Review Thirty Eight Chairs - Yarra

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!

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!"

The staff allowed a horrendous & extremely bad behaviour & also the so called security ignored the situation. Sadly they didn't intervene which was low rent & just tacky. I just can't accept bullying at this level or situation, which we are very against any manners or decorum which I think most people would agree . Bullying isn't acceptable at any age group at all & can have devastating result. As adult I would assume they would be older & wiser but to be so nasty & spiteful was heartbreaking; After eating there several times in the past the behaviour was the worse we have ever encountered or never believed would be possible. The table next door were not only abusive & harassing but deplorable. The staff didn't intervene after I was told I should attend Jenny Craig & criticised my dressing & my handbag was the best fake they had ever seen. My handbag actually is real put that's not the point as no one conducts themselves in that way especially as they were both mothers with children. Not a good example to project if front of their own children sadly . They criticised my dressing & put me down to the point I was reduced to tears which was devastating. I have never experienced a situation ever in my life or this appalling behaviour or would ever think in the society we live in that anyone would think it's appropriate to behaviour in this manner especially bullying anyone. All I can say it was hurtful & extreme upsetting & total degrading to be bullied by these two women & their children. I will never be a patron or support this restaurant ever again after they handle the situation with such lack of professionalism & actually allowed this behaviour to happen & continue.

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

Fantastic food and awesome staff! Wish we were staying in Melbourne longer so we could come back again!

Disappointed this time. Bad service. Had to keep calling the waiter or waitress. Food was ok as usual but the bad service spoiled our time there.

E stata una cena splendida Il locale era pieno e il servizio è molto professionale il cibo e spettacolare congratulazioni

Everything about this place reminds me of Italy, the food is so fresh and and is excellent quality, I just love the hustle and bustle of it, I have been coming here for few years now, can't wait to try the Carlton restaurant by these guys!!

Best gnocchi I've ever had! I'm still thinking about it. Staff were friendly, attentive and helpful. Highly recommend. We will be back �

Me and my wife, an Italian chef, are so pleased to say this is the best place to eat Italian dishes. If u read about some Australian guys who said this is not true Italian food, don't trust who doesn't know! This food is amazing...that's it!

Had the best night here last weekend definately a place to visit superb food excellent staff, atmosphere buzzing loved it

My #1 place ever! Perfect place for a date with stylish food and great service!

When trying to get onto the website to check out the menu it blocks you from going into the page unless you subscribe to a mailing list.

Steak.....tough with gristle all the way through. Very disappointing

My absolute all time favourite restaurant in Melbourne. <br/><br/>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. <br/><br/>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. <br/><br/>The cocktails are imaginative and unique, yet my favourite would have to be the zucchini flowers and the duck pasta. <br/><br/>Hands down the best service in Melbourne too. <br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>For main I had the grilled barramundi with pumpkin purée which was so delicious.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>The staff were also super nice and incredibly helpful.<br/><br/>I definitely look forward to returning again.

Been here for dinner once and lunch once.<br/><br/>For dinner we had both their pasta specials which were absolutely delicious, tasted so authentic, definitely recommend!<br/><br/>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. 😋😋

We were celebrating our wedding anniversary last Sunday. We booked a table for 2pm for both of us.<br/><br/>When we got there the waiting staff were running around, huffing and puffing and chasing their own tails, although the restaurant was only a quarter full if not less.<br/><br/>Twice had to asked for an order to be taken for a pre-lunch cocktail, when it finally arrived the stems of the glasses were sticky and dirty and I had to wipe them with my napkin.<br/><br/>My husband ordered Rosetta, there was so much ice in his glass, that he only had two-three sips of it. <br/><br/>It was made by what looked to be a senior staffer at the time, an Italian Lady wearing a blouse and an oversized beige jacket, looking very busy and important, but also as the rest of the waiters running around like crazy and disrupting otherwise a nice peaceful enjoyment of the restaurant we could have had.<br/><br/>In regard to food, I can only say that on that Sunday the 14th of April they had a relief cooks in the kitchen, who should not have been left without the supervision of a Chef.   The pictures your diners posted of the same dishes we had - were not what was brought to the table for us. We had three entree we had Crudo di tonno and beef carpaccio – those were fine. But the grilled octopus arrived with three dry boring looking tentacles on the plate, with a very boring and minuscule “salad” . Looking at other photos this dish normally has at least five tentacles on the plate sometime eight.<br/><br/>For main we had Linguine, for some reason it was loaded with garlic, although it was not mentioned on the menu, and why would you put garlic with a delicate crab meat in the dish?<br/><br/>But the “highlight” was my Tortelloni for $42 a plate it looked nothing like other diners photos. It was under cooked, seriously, Italian cook undercooks pasta, it sounds like the end of the world coming. Because pasta was under cooked so was the filling it was sitting in on top of this white sauce with some islands of red oil around it, and a small “crispy bisque” bits were stuck to each under cooked piece, no green stuff sprinkled.<br/><br/>A quite an expensive price for an average meal and service. <br/><br/>PS this review was originally send directly to the Management/Owner, sadly there was no contact made by them.<br/>  Shows the level of care.

