Review Cafe Di Stasio - St Kilda

Amazing Italian food done right. No fuss, just the traditional way. Probably the closest you can get to Italy now due to Covid travel restrictions! However, this place is not your everyday eatery. The price is a bit steep, so it's definitely a place to go to for a special occasion. Not to mention, service was also great.

Tasty, generous serving sizes. Tad on the expensive side. The linguine would have been an amazing mains.

PRICES INCONGRUENT WITH QUALITY AND SERVICE Cafe Di Stasio has the makings of a good restaurant but falls down on both service and quality. We dropped in for lunch on a weekend - set menu of either 3 or 5 courses. We opted for the 3 course - a scallop entree, pasta or chicken main and a slice of tiramisu. $230 all up with water is way over the top for what you get. The waiter was efficient but in that cool, stuffy way that doesn't gel with the Fitzroy al fresco dining vibe (we sat outside). People with mobility issues will struggle if they need to use the bathroom as it is located up a set of narrow stairs. the entrance has a small step to negotiate but otherwise the dining room is all on one level. Al fresco is an obvious option in beachside St Kilda but the outdoor tables feel very exposed to the passing parade on busy Fitzroy Street so I'd recommend indoor dining. As a lunch destination I think you would be better trying one of the numerous restaurants actually on the foreshore - cheaper and more menu options. If you are after a serious evening dining experience its probably an OK option. Street parking is fairly fierce but the tram line runs right past the door.

Was a great restaurant once, absolute icon. Looks like it's gone for good. What a crying shame. Nice if the the owner honestly announced the future and took the temporary closed sign down.

We went for a special occasion and had no trouble making a booking using the online system. The restaurant is quite intimate, very dark inside with only small windows and no view of the street at all. Really we could have been anywhere. The menu is authentic Italian and everything we ordered was fabulous! The angel hair pasta on the specials menu had a mushroom ragout sauce and was to die for. We ordered baked oysters, plus the slow cooked lamb and the beef - which was served rare, sliced and truly melted in my mouth. The roasted veggies were also delicious. We shared two desserts and can recommend the tiramisu. It was quite cosy seating wise and with so many hard surfaces (concrete walls and floring) it's a very noisy space. I could barely hear our conversation when the restaurant was full. Nevertheless I would still say it was a romantic environment. Our lunch for two without excessive drinks came to $350 however they do offer a set menu with two courses and a glass of wine for around $39pp. Great place for a special occasion or a truly authentic Italian fine dining experience.

Great dining experience here - food, service, ambiance - all classy and top notch. Happy to come back

Remains one of the best restaurants in Melbourne after all these years. Yes, the food is fabulous, but for once, genuinely, the waiting staff make the key difference. Professional and knowledgeable, ask them to help with food and the wine list, you really won't be sorry.

Blown away by the level of service at this restaurant 🤯 Best italian food south of the Yarra. 👌

Came here for desserts and drinks. So good. My favourite one was the chocolate mousse. Service was amazing. Would love to come back for a proper dinner one day

(Zomato Rating 3.5) The iconic Café Di Stasio has been the go-to place for lovers of Italian food for many years now. The bronze door handles are a talking point as you enter the cosy dining area. On this occasion, we opted for their ‘Slow Food’ A Seasonal Lunch which consisted of two courses, glass of wine and coffee for $39.99. There were three choices of both entrée and mains and two desserts. Service was slick and the food enjoyable.

This place just oooooozes amazingness! <br/>From the moment I stepped foot in this place, through to the professionalism of the waiters and most importantly the AMAZING food is something I’ll always hold a special memories for! <br/><br/>We ordered so much on this night however this was the only memory I took from it; Spanner Crab Angel Head Pasta 🍝🍝 🦀🦀 🙈 Amaze !!<br/><br/>This homemade pasta was next level incredible! I can’t wait to go back and indulge in this beautiful dish again!

We went for a special occasion and had no trouble making a booking using the online system.<br/>The restaurant is quite intimate, very dark inside with only small windows and no view of the street at all.  Really we could have been anywhere.  <br/>The menu is authentic Italian and everything we ordered was fabulous!  The angel hair pasta on the specials menu had a mushroom ragout sauce and was to die for.<br/>We ordered baked oysters, plus the slow cooked lamb and the beef - which was served rare, sliced and truly melted in my mouth.  The roasted veggies were also delicious.<br/>We shared two desserts and can recommend the tiramisu.<br/><br/>It was quite cosy seating wise and with so many hard surfaces (concrete walls and floring) it's a very noisy space.  I could barely hear our conversation when the restaurant was full.  Nevertheless I would still say it was a romantic environment.<br/>Our lunch for two without excessive drinks came to $350 however they do offer a set menu with two courses and a glass of wine for around $39pp.<br/><br/>Great place for a special occasion or a truly authentic Italian fine dining experience.

Lovely dining experience at this restaurant. The waiters were quick and attentive and light hearted to deal with. We had a group of six people and had sharing entree’s, mains each and some sharing sides and desserts. The food was lovely. Only downside here was the noise level. A bit hard to hear the person next to you on top of all the noise. Great experience nonetheless.

4.4. It’s been quite some time since I’ve visited this part Fitzroy Street. The environment I remember has declined somewhat. More cheapy looking businesses, fast food shops, nail salons, grog shops and the like, meaning less stylish ones around. More colorful characters wandering the street occasionally shouting abuse sometimes at others, sometimes shouting it at themselves. It’s interesting. I’m anything but a snob however Cafe di Stasio stood out like a beacon of opportunity in this slightly challenging environment. And, so it proved. On entry a smiling waiter directed me to the bar. My long black was made by a barista/server in a white coat with a black bow tie. This man is a coffee maker of the highest order. The coffee was superb. Faultless in fact. This was $4.50 well spent. The bar is a very fetching place to sit and while away a little time. This was a most enjoyable stop. I found it hard to tear myself away from this olde world charm. I must return soon for a meal here.

