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My wife brought me to the South Yarra restaurant last night for my birthday. She knows I love good Italian food and Thirty Eight Chairs just got it right in every way.
We started off with the 2x2 Salumi + Formaggi ordering Truffle Pecorino, San Pio X Cabernet, Salami Piccante and Porchetta Alla Romana. The cheeses were both semi hard cheeses but still smooth and delicious. The stated flavours were very prominent, especially in the truffle pecorino. The Porchetta and Salami, well, all I have to say about those is that they tasted amazing and much better that any you could buy from a supermarket or deli. I could have happily eaten those Formaggi and Salumi boards all night.
Next came mains. My wife ordered a special board item; Tuna Steak with various sides and dressings, while I had the Reginette Ricce al Ragú di Anatra.
I'll start with the Tuna; Tasted as tuna should, however slightly overcooked which made it a bit dry. The centre was pink and looked like cooked salmon. Tuna steaks should be a deep, dark red/pink colour, practically raw on the inside and seared on the outside. It was also a bit over seasoned which made it a bit too salty for my taste. A nice dish, but the execution could have been better. I ended up finishing off the rest of what my wife couldn't eat.
The Reginette Ricce; Duck ragú with curly pasta and pecorino. My wife looked at this on the menu and said that it'll be to be too salty and probably overpowering. Based on the ingredients she could have been right, but I ordered it anyway. I could not fault this dish. Perfect in every way. From the first mouthful I decided this is now my new favourite pasta dish... ever (with the exception of Nonna's pasta of course). You could taste that the pasta was made fresh and not from a packet. It was soft but not undercooked and definitely not overlooked. The sauce was seasoned perfectly and had just the right amount of cheese on top to mix through.
To finish up, I just had a glass of Frangelico (as I'm not much of a sweets person) and my wife had the Afforgato Napoletano with Frangelico (which we ended up sharing).
The Afforgato was the perfect way to finish off this amazing meal. Strong, Italian style espresso coffee served in a small Moka pot alongside a rich, but not too sweet chocolate and coffee flavoured ice cream coupled with a shot of Frangelico giving it a sweet hint of hazelnut. Yum.
The wait staff were very accomodating even though they were rushed off their feet. The restaurant itself has a very traditional Italian decor. It was small, but I believe this added to the authenticity. Even though I have never been to Italy, while dining at Thirty Eight Chairs, it felt like I was there.
Sure the tuna was a bit off the mark, but the rest of the experience more than covers for it.
If I could give more than 5 stars, I would. I will be a new regular at this restaurant.
Thank you for an exceptional dining experience. In a word; "Magnifico!"
Lunch yesterday and 38 Chairs you did not disappoint! Ocean Trout with Black Rice, Stuffed Zucchini... delish! My friend tried Tiramisu for his first time and is now hooked. For me Affogato with frangelico is always a winner. l love your new Restaurant though do miss the small one, however, bigger is sometimes better and you have all nailed it. Staff, as always, just lovely and accents makes you feel like you are back in Tuscany .. Keep doing what you do...it is perfect
My absolute all time favourite restaurant in Melbourne.
I think when you combine the world class service, amazing location on a South Yarra side street with Italian food that’s fresh, exciting and enticing you have a winning restaurant.
I’ve been a few times and wish I could go more - yet with a few children who are rowdy we come here without them to truly have a wonderful experience.
The cocktails are imaginative and unique, yet my favourite would have to be the zucchini flowers and the duck pasta.
Hands down the best service in Melbourne too.
Mia
I came to Thirty Eight Chairs on Friday night for a work function and found it so quaint and cosy with its indoor/outdoor setting.
For entree I have to single out the calamari as being one of the best I have ever had other than in Burano Italy. It was silky soft and packed full of taste.
For main I had the grilled barramundi with pumpkin purée which was so delicious.
But the highlight was reserved for dessert with the most indulgent Tiramisu I have ever tasted, it was mouthwatering, I could have easily eaten 3 of these. It wasn’t heavy but truly unlike any Tiramisu I have ever tasted.
The staff were also super nice and incredibly helpful.
I definitely look forward to returning again.
Been here for dinner once and lunch once.
For dinner we had both their pasta specials which were absolutely delicious, tasted so authentic, definitely recommend!
For lunch/brunch had a side of eggs, prosciutto, avo, sourdough and shared the aged beef steak which was one of the best steaks we've ever had! Absolutely delicious. Steak heaven. 😋😋
😱Lizzie’s first impression: this place is tucked away on a tiny street of South Yarra. It looks super cute and has the best ambience! It was great weather when we went so we were seated outside.