😱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. <br/><br/>🍩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. <br/><br/>🍅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. <br/><br/>🥇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. <br/><br/>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. <br/>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. <br/>Even though the restaurant was full, staff were very attentive and smiling all evening with barely a gap between empty and full glasses. <br/>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. <br/>The slow cooked lamb dish - Spalla d’agnello was also excellent.<br/>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.<br/>Authentic to its core , great service, will certainly visit again when in melb.<br/>Menu was succinct with a focus on quality.<br/>👍

Nothing to rave about. Bruschetta was burnt, prosciutto and cheese platter with cheese and figs was nice, but had better. The pasta dishes were Delish (crab linguine and long curly pasta with duck and turkey ragu) Rocket and Nashi pear salad was also average. The wine was priced at a ridiculous price of $15 a glass. I'd expect that at crown but not here. Wouldn't return. Dishes are over priced for the quality of food received.

Walked in with a group of friends after a recommendation. Staff were attentive. Bread with truffle mayo and the beef carpaccio were great starters before the pasta. Big fan of the crab linguini

I recommend this restaurant for the pasta, and their good wines. It's a great date-night restaurant! It is on the pricy side but it's made well and their pasta portions are perfect. Do note that even though the interior is very well padded, it does get quite noisey.<br/><br/>The staff are very attentive and give good recommendations of food. The presentation is immaculate! The glasses are perfectly polished and the tablecloths are crisp. The lighting is also very cosy and calming. They recently renovated to allow for more patrons and more space between tables and it's really been a great change. I would always recommend a booking - even on a Monday- Wednesday, and get a table outside when it's warm - it's fabulous.<br/><br/>The only reason I didn't give them five stars is that I have never enjoyed their coffee - always really bland and watery (maybe that's just a preference, but I thought most Italian restaurants had good, strong coffee), and I don't like their deserts. They're always a bit disappointing - either too sweet, or oddly chewy and some of their chocolate desserts have had a bit of a burnt flavour to them.<br/><br/>If you're not a desert person, then by all mean, book a table - you won't be disappointed!

Delicious but loud. <br/><br/>The food at Thirty Eight Chairs is delicious, super fresh and a decent serve compared to other similarly priced restaurants on the south side, so for that I would recommend. Unfortunately the service and ambience didn't quite meet up with the quality of the food. At the end of the night we were waiting quite a while to both receive and then pay the bill, having to ask on numerous occasions. However the biggest thing that let it down for us was the loud music. There seems to be a common misconception in the restaurant industry that customers enjoy very loud, upbeat music. While I'm sure some do I can say that many of us do not. I'm 23 and will say that most, if not all of my friends can't stand overly loud music in a restaurant, in fact it really turns us off. I would suggest to management to reconsider the choice of music and the volume, something softer and more calming would go along way.

I wish I could give it more stars as the food was really good however I felt the overall dining experience was not up to it given the price tag. The restaurant itself is nice but I felt as if we were ignored a lot of the time and we had items forgotten including a bottle of wine. The seating itself is fine but the tables are cramped together meaning you cannot get in and out of your table without moving them. None of the above are big life problems but I just think for when you pay $100 a head for pasta, you want the experience to be exceptional.

Lost its charm and lost its way :(  Thirty Eight Chairs use to be one of my favourite places because it was a small cozy Italian place with terrific food and fantastic staff which made you feel like one of the family.  The restaurant recently underwent a makeover doubling the size and modernising the interior to make it more of a white table cloth experience, but this unfortunately made the place feel a bit sterile without any of the Italian flare the old place had.  With so many great restaurant options in the area I believe we will take our business elsewhere in the future.

Up for some perfectly balanced Italian food that involves only handmade pasta that is fresh, bouncy and cooked to perfection with wonderful hearty sauces and/or fillings to complement it with?! Then pick this!!! One of the most expensive bowls of pasta I have had, but it was well justified by its quality. The venue is tiny, so please book.

Went here on my birthday eve and was treated to a delightful experience! Booked last minute (accommodated us with a table without any hassle), food came out quickly (and delicious) and all of this was topped off with a stunning ambience! A must visit for anyone who enjoyed their Italian food. Thank you very much for a pleasant experience!

Forgot to take pics this time :( Had the gnocchi, steak and salad here. Good gnocchi- chewy and perfect portion. The steak is good but it was a bit over cooked on the side(I ordered medium rare). It does not come with salad or chips like other restaurant usually do...overall good experience

We came on a Saturday night and it was quite full. Drinks were very expensive. The dishes were ok for the price. The waiter was very attentive (perhaps too much so). Overall, a bit average for the price.

Even on a Sunday night this place was packed and it’s not hard to see why. We were a table of 4 and all loved our dishes - a shared salumi and burrata for starters, and I had the pumpkin ravioli which was absolutely melt in the mouth buttery and delicious. We shared a bottle of red recommended by our waiter which was delicious, atmosphere was lovely and service throughout the evening was exceptional. Hope to be back soon!

We decided to try this place after a recommendation. The service was nice. Food was pretty fine. Both pastas were enjoy well and the buffalo mozzarella was good as well.