Rich and satisfying genuine Italian fare - the crayfish omelette and suckling pig are awesome as is the Tira Misu. Wine parings (mostly di Stasio's vineyard) are enjoyable. Tira Misu is fantastic. I've been here a few times and they mix the best Negroni in town.

We have just tried to make a reservation for December 7, for twenty people and we get it, operationally it could be quite challenging especially during a Friday dinner service. But to be answered right away with 'It's too hard to accommodate that much' followed by 'have you been to a restaurant before' is an unacceptable response as far as customer service is concerned. IT LEAVES A BAD TASTE IN THE MOUTH. Your staff could have politely declined and that would have been okay, but seriously? That kind of response would help you LOSE customers instead of gain some. You just lost us.

Very impressive Italian restaurant <br/>Finally a good place to eat real traditional Italian food in st. Kilda lovely staff.<br/>I really recommend to everyone <br/>I tried 4 kinds of pasta and it was one better the other one. Even the consistency of past hand made was perfect. I will back soon<br/>Thanks Simone

DO: Any of the pastas. <br/><br/>DON'T: Leave without also trying their main dishes. The chicken Parma was great with a side of chips. <br/><br/>TIP: For entree, must order their crab omlette. OMG

Great attentive service but for the prices I would expect a bit more on the plate. I started with a sauteed spinach with fresh parm. Tasty, but $19 for spinach fried in oil is a bit rich. The fried turbot special was nice with about a 75 to 100 g portion at about $30 without vegetables. Vegetable were and extra $20 by time we ordered two. $70 for lunch without wine is really pushing it.<br/><br/>Nice ambiance, great service, but the prices are too high for what you get.

Classic should never be interpreted as boring, though in our fast-paced world, it sometimes has a double meaning. Done well, the classics, and classic places, reveal some of our favourite experiences.<br/><br/>It is certainly not that I forgot about Cafe Di Stasio. It appears year after year on the list of restaurants I want to go back to. Unfortunately it is a very long list, such is the quality we enjoy in Melbourne.<br/><br/>The cliches come thick and fast for touristy St Kilda. It’s one of those places that I’ve always enjoyed, but rarely get to. There isn’t the edginess that Fitzroy has, or the dynamic nature of the city. Perhaps it feels too much like the places I grew up in – beachy, safe and friendly like Perth.<br/><br/>Somehow, in the busiest part of Fitzroy Street, as you walk through the doors of Di Stasio you are transported thousands of miles to an Italian oasis.

@Cafe Di Stasio <br/>This restaurant never disappoints, coming here for over 15 years and it’s still just as amazing! From the service which is fantastic to the food and on a beautiful summers day it was a great Du day afternoon lunch!

Lovely ambience and attentive service so a perfect place for that special occasion.. so long as you’re prepared to pay a pretty penny. Looking at $25-35 for an entree and mains in the +$40 mark the latter of which is quite normal for a fine restaurant i suppose. <br/>What isnt are the drink prices. Upon arrival, the party were asked if we would like a glass of champagne which is always lovely. Another opted for a gin & tonic and Hendrick’s was suggested and aptly accepted. Upon arrival of the bill though - $27 a glass champers and $30 for the G&T. I’d be expecting to be forewarned that is what I was signing up for rather than finding out after the fact. <br/>On the plus side, the entree and mains were delicious. Another let down was 2/3 desserts - both the tiramisu and mieulle foglie were overpowered with alcohol. It just took over the entire dessert. Zabaglione was nice though. <br/>I suppose still visit as it is a Melbourne institution, but I’m not sure it did enough for me for a second time visit.

Di Stasio – Seriously Underwhelming<br/><br/>I have viewed the advertisements in the The Weekend Australian magazine. The photo looks great, and of course Ronnie Di Stasio is mentioned in revered company on the radio from time to time. I was looking for an excuse to eat at his restaurant.  <br/>I have no problem paying good money for a good meal but I get annoyed if I get the feeling I am being screwed or indeed if my wife can cook a better meal.<br/><br/>We arrived on Monday for lunch. At 12:30 there were 4 -5 tables. The ambiance is great, along the lines of your classic Italian restaurants. The service is first class. The waiters are attentive and knowledgeable, but without crowding you. We were offered a glass of sparking wine as we were being seated and in my view this is always a mark of a good restaurant. We were offered Bollinger or a Prosecco. I’ve been caught before so I selected the Prosecco ($17pg). The drinks were served quickly and with our choice of water. Whilst waiting for the menu we were discussing how many of our friends might like it here.<br/><br/>The waiter offered the 2 course lunch special or a la carte. We decided on the a la carte, so the waiter explained the specials. All sounded good but as it happened we both chose entrees from the menu; Quail for my wife ($26) and Smoked Salmon ($27) for myself (on reflection mine was a bit boring). Both were good with a promise of things to come. We accompanied this with a glass of Di Stasio chardonnay from the Yarra Valley. A good chardonnay but $16pg for 150mm?<br/><br/>Just a good time between courses, to let the entrée go down and let the anticipation build.<br/><br/>For mains we both chose from the specials. My wife chose Veal rib eye with gorgonzola and pancetta ($47). It’s a pity they missed the gorgonzola and the pancetta. In essence it was a crumbed veal cutlet. I selected the Lamb loin, medium-rare ($47). Mine was dry. Of course you have to select sides these days so we selected the baked potatoes ($9.50), small cube type cuts well overdone as though they had been sitting in the oven for an hour or two too long. The pea salad ($11.50) with mint and cheese (apologies I think it was to be pecorino or parmigiano) was missing the mint and the cheese seemed as though it was pre-grated from a packet. We accompanied this with a glass of Di Stasio pinot noir from the Yarra Valley. Again a good wine as some pinots can be like cats!!!, but at $16pg for 150mm?<br/><br/>Some will say we should have sent back the mains. I rarely do as I don’t want to subject myself to the urban myths, besides if the chef stuffs it up do you really want to give him/her another chance to stuff it up further?<br/><br/>By the way the next table chose the 2 course special. In my view other restaurants would have considered it tapas.<br/><br/>We finished with coffee ($4.50pc). Total bill $275.00 for 2. I’ve paid that before at other restaurants but in this case there just wasn’t the value. As I say seriously underwhelming. We wont return nor recommend our friends as there are plenty of other restaurants waiting for our business.<br/><br/>Cheers<br/>Bill Gray

