Review Baldovino - Thornbury

Amazing experience! The food was incredible and we all still can’t get over how amazing the gnocchi was!! The owner and amazing waitress Azzura made us feel as though we were apart of the family and were so accommodating and hospitable. Again, thank you for a wonderful, authentic Italian experience!

This is a great place to go if you want authentic, wood-fired pizza with some of the freshest dough you will ever meet. I like the way the restaurant is not trying to be anything within its decor and instead lets the food do the talking. The staff are really friendly, but it felt a little awkward when they started closing at 9pm on a Friday night, wiping down tables around us. It would have been great for them to come around and let us know "last drinks" or something, so we didn't feel like we were overstaying our welcome.

Amazing food and even better service! Loved our experience with the family there :)

Food is great but if planning to have a function at this restaurant Warning!!!! The owner can be rude, abrupt and arrogant. Make sure you know what you are getting and have it written down. We were rushed out of the restaurant 1 hour earlier than discussed, immediently once cake was eaten. Disappointing. You have obviously missed the point completely. You are not a professional. You quoted children's price at $30 and adults $60. Three days before the function, I confirmed numbers as requested. You then told me that the children's price was for children aged 0-3 only. And you call yourself professional. We were never planning to return to your restaurant.

Last night we visited Baldovino for dinner. The food was really, really good. The three of us had different meals and we all raved about the taste, quality and amount of food. The size of the meals would ensure that you did not leave hungry. When the flounder was put in front of me I thought that I would not get through it .... but it was really really nice. You can see that this was a family restaurant by the staff, we were made to feel very welcome and able to have a good talk and joke with them. Great night had by all ... THANKS FOR THE EXPERIENCE

After years of recommending to friends your lovely restaurant; after our experience at your restaurant today, we'll never recommend or return. Your food today was lacklustre. We appreciate that you asked us 'how was the food?' but when expressed our dissatisfaction over the disappointing chewy porterhouse - there is no call to have been treated the way that we have been treated by you. Additionally, the whitebate was off, the sauce for the gnocchi was bitter and the burnt arancini were not accompanied with no sauce. Providing honest feedback and to be treated they way we were was just embarrassing for not only us but to your other patrons. Additionally, to be be personally directed as the vocal source of the dissatisfaction 'the blonde', typecast the difficult customer - we'll ALL surely never walk into your restaurant ever again. Ultimately, it wasn't the blonde that complained about the porterhouse, it was all others that ordered it. Such a shame, but then we're paying to eat and expecting a service for the price. I do hope you take on our feedback about your food, but also never to disrespect your patrons.

The food was amazing , excellent service will definitely be going back again! Highly recommend

I send my boss there with clients all the time. The owner is professional and always a delight to work with. Every experience is on point. I have only received compliments of the experience and will continue to use this as a go to.

What a wonderful time we had enjoying Sunday lunch at Baldovino it started with the warm welcome we received through to the amazing deserts and coffee. The meals were amazing. Delicious and authentic I can highly recommend this restaurant as true and authentic Italian meals but please leave room for dessert

A family owned and run restaurant that serves great quality Italian food in a lovely setting. The staff are always friendly, welcoming and provide attentive service with a smile. We keep coming back and every dish I have ordered is always a least a 9/10. It is BYO wine, but the wine list is also of a high standard.

I have been here once before so when friends invited us to join them for dinner we were happy to visit Baldovino's again.<br/><br/>The restaurant is cosy and the staff were great, so helpful and served you more as a friend rather than waitress.<br/><br/>The food was very good, we tried a number of different things.  The mussels for entree were delightful and the sauce was rich, garlicky and flavoursome! Get some extra bread so you can dip it in the sauce and soak up the beautiful flavours. The caprese salad was alright but not wow factor and certainly not the worth the price we paid.  Both my partner and my pastas both cooked nicely.<br/><br/>BYO so bonus points there.