Blown away from our first experience here. We decided to try this place after a recommendation from a friend and it has already skyrocketed to one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Melbourne. The service was amazing, extremely polite but non intrusive. And every dish we got was divine! The salumi and burrata to start, the pumpkin ravioli, the spaghetti, the maccheroni, plus the pear salad was the perfect accompaniment. The atmosphere in the restaurant gave me feels as well, playing frank Sinatra in the background, the elegant decor and the mood lighting. Can’t say a bad thing about this place!

Fantastic place, every bit of food we were served seemed very fresh and was very tasty. Bruschetta and lamb to start were great (I didn’t like the calamari much personally) and the pasta all excellent. Spaghetti was delicious and the pumpkin ravioli beautiful. Probably 4.5/5 if I could. I’ll be back again and end up changing this to a 5.<br/><br/>Went back and updated it to a 5! This place is delicious!

So disappointed with this place today. I ordered a seafood dish and I received prawns that were complete mush. I mean mash potatoes texture!!!!!! The pasta was so far from fresh, if even made fresh, I really don't think it was though. I also really disliked receiving prawns with the full shell on, seriously!!!!! In this day and age!!!!!!<br/>I did get a free dessert for my tiny complaint but that just didn't make up for it.

Food were incredible! We both liked the sweet sauce for dipping. Smoked bacon were not like that I had tried before. This one taste sweet n fresh, better mixed with the white something. I liked the way eggplant was cooked, it’s soft n juicy. Staff r friendly n the place is cozy. But would be better to reserve a table before going.

Loved my time here with my friend. The service was extremely efficient and friendly, but perhaps a little too attentive. We were asked separately by three different waiters within 10 minutes of sitting down if we were ready to order. Always a little frustrating. Anyway, prosecco was ordered and went down a treat. The pinot noir was also tasty. My friend and I shared the gnocchi and ravioli, and both were divine. I was surprised the ravioli was so much smaller than the gnocchi (of which there was plenty!) but my friend doesn't tend to eat much so it worked out perfectly. The ravioli was incredible. Pumpkin and sage delivered in soft pillows that went down like a dream. The gnocchi was also excellent, but not as fluffy as I was expecting. The real star of the meal was the tiramisu - WHAT A GIFT FROM THE GODS! Crunchy "soil", savoiardi biscuits soaked to perfection and perfect mascarpone. Nothing to not love here. Thank you for a lovely lunch!

The good:<br/> - The food and wine were terrific, and good value<br/> - Service was generally good (see below though)<br/> - Venue / ambience is good (without being anything special)<br/><br/>The not-so-good:<br/> - There was a staple on the plate under my bruschetta. I saw nothing to suggest this wasn't just a one-off mistake, but obviously not ideal.<br/> - Service completely disappeared later in the evening, as the staff prepared to close for the night.<br/> - Credit card surcharges - and on all card types. IMO, credit card surcharges are barely OK at the "best" of times, and definitely not when you're already paying $100+ per person for a meal. A sour note to end the night.

have tried takeaway a couple of times now, good food, am looking forward to trying different options on the menu. also, veg gnocchi and vegan antipasto are great options for vegetarians.

great coffee. Spaghetti carbonara was excellent, all dente, no cream, the prosciutto crisp and the parmesan well emulsified. delicious!<br/><br/>friendly Italian style service

My friend and I had dinner at Thirty Eight Chairs on a Thursday evening. The staff were very friendly and attentive. We ordered the oven baked eggplant as a starter and I had the seafood linguine as the main. The eggplant dish was every bit delicious, and felt like a lot of love had been put to making it. It had the right balance of cheese and tomato sauce. The eggplant was well cooked, soft and juicy. The seafood linguine was nice but was disappointing as it didn’t pack as much flavour as I would have liked. However it was quite generous with the seafood portions.

One of my family members owns/ works at this restaurant. Best italian in town! It was the first time it re-opened and they gave us all these selections of pastas, cheeses, oysters, pizzas and an amazing dessert. Anything you order here you will love and a great selection of wines. Theres great seating everywhere and if you feel like eating outside you can. Great dating or family/friends atmosphere.

They forgot one of our entrees fair enough mistakes happen. Didn't know risotto or fish of the day existed until I overheard the waitress speaking friendly to the other table. Pasta was nice. Sat for 20 mins after the mains were cleared so had to ask for the dessert menu and ordered asap just in case we had to wait more. 20 mins later nothing lol was about to leave so paid the bill first. Then magically desserts that looked like they were prepared in minutes appeared. Not even joking about the times had to check my snaps to double check 😂 Sucks because I really wanted to try all the other dishes in the future

I didn’t mind the food but not sure if it’s the best Italian food I have had in Melbourne.<br/><br/>Found the menu a little confusing. Wanted to create our own antipasto board but couldn’t work out what can / can’t be included. We gave up eventually and ordered a few entrees separately.<br/><br/>The calamari salad was nice and the school prawns was good to munch on but not any better than similar dish in other restaurant. We also had the mozzarella which I thought was average.<br/><br/>I found the seafood linguine a little bland and didn’t taste any hint of chilli as per the menu.<br/><br/>Overall ok experience but not one I will run back to quickly.

