1000 Lire Pizza & Stuzzichini — Restaurant in Melbourne

Immediately upon entry we were struck by the giant pizza oven which was the focal point of the space and entertained by the theatrics of the chefs throwing the pizza bases in the air and stretching the dough. I was also impressed by the function area they have which they apparently don’t charge a fee for, I would thoroughly recommend the space for any private gatherings as it’s a great little area.

Food wise my husband went for the Aranacini and the calamari. I tried some of the calamari which was delicious. Some olives also arrived at the table too as the staff moved about the space chatting with customers- you definitely felt the hospitality and the design of the cafe, all centred around the oven and the open workspaces makes it feel really inclusive and homely. I had a classic Margherita and added buffalo mozzarella which was a very generous addition and made for a great pizza.

For me the real superstar however was the dessert. I was deliberating between three fabulous sounding options when the waitress offered the ingenious idea of the dessert platter which is basically your choice of three desserts- done and done! I started with the limoncello semi freddo which I absolutely adored. I’m not generally one for semi freddo but this traditional Italian dessert really showed how delicious it can be and the limoncello flavour was stellar. I loved that they chose to showcase an authentic Italian flavour here. It was light and refreshing and something a bit different.

Next was the chai pannacotta. It’s been awhile since I’ve had a pannacotta for dessert rather then brunch but I have to say this one was exceptional. The texture was silky perfection and the chai flavour was beautifully sweet and subtle with just enough to not overpower the delicate smoothness of the panna itself. It had a perfect wobble and was served with a heavenly orange tuile. The final dessert was a sticky fig pudding. This tasty delight rounded out the yummy trifecta. I cannot stress this enough- go for the pizza but save room for...

We booked online, which was great. We arrived at our scheduled time (7:30) and to a rather good looking restaurant. Great decor, and ambience, However this is where the greatness stopped (except for the Croquettes). My seat had crumbs on it from the previous diners, so I was dusting off crumbs to sit and wait.............. We were attended to and provided the menu's and we were ready to order within moments. Within 20 minutes we were served our entree of croquettes which were really tasty.

TIME LAPSE

We spoke with a waiter and were told twice that our meals were coming.... We finally received our main meals after waiting 1 Hour. We got a pizza, that was under cooked and rushed. The fettuccini ragu, was cooked rather inconsistently (I understand the term 'Al dente' but not that under cooked). Finally we received our very sad looking salad of Radicchio, lettuce and pink grapefruit (only 3 pieces) which was sloppy and over dressed.

We ate our meals as we were rather hungry by this point. There was a general consensus that there were other tables also waiting for there meals, I overheard several conversations about how long it was taking for food to be served.

We then went to pay and it turned out that our meals were no-longer on the docket relating to our table number. (which explains possibly why it took so long) Overall it was a terrible experience and I doubt we will be heading there again.

Maybe there has been a change in staff or owner as all the reviews on Zumato said that it was a great place to...

Absolutely love this place! 1000 lire is part of our routine now. We love this for nice outings with family and friends but it’s also a nice date place too. The pizza is amazing and for the record the chefs are actually from Italy. (To be completely honest, the pizzas here are better than DOC and 400 gradi.) Our favorite ones are 1000 lire, pancetta, Raffaé (however would recommend if you don’t like spice ask for the chili on the side or none.) Tonight I had the pasta of the day which was a lamb ragú with penne: it was delightful. We also regularly order the red cabbage and apple salad, arancini, calamari and the Chianti rosso wine. The dishes are authentic and delicious and it is very reasonably priced. The waiters are so friendly, we really love coming here and 100%...