Venice Pizza Bar & Restaurant — Restaurant in Albany

Reading the reviews for Venice Pizza Bar was honestly like a fever dream. Despite reviews being good, I am convinced they were written by robots or people who breathe exclusively through their mouth, because the food here was some of the worst I have had in recent memory. I am aware the staff may have been more under the pump given the extremely busy holiday season but frankly the food was nothing but insulting.

One friend of mine ordered the beef tortelinni. I have tasted cardboard that had more flavour than that dish. It reminded me of my sons cooking because that kid is allergic to both salt and pepper and the chef was obviously cooking for him, because the dish served was absent of flavour, seasoning and any colour beyond pale beige.

Another friend ordered the steak. Frankly it was the definition of the highest point of a bell curve, exceedingly average. The fact the dish cost $45 was a bit insulting. The dish was "cooked" so I am glad the chefs have discovered heat, but the cut of meat was clearly cheap and did not justify the asking price. There was a large amount of the wrong kind of fat in the steak, large gristle veins and a healthy amount of dissapointment for my friend. The parts that were not fat were 50% edible, 50% "reminicemt of eating boot leather".

I ordered the spaghetti bolognese. The menu specifically mentioned it was the chefs authentic special dish so I was ready for a proper, meaty bolognese. I got a dish that reminded me of my first two weeks of cooking. The tomato flavour was acrid to the point I was concerned for my stomach health, and I'm sure even if the meat was good quality, I wouldnt be able to taste it. Im sure I could use this sauce to disinfect a microbiology lab up to food-safe standards. The only positive of the dish was the low ($18) price compared to the other mistakes-disguised-as-dishes I could have ordered.

My third friend ordered the veal. He wants me to say it reminded him of the silverside his mum made when he was 10. He used the word "mid" to describe it, which is frankly harsher than anything else I could write.

The pizza was actually ok. We came here to eat the Queenslander, a pizza with bannana as a novel experience. I wish that I had resisted that sweet seductress because it led to a wholly dissapointing evening and a strong feeling we all wasted our money. If you do need to come here in the event of disaster, I would order nothing except pizza.

I can reccomend this place if you: Dont have tastebuds Hate flavour Love drinking strong acids (PH

Authentic Italian Food

Wow. As an Italian it has always been hard to find true authentic Italian cuisine in Australia. Some places are marketed as such but do not live up to their names. Venice Pizza Bar & Restaurant is a huge exception to this, and I’m so glad to have bought food here tonight.

Ordered for pickup over the phone, simple & efficient service with no messing around. Food was ready to be picked up exactly when we were told it would be.

The pizza I ordered (Marescillia) has got to be one of the best I have ever eaten, surpassing even some I’ve had in Napoli. Very obviously fresh ingredients, cooked to perfection. The tuxedo pizza box bib was a lovely touch too.

My partner had the Spaghetti Bolognese and we were surprised after opening the packaging to find the pasta fresh, hot, and still cooked al dente. It is difficult to make takeaway pasta not end up soggy & overcooked, so this was amazing to see.

The only negative point I found with the meal was that I did not order a large pizza! This was not due to any fault of the restaurant or their serving sizes, it was simply that I could not get enough of it!

Although we did not eat inside, the restaurant had a lovely atmosphere; it was calm, reserved & not at all loud. Staff were friendly and extremely attentive too.

Do yourself a favour and try this place out, you...

We had dinner at Little Italy (amazing and recommended) the night before and saw that this place had a higher rating so we decided to give it a try. Ordered the cacciatore sausage and beef tortellini. The sausage was way too tough to our liking, tougher than most jerky. When it came to the tortellini, it tasted bland and felt like we were just eating plain flour. Initially, we thought the pasta had too much flour, however we realised it was the beef paste inside which was dry and tasted like undercooked pasta (see picture). Honestly, a very bad and disappointing experience.

Service on the other hand was excellent. The server was very attentive. Once we said we were sharing, side plates were brought to us. The mains were also split into two bowls from the kitchen.

The other patrons looked like they were enjoying their meal, so maybe if you do decide to give this place a try, I do not recommend the cacciatore sausage and the beef tortellini. If you're looking for good pasta, I would recommend...