here for a good italian feed. The pasta marinara is to die for with a creamy red sauce and a very generous serve of fresh seafood. The pizzas have a nice thin base and the choices are varied. The prices too are very reasonable. Also love the fact the location is not in the middle of Lygon Street hustle & bustle. Lovely family owned restaurant with great welcoming atmosphere.

HungryBombshell

This resto has been always the favorite meeting place of all my friends every time they wanted to hangout for dinner. Now, it's one of my favorite resto, too. The food is great and we are devouring most of the time! We all love that mussels with bread, oysters and that marinara pasta. Ugh! It's the best ever!!! ❤❤❤

Kanchana Perera

The spaghetti marinara was amazing. Generous servings of seafood and made with a creamy tomato sauce that's slightly spicy. They were also happy to take variations for the mains. Nice atmosphere although a bit squashy with the seating. The place has family pictures of what I presume are the owners which gives it a cosy feel.

Wonderfull

I've been meaning to go here for a while and glad I finally did! Casual and friendly atmosphere, the wait staff were really friendly and didn't push us to leave even though the restaurant was emptying up. Food was great and well priced. Not at all pretentious. A good time!

Baristos

My number 1 Italian restaurant in Melbourne. If you can find a better gnocchi anywhere else I'll go she. 111111111111111111111111111111111111

Katie

Love Il Carrertto. Always great food and good service. Relaxed, family friendly atmosphere. Very reasonably priced. Have never had a bad meal here. Highly recommended.

Meagan

Go anywhere else for good Italian. 1. Dreadful service. Meals come out separately. Want to know if we're ready for mains while eating entree. 2. Stale bread. 3. Gluggy gnocchi 4. Overcooked seafood 5. No champagne glasses for boy 6. No prosecco despite being on the menu So many other great Italian restaurants to go to

Predrag Tausan

My fav. I have been coming here for years.And I will always come back. Only drawback sometimes inconsistent

Curtologic

Sunday night out. Four pizzas - no cheese what so ever! What sort of Italian pizza restuarant is this? Did we look like we would not know what a pizza should taste like? Very disappointing! Would not recommend this place.

George007

Would not give us chips with our parmas becouse it was a Saturday WTF?? Parma was small around 200gm 1/2 a potato for $23?? Order came after 1 hour & 15mins Pizza where 5 out of 10 came with no cheese at all.

Freza

Good Food in Carlton. When we're in the area we always go to II Carretto. Food is always good and the avocado pasta is a must try.

DSMV

One of my favourites! The Muscles in sauce are at the top of the list for me! And the gnocchi are like clouds. All the pasta sauces are authentic and are always consistent in their quality.

Angie

Chicken avocado omg sooooo yumm! I love this place

Michael Bobson

Good marinara and generous amount of seafood Pizza was average but it was decent pricing for the food Wouldn't come all the time but a good place for a good seafood feed

Richard Harapas

First time visit with my daughter, terrific true Italian style pizza, thin base and perfectly cooked. Service excellent, although it was late afternoon and there was not many there. Coffee good, pasta dishes look good, but Ihave not tried, but will be back to try. Looks to have traditional Italian style cooking recipes.

Rox

Amazing!. Divine pizza and pasta, fantastic old school atmosphere - my only regret is I didnt go to this place earlier having lived locally for years - so many missed culinary delights. They've found a new fan!

BellaItalia

Good family style Italian restaurant. We get together here with a group of friends and the pizza and gnocchi are always good value. Chaotic, noisy and always busy, but it's casual and service is usually pretty quick.

Cat

This is my local Italian restaurant. Warm family environment. I enjoy the pasta dishes and pizza here. Nice crispy bases on the pizza. Some of the other dishes can be hit and miss but if you stick to the pasta and pizza you will go home happy with a full tummy! Take away is also reasonably priced and of good quality.

Monte

So disappointing the service is slow, meals average and overpriced. My Balsamic chicken salad was grilled dry and charred with no flavour. My husband fish of the day was not the grilled barramundi we expected with his play over flowing with chips and two poor portions of fish. Thumbs dumb

KJ

Great value for money. I'm a local in Carlton North and have found Il Carretto to be a great place to go for either takeaway or a sit down meal on those nights when cooking just seems too much. The food is good and the value for money is excellent. I usually find decent takeaway expensive but not Il Carretto - good quality food at great prices.