Flavour here is outstanding you can taste the quality of the ingredients. I love the Gnocchi al Pomodoro although the serving was small for the price. I'll be back but maybe need to have a snack at home before hand!

Ratio Decidendi: 38 Chairs is the perfect “date night” kind of venue. Charming decor, cosy set up, quickfire Italian exchanges in the background, you could almost trick yourself into thinking you were somewhere else. The food measures up too, but there’s no escaping the fact that you’re in South Yarra, and paying South Yarra prices.

Awesome little place <br/>, been there Afew times and the quality of food is great, a lot happier now that they opened a carlton premises which is closer to home, for a a relaxed eatery, please try

Place wasn't that great. Very limited wine list. We had some mozzarella and prosciutto to start - the mozzarella was extremely dense, a bit odd and not what I was expecting. <br/><br/>I had the oven baked gnocchi which came out covered in cheese and hotter than hell. Had to let it sit for 10 minutes before I could even touch it. Overall, it tasted alright, I expected it to pack more of a flavor punch. Partner had the fish special, fish was cooked well, but the salad it came with wasn't worth the price tag at all. <br/><br/>There's better places to eat..

handmade pastas!<br/>had the ragu, white ragu, and seafood pasta. all were really good and had great flavour, plus the nice handmade pasta textures. definitely will be back. pinot noir was great too.

Beautiful traditional Italian food - you can smell the wine & parmesan when you walk into this place! Honestly speaking, the best damn gnocchi of my life and the baby octopus salad was beaut! Service was warm & personable and while the venue seems like a small house converted to a restaurant it has a real chapel street vibe & was buzzing with energy! Ps - don't have the tiramisu if your driving - while it's so crazy amazing, that thing will for sure blow you over 0.05!<br/><br/>•Follow McFoodie Jones for more stories of me overeating!

Great authentic Italian food, lots of delicious options on the menu. The staff are charming and the restaurant provides a cosy atmosphere. Make sure to book on the weekend if you want to get a table for dinner.

AMAZING! Honestly the cutest little restaurant with great service and incredibly good food! This place is pretty busy and if you are walking in they do let you sit in the heated courtyard and take drink orders, our waiter was so lovely and a great host! He definitely made it a pleasant experience. Now to the food! My gooodness! We splurged a little on this impromptu date night! We had the school of prawns - big serving! Eggplant croquet was a special and honestly incredible! It was the perfect blend of cheese and eggplant. They definitely should be on the menu! We tried the Seafood Linguine and the Gnocchi. Both delicious, but the winner out of the two was definitely the Gnocchi, i was making a joke to my partner about how i never eat it because it always just tastes doughy and this time it was perfect, they were super soft and melted in your mouth the way Gnocchi should!!! For desert we had the cheesecake and Nonna's tart, they were nice especially when paired with their amazing coffee! This place is a must try!

Very nice lasagna and linguini. Love the atmosphere and real Italian food ;) the restaurant was busy and it was a rainy day but everyone feels warm in the restaurant.

A real italian Trattoria. Great food and service. Not very big and wonderful atmosphere. Definitely a must go if you like italian food. Highly recommended.

Hidden away is this great little gem. Generous servings, great big flavors. Tasty prosciutto and mozzarella entree, both pasta main dishes were fantastic. Not sure if it was intended but mains came out very quickly, whilst we were still busy admiring how good the entrees were in true no-fuss Italian style!

Great food, well priced. Nice and cosy restaurant with good service. Highly recommend the tuna carpaccio and fettuccini with mushrooms and tiramisu

so guys my trip to Melbourne brings me to the world capital of foods, here i come for business with my colleague as usual for a lunchion. and we land up this exquisite italian restaurant <br/><br/>placed at a cozy location sadly the place was under renovation, so there was a make shift arrangement, however called for some seafood pasta with prawns sea shell meat and crabs and a potato salsa stuff names are not so well known to me.<br/><br/>the place is neat and costs you around 3k for 2 pax, qty is okish for one to person.<br/><br/>so may be should you travel around here some times and wish to ear italiano stuff than you can surely visit the place.

Loved the food. Didn't like the quantity for the price charged :) ordered the pasta vegetarian and loved every bit of it. The ambience is brilliant and it is ideally located in South Yarra to quickly catch up for lunch

As I may have mentioned in a previous post, there is nowhere better in Australia for Italian food than in Melbourne. Which is why I make a point to fit at least one meal of Italian every time I go down. Now one store which has definitely been on my list since first hearing of it is the exclusive Thirty Eight Chairs in South Yarra. Like its name suggests, there are only thirty eight chairs in the whole restaurant, so we made sure to book a table early on.

Always great, consistent food. Can get busy so book ahead. Small and cosy, but full of energy ... the Carlton version has the same great food but with a quieter vibe if you want a more relaxed experience

Ini resto itali. Entah kenapa ane nyasar ke resto itali mulu, mungkin karena ane ada darah itali kali ya, secara mirip fransesko toti gitu loh. Eniwei, nih resto keciil banget, hebat juga 38 kursi bisa muat. Ane makan duck ragu, buat lo pada yang bahasa inglisnya kurang artinya bebek ragu2. Gw juga ngga ngerti kenapa namanya begitu. Makanan dateng, beuuuhh enak booo.... dan porsinya lumayan gede, jadi tadinya ane pikir mahal jadi ya ok pah buat porsi segini gede. Bisa buat dua orang dewasa, asal bukan abis main bola yah, karena abis main bola pasti laper.