This restaurant has been in Thornbury a good 10 years or so and was the first fine dining restaurant in the area. We were a large group and shared entrees comprising of Brushetta Mista, Salt & Pepper Calamari, fried whitebait, Arancinis, Polpettine, and the Sausage and mushrooms. They were all good and highly recommend the Sausage and Mushrooms and the Arancini. For mains I ordered the special 'Spaghetti al Nero' which is basically Spaghetti infused with Squid Ink with saffron and seafood, absolutely a delicious meal. I tried the Seafood Soup Special that someone else ordered and it was also very good. The service was also excellent as the staff are very knowledgeable.

A cacophony of confusion with a side of ignorance.<br/><br/>The only saving grace for this venue would be its location. Otherwise I'd be shocked to find out how it is still in business! <br/>Service is somehow rushed, casual, confusing and somewhat lacking attention. The venue is fitted well, but obvious attempts to hide things leave a tacky feel. Food is not worth rushing back for. The flavours okay, but again the meal fell short and was lacking attention.<br/><br/>The problem with (what appears to be) owner/management is they are unable to take on feedback and evolve the business with the market. I sincerely hope this one can, as it has the elements for success!

Fantastic upmarket family italian restaurant, very authentic with everything explained to you by the attentive staff who are mostly family too.    Lovely decor, delicious food and welcoming staff. !

I came here last night after scouring the nearby area for a place to eat!  It was very expensive with the house wine being $10 for a glass!  However, it is BYO so this should be remembered.<br/><br/>The main courses were all >$30 which is very expensive for generally quite widely available Italian food.  The entrees were very tasty, but we restricted ourselves to these because of the price.<br/><br/>I am definitely not poor, but I do not like being charged excessively in a place which has only recently become a "trendy" area and the surroundings are not particularly salubrious!<br/><br/>Ivanhoe, Fairfield and Kew offer better priced places in a nicer atmostphere.

The chef is from Sicily and cooks every dish from scratch. Have eaten here 5 times and have only only great experiences. They know and love food and it shows. Tiramisu a must.

My husband and I have eaten at Baldovino's many times so we decided to have my mothers 70th Bday lunch in the upstairs function room. We were welcomed by friendly staff and seated upstairs in a beautiful room. We had decided on the set menu and were very pleased with the great selection of entre's that we were given. Everything was delicious and there was more than enough. There were 5 or 6 mains to choose from and I had the fish of the day and was very happy with my selection. Overall the food was good and my mum enjoyed herself which was the main thing. Thank you and we will be visiting again.

There are no words that can describe the food at Baldovino’s that would do justice. <br/><br/>After spending many hours trying to decide where to go to dinner last week, I received a recommendation from my sister that we should try Baldovino as it was the apparent best Italian restaurant in Melbourne that she has ever gone to and this girl has dinned at all the best restaurants in Melbourne. <br/><br/>With my trusty recommendation I called to book for Thursday night, the phone was answered by a nice and friendly Italian man who was super keen to take my booking. <br/><br/>We are massive skeptics when trying restaurants because in recent times some have been more then disappointing then anything, but as we wanted somewhere new to go we bit the bullet and off we went. <br/><br/>From the moment we walked up to the door at the restaurant we were greeted with a smile, the door was even opened for us and we were welcomed inside. <br/><br/>Seated to the back of the restaurant suited us perfectly, within minutes we were given our drinks menu and offered water. To follow a lovely lady was reading the specials to us, all sounded fantastic… and then we were left alone to peruse the menu. <br/><br/>Settling on what to have, conveniently at the same time our waiter appeared with our drinks and ready to take out order. <br/><br/>We decided to share the mussel dish for entrée, followed by the steak for me and the lamb dish – it was a hard decision on what chose because EVERYTHING on the menu sounded delicious. <br/><br/>It didn’t take to long and our mussels were delivered, for me this was the first experience I had with mussels and I can honestly say I was far from disappointed. They were delightful, my dinner companion was completely lost for words. One of his favourite foods and they nailed it… he would have ordered 4 for serves if I had let him they were that good. <br/><br/>Once we finished this dish, we were asked if we wanted a break between dishes or if they could fire up our next course… I thought this was really nice, there is nothing worse then having entrée and main hitting the table as soon as the plate is cleared which is what happens in some restaurants so they can get you out quicker. At this place they seemed happy for us to just take our time and enjoy our experience. Having only share am entrée we got them to order our mains in the kitchen, it was about 10-15 minutes later that our mains came, perfect – because as said before nothing worse then one hitting straight after an entrée. <br/><br/>Both meals looked delicious, My steak was yum… although maybe just a tad over for my liking, I was in no way disappointed, my companion literally couldn’t speak he was so engrossed in his lamb dish. This is a guy that always has something to say and he had no words. When the lovely man came to check on us and make sure we were happy I had to do all the talking because well no one else could. <br/><br/>It was lovely to see a restaurant making good food that tastes delicious, without trying to over complicate there dishes. It was just good honest cooking at its best with flavours that could wow anyone. <br/><br/>Cannot wait to make a book for this week – lets hope they do as well when we have a group for my friends birthday dinner because honestly this is on the fast track to becoming our new favourite place and frequent visit. <br/><br/>We have both spent the week telling everyone to visit and we haven’t been able to talk about much else food related ever since.