Brett Costa

LOVE LOVE LOVE HERE. I bring heaps of friends here They love the pizzas, the pasta and the marinara pasta is too die for Make sure you get the main, you'll definitely eat it all tony and Joel's pizza are fantastic, and how wonderful is Daniella who always makes everyone welcome...she's such a laugh Never , ever disappoints And when I'm lazy , the takeaway is just the same...saves washing up

JM91

Love this place! Have been coming here for a long time and have never been disappointed! Beautiful food with a family vibe! Recommended by me :)

Alana

I love the food here! Gnocchi chicken and avocado pasta is to die for. I have had my fair share of Gnocchi, and this one is a winner. The waiters are fabulous even though it was super busy. Bless the pizza boys, such a tasty marinara!

Paulina Maria

Horrible. Went to Il Carretto for dinner and the service and mainly food was horrible. The waitress was rude and arrogant a d the food had no taste what's so ever. The pizza had very few ingredients on it and was totally disappointing. The amount of money we paid was a joke. We will definitely not be going back. Don't waste your money!

Solomon Cappola-Wang

A little outdated. I have heard good things about this place, The atmosphere wasn't too bad. Pizza wasn't too bad, nothing special. Parma was OK but felt a little uninspired, no effort on presentation. The waiter (a French guy) was quite unhelpful and left us waiting there for a while despite the fact we were in there for a while. Nothing special. Nothing exciting.

Dream Maker

I'm really confused to how this place still stands ??? Friendly however absent waiters...food was poor quality...ordered risotto that was simply dry & my partner ordered the porthouse that was extremely fatty & chewy....gave feed back to waitress who did not responed lol no sorry or no I will speak to the chief ZERO response...weirdo ! ! BIG LET DOWN....thumbs down to this place !

Good Food Lover

Was here last night with high expectations and left bitterly disappointed. Working in hospitality I understand that food can take a while so I'm usually patient but our wait was excessively long and to top it off our meals came out all at different times (the first had finished his meal by the time the last persons had hit the table). Won't be coming back to il caretto.

Ladylindamac

Loved it!. This was a first time visit for my husband and I we can't believe we haven't been sooner. We had the pizzas and they were true Italian pizzas, thin crust and simple dressing, as they should be! Pizza and wine was cheap and the service was great. I want to go back to try their pasta dishes as saw them coming out for other people and they looked so good. Would definitely recommend, better than most found on Lygon St.

TheUnhappyCustomer

These pizzas are probably the worst I have ever had. There is no cheese, no sauce, no toppings and the base is way too thin and burnt. The pizza taste like charcoal straight from the base of a fire. Do not recommend coming to this restaurant. Although the water was good, come if you want a glass of water. It's free.

Angelo Zagourianos

This place is amazing! Best authentic Italian food in Melbourne...

Hey Jimmy

"Fantastic" Took the advice.... "Fantastic" Took the advice of other reviews and had dinner at IL Carretto last night. What a great find !!!! Very very very busy which can be a good sign or a curse but given the amount of Italian folk dinning their it was a good sign. A little slow to get menus and drinks orders underway, but not overly so, once these were underway the rest of the service was prompt and efficient, meals were out on no time, not too fast so as to rush the night, just right for a pleasant night out. The meals themselves were amazing, great value for money, good size, and very tasty, my mate had the spaghetti marinara, it looked and apparently tasted amazing. The takeaway pizza counter was flat out all night. Overall a great place to eat, a little noisy, but that is the sort of busiling it seems to be. We will be back, this will become a regular haunt I think !!!!

Anthony

Loved it heaps. Just had a magnificent linguine with pan fried prawns on the specials board and I must say was very impressed with food service and the price .what a traditional Italian restaurant so glad to have stopped in. keep up the good work

Rose

Now this place is the best value for money that you work for , can buy a great meal to suit all , I luv this place and its prices Realy like it

Nada

Classic Italian in a friendly atmosphere.. Take away pizza good value. Staff are friendly. Pastas are are at least moderately good. They used to have excellent desert pizzas with chocolate and banana - this should be reinstated ASAP (if not already), as haven't been for a few month .

