Review Agostino - Melbourne

Food was nice but nothing special. The entrees were yummy but the pasta mains were definitely a letdown. The vodka pasta just tasted like Napoli sauce and the duck looked more like minced meat. For $150 for 2 people I wouldn’t come back anytime soon.

Food is delicious and really tasty. The bread with a bit of a salty taste and a little dense (the right level) was a perfect starter. The Tagliolini Nero is a fav and a must try! A little rushed with the service - wait staff knocked our drink and spilt on the table. A bit of care would have prevented this. Easy to get to although pay attention as you may walk past it, signage not too noticeable.

Nice ambient dining room with an intimate feel. A small downside is that the layout has close to half the room facing the wall which detracts from the atmosphere somewhat. A very extensive wine list with a wonderful selection of wines from around the world. The food was good, but not exceptional and overall it was a very pleasant dining experience.

Nice restaurant but would say that the food is average at best for the price. Went with three friends, didn't have any alcohol but plenty of food, bill came to $174 which we expected in a restaurant which had a niceish vibe. This is a breakdown of what we ordered. - Frigitelli, not bad but not that amazing. - Eggplant polpette, average and the balls were almost on the dry side, the sauce tasted like it was from a bottle - Rosemary Shiacciata, pretty good but can't really go wrong with warm fresh bad. - Vongole, ok but a bit bland like it was under seasoned. I wasn't expecting a rush of flavour since it is a 'plain' sauce but was hoping that the vongole taste would come through a bit more and could have been seasoned better. - Tagliatelle, average the after taste was a bit pungent but that might just be me. - Tagliolini nero, if you're going to have a pasta get this one the pasta was a bit sloppy though almost like it was just past al dente. - Corzetti, I've had corzetti before and its good but this tasted like flat tteokbokki with an italian sauce/gravy. In all, the food is only okay especially for the price. If I was going to spend this much I'd much rather go to Park St Pasta, or Donini's or Tipo 00. If I could give it a half score out of five I would.

Pasta was very good, Moreton bay bug pasta was incredible. The starters were just ok. The bread was very strange, extremely salty and under cooked almost doughy. We couldn’t work out if that was the intention or if we needed to send it back.

Lovely food, lovely wines, love place to go for a dinner tonight. The place is so pretty and beautiful. Services was amazing! Our dinner was tasty and lovely. I could eat another plate of the black ink squid linguine. Perfect for special occasions or a romantic date. Definitely would come back :)

It was great to take some international visitors to such a great Melbourne establishment. The food was absolutely delicious, as was the wine with its extensive selection. I was compelled to go up to the kitchen and thank the staff personally. The service was fantastic, quite helpful and attentive. The whole experience will no doubt see me booking again.

I almost didn’t go because of the low rating but glad I ended up dinning because it was an absolute delight! Amazing service and food 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼

We had a great waiter, food was good but maybe our expectations were set a little high. Nice place, seating is packed in a little too close. Good wine list. Value was on the higher end.. Good without being blown out of the water great.

Went in for Valentine's Day and it was a disaster. Wait staff had no idea what they were doing.<br/>Would not recommend

Heard great things about Agostino! Unfortunately I have to say I was underwhelmed. The staff seemed interested in us as diners, however when we requested a wine within a price range, the waitress totally ignored this fact and only recommended those that were very expensive. I dislike obvious up selling like this. She even offered a cheaper wine once we continually asked her to in which she replied ‘I mean I don’t like it but everyone else seems to because it’s apparently good value for money.’ RUDE <br/><br/>We ordered the tuna crudo- to be frank it was completely tasteless! Next was the peppers and it tasted like they were straight from a pickle jar. <br/>The seafood pasta however was an absolute delight and saved the day- cooked to perfection and packing a punch of flavour. If only they applied this to their other meals. <br/><br/>Overall it seemed a bit too pricey for what they gave and there are plenty of other impressive Melbourne wine bars that I would visit over Agostino.

ordered the prawn pasta, tomato vodka pasta & lamb pasta. stand out was the prawn pasta, with the tomato vodka pasta also very good. the lamb was just ok for us.