A must for everyone who enjoys fine dining italian...pricey but worth it once in a while or special occassion. Gnocchi lovely pillows.....eye fillet sliced was melt in ur mouth...choc mousse and tiramisu...yum....will def be back and highly recommend.They have a bar menu as well which i am going to investigate..would be lovely there as well with a main and glass of wine.<br/>

Review from October 2016<br/>The drama at Cafe di Stasio starts on entry, with hand-shaped bronze door handles offering the universal sign for rock 'n' roll. Continue past moody, mottled grey walls adorned with Bill Henson works to lamp-lit tables covered in white linen. Add some attentive waitstaff, and dining here feels like an event. At over 30 years old, Cafe di Stasio's a St Kilda stalwart for a reason!<br/>Pictured: crab tagliatelle

Yeahhhh! Nah... yeahhh<br/><br/>Hadn't been here previously but gave it a go from a friends a recommendation. Staff were friendly, delivered the specials well and gave advice when ordering the food which I thought was great. However after pouring our wine, our waiter left the white wine bottle on the table, which we had to ask to be put back in the fridge. We would have to ask to have our glasses top up when we could grab their attention. Food was very nice with generous serves and came in good time. The side dish of Roasted vegetables were the pick. <br/><br/>Overall pleasant experience but not sure if I would rush to go back. Expect more for the price point in comparison with other options in Melbourne.

Without a booking three friends & I showed up on a Saturday night hoping to find a table. We were pleasantly surprised that we could be accommodated on a busy night. We were seated at a table right next to the door, which was rather draughty but hey, we got a table! The menus & wine list quickly arrived and the table water dispensed. I was a bit taken aback at the pricing at $29-31 for entrees, $39-45 for mains. I chose stuffed zucchini flowers which were beautifully cooked with a light cheesy stuffing and for main house-made linguini with prawns. The pasta was firm, perhaps a little on the wrong side of 'al dente', the sauce a light tomato base infused with garlic & a hint of chilli and the prawns plump & tasty. I normally don't add salt but in this case the dish needed a smattering of salt. It was not a huge portion but satisfying. One of my fellow diners ordered the porcini risotto which was apparently delicious but shall we say less than generous - more entree size than main meal...We went the whole hog so to speak & ordered desserts as well. My choice was a rhubarb Mille Feuille with Cointreau sauce. The moment it was placed in the table my fellow diners burst into laughter. Was it the look of utter dismay on my face or the mere sight of this minuscule dessert on a giant plate. It was delectable! Beautiful flaky pastry, a light cream filling and tiny morsels of luscious dark red rhubarb. I think it was over in about two spoonfuls. Had the kitchen just run out of it and this was all they could plate up or were they stretching it out as far as they could? One of my more outspoken companions let the waiter know of my dismay at such a miserly serve, much to my embarrassment. The waiter disappeared without a word but promptly returned with another 'spoonful' of this heavenly dessert on a small plate. The gesture was much appreciated! Over all our meals were of a high standard and the service attentive. On the negative; portion size for one and the other for each of the three courses, one of our group was left waiting for a little while, while the others were served their courses. Really enjoyed the meal and will return again.

Let me start by saying that the food was fantastic. The steak specifically was really good. But I am writing this review based on what went wrong, not right. There were 2 problems that we had, and they were both service issues. <br/><br/>1. I am a very fast eater, and I usually finish my food well before my wife. Our server kept removing my empty plates while my wife was still busy working on her food. It just is a bad look when only one person has a plate in front of them. Wait until the whole table is done with the course and then clear it all at the same time. I would think this is common sense especially at a fine dinning restaurant with a great reputation. <br/><br/>2. When we first arrived our table was not ready. We were pointed to the bar to have a drink while we waited. My wife got a glass of wine, while I got a scotch. The bar menu listed my scotch at $18 but when we got the bill it was listed at $25. I brought this up to the sever and he proceeded to explain that the bar and restaurant have different pricing for whiskey (which seems crazy on its own). When we told him that we ordered it at the bar while looking at the bar menu with bar prices, he kept arguing back that the restaurant had different prices. After a bit of back and forth, he disdainfully offered to change the price. I said don't worry about ( since it was obviously a big problem for him) and without flinching just charged my card the full amount. A few things went wrong here. a. It's ok that he explained why it was priced different, but it should have immediately been followed up by "but I will change it for you" instead of us having to plead our case. b. When you offer to make an adjustment and the customer says don't worry about it, at least put up a fight to show that you understand rather than just turning around and charging the full amount. <br/><br/>These things left a bit of a bad taste after an otherwise great meal.

The food took ages to come out... and when it did the pasta wasn't fully cooked. Really unfortunate as the service was great. Wouldn't recommend this to anyone. A lot nicer Italian restaurants in the area!

I have dined at Di Stasio a few times and it never disappoints. The mushroom risotto I had last time was one of the best I have ever had. A personal favourite of mine is the saltimbocca and the semonlina pan fried gnocchi is a nice touch. Great wine list maybe a little bit too pricey as I recognised a particular bottle of pinot noir I had at another restaurant with a substantial mark up. The service is excellent and the staff are clearly very knowledgable. Definitely one of the better Italian restaurants in Melbourne.

The guy behind the bar here really blew me away, we had after work drinks and everything he recommended I loved. I have him a list of ingredients I liked and he made a few cocktails, one became my favourite which I still ask for today at bars and it's never the same! Loved it.

The food was what you would expect for fine dining. The service was disgusting! Each waiter was more rude and miserable than the next! Lift your game distasio and treat your customers with some level of respect! You all need a good dose of manners! Won't be back!

