Gemelli Italian — Restaurant in Gold Coast City

The place wasn’t too loud, and the music was fitting, setting the tone really well. For a Monday night, it was very full, which was surprising. The place itself looked amazing, and the lighting was low but still good, especially the table lights. The tables and chairs were mid-range—not fancy, but thankfully not uncomfortable either.

They provided tap water and glasses, which was good, and the cutlery and napkins were nice as well. The menu was set out really well—everything was easy to find and nicely organized on a single A3 page. The food selection was just right—not too much, not too little. My family of five was given two bottles of tap water, which was a nice touch.

The drinks menu was more of a book, which I liked because it had lots of options. I didn’t order any drinks myself tonight, but it was impressive. The waiters were super nice and took orders really well. One of the waitresses even started a quick conversation in Italian with one of my family members. Some of the waiters also spoke to each other in Italian, which made the place feel even more authentic. The glasses were exactly like the ones at my Nonna’s house, which was a cool detail.

The Food

All five of us got our food super quick, around 15 minutes. • Arancini ai Funghi – Even though I don’t like mushrooms, I still loved it. I always love arancini, and this one was one of the better, more complex ones I’ve had before. • Rigatoni Ragu – Not bad at all, but not the best pasta I’ve ever had. It might just be the type of pasta dish, but I’d say both my Nonna’s cook better-tasting pasta—though maybe not Ragu specifically.

From what I saw, the pizzas looked very proper Napoletana pizzas, but take my words with a grain of salt because I didn’t try them myself.

My family enjoyed their meals, but it didn’t blow them away, and they said they wouldn’t come back on this Gold Coast trip.

Service & Dessert

The waiters were on top of everything. Both of our tap water bottles were nearly empty, and before they even got finished, the waiters replaced them with full ones straight away without us asking.

The dessert menu was formatted well—small A5 paper, with just the right number of options. My mum asked about other locations, and the waiter listed all of them, saying that this one was the best. She also asked if another pizza place across the road was any good, and the waiter politely said she didn’t know.

Before dessert came, the waiter gave everyone a fresh plate, cutlery, and napkin quickly and with good manners. One of our desserts took a bit longer to arrive than the main meal.

We only got one dessert to share, and it was plenty for the five of us. • Nutella Bomba – Very big portion, definitely enough to share. Lots of Nutella, and it was better than the best Nutella pizza I’ve ever had. It tasted very similar to an Italian-style pizza. Definitely something I would recommend, especially with family or friends.

The waiter brought the bill and the ATM/card machine directly to our table, which was different but actually better.

In summary

The biggest issue? The price.

For five people, each getting a main meal, one shared antipasto, and one shared dessert (with no drinks), the total was just under AU$360. That’s very expensive and honestly not worth it. But if they’re consistently getting enough people through the doors, then obviously, they don’t need to lower their prices.

Would I recommend it? Yeah, but more for the experience than the value. It’s a great place to go with family or friends, but if you’re looking for the best Italian, you could find a...

Overall This restaurant takes the rare title of being the best Italian restaurant I've ever visited as far as my memory serves. You will be treated to rich, Italian pizza and pasta in a lively environment that is welcoming for the young & hungry, the couple overdue for a date night, and the group of friends having a reunion.

The Meal In a few words, Satisfying authentic Italian food that artfully balances flavour and texture from start to finish. Entree - Bruschetta - The bruscetta was delicious, with crunchy but tender bread topped with cherry tomatos full of flavour. The surprisingly powerful addition is the parmesan cheese ontop. What a combo!

Main 1 - Pizza - Che Stupido - I needed to research the translation for this one and apparently, it means "how stupid!". The pizza was anything but what name suggests though. The Fior di latte mozzarella was a great balance against the stronger meat flavours from the leg ham, salami, pork and chilli sausage (and it is not overly spicy). The tomato and basil tie these flavours all together for a filling and flavourful pizza.

Main 2 - Gnocchi al forn - This dish was undoubtedly in my eyes, the star of the show. The Napoli sauce, buffalo mozzarella and basil are balanced perfectly to be overflowing with flavour. The gnocchi itself is something that should be elaborated on in an essay on how important texture is to a dish. Never have I had such melt-in-your-mouth gnocchi before. Topped with melted parmesan and mozzarella, these pillows of happiness were so delicious and easy to eat that we actually ordered a second plate. We simply could not resist the temptation!

Drink - All of this was washed down with a bottle of Langmeil shiraz. This delicious red, alongside the table water, kept us well hydrated through the dining experience. The only aspect that could've enhanced this would have been more emphasis on the presenting of the bottle before opening it.

Atmosphere & Service The atmosphere here is warm and engaging. Multiple chefs were seen skilfully working the woodfired oven in the middle of the restaurant which made for an engaging environment but never an overly distracting one. The chairs and tables are sturdy and comfortable also. The staff move about quickly and quietly, giving the place a distinguished professional feel. We never felt unwelcome or rushed as we made our order.

Booking & Wait times You will need to book a table in busy periods (we visited on a Friday evening) as the place's popularity may see you missing out if you don't think ahead. For 2 people, you will have about 1hr 30min to have your meal. The wait times were never noticeably long, even when the place was at full capacity. Regardless, the wait was worth it.

Cost This place is not a budget restaurant, and you will likely find cheaper pizzas and pasta dishes in other venues. However, you will see you are paying for top quality food, and it is something you will likely find yourself budgeting for once you have tasted it for yourself.

Summary (TL;DR) This is a popular premium Italian dining experience worthy of the price. The staff, decor and atmosphere are great and the food (especially gnocchi) is phenomenal. Will definitely...

Host was very nice and welcoming when we arrived for our booking at 6pm (10 min earlier) but our waiter was so far from being kind. He didn’t introduce himself or didn’t greet us at all. He rushed to our table to tell us we have limited 1,5h time if we are aware of it. There was no hi or anything but just letting us know as soon as we sit, that we need to go.

I was sure that our booking was 2hours as it stated on the webpage but we just said thanks we know.

Into first drinks, he came and told us we have limited time it’s better to order our entree and if our friends are coming or not.

We felt rushed and ordered entrees before rest of the table arrived. 15 min into first drinks and entrees waiter came back to tell us to choose main cause again our time is limited. At this point we were pretty upset and shocked about the service. We picked something, ordered second drinks with another waiter and waited him to come back to order mains.

Food served really fast. Entrees were tasty and better than mains. Pizza crust was good (woodfire oven does the job) but it tasted so bland and looked dull. Pasta was average. There is no way that pasta could justify 40$. Our friends liked their food but they also said it’s an okay Italian place, no one was amazed. All of us tried to justify the overpriced menu but we sadly couldn’t with this rushed and inattentive service.

We were considering a dessert and another round of drinks but waiter offered us take away boxes first so we packed our stuff and bottom up our drinks and left. We took our time and used all of our booking slot. There were 5 tables empty around us, we were small table and they were never set up for next bookings but we were reminded 5 times about our limited booking time which was really annoying.

Overall it was a rush and unpleasant night. I wouldn’t go back or suggest this place to friends due to not being good enough with food and service.

Gemelli website states: Please kindly note, 5pm bookings are strictly 1.5hours, bookings before 8pm have a 2 hour duration at the table. So we should have 2h and not to be reminded...