A relatively underrated Italian restaurant in South Yarra near Chapel Street, our dinner at Thirty-Eight Chairs was a mixture of amazing flavours to a killer dessert, only to be let down by the moody pasta and inattentive service. The interior is very dark and cosy, perfect for a chilly winter in a small group or for date night! The waiters are efficient in their water pouring but everything else stops about here. You pay for the food, but you also pay for the service. From taking the wrong order down, to rushing out our fixed order, messing up the price on our bill, forgetting our change and not mentioning the price of the bread, the waiters were incompetent and unhappy to hear any complaints/comments from us.

Such a disappointing experience here and so confusing - some things were wonderful and some were terrible! We had heard great things about their pasta so we were excited to try. For entree, we shared a meat and cheese platter which was great, and also a mix of fried things (olives, croquettes, mushrooms etc) which was average at best. Between the 7 of us we then had 6 different mains - and it was a 50/50 hit rate. The gnocchi was fantastic, the mushroom ragu and the lobster special were also very nice. On the other hand, the meat ragu was in pasta so overcooked it had broken apart and the dish resembled (and tasted like) a stew - an average stew. The pesto pasta was truly awful. The pesto was more bland and far worse than anything that comes out of a jar, and the pasta tasted like $2 coles dried pasta that had been on the shelf a few months too long - such a disappointment. The gluten free pasta had by one person was edible, but it's been done much better elsewhere. The wait staff were lovely, but lacking skill - more of our wine ended up on our table than in our glasses! It was spilled everywhere each time she filled up our glasses, and she never once apologised or tried to clean it up. They found out we were celebrating a birthday, and they were very kind to bring out a small selection of treats to share. Overall, we had a 50% great, and 50% awful experience. We won't be going back.

Super service 10/10 👌 Nice food 🙂 8/10<br/>We accidentally booked alfresco on a cold night, even though the restaurant was packed they found us a seat at the bar to drink and order which was super cosy. When our food started to arrive we had a table waiting.

Hidden away in Bond Street but a true local gem. Authentic Italian food with a great selection of cheeses and wines. Loved it. The only criticism is that the place is so tiny!

Disappointing. Booked the 'alfresco' thinking I'm just sitting outside when in fact I'm in another building out the back next to 38 chairs. Rather misleading and nothing like the great atmosphere of the real thing. Service and staff were good, food was reasonable (not up to what we have had on other visits), atmosphere not so......needs to be clear what you are actually getting. Be careful.

Went here for dinner on a Friday night, and it wasn't busy when we got there at 6pm but filled up really quickly. It's a quaint and cosy restaurant, perfect for a dinner date but the noise does sky rocket when it's full. We got the buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto, duck Raju pasta and gnocchi. The mozzarella was a bit of let down but the prosciutto was beautiful, some of the best I've had in Melbourne! Pastas and gnocchi were pretty good but the gnocchi lacked flavour. Service was helpful and attentive!

Wow, what a flavour explosion at South Yarra's Thirty Eight Chairs. They cook their fresh homemade pasta to a 'Nonna style' soft texture, and damn it was good. So good my bro wished he'd had a whole bowl of the semolina gnocchi on its own. Great food, great service, and great tunes coming out of this charming Euro-style bistro. Can't wait to return.<br/>Pictured: veal spezzatino with semolina gnocchi and gremolata (top), orecchiette with tuna ragu (bottom)

We started with some bruschetta and prosciutto to share, then for mains we all had pasta. I had the prawn and crab meant linguine, it was really good however was a little short on prawns. The service was okay, but did take some time to get our orders in at the start. The restaurant itself is quite small, a little dark and quite loud too. It would maybe we okay for a date, but perhaps not a big group.

Get a seat and quick. Been there thrice in the last year. Food is always wonderful. From the simplest bruschetta to complex tiramisu, I have enjoyed every dish I have tried. Ironically their marinara was the weakest. <br/><br/>Good wine selection, nice desserts and consistently good food. Highly recommend this place for a small group.

This place lived up to all the hype... Amazing Italian food with amazing Italian service. Whilst I had the Morton Bay Bug sliders (seen below) I tasted the pasta that everyone else on my table had and I know that I will be going back for the pasta. It was amazing, especially the egg fettuccine wild mushroom ragu with truffle oil. Definitely one of the best Italian restaurants I have been to in Melbourne 👍🏻

Finally! This is the third time I’ve been to Thirty Eight Chairs and finally I’ve remembered to take some photos before scoffing down my pasta and can write a review that befits this establishment. <br/><br/>I’ve walked along Chapel Street many times as a tourist and many more times as a local. I would not describe the South Yarra part as a dining destination, even though there is the occasional top spot. One day a colleague suggested an Italian joint just off Chapel on Bond Street and instantly I had my reservations about their reservation.<br/> <br/><br/>I was wrong. It was a fabulous meal and a subsequent journey there for lunch again proved the first experience was no fluke.