Another brilliant dinner at Di Stasio this week. Being a pasta fanatic, I find it so difficult to go past their pasta dishes, and so missed-out on the Porchetta with Apple and roasted Pork Chops, which both looked mouth-wateringly good. Instead I opted for an entree of Pappardelle with braised boar ragu, and a main course of angel hair pasta with blue swimmer crab cooked in white wine with a dash of chilli. When it's this good - double the pasta is never enough! Service was impeccable as ever. One of my top two traditional Italian restaurants in town.

Returned to this long time Melbourne institution on a Monday night. Good but not great. Traditional Italian menu. Whole fish was good. As were oysters. Extensive wine list - but pricey. Service fine. A bit over priced, professional. Good not great.

I will give big 0 to this restaurant! Is not kids friendly, bad service and the boss of this restaurant is a jerk and racist! Such a shame of Italian restaurant in Australia!

It is an iconic Melbourne dining experience that will stay in your memory for years to come and you will not be disappointed.<br/><br/>Ronnie is the master of authentic Italian dining and with good reason. <br/><br/>A wonderful restaurant for an intimate dinner for two or a small corporate dinner for those wanting to make a stunning impression that won’t be forgotten. <br/><br/>As always, divine.<br/>Thank you and see you again soon.

Visited Cafe Di Strasio last night, and could not have been more disappointed.<br/> <br/>The evening started well, and we were seated without hassle. The maitradee' presented us with our menu, however it was 15 minutes until the waiter appeared to tell us about the specials. We then waited another 15 minutes before he returned to take our order. The wait until our entree' was fine, but we then waited another 20 min after our plate was cleared to receive our first main (we ordered two mains to be shared). The first main was delicious, but we then waited 30-40 minutes for the next main to appear. Finally we asked for the bill (which again took 10 minutes to get his attention). Upon receiving the bill the waiter disappeared and didn't return for 15 minutes. Finally the bill was incorrect and no apology was forthcoming for the mistake.<br/><br/>The food was nice, however you are also paying for a level of service which was not forthcoming. <br/><br/>If you are planning an evening dinner, I would look elsewhere.

Very poor. I say this ironically because the restaurant itself was extremely overpriced. We ordered two glasses of the cheapest pinot noir and two main pastas which came to $108. The portions were small and the pasta was undercooked. Also, our waiter was indifferent to the point of being rude.<br/><br/>So if you're into pretentious venues and over priced, terrible food go right ahead. I won't be going back.... ever.

I dined for the first time a Cafe Di stasio last night and was appalled and shocked by the behavior of the staff from the moment we stepped into the restaurant. It was my birthday, and I was celebrating with girlfriends.From the moment we walked into the restaurant the staff were rude and condescending. One girlfriend wanted to move into the bar and one waiter told her we could, until another ( who i later found out was the manager) very rudely advised that we couldn't. So we sat where we were seated. I tried to rest my hat on an accompanying chair and was asked to remove it because people were coming there - 2 hours later the table was still empty. Our first drinks arrived, and my girlfriends drink had a fly in it, this is neither here nor there but then we waited almost an hour for our food whilst everyone around us who arrived later was served. Literally everyone. We could see the staff laughing and joking in the background and no-one paid us any attention all evening. When the food came it was average at best and the staff continued to be rude and totally uninterested. My girlfriend then asked for a slice of cake for my birthday and she was totally ignored and nothing ever came. I have not complained in a restaurant in over ten years but was forced to say something to our waiter who was disinterested in our comments . What was even more shocking is that the Manager, who was aware of what was going on didn't even come over to apologies or enquire as to the issue. I am a partner in several restaurants in New York and have never seen such obnoxious and arrogant behavior and poor service in my life. My GM would have enquired as to the issue and no matter what tried to make amends. The five of us will never go back and shame on those waiters for thinking that that sort of behavior is appropriate in any setting. Treat people like kings and kings like people doesnt hold well in this institution. Doesn't say much for Australian fine dining.

To say the service was completely inadequate and the staff were obnoxious would be an understatement. My girlfriends and I went for my best friend's birthday and from the moment we walked in the staff including the manager Andrew were rude. The food took nearly an hour to arrive when it did it was average at best and then when we ordered cake for my friend they totally disregarded us.<br/>All in all, one of the worst dining experiences I've ever had.

The deco is nice. The food is ok. The female manage attitude is very bad. It is too expensive. Will never refer to my friend or go to this restaurant again.

Great service, great ambience and great food. Food service was a bit slow. You must be willing to spend $40 (approx) for a main that serves as a size of entrée.

Bit of a fizzer, don't bother. <br/>It is okay - the food was delicious and beautifully presented , but the service was pedestrian and patchy. Some of the staff really should not be front of house , or at least need some training: surprisingly poor.<br/>Maybe the direction had been lost and it is just a factory now - we had been before and it was suberb, but now only the food and wine is good, which doesn't need a restaurant. Very sad, go to Matteo's instead , same idea, just done well

The place to go for true Italian cuisine , outstanding service and attention to detail . Superior wine list and beautiful ambiance . Highly recommended

This is one of my favourite place in Melbourne. The food is absolutely amazing. Small portion but top quality. Old school but professional services. I never have any disappointment from there. Just Love it!

The staff were very welcoming.. the service was on point .. The food was amazing didn't take to long ... The pasta with spanner crab was beautiful ... Haven't been there in a long time was not disappointed ...

My partner Patrizio and i came across this fabulous restaurant on one of our dates and we just found the ambience delightful!<br/>We just love everything Italian!! Lets be honest us Italiani are the best at everything and no other nationality around the world do it as good as us!! As i always say, everyone wishes they were Italian ;) !!<br/>Well how disappointed were we with our night at Cafe Di Stasio!<br/>Service was dreadfully slow, food was cold, and the waiters weren't Italian, and the overall experience, well we've had lot better.<br/>I wanted an amazing Italian experience in Melbourne and again i didnt get it!!

