Alphington Social — Restaurant in Melbourne

Unfortunately this place was just plain average. The decor was amazing (even the bathroom was impressive), they had free sparkling water, some staff were great, and they allowed you to split bills, but that was the peak for this restaurant and it was all downhill from there. We opted for the Feed Me menu which included a selection of starters, chefs choice of pizza and pasta and some mini cannoli for dessert. There was definitely enough food, sometimes more than would easily fit on the table - if you need to ask us customers how to fit dishes on the table, maybe you should stagger their arrival better... The food was average - my favourite dish was probably the chicken wings which seems wrong at an Italian restaurant! The pizza was bland, the pasta too salty, and the starters were hit and miss. Dining as a table of three and receiving two serves of things (eg pickles on the antipasto platter - everyone wants their own pickle!) seemed thoughtless. The staff were hit and miss. A couple were switched on, and others just not really with it. I had to ask for my water to be filled up multiple times, despite staff constantly walking past our table and only once one of the better staff members received such a request were we left with a jug on the table. When your water glasses are a quarter the size of a normal drinking glass (honestly unsure why they make glassware that small) you have to be on the ball with keeping them filled up. Sadly, nothing about the experience made me want to return - there's too many good restaurants in Melbourne to waste time on...

I have been to and had takeaway from Alphington Social a handful of times and for the most part my experiences have been pretty good. This is inclusive of vibe, style, service and food/drink.

From my experience on Thursday night, I can’t help but add a caveat to that... and that is in reference to the $30 grazing board. I’ve had this item before, April 2020 and sadly what I got on Thursday (takeaway) did not match up to my previous experience. I can understand that given the difficult circumstances of hospitality you may need to decrease what’s in the box to help support margins made, and to your credit the description of the item on the website matches what I received. What doesn’t match what I received was the photo accompanied on the website (the photo does look more similar to what I received in April 2020), and the presentation as it just looked like the items had roughly been placed in the box. I have to admit I do eat with my eyes and the additional surprise of it not being what I expected left me underwhelmed and disappointed.

I will conclude this review saying that this is a good pace to dine at and this experience won’t stop myself coming back. I hope my feedback was constructive for management to continuously improve in what is a enjoyable...

A little dissapointing. We were asked 3 times in the first 5mins for our food order, even though we'd ordered drinks and a small plate with the first person, then we struggled to get any attention when we wanted to order mains and dessert. Eggplant chips had a thicker crumb than I'd like but still good 7/10. Pizza could be great but a badly burnt base and super sweet sugo didn't help 6/10. Seasonal greens weren't the steamed fresh greens i expected but drenched in some odd white sauce, just let it be fresh! 4/10. Cannoli w ricotta was very average, more cream than cheese and could have used the sugar from the tomatoes 2/10. Tiramisu was okay but please no nuts in a creamy dessert 6/10. The decor is crazy over the top, is it bro-food, slick pizzeria, mountain lodge, or a cosy romantic space?? I don't know, confusing! Would I go back or recommend:...