I tried this little pasta joint last week for dinner and it was pretty good. I had the seafood linguini (minus breadcrumbs) and it was yummy but nothing out of the ordinary. The pasta was cooked well - not too soggy or firm, and the tomato based sauce was simple and delightful. The prawns tasted very fresh but the mussels and random tiny pieces of fish were average. For $33(ish) I expected better. But after all, it's oh so trendy to be there... where do I park my Porsche Cayenne?! ;)

This place is amazing! Beautiful , intimate atmosphere. Knowledgeable staff, great service. Food is DELICIOUS! Beautiful flavours! Just go! <br/>Had amazing penne pasta and the chicken schnitzel special. This place gets very busy on the weekend so I would book ahead to ensure you don't miss out! <br/>Highly recommend this place!

Amazing! Both the food and the tiny restaurant reminded me of being in Italy. Cozy, gorgeous & tiny, yet comfortable. I wanted to eat everything on the menu & the specials board. We had a group of five and three different meals, all of which were incredible. Couldn't recommend it highly enough. A hidden gem for sure!

We first visited ~3 weeks ago and really enjoyed our meal. I visited again with my sister last night and was disappointed. I made a booking over a week ago and tried to ring the restaurant over three evenings during the week to ask to sit outside, but my call was never answered and always went to voicemail. <br/><br/>When we arrived we were seated in the venue next door, a bar owned by the restaurant, and sat in an awkward makeshift table in the middle of the circulation space, people were walking around and pushing past us all evening. Not really the intimate space of a small restaurant! <br/><br/>We also didn't receive menus to order or have the opportunity to order drinks until 25 minutes after we had been seated. I wouldn't recommend.

Beautifully made gnocchi and great portion sizes. The only small suggestion is a touch of salt would perfect this dish. This restaurant is a little gem just off chapel st, small interior which is perfect for a small gathering of friends or work colleagues.

The Reginetta Ricce al Ragu di Anatra ($32) – what a mouthful! – is the unofficial signature dish, and sure enough, you can see at least one bowl on every table. The ‘nonna-styled’ pasta is soft, sticky, and rib-hugging, perfect for soaking up the deep, rich flavours of the sauce. I was especially impressed with the ragu; the duck slow-cooked until it fell apart, its rich flavour supplemented by earthy porcini mushrooms, and thick shavings of musty pecorino. This dish encapsulates everything wonderful that comfort food has to offer, and is definitely one of the best pasta dishes I’ve had to date.

Severely disappointed in this restaurant. Took my girlfriend here for a bite at 8. Sat down and mentioned to her how I noticed the staff being incredibly rude. Two glasses of wine then we ordered mains at 8:30 - 2 pasta dishes. Time kept ticking as we saw food being delivered to tables who had ordered after us. We continued to sit there with no update on our meals. The time now was 9:40, I asked the waitress and she replied 20 minutes. How on earth do they expect two people to sit there for and hour and a half for two pasta dishes. I walked up to the manager and let him know we won't be waiting any longer and that I was bitterly disappointed in the service. They refused to take responsibility for the poor management as they said the kitchen is small and if I wait another 15 minutes they can give me a takeaway. We ordered at 8:30 and they expected us to be satisfied with a takeaway container at 10pm. My girlfriend is a pasta lover and we were excited for this outing , however they let us down enormously. They did not offer anything to make it up to us. Perhaps a meal there next time on the house? Nothing. As the manager sheepishly let us leave empty handed after a long wait for nothing. Incredibly disappointed.

Very impressed!!! Located just off Chapel Street this intimate Italian restaurant boasts a warm welcoming interior and is a must try!<br/><br/>The service was absolutely outstanding, with multiple waiters making us feel very welcome :) But even better was the food! We ordered the Warm Ciabatta with Marinated Olives for entree, but the real star was the mains. <br/><br/>The Seafood Linguine (with tomato base, crab, prawns & bread sauce) and Tomato Gnocchi (with buffalo mozzarella and basil) were some of the best pastas we've had! We've all had a tasteless Seafood Linguine, but here you can be guaranteed that won't be the case!! Outstanding :)<br/><br/>For dessert the Tiramisu was delicious, however the Hazelnut Sponge dessert was a bit dry... lucky the accompanying Nutella mousse was deeeelish! <br/><br/>Overall, an intimate and romantic Italian restaurant with outstanding pasta and service. Perfect for a special date night :)

Love this little place. The atmosphere reminds me of 20 years ago in the early days of Caffe e Cucina just around the corner. Come and get a big hug from a lovely Italian waiter as if you are his long lost sister from Sicily. Hearty daily specials written up on the tiled wall are probably what you want to go for. Great ambience where you just want to invite all your friends to join and book the 38 chairs out! A must when I come to Melbourne as I have not found anything like this in Sydney ever! Embrace the carbs and enjoy!

friendly and attentive service ... wait staff was knowledgable ... had the shared platter of cold meat and cheese ... mains were risotto and linguini which were good

Amazing food, service is always top notch, perfect ambience when seated outside. Definitely one to attend for all pasta lovers. You won't be leaving disappointed.