Lately I've been dining at Italian venues quite a lot. #carbloading love this venue. The fitout is so unique. Music is on point and the food is just fantastic. Service was very good too. My favourite were the bolognese Arancini balls and melenzane. Yum!

I was super impressed with this place! It came recommended from a friend, so i decided to take a punt and organise my parents 30th wedding anniversary here! We loved everything about this place. The waiters had exceptional knowledge on everything, and were helpful in recommending things to have! We had a wonderful time, and to our surprise, they brought out a dessert with sparklers in it, and congratulations written on it! My parents felt very special! it doesn't end there, they brought everyone to the table (7 guests), a complimentary glass of dessert wine! They went above and beyond, and i have not stopped raving to my friends and family about this place! It is pricey, but we didn't mind paying for great quality food, which is hard to find these days! Thank you to all the wonderful staff at Di Stasio for a rememberable anniversary for my parents! See you soon!

Five of us went to Di Stasio's on Monday night and were bitterly disappointed with the food and the service. We had very high expectations due to the two chefs hats status, however Di Stasio's does not deserve these. I would expect flawless service for two hats (something we received at Grossi Florentino's where the wait staff are like Ninjas!). <br/>The waiter was absent minded and unfriendly. He forgot one of our sides, accidentally took my husbands' wine glass, answered awkwardly when asked for his recommendations about the food or wine, and ran off when we still had questions about the menu. <br/>We also expected everything on the menu to be excellent, however the weird Japanese-style crab omelette was smothered in sauce so you couldn't taste the crab, two people at the table ordered it and didn't like it. My main course of pork belly was truly amazing. However the dessert was so average, I was surprised. It was a chocolate mousse like the sort you can whip up at home in 10 mins. No creative accompaniments such as an interesting flavoured ice cream or something crunchy or a sauce, just a miniature jug of pouring cream which added nothing to it, and it cost $16. Seriously can't believe this place has two hats. There are much better Italian restaurants in Melbourne with one hat or none!

This is as close to Italy as I've experienced in Australia. This is not modern Italian. This is traditional. Yet it is beautiful. And elegant

classic italian food done exceptionally well, in an intimate space. classic decor with a gothic twist. the staff are amazingly friendly and helpful and dressed immaculately in white coats. a true melbourne institution.

I had high expectations of this restaurant but was disappointed by my main course, prawn linguini. The pasta was ridiculously "al dente", in fact, dry and hard like a reheated pasta from the day before! When I complained I was offered another meal but then the waiter said that the pasta was meant to be like that in keeping with true Neapolitan cooking, a point he reiterated as I was leaving. What happened to the old adage that the customer is always right?

I travel to Italy several times a year and have lived there. This food is far from some of the best as it claims to be. <br/><br/>It seems to be so much an institution that it doesn't seem to care about the many reviews that talked about the arrogant waiters, and I would include the manager here, who showed us to our table as if she resented the expectation. When she vaguely pointed in the general direction of our table, I asked which one and she loped to drag out a chair of the correct table. <br/><br/>The portions were ridiculously small. The wine, minimum possible glass $13, was certainly not a standard measure, more like a half measure, possibly to encourage patrons to have at least two to even get a reasonable glass.<br/><br/>My husband is a connoiseur of tiramisu but I convinced him to order the zabaglioni. (I didn't want to eat sugar). He found if so disappointing he ordered the tiramisu after and that was equally disappointing. <br/><br/>My tagliatelle was good but not buonissima at $28 for a small portion. <br/><br/>When the waiter realized he was not being tipped he became even more snooty, bordering on rude. <br/><br/>Why we put ourselves through such an experience even after reading the many other poor reviews, is a mystery to us even now! I guess we wanted to see for ourselves which of the glowing or critical reviews were right, hoping of course for the former.

Was absolutely horrified and disgusted in this restaurant. Firstly we had 9 people and were placed in a back room and almost forgotten about, wine took 30 minutes to come and when you needed a waiter there was no one around. The food, while tasted good wouldn't even feed a 5 year old with how small the portions were. We ordered the fish, which was tiny and had no sides, just a piece of fish on a plate. Will definitely not be heading back here anytime soon, if at all.

Went there in a busy night, a frustrated waiter dumped two big chunks of bread before the meal served with salt and butter. My question about the menu was annoyed by the server. The entree was fine which was scallop gratiń, but I paid 38 dollars for a burnt lasagne taste exactly the same as the one in can there's no freshness for the whole dish follow by the "slow cooked" lamb the flavour is completely bland and dry plus the meat is not tender as well. <br/>Fine dinning experience only by its price.

Absolutely the most horrific dining experience I have ever had!! My friend and I visited this place to celebrate his birthday this week. I ordered a pasta for the main (I have ordered this dish the last 10 times I've been here - I thought I'd give it another chance after I had to send the plate back the last time). The pasta came out VERY undercooked. Not aldente. Almost raw! I got my friend (who btw has travelled all over Italy) to try it and he completely agreed with me. My friends dish wasn't good either - like it had been reheated in the microwave. We sent the pasta back via the waiter who was serving us. 30 seconds later, he comes back out and tells us the pasta should be "crunchy" and that's how they serve the pasta at Di Stasio. Another 30 seconds later this big, fat, rude woman, who I later found out is the operations manager, came out and started going off her head at me saying she was going to bring out my pasta "overcooked" for me and I had no idea how pasta should be cooked. I just couldn't believe my ears. She was aggressive and overbearing, literally standing over me at the table talking down to me. I lost my appetite, and after she left I told the waiter to cancel my order. 10 seconds after he disappears this same rude woman plonks (literally plonks) the plate of pasta in front of me. When I told her that I no longer wanted the meal, these were the words she used "well there's plenty of other restaurants in Melbourne you can go to." And yes, she is right. They have just lost 2 very regular customers to another restaurant in Melbourne. We walked out utterly disgusted. The so-called operations manager not only ruined our night, over a plate of pasta, but also my friends birthday celebration. They should be ashamed of themselves and good luck to the owner having a person like that in charge of what is supposed to be a fine dining restaurant. We will NEVER be back again.