Eat here all the time and it is always consistent with great food, authentic flavor and great service. Menu has sufficient variety and specials change with the seasons of fresh produce. Highly recommend.

Great food!!!! Staff are very friendly and very in tune with what we wanted. Very relaxing atmosphere

What a winner. Went to google to get help for a restaurant for a birthday celebration. Very sceptical of reviews online as I always think that good ones are written by family members and bad ones are by opposition restaurants. However I went with this one and was very surprised. Great service great food great range of food. Will definitely be putting this on our favourites list. Thank you to the staff for a great night. And no I am not related 

Very welcoming authentic Italian cuisine with a special's choice to spoil you. A family run business that is proud of its heritage and love of food.

Overrated and very ordinary quality, could easily have had this a home, quality definatly does not match the price

Great food. Had a light lunch with a friend and had some crumbed calamari which were just great, then had a tomatoe and bufflo cheese salad hich was also enjoyable. Great place to eat.

Better than THE BEST !!!!. Beautiful atmosphere - fantastic service - excellent location - AMAZING MENU !!!! - better than THE BEST !!!!

Italian Fine Dining at it's BEST!. I too am shocked at the negative review up top. It makes me question some people's honesty/motives...<br/>Personally we have always been greeted by the lovely staff with fast service, warmth & a smile.<br/>Daniele & Annalisa have a way of making you feel part of their family, which is how this restaurant is run & operated.<br/>The food is exceptional (the best gnocchi we've ever had & we've had a few) and so well priced for the quality plus the wine selection is wonderful.<br/>Have never had a bad meal yet, try them for yourself, you won't be disappointed.

Padella Di Mare for Lunch. A lunch time authentic tomato base fresh fish stew with crusty bread was had, the plate was wiped clean as it was so delicious, tempting me for more<br/>The Pancotta berry desert and coffee hit the spot <br/>Friendly and professional hospitality service given, always willing to assist<br/>Left leaving quite satisfied and have booked for the next lunch session

Bad manners. Great food that i would thoroughly recommend but no need to keep calling me darling or sweetheart.i don't want pretentious waiters but courteous manners are enough. so irritating and having you screech out the specials when we were the only diners was unnecessary.<br/>will come back to try the gnocchi <br/>and see if you took any notice of this review but it will be the last time which is a shame because we love supporting local restaurants and you have so much to offer

My Absolute Favourite. Baldovino ticks all the boxes. Friendly service, warm cozy environment (and spotless), fantastic quality and beautifully served. I have dined here around 10 times this year from work dinners to family celebrations, girls night out and even drop ins on the way home from work for a lovely evening to spend discussing school and work with my boys and hubby. The owners passion to provide authentic italian food most of which is made from scratch in their kitchen. My favourite is the sharing platters the staff put together for entrees. Desserts are amazing and to top it off - BYO wine with no corkage fee. As my title suggests - I am very hard to please when it comes to food but this place gets it right every time. I can't wait to go back again.