🍩Lizzie enjoyed: we had the ravioli and it was unbelievable. The flavours were delicious and the seafood was really fresh. We also ordered a steak and fries in the side - both were cooked well and fries were crispy.
🍅Lizzie did not enjoy: the outside seating area had very different vibes to the inside area - I’d play some music in the background to connect the both.
🥇Lizzie rates overall: such a gem of a restaurant - more people needs to know about this place!
Very, very, delicious Italian restaurant. Got recommended here by a mate. He put my expectation levels high, and although I was disappointed that they no longer had the marinara on their menu. The blue scanner linguini was a great replacement, probably the highlight of the night. We were not disappointed and the food lived up to the expectations.
Highly recommended.
Thirty Eight Chairs has become our favourite place for pasta. We’ve visited so many time and this place has never failed us love the service and the attentive staff (but nowhere near overbearing!).
Went for NYE Dinner, excellent service & fresh traditional Italian food. We'll definitely be back. Highlights were the Beef Carpaccio, Lobster Tortellini and Pannacotta.
Thirty eight chairs is a cosy Italian restaurant serving amazing Italian food. They named their restaurant ‘Thirty Eight Chairs’ because when they first opened they literally had thirty eight chairs to seat and feed the people. The pasta is handmade and tastes exceptional. No fancy stuff just really good home-style nonna pasta, taking you to straight to Italy in each mouthful.
Early week dinner for four.
Big warm friendly greeting from Front of House and other staff on the way to our table where we were efficiently seated with menus and drinks orders.
Even though the restaurant was full, staff were very attentive and smiling all evening with barely a gap between empty and full glasses.
We shared a few (too many) small plates - Bruschetta Napoletana, Piovra alla griglia, Pane con mousse all’aglio e olio al tartufo nero and Frittura di calamari which were all very good. Stand out mains were the steaks - hard to pass up if you have an appetite for excellent aged beef.
The slow cooked lamb dish - Spalla d’agnello was also excellent.
Accompanied it all with some wines by the glass and a couple of nice bottles of good red which made for a memorable evening
Very enjoyable experience for a special night out.
Authentic to its core , great service, will certainly visit again when in melb.
Menu was succinct with a focus on quality.
👍
If you're looking for a touch of Italy in the heart of Melbourne then look no further!
Bellissimo! It was an absolute pleasure to dine in at thirty eight chairs, from the mood lighting to the Italian waiters it was just pure delight.
We let our waiter choose our wine and he did a fantastic job pairing our wine perfectly with our meal.
Everything we ordered was delicious and I cannot wait to go back there! I went with a group of friends and even tho we ordered a lot we still had plenty of room and never felt crowded.
Highly recommend this restaurant.
Highly recommend. We forgot to make a booking but we got to have a table allocated for a set amount of time. Food was delicious and cocktails were great - we asked the bartender to make whatever he wanted and were pleasantly surprised each time.
It's always great to come here for meals. The food is always consistent & cooked to perfection. The wait staff are always so friendly & helpful. Have been back many times & will be back again!
Tasty Italian, they offer gluten free pasta too. Food quality was high and service attentive. Recommend you make a booking as this restaurant is busy.
One of the best Italian Restaurants in Melbourne. Very unique dishes with supremely fresh ingredients. Perfect combination. 5 Star Experience.
Spent my partners birthday here and I must say I looove the vibe! Service is impeccable!
The pastas were delicious especially the seafood spaghetti but according to my partner some of the ravioli lacked filling and was like 6or7 pcs only.
Cocktails and desserts were yum!
A new Italian favourite restaurant has been added on my list.🤍
@lilgirlfrommanila
Exceptional. One of the best pasta dishes I’ve eaten in Melbourne and that cocktail (it was gin, lemon, cherry… I wish I got the name) went down delightfully! Hubby and I loved it and will be back ASAP. Beautiful venue, amazing service- we loved our evening thank you so so much such a treat to dine with you
🎃 macchroncelli pumpkin & sausage
🍝 linguine vongole
🍆 eggplant parmigiana
🐙 grilled octopus
🏠: @38chairs
📍: South Yarra
📝: Came here upon the recommendation of @hello.imnikki . Such a nice venue, not too busy on the main street but readily and easily accessible.
❤️: We got the Special Pasta of the Day, which was the macchroncelli with pumpkin and pork sausage. Absolutely delicious and probably my favorite dish of the night. We also got linguine vongole that did not disappoint!
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