Amazing. I tried the eggplant, arancini and the ragu. I highly recommend all of these dishes. I am so shocked to see these mixed reviews as we had an amazing dining experience. It is a touch expensive but the experience was worth it!

Went to Di Stasio on a Saturday night for a special occasion as we had heard it was good. We were so disappointed! Waited 2 hours for our mains and when we finally said we were leaving they miraculously appeared. Had the veal and lasagne but unfortunately the veal seemed cheap, tough, tasteless and ridiculously small (even by fine dining standards). The lasagne was also incredibly bland. We sent them back and the manager handled the situation very well but did not seem surprised. The bill still came to $120 for two entrees and a bottle of wine and we went home dinnerless. Definitely couldn't recommend it.

Wine list was nice and the waiting staff were friendly. However, we won't be back. Given the price point of this restaurant I was expecting a lot more. We booked a table for 8.30pm. Firstly table wasn't ready on arrival. Promptly after being seated we ordered starters which took almost 1.5 hours to arrive. The wait staff offered us some complementary nibbles to keep us going until we were served but it wasn't ideal. We were very underwhelmed by the food when it did arrive. Only about 50% of our group enjoyed the meal.

We booked a table here on our anniversary for 8:30pm, we were seated in the bar to have a drink and told "your table will just be a few minutes". 1 hour later we were finally seated at our table, we ordered and our meal arrived 40 minutes later, Unbelievable! It was lucky we had no other plans. The meal portions were exceptionally small (as shown in the photo, about $70 worth) and not worth the money we paid for them. The wine list and actual wine - 10/10. The waiter that looked after us, 10/10. The flavours were ok, Everything else, don't waste your time. Very dissapointed as when we walked in the place it looked incredible. Unfortunately I'll be advising you don't waste your time here.

Went here on a Saturday night. Great ambience and great vibes. Some great wine list too. Definitely amazing choice to enjoy a few drinks. But we chose the restaurant over bar seating and decided to have dinner. Very busy and lively energies. The food is Classic Italian but for my personal choice I did not like the variety offered on the menu. I wasn't up for a pasta that night so my choices cut down to even less. We ordered the octopus from entree which were probably the best I have ever eaten. Everything else was average the salads are very below average in fact, my partner ordered a pasta which could pass for mediocre as well. Overall an average experience for us and lacked to find that one spectacular reason at the least to wana go back since there are so many places in Melbourne that offer great food with great ambience.

Tried the special tagliatelle pasta with duck, and it was probably the worst pasta I've ever had in a restaurant, each strand was very tough to swallow. <br/><br/>My friend had the risotto which had decent flavour but the risotto was again undercooked and too hard.<br/><br/>The service was snobbish, and they messed up my coffee order, bringing out the incorrect coffee.

Enjoyed the express lunch yesterday with two of my very best girlfriends.  Great value, delicious food!<br/>The girls and I hadn't caught up in a while & the waitstaff were extremely conscious of giving us time to catch up.  We all received very warm welcomes off the cold, windblown street and were very patient with our delays to ordering!

<br/>Why did we return?<br/><br/>We took two of our best friends out for dinner after one of them performed some great lifesaving surgery on a parent- so we wanted to make it special. <br/><br/>The food is really so so. Pasta is dry, the special scampi (2 halves) was ok but at $40 it's ludicrous. I had the wild boar for main - fine if you're in a farmhouse in Tuscany after shooting the pig but this was tough with the sauce simplistic and exaggerated. Two of us had the chocolate torte - a great finish but again at $39, a real farce. <br/><br/>I have been here before and not liked it. I should have learnt my lesson. <br/><br/><br/>I kind of left the restaurant with an undecided view of the experience. The food was good but not outstanding. For me, this place is over priced with a real feel that it's more about the waiters than the paying diners.

Best coffee in Australia so far, real espresso. The atmosphere is also very good, and the staff awesome. Tastes like Italy. I'll definitely come back next time I'm visiting Melbourne.

Visited this suburban Italian restaurant located at St. Kilda. A typical busy restaurant with a lot of diners are Italians. We ordered the recommended dishes of the day, Scampi, Oysters 2 Ways, Pasta & Sole fish. They are rustic but very tasteful. I was surprised to have a whole fish done in Italian restaurant so nice and authentic. It was worth for the trip.

this is one of my favourites! the dinner menu is tastier than lunch but still yummy. Very romantic and classy. calamari is the best!! and in general a must in melbourne! Only downfall is it's way overpriced and staff are arrogant

Don't get it. Don't get how they are rated as two hats. They must have a special relationship with the age good food guide. Food was nice but nothing to write home about. Been to many one hat places and find them better than this joint. Decor desperately needs an update too.

Came here for their lunch deal a while ago on my own. Had baked rigatoni for starter which was absolutely delicious. Main was a fish pie which just awful. It was just pieces of dry salmon in a nasty tasting sauce wrapped in undercooked pastry, served with some rocket. I know it's a lunch deal but a place with a reputation the likes of cafe di stasio (not to mention the prices) should be hitting the mark on every dish. Now on to the service...I was made to feel a bit like a homeless man had stumbled into the queens dining room and, despite being allowed to stay by the lady herself, was clearly an irritation for the butlers. One word answers, no eye contact, dismissive. Really unbelievable. I wasn't even offered my coffee which was part of the 'deal' and felt too awkward to ask for it. Go for the rigatoni, but get a takeaway.

Still the best Italian food in Melb. I have been dining at DiSatsio for over 15 years and I still find it hard to fault. Yes the main dining room at times has a certain attitude about it .. however that is part of the experience. If you want the amazing food with out the theatrics - do what I do - dine on the Bar side - same menu - less formal - whether it is a solo risotto on a rainy weekday, very long lunch with girlfriends and Ronnie sending over amazing cocktails ....or a quiet dinner with my husband - Danny and his team make it a meal to remember! Mi Piace !

