1800 Lasagne — Restaurant in Melbourne

To be frank, the hype of 1800 Lasagne did not live up to my expectations. This place would be great if you were after a few aesthetic pictures to post up for social media.

I do appreciate their limited menu offerings compared to other restaurants with limitless options. Their Lasagne Di Carne was well presented and the portioning size was generous for its price tag. The bolognese sauce was nice and saucy. I felt the dish lacked seasoning and it needed bit more salt which would of had rounded off the lasagne. The pasta sheets itself were overcooked and as of result were mushy and too soft, and it being far from al dente.

The house marinated olives left a lot to be desired. Unfortunately the generous serving did not compensate for the lack in flavours. A healthy gulp of olive oil and a few specks of fennel seeds is a bit of a stretch to use the name 'house marinated'. You would be able to find better olives at local deli's.

The garlic bread was fine as taste goes, and it tasted like any other convenient re-heatable garlic bread such as La Famiglia. It had a nice crust on the outside but the amount of butter used was overwhelming. The bottom of the garlic bread was glistening yellow and the moment you bite into it, the whole mouth coats in the excessive amount of butter. I could hardly find myself finishing off one small piece.

The staff were friendly and nice from the moment being seated but they seemed more focused on attending patrons seated on the inside. Water was topped off several times but the staff have seemed to forgot to ask 'how was the food and drinks.' The lack of attending outside patrons had led me confused to wait for the waitress to close my tab or I had to walk in, which I did eventually.

The ambience was alive and quaint, and the overall fit of the restaurant was nice for what's being offered on High St. That being said, I can also see why this place is bustling with customers waiting in line. There isn't any other decent restaurant along High St that does an...

4.5/5 ⭐️

The restaurant has a dark and moody fit out, and if you’re lucky enough to dine during their live Jazz band like we did, it’ll feel like stepping into a movie scene. A full house of people talking, laughing, eating, drinking and listening to the band play. Their food menu is small but that’s when you know it’ll be good - they know what they can do and they do it well.

I can see why they’re known for their Beef and Pork lasagne because it was so delicious. Soft pasta sheets, creamy bechamel and a proportional amount of their tasty bolognese sauce. I will say it needed a touch more seasoning but nothing major. The portion was also great!

The Mafalde was fantastic. Al dente pasta, enough sauce to coat the pasta, and a generous amount of sausage, olives and all the rest. Despite the chilli, it was pretty mild so if you’re someone who can’t usually handle spice, you’ll be able to handle this one. Again, a good bang for your buck.

You MUST order the garlic bread! It is perfectly crisp on the outside, and beautifully moist and flavourful on the inside. My only regret is I didn’t save any to dip in the pasta sauce.

I had high hopes for their tiramisu because it looks incredible and because it is my favourite dessert. Unfortunately we were disappointed with this for two reasons - way too much cocoa powder on top, it had us choking when it hit our throats, and also because the Savoiardi biscuits weren’t soaked long enough in the coffee so they still had a crispness to them. I personally enjoy my biscuits to be soggy but that’s just personal preference.

This is such a great spot, and it might just become my new local Italian when I want a lively atmosphere paired with good food. I highly suggest booking a table because they had a full house on a Sunday night but it is...

I just want to qualify my 3-star rating for the food. It is purely based on a personal preference. The food was actually quite tasty but I personally just didn't like the way it was prepared. We ordered the ragu, pesto and carbonara. The ragu was fine - rigatoni and ragu was tasty and cooked as expected. For the pesto, it was done more as a basil emulsion and the pine nuts were scattered in whole across the dish. It resulted in a dish where the pasta sat in a thinnish runny sauce - while it tasted ok, I didn't like the mouth-feel. I prefer my pesto in the more traditional method - where the pesto is more like a oil-based paste with the pine nuts crushed through it. For the carbonara, again it tasted ok, but something about how it felt more like an oily emulsion, rather than having a silky yolky dressing in the spaghetti.

I reiterate that it's purely personal preference that's behind this rating and review. The final point is regarding the pricing - I felt it was a bit on the high side for a casual suburban eatery - $30 for the pesto and low $32 for the ragu and carbonara. The portion sizing was very generous though, but perhaps because I didn't enjoy the way the dishes were cooked, it did feel more steep for me for my experience.

Otherwise, the setting was beautiful (rustic, old school) and service very good. The place is obviously a local institution in Northcote and has its loyal following, so all the best to the owner and staff. Hope this review reads as being honest and constructive, and not critical and destructive - I fully own it as being based on personal preference as opposed to an actual issue with the...