My new favourite restaurant. Baldovino deserves a positive review, but at the same time, I want to keep this wonderful place to myself!<br/>I chose Baldovino on impulse for a romantic dinner. We got probably the worst table in the house, which was entirely our own fault for not booking. The rest of the place was packed within minutes of our arrival, a sure sign of a great restaurant.<br/>The specials menu was very impressive. I ended up choosing a dish off the specials menu while my partner ordered from the regular menu and both meals were great - possibly the best gnocchi I've ever had. The service was extraordinary - friendly and attentive, glasses were refilled and plates whisked away promptly, but the service was never obtrusive. Four staff members said "thank you" or wished us a good evening on the way out. Never have I felt so welcome!<br/>Please note, Baldovino does offer BYO for wine only - I couldn't find anything about BYO on the website, and so I didn't bring the expensive bottle of sparkling I'd picked up at winery tour the previous weekend. The Prosecco on offer was delicious however!

Delicious food & very friendly, down to earth staff. Thank you to the Baldovino Team for making such a great night possible.

JUST AMAZING!!!!!!. To the Team at Baldovino! can I just say, on Saturday night I had one of the best dinning experiences ever and I dine out a lot!!! The staff are all wonderful, I can see why the place runs so perfectly! The food is just exquisite, I thought I had to travel into the city to get a good a meal, but this place is a gold mine! The dessert's OMG just so good!!! I cant wait to come back with my girl friends and try everything on the menu, we still cant stop talking about the place! Thankyou for such a lovely evening, dinning experience and your Hospitality, I guess you can now call me a regular! One more thing that Limoncello you served us at the end of our dessert, WOW!!!! <br/><br/>P.s to the last person who reviewed this restaurant in such a poor manner, I really don't know where you dinning on Saturday night, and I think its just so rude to put up such a review as you did, after all they did to accommodate you!. Obviously you don't know food and have a lot of time on hand to try and sabotage! people out there you have to go to this place you will not regret it, its just Amazing!<br/><br/>Thankyou to all the staff at Baldovino :)

Seafood not suitable for human consumption. I had the seafood grill and the swordfish was off. Could tell just by the taste in my mouth and had to spit it out. My partner discreetly told the waiter so no-one would hear "the swordfish is rotten and the pippy shell hasn't opened so they are obviously off as well" and said we don't want to make a scene but just want to let you know so you don't serve it to anyone else - we were in a group of 12. He went and told the chef. The chef, who turned out to be the owner, came and very aggressively yelled out "Who said my seafood is off" and was then extremely loud and verbally aggressively told us there is nothing wrong with his seafood, he purchased it yesterday and can show us the receipt. My partner told him to calm down and explained to the chef how he has been involved in the fishing industry for many years and told the chef he might have purchased it yesterday but swordfish travels a long way and if not kept refrigerated properly in its travel can go off. So he recommended the chef try the meal and come back to us and tell us if he thinks the fish is off or not. Half an hour later the waiters came and brought over a bottle of Johnny Walker and said they would refund the meal. The thing that upset me the most was that I had never been humiliated by anyone in such a way in front of all my friends and he never came and apologised for the aggressive way he spoke to us. Clearly he recognised the fish was off as he sent out the alcohol - we left a $35 tip but would never eat there again due to his abusive response to our bringing to his attention that he was serving off food.

Love it - take your time and enjoy. Every time we have been here we have loved it, especially sitting out in the courtyard. Staff so welcoming and happy to give suggestions. Food very delicious. I wish it was open even longer and wider hours is all!

