Best Pasta in Melbourne
There are few things more comforting and delicious than a good bowl of pasta. With its longstanding Italian community and commitment to good food, Melbourne serves up some of the best spaghetti, fettuccine, pappardelle, orecchiette and ravioli in the world. It’s telling that some of the places on this list have been operating since the ’80s, with few changes to what they do. Good pasta is timeless and resistant to trends.
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Best Pizza in Melbourne
Restaurant
Tipo 00
A fine-dining chef's handmade-pasta passion project.
Restaurant
Di Stasio Citta
The CBD sequel to restaurateur Rinaldo Di Stasio's St Kilda institution goes just as heavy on the hand-made pastas. But it also throws high art into the mix, with video installations and dramatic artworks lining the walls of the restaurant’s brutalist, contemporary interior.
Restaurant
Park Street Pasta & Wine
Housed in a 19th-century building, this spot freshly extrudes pasta shapes such as rigatoni and bucatini in-house – an expensive process rarely seen in restaurant kitchens. Try them in the cosy dining room, or pull up at the parklet.
Restaurant
Cafe Di Stasio
No list would be complete without this St Kilda institution.
Restaurant
Va Penne
If you forget to book at this cosy neighbourhood restaurant, grab a seat at the bar, order a spritz and picture yourself in the streets of Palermo as you wait for a table. You’re in for home-style Sicilian fare, nostalgic Italian desserts and a welcoming vibe.
Restaurant
Oster
The owners at this sleek osteria show their Italian roots with varieties of filled pasta that hail from the Lombardy region in Italy’s north – where the owners are from. In a nod to their second home Down Under, there’s a big focus on local produce and a wine list featuring all-Australian drops.
Restaurant
Il Bacaro
All about that Moreton Bay bug spaghettini.
Restaurant
Bar Carolina
A tight list of hits from the same restaurateur behind Il Bacaro.
Restaurant
Cecconi’s
The seafood linguine has been a classic for years.
Restaurant
Scopri
Dine on elegant dishes below a giant vista of the Italian countryside.
Restaurant
Trattoria Emilia
An easy CBD haunt based on a Northern Italian trattoria.
Restaurant
Thirty Eight Chairs South Yarra
Where papperdelle, tagliatelle and risotto are second-nature.
Restaurant
Bar Idda
If you forget to book at this cosy neighbourhood restaurant, grab a seat at the bar, order a spritz and picture yourself in the streets of Palermo as you wait for a table. You’re in for home-style Sicilian fare, nostalgic Italian desserts and a welcoming vibe.
Cafe
Umberto Espresso Bar
A cosy space, a compact menu, and a whole lot of heart.
Restaurant
Tipico
A strong player in the city’s crop of sharp, contemporary Italian joints. Find classic dishes with subtle twists, and a wine list that picks from the country’s premier growing regions. The commanding terrazzo bar is the best place to take it all in.
Restaurant
Pinotta
Peruse the blackboard for always-changing specials with a focus on slow braises and seafood.
Restaurant
Etto
Pasta made fresh, twice a day.
Restaurant
Caffe e Cucina
An old-style Italian local.
Restaurant
Cucinetta
Intimate and communal, like a real Italian restaurant should be.
Restaurant
The Waiters Restaurant
A tiny, no-fuss space where the interior is older than you.
Restaurant
Fox in The Corn
First, they started a wholesale pasta business. Then this restaurant.
Cafe
DOC Espresso
After your meal, pop next door to the deli to try and reproduce the same quality at home.
Restaurant
Il Solito Posto
Choose your own adventure at this cosy underground institution. If you fancy casual Italian dining, pull up a table in the cafeteria opposite the bar. For a more refined atmosphere, make your way to the dimly lit trattoria lined with bottles of vino.
Restaurant
Rita’s Abbotsford
Look past the lengthy pizza list and choose a bowl of flavour.
Restaurant
Lupino Bistro
A longstanding but largely unsung spot for Italian classics.
Restaurant
Marios
It's not particularly authentic, but this comfort food has stood the test of time.
Restaurant
Good Times
The pasta here isn't show-stopping, but it's not trying to be. With pasta dishes ranging from $9 to $14, this Fitzroy North spot is affordable and punches well above its weight when it comes to atmosphere.
Cafe
Pellegrini’s Espresso Bar
It hasn't changed in years, because it's never needed to.
Restaurant
Tiamo Coffee
A remnant of old Carlton that's thankfully never changed.
Restaurant
Osteria Renata
Look for the lush olive-green facade on Prahan’s High Street to find this handsome restaurant and bar. Inside, a dedicated “pasta lab” produces all shapes and sizes, with a big emphasis on egg-based pastas specific to northern Italy. The wine list includes a handful of Italian varietals produced here in Victoria.
Restaurant
Little Black Pig & Sons
A cosy, familial Italian restaurant where the menu changes every week. Enjoy oysters, hand-rolled pasta and creative seafood dishes alongside wines from Australia, Italy and Argentina.
Shop
Sandro Pasta & Wine
You could well make friends with the next table at this convivial Italian wine bar, where bottles of wine and handmade pastas can be had right there or taken home.