My love affair with Carlton continues. More new restaurants, wine bars and cafes keep appearing in the area—tastefully refurbished and transformed—tempting me each week to dine out. This time it was Agostino that tugged hard at my sleeve. ‘It’s all in the name of research!’ I tell myself, justifying the extra money I’ve transferred (yet again) to fund my costly gastronomic projects/hobbies/indulgences. Such is the life of a foodie. <br/><br/>Agostino is what I envision a classy cocktail bar in New York would be like. It’s sleek, chic, intimate and moody—low-lit with shades of green and timber, soft leather and a boutique bottle shop to peruse post-feast. <br/><br/>As a self-confessed fromage fiend, I ordered the cheese of the day: aged parmigiano with a generous drizzle of honey. It’s the tender marriage of salty and sweet; crumbly and lush. Then came the cacio e pepe ravioli with truffle pecorino: al dente handmade parcels swimming in a gold pool of cultured butter.<br/><br/>With a full belly threatening to bust my jeans, I could’ve comfortably stopped there, but then I saw the dessert menu. There it was, my favourite dolce: the irresistible tiramisu with dark chocolate, cherries and grappa. With every bite a blistered, boozy cherry would burst and so would my heart.

Beautiful, delicious Italian dinner for my birthday. Loved every dish 😍<br/><br/>Friendly staff<br/><br/>Starters:<br/>Complimentary bread and butter<br/>Roasted bullhorn peppers (smokey flavour which my husband loved) with squacquerone and basil<br/>Prosciutto with pear and gnocchi fritto topped with shredded pecorino(?)<br/>Bellini to drink<br/><br/>Primo:<br/>Ravioli 👌👌 split over two plates <br/>Aranciata wine for drinking <br/><br/>Secondo:<br/>Wagyu rump cap topped with gorgeous bone marrow, asparagus and pesto <br/>Side of French fries <br/>Spanish mencia wine for drinking<br/><br/>We preferred to go next door to Pidapipo for our gelati dessert!

Agostino is an extension to King & Godfree and when we arrived we were lead downstairs into an impressive basement wine cellar where there were quite a few tables and a bar. As it is part wine shop, you can shop around for a bottle and have it corked for $20 to have with your dinner, no judgement on the value of this approach but we enjoyed having a browse through their collection.<br/><br/>Complimentary sourdough and butter hit the table, firm and airy. We started off with some roasted bullhorn peppers with squacquerone and drizzled with basil oil. This is just natural produce at its best, the peppers were sweet and the cheese was very creamy and soft, one to look out for in the future.<br/><br/>The crudo del giorno was lean slices of bluefin tuna, anchovy mayonnaise, blood orange and witlof. It was very nice but quite pricey for the portioning, we ended up with a slice of tuna each (3 diners) and barely any blood orange to pair with it. At $24 it barely touched the walls of our stomachs.<br/><br/>The culatello was a beautiful cured meat with a nice layer of glistening fat. The pear made a nice contrast to the saltiness. They also had prosciutto with figs as one of their special menu items which has the same concept. It also came with some gnocco fritto which tasted super fresh, fluffy and chewy.<br/><br/>We also shared some grilled octopus, new potato, calabrese salami and salsa verde. Another excellent dish, I could taste the slight char on the octopus and it was really soft. Wish they threw in some more salami, again we had to do some awkward splits so everyone can try out all the elements on the plate.<br/><br/>Pasta time! If there is cacio e pepe on the menu, that's an auto-include. This was in ravioli format with cultured butter and truffle pecorino. Simply, we felt the flavours to be quite mild. They need to be more liberal with the pecorino romano and pepper. We did however thoroughly enjoy their mafadine with milk braised pork and veal ragu. The pasta was perfectly cooked with a good amount of bite and the ragu was juicy and salty.<br/><br/>We ended with a few desserts. My friend ordered the panforte which is a Tuscan fruit and nut cake. I didn't care for this, it's just a dense cake that your grandma would eat with their cup of tea. We shared their chestnut honey crema with rosemary and pinenut croccante. This was quite generous and was a little more dense than a custard. The caramelised sugar on top gave it a nice crunchy textural element and overall it had a unique chestnut and yolk flavour. I polished off with an affogato, shot of espresso and scoop of vanilla ice cream, predictable and enjoyable. It came with a couple of biscuits which I enjoyed more than the cake aforementioned.<br/><br/>Not having been open a year and it's already snagged a chef's hat. Having been to similar restaurants such as Agostino I felt that a few of the dishes here were quite difficult to share given the portioning. I am sure that most items are designed for sharing, some refinement is needed here and outlined in the review. Price-wise it is also a notch higher in most categories. In saying that we really liked the moody cellar space as well as the option of being able to select our own wine from the store. Keen to see what else King & Godfree has to offer.