Arrogant waiters!. I took a friend from interstate for lunch to Di stasio ,whom had just returned from New York. Food quite good,that's where it ended.Arrogant rude waiters, except for young Italian. They even tried to rip us of with credit card payment! Should have learnt from last visit never to return to Di stasio. What a contrast dinner that night at lamaros in South Melbourne friendly impeccable service with food to match.

Rude arrogant waiters !!!! We went for lunch and had the $40 menu not bad food and we did have one waiter who was nice (Italian I think) but the others were rude and arrogant. We were an inconvenience for them. We won't be back! There are many other restaurants, so look out ! You can't trade on your name forever Never again

A PUZZLE. WE ate lunch here today on a $35 special. Just as well we did NOT read the host of bad reviews before hand or we may not have gone! We had a different experience with our friends. We arrived on time to be greeted and shown to our "bigger" 4 seater table. The tables ARE small here for 4+ people so they get a few more in. We explained that we wanted the lunch special, and the menu and a few variations were explained by our very polite and attentive waiter. The entrees were a reasonable size BUT the main courses WERE on the small side. For lunch this did not matter but for a dinner at normal, expensive prices, one would have reason to be unhappy. A large piece of bread each was brought to us once we ordered as well as the complimentary wine. Water was regularly filled. Apart from the small serving size the meal was really tasty, tender, nicely served on WARM PLATES (essential). A coffee was included and rounded off a nice casual lunch. We found all the staff who attended us polite, efficient and helpful. There was a nice BUZZ in the restaurant without excessive noise. Maybe we had such a good experience as we came at 12.30 and were served and ordered before the masses arrived.<br/>We may return sometime at night to see if there is a difference, apart from the obvious price difference.

Never again. After hearing great things, went to this restaurant a couple of months ago. Food was ok, not great. However, when the waiter starts an argument with Customer, and not just curt - full on had to be dragged away from the table by another waiter I almost walked out. Completely unacceptable. Forget this place - go to Cicciolina's instead! Much better food and atmosphere!

The negative reviews here are accurate. I normally use Urbanspoon as a guide on the quality of a restaurant (which admittedly is not always accurate) and despite the low score rating, I was curious to try this place as it has consistently received two hats from The Age Good Food Guide. A very disappointing experience from the get go and the 66% urbanspoon rating at the time of writing is generous in my opinion. Arrived at the restaurant bang on time but was forced to wait next to the door without even being acknowledged for a good 10 minutes. Finally got shown to our table with a nonchalant nod by one of the waiters who could not even be bothered to open his mouth. The table was not set up at all and we were sitting at the table for 10 minutes before we were given the menu. Was then asked a few minutes later by presumably the restaurant manager (as she was the only one in casual clothes) if we wanted to order drinks and I said we are still deciding on the food and will order drinks after to pair the wine with the food once we had decided. She looked surprised by this and gave me a disapproving look before walking away. <br/><br/>Service throughout the night was patchy at best, long waits for our food (took an hour for our entrees to arrive) and the food is such a let down for a two hat restaurant and for the price we paid. $35 for an entree?? The wild boar main that I had was so dry and the sauce for the veal that my partner had was so salty. Australian wine by the glass is ridiculously overpriced compared to many other top restaurants in Melbourne. If you are after quality fine dining Italian food, Di Stasio is definitely not up to scratch. Perhaps the owners and chefs should go to Il Bacaro one night where although expensive, the food is sensational and the service is top notch. What a total let down.

Poor service - bad food. Very unfriendly and patronising service. The eggplant pasta was salty and totally overpowered by garlic. The pork and chicken with cabbage was also very salty, the pork fillet so dry it was uneatable. Overall a most disappointing experience.

Very Poor Service. I had my 16th birthday dinner in the private dining room and I was very disappointed in the service. We didn't get the attention of a paying customer should get, we waited 1 and a half hours for our main meal. The service was so slow that we couldn't have dessert due to our prebooked car arriving when we were still eating out main meals, resulting in not being able to sing happy birthday. The price of the meals was very overpriced for what we go.

Rude staff / small portions. Having eaten at Di Stasios over many years we finally gave up last year,tired of the rude/indifferent waiter and small portions.Frankly dont know how it has stayed in business for so long.

Avoid. The portions are miniscule and the pasta was returned as it was nearly raw. Waiters arrogant and rude. Prices for wine by the glass are exorbitant.

Very disappointed to walk up outside with wife and work colleague and ask a waiter if they did cheese platters and after being told yes, a very rude man seated outside who I assume is the owner (overweight bald man) spoke to water in Italian and waiter immediately said we should look elsewhere. I presume wearing jeans and sandles was not to his taste. Unfortunately I will never get to try there supposed nice food after that effort.

Very poor service. Having booked a week and a half before ,for a birthday weekend, we were looking forward to a great dinner at Dispasio... Unfortunately it was not to be... Extremely unfriendly service made the whole experience very disappointing ... Good was good but the attitude of the staff was overwhelmingly nasty...try somewhere else where they will treat you with a little courtesy and friendliness .. Not a place for a good night out and very expensive.....:(((

Rip off. I have just sadly returned home from one of the worst, shocking dining experience ever. A group of 6 people offered menus and specials. Maybe self & a friend had ordered an entree a hand ful of pasta with shaved truffle. Quite tasteless and minimal. No mention of a hefty price tag until I was presented with a bill of $75 for an entree. Why was this not mentioned upon suggestion by the waiter?? Or the maitre de. I was so blown away. I felt blindly ripped off. I have lived in Tuscany for 5 years and I know what truffle tastes like, this had nil resemblance. Not to mention the blind robbery. I feel terribly let down

<br/>The Tiramisu at Café Di Stasio was on the Urbanlist for Top 50 Meals you Have to Eat in Melbourne that I have promised to eat myself through this year. I had high expectations and unfortunately I left more than disappointed. This was the worst dining experience I have had in a very long time. The Front of Cafe Di Stasio in St Kilda The service was awful from the minute we walked in the door. We didn’t even get so much as a smile from the guy manning the bar..