I had heard mixed reviews about 38C, but I recently had "foodie" friends visit from Western Australia and whilst we were wondering through South Yarra trying to find somewhere for dinner, I thought to bring them here. I was very impressed by the waiter who immediately created a table for four and sat us down straight away despite being so busy. <br/>Whilst the atmosphere and service was great, the food was an absolute standout - simply phenomenal. We all looked at each other when we had our first mouthful of our pasta - we couldn't believe it!<br/>Will certainly be returning for special occasions.

I had super high expectations of this restaurant. Maybe I am being unfair as I had already dined at Supernormal at lunch and I wasn't hungry.<br/>We were sat at a shitty table at the end of the bar. There was a cabinet door beside me that kept on being pushed closed. Annoying.<br/>The waitress was super helpful and friendly.<br/>The duck ragu was a massive portion and heaps of flavour. <br/>I think that I am going to have to return on an empty tum and try again. <br/>Very busy and it was a Thursday evening.

Consistently good between different dishes!<br/>Lovely small casual Italian place with delicious food and great service.<br/><br/>We booked a table for two at 7:30 on a Thursday evening and got our table right away when we arrived.<br/><br/>To start the evening, we were recommended by the waitress to sample their formage and salumeria so that's what we did. But before that we got some bread and olive oil, whcih was very fragant and fresh.<br/><br/>We got the Capocollo (cured pork neck) and Prosciutto Parma (aged 2 years) which were both delectable. The meat has aged quite lovely, especially the Prosciutto which also contained a bit more flavourful fat. Both were thinly sliced and paired really well with the cheese (4/5 points)<br/><br/>For the cheese we got the Grana Padano and the Asiago (4/5) which were both mild and pleasant in taste. The texture was semi-hard to hard, we especially enjoyed the Asiago which was silky smooth in texture. Both of the cheese tasted great and went well with the salumeria.<br/><br/>For the main, Hannah grabbed the seafood linguine which was complex and delicious. The pasta was freshly made and cooked to the right level of firmness. The sauce was made with a variety of seafood which really made it tasted layered and thick. It was a delicious pasta dish (4/5).<br/><br/>Luke got the pork ragu pasta with Napoli sauce which was also yum. There were small cubes of beef which were very tender and flavourful. The pasta was consistent with Hannah's dish as well. The sauce was not too salty and very balanced (4/5).<br/><br/>For dessert we shared the tiramisu which was probably one of the best we have tasted in Melbourne. The mascapone was smooth and thick enough while the coffee underneath was very fragrant. The taste was very balanced, definitely not too sweet! The portion looks small but it was actually perfect for us to share (4.5/5)<br/><br/>Overall, it's definitely a great place for some Italian dishes. Service was very helpful and attentive. We always think highly of places that could deliver consistency across their menu and 38 Chairs is definitely able to do that.<br/><br/>

The buffalo mozzarella had great creamy texture but it was the truffle pecorino that truly wowed. Every bite translated into truffle heaven and you'd easily get your money's worth on that truffle aroma alone...

Love their eggplant parmigiana ! We had the mushroom tagliatelle which was handmade pasta but i find it not well seasoned. Great table service as well.

Nice and welcoming Thirty Eight Chairs is run by real Italians with genuine thick accent. The place is vibrant but the tiny size could lead to some waiting time. Would recommend trying the cured Parma prosciutto with buffalo mozzarella! Simple and yet very good. Ideal for drinks and snack on a Sunday afternoon.

Booked weeks ahead as we miss out every time we are in Melb otherwise. Tiny space with anxiety issues for those who need personal space! The food though- beyond great. Olives and warm ciabatta to begin with proseco. We chose octopus with canelini beans and caprese salad to share as starters. Mains were calamari dusted in semolina - also available as entree - and the tube pasta with pumpkin and vognole. Both divine. Pasta dishes are the specialty here and it was very difficult to choose one. There is also a risotto of the day. A few dessert options available but we decide to go back to our accomodation and eat our Zumbo purchases from earlier that day. Great place for groups but probably avoid if you are looking for a romantic quiet dinner for two😜

What a great little place. Authentic Italian food done very well. The prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella combination for entree is some of the best I've had combined with the warm crusty bread dipped in amazing Italian olive oil. Had the lamb and pork ragu and honestly it would be in my top 5-10 pastas over ever eaten... think lamb shank sort of flavours and the spaghetti was made fresh, nice and thick whilst being cooked perfectly. Tried the gnocchi sorrentina which had the tomato based sauce again with buffalo mozzarella and it too was beautiful. Highly recommended... service was excellent as well

Has something to please almost all yet the overall feel is amiss, food and delivery hit the mark for a short meal.The table tok a while to serve as well

This little gem is tucked away in a side street off Chapel Street in South Yarra! It's a small restaurant with a warm and authentic ambience. <br/><br/>The pasta is absolutely to die for - we can't get enough! <br/><br/>They also have a range of great daily specials.