Absolutely Fantastic!!. We booked our son's Christening lunch function here and were blown away by the amazing food, service and atmosphere. Daniele and his team were more than accommodating to our requests and nothing was too difficult! We had so much difficulty trying to find a place and when we approached Daniele, he put us at ease and made everything seem 'effortless'. Everyone who came raved about the food, it was simply amazing! My family were just saying it's a shame they live on the otherside of Melbourne otherwise they would be back all the time. Thank you once again,we will be back again to this 'hidden gem'!! 10/10!!

Was part of the large group that attended last night and am quite shocked and upset to read the previous reviewers words. The food was delicious and staff were excellent, particularly the waitress mentioned in earlier review. We had a wonderful time. A set menu was not forced uopn us all and if you didn't want it you could say so, one diner did not have it due to medical condition and we thought our vegetarian friend had done the same. She should have spoken up at the time and not come on this site to give such a horrid review without speaking up at the time. I can only recommend this restaurant highly and please read all the other reviews when making your decision.

Lovely food! Would like to say the same for the service but when the waiters keep looking at their watches and clear the tables the second you finish is a bit too much. Table cloths were being cleared while we were still sitting there, very poor. Very rushed , on a time schedule. I think you need to learn how to serve customers properly!!!

Extraordinary experience. Another amazing experience. Had our end of year breakup and I had the pleasure to meet the man at the forefront and core of the business. Introduced to the rest of the team at the end of the night and it was obvious to see why this business runs like a Louis Moinet watch. The food was marvellous, the service impeccable and the atmosphere was electric and quiet serene throughout the restaurant. The outdoor courtyard reminded me of St. Paul de Vence in France with beautiful lighting and sound with couples enjoying their intimid evening in the summer breeze. Magical.<br/><br/><br/>-----12 Nov, 2013-----<br/><br/>Nic. Enjoyed the evening with four friends at this locale. Was reading the past reviews - most are spot on with the exception the last post which describes the garlic bread overpriced!... Overpriced? Five dollars for garlic bread is overpriced? You have got to be kidding yourself. Table cloth service, beautiful wines at a reasonable price and authentic dishes at year 2000 prices is what you get at Baldovino. It was recommended by a work colleague and I recommend you try it - you will be back as we are in mid December.<br/>Sam

Not so good. Nice place that is not too noisy. Good service but Food was hit and miss. Bruschetta and garlic bread are horrendously over priced. The Caesar salad was not nice at all with the sauce lacking flavour and overall we questioned value for money.

What a find!. Classic family run Italian restaurant. this place serves authentic Italian dishes with great flair and passion. It is obvious this family loves what they do. We booked upstairs for a family occasion and it was perfect! Our hostess was warm, funny, welcoming and very efficient. The food was sensational and catered for children and gourmet tastes. We all agreed this was the find of the year, and we eat out a lot!.<br/>Well done you guys, we will DEFINITELY be back!

Delightful Sunday Lunch Venue. Finding it hard to get a decent restaurant for Sunday lunch in Thornbury? Our early Mothers' Day get together with 3 generations at this Italian cafe in High Street was perfect. Family -run, the menu satisfied us all. Calamari was the best! We will be back!

Make sure you book. Always a sign of a good restaurant when you pretty much need to book for most nights. Exceptional staff teamwork that can only come from family ownership. Attentive, friendly staff, good food choices with fresh, quality ingredients. A noisy venue as acoustics not good but shows diners are having a jolly good time.

Nothing to write home about. It's a typical Italian/Australian style restaurant. Nothing fantastic. Pasta is ordinary despite a great wrap from the owner. Best thing is the Sicilian ice cream.

Magnificent!. This restaurant is SO GOOD! The food is absolutely beautiful, staff friendly and helpful but unobtrusive, wonderful ambience - I can't recommend it highly enough!!!