...oven-roasted suckling pig is beautifully soft but still with perfect crackling that I just couldn’t achieve at home. A white-jacket pours a delicious jus from a separate jug, and the baked apple is sweet and caramelised, with just enough sour to cut through the rich pork. The dish also comes with a little pile of baked julienne sliced zucchini in garlic. The sum total is heaven...

Di Stasio, named for its larger-than-life founder Ronnie Di Stasio has occupied the same spot for nigh on 25 years and maintained a reputation for the very best in Italian cooking...

An oasis located in a sea of detritus makes attending this restaurant (strangely called a café so you get the feeling that they are over-delivering on all sensory fronts) which is considered a "Melbourne institution" for 25 years and counting not only a culinary adventure but a clash of art and subtle design nuances juxtaposed with the wild and wanton human zoo kept at bay only by the sheer strength of Robbie's bronze hands and of course the stern front of house. An adventure that I would happily undertake again.

The food is traditional Italian fare, beautifully cooked and simple in an intimate and refined setting.

Bar Di Stasio is a brand new addition to Di Stasio, where one can meet and drink in sophistication. The moment you step into the bar, you will notice the stylish and sophisticated interiors.

...I love it. I’ve returned. And I will return again. At this almost barren end of Fitzroy Street Croce via di Stasio and Cafe di Stasio are burning bright.

I was very very excited to sample the dishes as I have only ever heard excellent reviews for this restaurant (apart from the occasional groans about the size of the bill).

Dessert didn't appeal to us and getting menus and waiting for them to take the order just seemed to take too long as did trying to catch someone's eye to get the bill and then the subsequent card payments.

In all the food had its high and its lows, but for the price tag I would've expected slightly more consistency in execution. The service - executed by waiters in starched white coats that made all the appropriate actions - was slightly intimidating, as they hovered over you with sombre expressions while you made your choices. The atmosphere made sense - a quick look around at the lunch crowd told us that there were no customers under 40 - but it did feel a little bit 'stiff upper lip' for trendy and vibrant St Kilda.

Initial impressions... Excellent service.. the Maitre D who served us was amazingly professional, friendly and funny all at once.. he kind of reminded me of a very good butler in English/French literature... you know the type.. poised and springs upon you

Mr A was kind enough to organise a dinner out to welcome me back home and he had chosen Café Di Stasio. It is located on a busy strip in St Kilda and its dark interior is cosy and sophisticated - a great date venue. To start, we ordered an entrée to share. The tuna was seared nicely while the salad was zesty in flavour. Seared tuna with Fennel, Capers and Pancetta I was after something simple so I went for the special of Angel hair pasta with crab. With the classic flavours of garlic, chilli, parsley and crab, it was a great pasta dish. The serving portion was on the small size though, especially after returning from America, and you can see from the photo it was plated up very awkwardly. Angel hai

To finish our expedition around St Kilda, we wind up at Di Stasio's bar for a couple of cocktails and some delicious nibbles. With hushed tones, marble bench top and a wall of art, the space is immensely elegant and is all class, with smartly dressed waiters complete with pressed white shirts and bow ties.

Cafe di Stasio is a bit of an institution on Fitzroy St. It has a kind of odd, Venetian style decoration that hasn't changed in years, professional waiters (not students of backpackers serving tables as in most of the other restaurants surrounding it) tha

I love Vue de Monde (extravagant, original, fine dining theatre - chef and francophile Shannon Bennett is the closest thing Melbourne has to Heston Blumenthal - City Centre), Jacques Reymond (modern Australian take on classic fare - see my earlier review

Spaghetti with crab<br/>The menu is classic Italian with some modern touches. A trio of fat, lightly tanned scallops ($29) have been oven baked in their shells and given some crunch with a topping of bread crumbs, parmesan and parsley. A tangle of spaghetti ($29) is flecked with parsley and slivers of fresh crab meat and slick with a buttery sauce.

Really suprised at so many negative reviews! i had a great time here, nice food, excellent service and the food came out pretty quickly. only criticism would be how closely packed the tables and chairs are. Otherwise it was wonderful

One Hat at best. Far too expensive for the food you receive [some of the food is good and some 2nd rate]<br/>Price of sparkling water is offensive if you are also ordering wines

Terrible service. No water or menus brought to the table after 10 mins waiting outside. Asked waiter what today's risotto was and got a one word answer. For fine dining pricing the service was NOT there. Avoid at all costs better money spent at other restaurants!

Waiting for 10mins for a waiter with attitude to be annoyed we didn't know what we wanted because they hadn't given us menu's. Over priced and not worth the hassle! Asked what the risotto was and was given a one word answer. AVOID!

I don't understand why there are so many negative reviews. Yes the service is a little slow however the food is amazing. My Morton Bay bug risotto was sublime. I think people are becoming over pretentious when dining and acting as though they're some sort of food critic. Relax and try to enjoy the experience.

TWO CHEF HATS REALLY ????. I have no i dea how this establishment has received a 2 hats. On arrival we were greeted and shown our tables(cheap cafe style chairs with small tables), they pack them in like sardines. The food was average I can name 1 hat restaurants that are far better than this place. I ordered the scallops, they were tiny and looked like some amateur had cooked them up. My daughter ordered the Caprese Al Forno and the tomatoes were not ripe, they were tasteles. The main meals I ordred the slow cooked lamb which was not that special. My wife ordered the roast duck which was dry and my daughter ordered the suckling pig which was on the dry side as well. They rushed out to pour the gravy and duck sauce so they must of known that they were over cooked. Dessert i ordered the Tiramisu which was drowning in strega, never had a Tiramisu with so much alcohol in it. My wife tried to order the Millefoglie which was the highlight of the night after the waiter got it wrong twice.I mus say it was nice though. The second time he brought out the Zabaglione Con Le Fragole which he remarked it's here now so eat it !! I do not reccomend this place at all to anyone, there are much better options. Slow service and overpriced, food very average for what you're paying for.