The aborio rice within the risotto was cooked to perfection, nice and soft without being overly soggy and mushy. broth was rich, thick and extremely creamy. The rice inherited much of its flavour from the potato cream and a hint of potato aroma permeated throughout. The prosciutto was thick cut, akin to bacon bits except with a greater depth in flavour resulting from the ageing. Unfortunately, the whole dish was definitely too salty, perhaps due to the abundance of prosciutto.<br/> <br/>Overall a very enjoyable and authentic Italian meal. Portion sizes are reasonable and ingredients are of high quality, all with near perfection execution. The dishes were definitely pricey though.

Decided to pop in to see what all the fuss is about.<br/><br/>Been here twice now with my partner and we tried a few things.<br/>Duck Ragu for me was very bland. Not much flavour im sorry and a little watered down.<br/>Calamarai with radicchio salad was beatiful both both times. Not normally how i like my calamari but this was cooked really well. Calamari tubes char grilled and in with the salad with walnuts and a fresh strong olive oil.<br/><br/>Arancini balls were great the first! Cooked perfectly and full of flavour! Second time they were cold and unfortunately raw and floury.<br/><br/>Mushroom ragu was very under flavoured. No gsrluc or herbs just mushrooms and pasta. Pasta was very good as its home made im assuming but tha@ts all i could taste. Just fresh pasta. I was looking for a nice saucy mushroom ragu.<br/><br/>Pretty overpriced overall. <br/>And nothing mind blowing. I did thoroughly enjoy the calamari though. And the arancini the first time. <br/>So my rating of 3 is really based on that. Not the pastas as they were a downfall for me.

Have been keen to get to thirty eight chairs for a while now after hearing great things.<br/><br/>Ended up having lunch there today, safe to say it will be my first and last time dining there. Waiters were nice enough, service was mediocre, had to waive waiter down a few times. Wine was left on shelf during lunch not in fridge or ice bucket so was room temp by time it was finished. <br/><br/>Bruschetta was nice, polenta dish was almost inedible..with polenta chips you'd expect a crunchy coating with fluffy interior and a nice dipping sauce...polenta was dry, spongy and sauce less. <br/><br/>We were hoping the experience would improve when ordering a signature pasta dish, I had the seafood linguini, my mate had the duck ragu pasta. Although the duck was marginally better than my seafood both were below average, you'd enjoy a pasta dish from La Porchetta more than you would at Thirty Eight Chairs. <br/><br/>At around $75 a head I would have hoped for more, much more...

First of all, the food was just ordinary. But the experience here was even worse. We made a booking through Zomato on a Monday night and when we arrived, there were 2 two seat tables but I dont understand why they put us at the bar. But at that time, I thought it's kind of cool to sit at the bar area, so we didn't fight for the tables. Anyway, what a wrong decision that I have made! I understand that the restaurant is small and there was not enough space for the staff to walk around for serving other customers, but honestly, would you enjoy your night if every now and then, you felt like somebody pushed you throughout your meal?? I don't think so no atter how accommodating you are! Not only 1 or 2 times but throughout the whole time! The staff didnt even appologise! They were just busy about serving the table behind us! We are your customers too! And sorry your food is not good enough to compensate it. Not gonna come back again.

A pleasant Italian dining experience in the heart of South Yarra. The food was delicious and the staff very attentive. If you want authethic and fresh Italian cuisine (pasta) then this is the place to check out. My friend and I had the moreton bay bug, pumpkin and bechamel lasagne with a red wine (Chianti) which were both fantastic. The only downfall is the small dining space we felt we were dining with another couple on the table next to us, so not very intimate or spacious. Definitely book ahead.

Great little authentic Italian restaurant with an intimate vibe and great service. The waiters are Italian, the food is just like mama used to make it and the wine list is extensive. I came here for my anniversary and it was an instant hit. We started with the cheese and cured meats board and moved onto delicious rocket and pear salad. Our mains were the duck ragu and gnocchi. Both were superb and reminded me of my time in Napoli. This place is quite tight so I wouldn't recommend a large group of people, but if you are a two some or threesome, this is where to get real deal tasty Italian. Highly recommend.

We went for a quick lunch before the movie. Great food and excellent selection of wine love the chianti.<br/>Well done we will be back.

I've been here a few times between groups of 2-6 and have generally been pretty good. The restaurant itself is quite small and very intimate, hard to manage large groups I think. We came in a group of 4 last night and it was a tight squeeze. The menu seems to have changed since I was here last, a lot more comprehensive with more dishes which is great! We ordered the salumi platter which came with this really great ricotta cheese- was more than enough for 4 people! You also get bread to start with oil. My friends ordered the brocollini pasta and seafood whilst my partner and I ordered the Pork ragyu which was very nice- could have done with a bit more flavour but still good. Please note all their pasta is cooked "nonna" style I believe so is very well cooked, not al dente at all. Overall, a good evening and a great place not only for dinner but lunch.

Loved it. Very authentic Italian. Enjoyed the food, wine and the experience. Had the seafood linguine for main and panacotta for dessert. Can't wait to go back.

Cute cozy place, fantastic atmosphere. Loved the service and food was all outstanding! We had the ghocchi and the marinara linguini and they were super tasty. The canolis are a must! Best I've ever had

Always amazing food here. Always amazing service. And always amazing wine. Danielé has been our waiter the last couple of visits and really knows his stuff! It's a tiny place so you do have to book ahead. I always get the tune carpaccio and scallops to start!