Wonderfully authentic italian food. Have been visiting this place for a few years. I have NEVER been disppointed the meals I have had here. Having just returned from Italy, I can say that this restaurant is superior to an that that I visited in Rome and Florence. The dishes to try are the seafood in napoli sauce served with warm crusty bread. The napoli sauce is made with an exquisite fresh tomato sauce that wraps beautufully around the bread for delightful mouthful. The slow cooked calmari with a light tomato sauce is also a sublime dish, which melts in your mouth. Another dish to savor is the rigatoni/penne with sausage meat - one of the best pasta dishes in Melbourne! The service is so friendly ! Marc and Angela are wonderful hosts - they make thoughtful suggestions about dishes off the menu that are authentic and delicious, often making recommendations that have never disappointed us or our guests. Make the effort to get there - it will be worth the trip!!!

A true Italian experience!

Definitely One of the Best!. I have the pleasure of coming in this restaurant. With my workmates, one is celebrating her birthday. We are16 people. The food is absolutely fantastic. I ordered rib eye steak and its cook to perfection. Another friends ordered porterhouse and she claimed its fantastic. Some ordered seafood. The service is great we are very pleased with it. The only complaint that I heard are that some of the mains was a small serve that they expected, but over all we are satisfied with the food and service. Definitely coming back again and again!

Just sensational and quality+++. What can we say this place is absolutely wonderful, the heart and soul of traditional good quality produce and fresh and tasty food. You will not be disappointed, there are the specials on the board which showcase the seasonal and fresh food available. The staff are attentive, friendly and the atmosphere is very comfortable and inviting with immaculately clean premises, crisp table cloths and service with a smile. You will get sound advise regarding choice of wines all very reasonably prices and it is an understated place. We love it and continue to celebrate specials events with friends and family as it is well priced with fabulously tasty and traditional and modern cuisine. The homemade sausages, pasta, olives are delicious but don't forget tot leave room for dessert which is so hard to resist. Bravo and how lucky we are to have you in the neighbourhood.

Caro Marcello ai fatto qualcosa di speciale veramente grazie. Ottimo. Ottimo ottimo!!

Superb.. Great suburban restaurant that deserves a mention. Great food, very authentic and great service. Will definitely go back.

Lovely home cooked food and fantastic service. Will be back

A non-descript exterior belies an understated but pleasant decor. This is complemented by swift, efficient & charming service first of all by the owner, MARCELLO & then his staff. Wine selection is ample & chosen well. Food choice is also full of variety. Will eat there again. One piece of advice: the servings could be a little more as some of the mains were perilously close to looking like entrees.

Fantastic authentic italian food with wonderful service. We went there for a friend's birthday and will absolutely be back many times more.

Italian??. Generally speaking, I have only heard great things about this restaurant, however having finally experienced it for myself, I believe it is overpriced and of poor quality. Waiter described the food in typical italian fashion, but the end result was disappointing to say the least. Service was average, a little annoying when waiters are hanging around listening to your conversation and sticking their hands in the tightest gaps to refill your drink. Ambience and music were awesome though. Would never go back. Nonna's cooking puts the chefs of this restaurant to shame Oh and if you are fans of the Matrix, I recommend you order the Chicken Parmigiana, you'll get a ball of snot. 3/10.

Authentic Italian. I generally don't like eating out with Italian food as I find that good Italian food is hard to come across. This place represents what Italian food should taste like. The food is quality and the service is great. Old school Italian chefs in the kitch so you can't go wrong. The stuffed calamari to die for!

A Secret Treasure. Baldovino is one of the best dining experiences I have had in Melbourne. There is a a la carte menu but I suggest always choosing from the specials board as it is there that the true treats await. The meals are authentically rustic Italian and lovingly cooked and presented. The owners are passionate about their restaurant and it shows in the exceptionally fine level of service. I have eaten here now countless times over the last two years, and whether for a romantic dinner or as part of a group, we always come away singing Baldovinos' praises. And I always have a dessert: old school decadent and absolutely yummy. This is a wonderful restaurant.

I've been to this restaurant about 5 times over the last year. It really hits the mark. The food is excellent. Tasty and well priced. Good, fresh ingredients, good recipes and well cooked. Also, the older staff are outstanding. They're friendly, knowledgeable and professional. Ticks just about every box for a pleasant night out in my book.