This place is tucked away in a dark, ambient room in the reinvigorated part of Lygon Street. My work mates and I were seated quickly, drink orders taken and complimentary bread placed down within minutes. There was a two course lunch deal plus wine for $50, but we all opted to go a la carte. I went with the cacio e pepe ravioli, which was incredible. Simple, tasty and comforting. The star of the table, however, was the squid ink linguine. The colours were utterly impressive! I'm not usually one for dessert but the hazelnut dish with cinnamon ice cream was too tempting to turn down, and it did not disappoint. This place is absolutely divine, and I wouldn't hesitate to return.

I went there with my family to celebrate a birthday. The restaurant was nice but the lighting was too dark considering most people are dining in a group. <br/>We ordered the beef carpaccio and octopus entree - both were nice, however the portion sizes were far too small for two people (myself and girlfriend), especially considering most people only order one entree. <br/>For mains I ordered the ragú and she ordered the seafood pasta. The beef was tender but the pork was very tough. I expected it to be a red sauce and was disappointed that the dish wasn’t very complex. I found it to be too plain for the price that it is. <br/>She enjoyed her pasta but was also hoping for a red or more flavoursome sauce - the seafood was very nice but it also lacked complexity. <br/>We won’t be returning as the meals didn’t meet expectations and the menu didn’t have many options considering the diversity of Italian cuisine

Went there last night with my family. I ordered ravioli for my main but I am very surprised to see how small the portion is. The flavours are good but the portion is too small. My family also thoroughly enjoyed the flavours of their mains but they too feel that the portion can be slightly bigger. Desserts we ordered were good but not mind blowing. The waiter that served us seem to be oddly cold. I did not enjoy my dining experience there and may not be returning in the future.<br/>

One of the best squid ink linguine I’ve tried recently. I could eat 2 serves of that. The place is beautiful. The service was amazing. Would definitely come back for more visits. Best for a date or special occasions. Highly recommended to try

I had a wonderful time at Agostino. Very attentive service too without being overwhelming. We started with the gnoccho fritto and slow cooked peppers. I had the crab and prawn spaghettini and my partner really enjoyed the agnolotti del plin which was really decadent but surprisingly light. We finished with cheese and a chocolate torte. So yummy and will definitely be back.

We were fortunate enough to get a seat in the cellar area of the restaurant which was an absolutely perfect spot to enjoy our meal. Warm and cozy and you felt like you had space even though the tables were relatively close. The food was delicious. The pea and ricotta ravioli was a personal favourite. My only negative was the staff. When you asked for something they seemed a little like you were inconveniencing them however it did seem they were under the pump a bit, there was a lot going on so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. On quality of the food though I really couldn’t fault it so I have to go with a 5/5. <br/>I would highly recommend Agostino for a date night, family dinner or a dinner with friends.

Sophisticated vibe and refined menu. Starting with complementary bread and butter we then shared the tuna crudo for entree. The dish was small but incredibly flavoursome and fresh. Then for main I went for the fish of the day (hapuka) which came with borlotti beans and artichoke. We also shared braised runner beans in sugo. Both my main and the side were absolutely delicious. Great new more fine dining venue on lygon.