Sarah D

Best chicken schnitzel!! Must try, great place with great meals!

Peony

Lovely Italian Restaurant. Been coming here for about 12 years, pizza's are perfectly cooked. Pasta's are yummy and the owner Tony always walking around talking to regulars and new diners. Nice family business.

Kate.tosin

Drooling just thinking about it. Without a doubt the BEST gnocci in Melbourne. Tried and tested. No one does it better! The spaghetti marinara is also to die for. I get looks from all over the restaurant when they see me clean the plate and scoop up the sauce with the also amazing garlic focaccia.

Home Chef

Consistently delish food even on a busy Saturday night! I've tried nearly everything on menu and it tastes home cooked. Pizza base is great (not too thin/thick). Their Chicken Avocado dish is a fave. They make an impressive grilled porterhouse steak too. Always a good dinner when we come here ..

Paul WM

It's a great little place. I have been going, on and off for many years. It is not just a pizza place, they have great pasta dishes as well as many meat, fish and poultry specialities. Everything they have is good value for money.

Con A

Best pizza's. This place never lets me down. Good food excellent price. Casual atmosphere

Eugene Quah

Good value pizza. Simple good value pizza for the whole family. The crust and base is thin and crispy and the toppings are well proportioned. The staff were quite attentive and friendly and we will certainly make this a regular visit when we have a pizza craving.

Fra

Poor service, low quality food and dirty. The place is overrated. I expected to experience original italian food, but I was very disappointed. The food is decent but not good, and it is not original italian. The place is extrimely noisy, due to the way the place is structured. I had to wait for a very long time before the meal was served, and while some friends had already finished their main course we were still waiting for ours. They serve big amount of food but the quality is extremely low. I also managed to have a look at the kitchen while going to the toilet and it was very dirty, so that I was not hungry at all after that. They do not serve wine nor alcohol in general, but they don't tell you that before, so you feel cheated. It was very disappointing.

Aneta N

Although the meals are generous in size, I personally was not satisfied with my experiences on both of my visits.

Sir Eatsalot

The decor of il carretto is certainly charming. I personally don't mind Restarunts that feel like they haven't been touched since the day they opened. Large family portraits are scattered everywhere, really giving you a sense that you are dinning with a bit of family history. We went on a saturday night, and was Full to the brim. Being unlicensed is slightly disappointing but we didn't really care that much, just means a cheaper bill at nights end. We had the mussels for entree which were incredible. You seriously can not cone here and not order the mussels, it must be some sort of signature dish as they were going out everywhere. The mussels are done in a tomato cream sauce/soup, which is simply awesome. We shared pizza which was quite nice, above average, a nice thin crust. We also shared a marinara and carbonara. The marinara was quite good and full of seafood, the carbonara was pretty standard. An enjoyable experience all round, well priced food. Will be coming back just for the mussels.

Joe Carriera

Disappointed as they are no longer licensed. I asked for a glass of ice fir the bottle of lukewarm tap water and was told they had no ice. Decor in desperate need of upgrade. Food quality good, reasonably priced. Toilets dirty being a definite turnoff. 2 stars

Autumn

A bit sneaky. We made a booking there for that night, and we turn up, sit down, start looking at the menus, then we are informed that we can't drink the wine we brought, nor can we buy any alcohol from there. They were having some kind of problem with liquor licensing and thus, no booze. This would have been fine, but they neglected to tell us this ahead of time, and they said that they knew about it beforehand. It seemed like a really sneaky way to get you to come in, sit down and get comfortable, THEN tell you the bad news. Sorry Il Carretto, you just lost some repeat business. I can understand and forgive problems with liquor licensing, that stuff happens, but I can't understand trying to subtly deceive your customers through a lie by omission. I felt bad for the poor waitress, who obviously was told to wait until we had sat down to tell us this and copped our dissatisfaction. Bad management.

CGL1

Delicious. Great gnocchi & excellent spaghetti marinara!

Stevie K

Authentic Italian food, still run with the love of a family business , the gnocchi melts in your mouth, the food is consistently great! Although the decor is a little 80's, that's easily overlooked by the reasonable prices and the good food.

Happyhunger

Good food, quite fast. Gnocchi is particularly good.

Review Il Carretto - Melbourne