A very authentic Italian eatery in Thornbury, the food may not look presentable and fancy enough, but it surely taste better than most of it. I really like they used pancetta instead of bacon, it adds a unique salty “depth” into the pasta. Heard that their dessert are bomb but sadly didn’t get to try it. The restaurant is not spacious, and not convenient for a large gathering, more like a place where you ate with one or two friends. @onehangryqueen
The best Italian in the north side and possibly in Melbourne. Food comes out quickly and well priced. Can not recommend this place enough
Best pasta I’ve found in Melbourne, have tried quite a few different ones all yummy. Only complaint is it’s hard to get a table and service can be a little patchy.
Absolutely amazing food, service is always good service and the specials are constantly changing. Greta outdoor area and we’ll sheltered. Food has always been quality! Will return again and again Thankyou!
Really good night!
We arrived on Saturday night and the place is buzzing. They only have one outside table in from of the book shop but you can't drink there. They made us sat there first and very short few minutes later they got us a table inside.
We ordered a bottle of Prosecco to start with. Even my friend splashed the drink and broke the plate, the staff was still smiling. Too nice! Food we ordered calamari salad, the platter, arancini balls, seafood pasta and a tiramisu. Everything was soooooo yummy! Literally can't fault any of the dish we ordered!
Thanks for the great service and amazing food!
This is a favourite in the area, The tastes are clean, subtle and honour the casa or home. The tiramisu is exceptional and anyone who knows anything, knows that tiramisu is the easiest to make yet most difficult to perfect.
From the moment you walk in the smiles and greetings are warm and even though the place looked full, a table was ready for us in a few minutes. I ordered the special Eggplant Parmigiana with salad for $17 and two of my colleagues went for the Veal Cotoletta with salad which was also on the specials board for $18. Can i say both meals were delicious and what i liked were the salads on each were different and not an afterthought but a real accompaniment to the hero on the plate. This place is great, and the narrowness and tightness of the space adds to the authenticity and atmosphere. Must also mention the bread, slightly drizzled with olive oil, the crust is to die for and is exactly how italian style bread should be.
Hard to fault this authentic and very Italian eatery. The food is like eating at your Italian friends grandmas house. Classic flavours, good ingredients and great customer service. Can’t wait to come back and try more of the menu
3.5. Have heard a lot about the pastas here and was excited to try it out. The space is cosy and intimate with attentive service, and food comes out fast. We started with the calamari (tasty), meatballs (ok), and fish balls (nice especially with the extra kick of chilli). Then we had the spaccatelli carbonara and ragu, both with good sauces and generous serves of pancetta/veal. Overall, a nice place for dinner, and whilst not the best pastas I've had in Melbourne, a decent place to try if you're in the area.
Between Papa WFYB and Mama WFYB’s dislike of noisy places and long queues, Mr WFYB’s limited palate and my numerous intolerances, it’s always a chore choosing where to go for my birthday dinner. I thought of Peruvian restaurant Pastuso, but I couldn’t see Mr WFYB eating alpaca croquettes and Patagonian red prawns. I flagged Nicholson Street institution Scopri, but I couldn’t see Mr WFYB eating any of the five pastas or the meat mains that ranged from kid goat cooked on the bone to deboned spatchcock. Every other place I could think or was either too dimly lit for my parents to comfortably read the menu – this is something they complained about at Portello Rosso – or devoid of booking systems. Finally, it came to me – all-day family-run Italian joint Umberto Espresso Bar in Thornbury was both convenient for all of us and with an expansive enough menu that everyone would find something they liked.
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