Just returned from an early dinner with a couple of friends. The last three dinners together have been to Italian restaurants and we had high expectations for this new wine-bar/restaurant/bottle shop that is part of the recently renovated King & Godfree. Upon entering we were greeted by an amiable waiter resplendent in white apron & shirt. We were taken along a small passage way & down some stairs with walls lined with shelved glass cases beautifully displayed with bottles of wine. My heart sank when we shown to a long white marble topped shared table. Hate having to rub elbows & share a table with strangers and not being able talk freely with friends. Already diners there for the 6:30 seating. First set back accepted & have moved on. Our host arrived in blue shirt & tie to take our wine order. He was cheerful, friendly & engaged us. The wine soon arrived, tasted, accepted & poured. Our waiter arrived in all white with our menus. Not sure what sort of day this chap was having but he was cold, unsmiling and did not engage with us at all. Tooth ache? Headache? We definitely felt a vibe that he would rather have been some where else...He perfunctorily informed us of the specials & the fish of the day. A rather stingy plate of beautifully crusty bread & a heavenly pat of butter was put down a little too hard in front of us by ‘Grumpy Waiter’. ( let me say cutlery & plates were set down a little less than gently throughout the meal and he dripped the wine on the subsequent two top-ups of our glasses. I came very close to snapping at him but chose not to make a scene) He left us to peruse the menu which was tight and easy to navigate. We chose a number of small share plates to start. A bowl of small green olives in oil. Anchovies with potato focaccia. Plump fillets lightly drizzled with oil, not too salty and were delicious with the char- grilled bread. Grilled octopus with sliced new potatoes, Nduja & salsa verde. The octopus was tender & worked well with the spicy pork Nduja & green sauce. Thinly sliced culatella - cured pork - served with thinly sliced & lightly salted persimmon. Together the meat & fruit worked beautifully. Lastly was Venetian style baccala - salted cod- flaked & bound with a creamy dressing then served on grilled polenta fingers. Couldn’t really taste the fish while the binding was flavourless. Meh at best. For main I chose the spaghettini with prawn, crabmeat, chopped fresh tomato, garlic, chilli with white wine & oil. The prawn was chopped up into tiny pieces, the crab in small flakes. The prawn was nicely cooked with good flavour but the crab meat was lost & indiscernible. The pasta was perfectly cooked and there was a pleasant light tanginess to the dish. Very enjoyable overall. We ordered coffee & dessert. A good espresso was served. For dessert I chose a nougat semi-freddo served with poached quince & syrup. Light fresh & not too sugary. Pretty soon after the bill was silently slid across the table in a not too subtle gesture that our time was up. A few moments later our waiter cooly informed us the table will soon be needed for the next sitting and he walked away leaving us with the credit card terminal with the amount already entered. We struggled for the amount of tip to leave, if anything at all. We chose to leave a miserly tip. Normally we are far more generous with wait staff. The food was excellent over all. The space was warm, inviting with a good ambience. It was just unfortunate we ended up with ‘Grumpy Waiter’ who left a grey cloud over an otherwise very pleasant evening. He wasn’t outwardly rude but his demeanour was just off putting. It makes a huge difference to the dining experience. For this I took one star off the rating. I will recommend this place for the very good food.

Great addition to complete the venue. Food is excellent and serves are great value when you consider the quality. Service is keen, but a little sketchy on detail. That said it’s only new. My big gripe is the wine. Whilst I’m stoked to be able to browse the wine shop and pick a bottle to drink for $20 extra on site, the wine shop prices are insulting. As a restaurant it’s fine and you can build it into the experience, as a bottle shop I wouldn’t touch it. Small issue but important

Beautiful night spent with my family sharing small plates of culatello with salted persimmon, bresaola, roasted bull horn peppers and the most divine oysters.<br/><br/>We all chose to have pastas for mains, and by golly were we satisfied to the nth degree! The spaghettini with bug and crab married beautifully with a luscious garlic chilli and tomato sauce. <br/><br/>I will have to ask the staff next time I come in for the secrets to their success with the chocolate torte! How can one item be soo decadent and light at the same time? Baffling stuff.<br/><br/>Auguri to the Agostino staff, it's a big AgostiYES from me