Zanini Pizzeria & Cucina

Very very nice traditional pizza in a cosy setting, eggplant melanaze was also fantastic as were the polenta chips. Service was friendly and polite too. Could not fault much to be honest except the fact we booked through the fork at 50% off and after doing the math afterwards we realised the full food discount was not applied.

Bellissimo ristorante, costruito proprio bene in ogni minimo dettaglio. Sono stato anche nel altro zanini dove avevo provato la miglior pizza che abbia mai assaggiato. Invece qua ho voluto provare la cucina.
Sono rimasto impressionato dalla bontà dei prodotti. Dalla pasta, agli affettati con la mozzarella. Tutti prodotti di ottima qualità. Si possono trovare ottimi vini italiani. Sono stato con tutta la famiglia e siamo stati proprio bene. Torneremo.

Quite possibly the best and most authentic pizza in Melbourne. Amazing food, great service, great location – this place is an absolute must.

The interior is really clean and crisp, I liked the modern feel to the venue with the neon sign (you wanna pizza me? – of course I want a pizza!! ) and the lighting was great! We had an aranciata rossa and an aperol spritz to drink which were the perfect way to start off our Italian feast. We had the polenta chips, the gnocchi alla sorentina, the burrata pizza and a tiramisu.

The polenta chips were really well seasoned with rosemary, and the gorgonzola sauce was delicious (would have been nice to have a little more gorgonzola because it was so good!). The gnocchi were softer than clouds, and were basically falling apart when we picked them up. The sauce was also delicious and rich and paired well with the bufala which provided a creaminess to the dish. The pizza was heaven – there’s no other way to describe it. The burrata paired with the rocket, balsamic glaze and the thin woodfired crust of the pizza was delightful. For dessert we had the tiramisu which was very creamy and not too strong, it was the perfect way to end our meal.

This was probably one (if not) THE BEST Italian pasta/pizza/general dining experience I’ve had in Melbourne. I felt like I was in Italy so I am very impressed and cannot wait to return!!

We were invited to Zanini last night a relatively new sister restaurant to the original in Elwood boasting some of the most generous serving sizes I’ve seen in some time. We began the evening with the bruschetta and eggplant parmigiana. The bruschetta was a little lacking in flavour but was by no means unpleasant to eat.

The parmigiana however was a sizeable portion for an entree dish and a rich cheesy delight. For main we chose the buffalina pizza and the gnocchi sorrentina. I really enjoyed the pizza which had a perfect little base topped with a yummy tomato sugo. The gnocchi however had an odd texture for me and was a little grainy with some chunky pieces of potato. That well developed tomato sauce was a winner though.

Desserts lifted the bar. We had some exceptional donuts with Nutella which tasted even better than they looked and a decadent dark chocolate fondant which was very indulgent but would have been elevated even more by being served with some ice cream to cut through that intense chocolatey hit. Overall some average dishes but some real highs too and coupled with fabulously attentive staff and a modern on trend fit out it’s definitely worth checking out

This restaurant brings new color of Italian cuisine to the local/neighborhood by offering authentic pizzas, pastas, sides and desserts. We’re glad to be invited by Zanini’s team to have dining experience. We visited Zanini around dinner time on the weekend, it was busy and fully booked;. Luckily, we’ve reserved a table for us; You wouldn’t believe how many take-away orders went since we came.

Yay: Rigatoni Al Ragu Di Agnello, Re Di Napoli (Pizza), Tiramisu

Tonight we decided to check out the menu at Zanini Pizzeria on Inkerman Street, St Kilda East. This busy establishment had a queue of take away orders and was fully booked out on this chilly night... it seemed that everyone wanted pizza and we certainly did!

We started with a Tuscan Sangiovese and a Mornington peninsula pinot whilst we perused the menu.

Their tag line of “made in Elwood by Italians” is true and with the amount of authentic dishes on the menu it was extremely hard to decide what to go for, especially the entree. It was a toss up between the fritto misto (fried battered seafood) and the cozze alla tarantina (mussels).  We chose the latter and the plump fragrant mussels were just delicious. Thank god it was served was some crusty bread,  I was able to soak up the left over delightful sauce of fresh tomatoes, garlic and chilli oil, it would have been a sin to waste it!

For mains we chose the Cotoletta Alla Milanese  (veal Schnitz) and my fave pizza, the Napoletana. The Napoletana did not disappoint, this large pizza had wonderful salty olives and anchovies, served on a thin tomato based pizza with a bubbly crust, my taste buds are doing the happy dance. The veal was thinly sliced and crispy crumbed and was perfectly paired with a lemon wedge which lifted the meat. It came with a generous serve of fries but a rather lack lustre salad which, those who eat salad, may not appreciate. I would have appreciated a tomato or two at least.

We saved room for dessert and had to go the Straccetti alla Nutella (donuts for dessert). These handmade parcels of twisted dough are light and fluffy, the drizzled Nutella a clever way to serve ensuring the dessert is kept light without that heavy chocolate hazelnut overload. Beware the serving is extremely generous and would keep at least 4 people happy. We took more than half the dessert home for our kids (actually we don’t have kids)

A really enjoyable dining experience of and a good sister restaurant to the Elwood restaurant with the same name.