Baby Pizza — Restaurant in Melbourne

We recently dined at Baby Pizza, and I must say it was a rather eventful evening. We visited on World Pasta Day, and the restaurant was abuzz with activity. Surprisingly, it appeared busier than our previous visit.

We were seated at the bar, which was rather cozy. We were anticipating some interaction or perhaps a culinary show between the chefs behind the counter and the patrons, but, unfortunately, there was a noticeable lack of such engagement. It would be a nice touch if the chefs working on the pasta could entertain the patrons at the bar, while the salad and pizza chefs could work more discreetly.

When it comes to the service, our experience was a mix. The receptionist was exceptionally welcoming, setting a positive tone for our meal. However, there's room for improvement in the service department.

The waitresses, in particular, seemed to need more training as they occasionally banged dishes in front of us. A more graceful approach could significantly enhance the overall dining experience.

We also encountered a somewhat peculiar situation when we ordered wine by the glass, but one waitress suggested we should have a full bottle instead. It felt as though asking for a pint of beer resulted in a recommendation to order the whole barrel, which was a bit pushy.

Additionally, one of the waitresses was persistently seeking feedback on our food while we were still dining. We politely requested that she allow us to complete our meal before discussing the food further.

The evening started on a high note with a beautiful glass of Shiraz from the Heathcote region, setting the tone for a delightful meal.

For our entree, we ordered the Crudo do Tonno, a dish featuring Yellow Fin Tuna crudo with chili, capers, and lemon oil. Unfortunately, the dish didn't quite meet our expectations. It seemed to lack the zesty touch of lime or lemon that could have balanced the fishy scent. The flavors weren't as harmoniously infused as we've experienced with other crudo or ceviche dishes at different restaurants. This aspect led to a deduction in our overall rating.

Moving on to the mains, the Duck Ragu served with tagliatelle stood out as probably the best dish of the evening. The rich flavors and perfectly cooked duck ragu made this dish a highlight. We also tried the Calamarata al gamberi, featuring calamarata pasta with prawns, tomatoes, and chili. The sauce was superb, but the pasta was undercooked. Both dishes were thoughtfully presented.

Our choice of a side dish was Brussels sprouts with Cabo Lo Nero, lemon, and mint. While the taste was delightful, the presentation left much to be desired, as it was described as "ugly." There is a clear opportunity for the restaurant to enhance the presentation of this dish to match its delicious taste.

The evening concluded with a flat white and tiramisu, providing a fitting end to our dining experience.

In summary, Baby Pizza offers a vibrant atmosphere and some commendable dishes, with the Duck Ragu standing out. However, there are areas for improvement, particularly in service and dish execution. While the entree missed the mark, and the side dish's presentation could be enhanced, it was an enjoyable dining...

Probably the worst pizza place I’ve been to and i eat way too much pizza.

I came 6m ago, it was recommended. The experience was woeful, every aspect.

Tonight I came again giving them the benefit of the doubt and assumed the first time was unlucky due to Covid staffing issues etc.

This time:

*Staff ignored me waiting at concierge desk refusing eye contact *no water brought to table took me ages to flag down staff to ask half way through my meal *ordered sausage pizza only to find it was “sausage paste” not that clear in description, but who would order a sausage PASTE pizza, anyway that wasn’t the main issue, it seemed they had accidentally spilled a packet of chilli flakes (not even fresh) over the top, I love very spicy food, but found this inedible. *as 6 of 8 of the waiting staff intentionally avoid eye contact it was hard to get assistance (like with the water) but eventually I got the pizza changed. *the next pizza was sopressa and the chef (maybe not a chef) had dropped the meat as a clump on top…. Actually, no chef would do that, so not sure who’s making the pizza. Absolutely tasteless pizza anyway, no herbs or flavour, just mozzarella and handful of mild sopressa. And classic stone oven problem for inexperienced user, burnt crust and under cooked toppings!

To be fair the atmosphere and ambience are nice, and two of the staff weren’t avoiding eye contact which was something. No doubt Covid has made it harder to get good staff, but if you like pizza do not come here, it is offensive to Pizza, if you expect good service don’t come either…..

They must have been good once otherwise surely it wouldn’t have lasted but looking at the crowd - all mid twenties in groups - they are treating it like a bar which is fine and quite normal for Richmond…. If you want a night drinking with friends and some cheese on toast as a snack it’s fine… or better still walk 30m up the street and...

Date of visit 27/5/2023

It looks like a fast food restaurant, very crowded and noisy. I loved the ambience, however the pizzas on the other hand was not what I expected!

Polenta chips 5 stars Cacio e pepe arancini 3 stars Garlic was too overwhelming! Duck pasta 5 stars can’t fault it a winner! Pollo insalata 5 stars Tiramisu 5 stars

Margherita pizza 1 star thinly coated with dry tomato sauce, mozzarella thrown on half of the pizza, unevenly sliced and it was baked through like a crunchy tortilla. Not at all impressed.

Pepperoni pizza 1 star ingredients were good but unlike the first one, it was wet and soft. We had to roll the slices to be able to eat them!! We found a long dark hair on the pizza! The chef with long hair not wearing a hairnet says all about the food hygiene standards. Nobody wants a hair choking them as they eat their dinner!

I cannot recommend this place for pizza. There are cheaper, tastier pizza places, tortilla places,etc nearby. Servers were nice, all smily. Reason for the second star.

Update 31/5/2024

I am not sure what happened in the last year since I went to Baby but I was thoroughly disappointed tonight, the duck pasta is dead!

They have taken aldente to another level, the rigatoni pasta was hard and pork was tough! The pappardelle pasta was not cooked enough and the meat tasted like rubber! The last time we came, pastas were good but didn't like them this time.

Being Italian myself, I am surprised an Italian chef runs this restaurant and allows for this quality of food! Sorry to say but the food is well below average. If I'm being charged upscale prices, I expect upscale quality. Just another influencer trap in SY, looks great on Instagram but not...