Caffé Greco Oakleigh — Restaurant in Melbourne

I’m taken aback at the reviews I’ve read following my experience tonight! I didn’t realise Oakleigh was full of so many self-acclaimed food and restaurant critics; it seems many are confused at the experience offered by Caffè Greco so here’s my perspective on the matter: This is not a new Vanilla, Niko’s or Melissa’s, this is not your stock standard sit-and-go, Greco-pub food experience that you’re used to from these grandfathered establishments, this is not even a Greek restaurant! This is something brand new and refreshing - a class above what it seems Oakleigh was ready for; an elegant blend of two of the finest cuisines in the world and done, in my unqualified opinion, very well! And that’s where I’ll begin - my unqualified opinion (like that of everyone else’s on here):

Food Quality: Kalamari (10/10): crispy and delicious, distinctly fresh and seasoned to perfection, always a winner. Saganaki (10/10): soft and cheesy on the inside but crispy on the outside, literally all you could ask for Melitzanosalata (10/10): I’m not big on veggies but this was fresh, offered a mouthfull of flavour and went really well with the grilled pita bread. Sicilian Salsicca (10/10): cooked well, flavoured well and paired well with the grilled peppers! King prawns (10/10): it’s a king prawn in a great sauce, what’s there not to love? Greco’s Greek Lamb Shoulder (15/10): this was top 3 dish of the night for me. It came in a delicious sauce, was so tender it fell apart with just a touch and melted in my mouth, the chips it came with were also cooked to perfection, crispy on the outside but fluffy on the inside. 350gm black Angus ribeye cotoletta (10/10): I’d never tried this before tonight but it tasted incredible, pan-fried perfection! Penne carbonara (20/10): do yourself a favour and order this - hands down one of the best carbonara’s I’ve had! It’s easy to tell the pasta is made fresh, the ingredients used are high quality and offer an outstanding taste of an authentic carbonara without the 16,000km trip overseas. Rigatoni goat ragu (18/10): another hands down winner. My first bite transported me back to nonna’s house as a young lad eating her pasta once again. A purely casalingo dish that is nothing short of authentic and extremely tasty. Pumpkin ravioli (10/10): goes without saying but the blend of ingredients used gives a unique flavour to this dish. A nice touch adding the amaretti shavings in the dish, a very truly Italian touch and adds a sweet aftertaste! Desserts (100/10): (see pic) finally some authentic Italian desserts done by the best! I recommend trying them all!

Overall: 10/10

Service: Staff were attentive and prompt, visiting our table regularly to ensure empty dishes were cleared and empty glasses refilled or replaced. A friendly experience with all the staff there added to our great experience, with each staff member engaging in lively conversation. When questioned, staff were knowledgable about the menu, and made informed suggestions. Staff were efficient: we arrived, were seated, drinks order taken, food order taken, and were promptly served during peak time of 7pm.

Overall: 10/10

Ambiance The atmosphere is lively and exciting, with the decor and mood reminiscent of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milano. Bathrooms and restaurant overall is extremely clean and seating is very comfortable with plenty of space (6 of us seated in a booth). Regarding the noise level: you’re in a Greek and Italian restaurant, what are you expecting?

Overall: 10/10

Value Considering the high-quality of the food, great service and portion sizes, the cost of the meals are extremely well priced and in line with market value of similar establishments. Based on my experience, the price-to-quality ratio actually favours the consumer who bargains on fine-dining dishes at a reduced price.

Overall: 10/10

Does the restaurant have its hiccups? Sure - which restaurant doesn’t! I’m just glad there’s finally a gourmet restaurant in a tired and overdone Oakleigh!

Bravissimi, I look forward to...

I’ve heard good things about Caffe Greco, specifically about the owner having a good reputation with his restaurants in the past. It was only a matter of time before I tried it myself, going to dine in with high expectations and reading other reviews. I came here with a friend on a Tuesday night for dinner. It was nice and quiet so we easily got a table outside, although it did take a few minutes before someone finally came and seated us…. The restaurants itself looks great I must say! For starters we had the saganaki with fig sauce. It was very good! Soft, tasty and not overly salty. The fig sauce added a perfect balance to the flavour. Can’t fault it. Now to the mains…. I had the Athenian lobster makaronada. I’m sorry but I was left disappointed… it was nothing like the photos I’ve seen of the same dish from previous ones uploaded by customers. The lobster was cut up in small pieces and mixed in with the spaghetti. Which is fine and it wasn’t too bad but the spaghetti was bland with little flavour. It was also clumpy. The cherry tomatoes were really the only tasty ingredient on the dish to be honest! For the price I paid I was really was expecting something, well…more! My friend had the linguine frutti di mare. She said the spaghetti itself had a strong seafood taste to them, which you wouldn’t really get if the seafood was fresh. The dish says it has chilli in it but you couldn’t taste it at all. That being said we didn’t finish our meals. For the price we paid it definitely wasn’t worth it. Their drink menu is vast, plenty of options. I had one of the mocktails, can’t remember what my friend had. Nevertheless we didn’t think too highly of our drinks. The service…well… it could improve. Not once were we asked how the food was, as you would typically get with other restaurants i.e “how was everything?” It seemed as though waitresses didn’t really care about delivering a fantastic service considering that the restaurant is still new and supposedly high quality. We hardly got a smile from any of the many waitress that were there. Not very welcoming and that was another disappointment. Perhaps the quality of the food is different on weekends, although it shouldn’t be and it really shouldn’t make a difference what day of the week a customer comes to dine. Consistency in quality should be a top priority! I’m not trying to be mean or anything, I’m just putting in a genuine review and my honest opinion. I just hope that Caffe Greco take on feedback in a positive way and try to find ways to improve. Which is what every restaurant owner should do…. if they genuinely care about customer experience (and not only about profit) that is! Will I come back? Maybe on a weekend to try something else on their...

We visited Caffé Greco in Oakleigh for a special Mother’s Day and birthday celebration, and what began as a lovely evening ended on a deeply disappointing note.

There were four of us, and we genuinely enjoyed our dinner, drinks, and dessert. The food was fairly good, and the atmosphere pleasant. Our waiter, a young male staff member, was incredibly friendly and conversational – who made the experience feel warm and welcoming.

However, all of that was overshadowed at the end of our meal. Just as my father-in-law took his final bite of dessert, a bald man – who we believe is part of the ownership – came over abruptly. Without so much as a courteous tone, he told us we had to leave immediately because our two-hour seating was up, he then doubled down and insisted we leave. His approach was shockingly rude and aggressive, we genuinely thought he was joking at first.

Yes, we understand the two-hour time limit, but it’s hardly the guests’ fault if the kitchen’s timing pushes the meal to the edge of that window. We weren’t lingering unnecessarily. My mother-in-law even had to leave her full pot of tea behind, feeling rushed and disrespected.

For a $400 bill, we expected at the very least basic courtesy. Sadly, this man’s behaviour left us feeling like our presence was more of an inconvenience than anything else. Shocking customer service.

After checking their reviews, it’s clear this isn’t a one-off. Instead of taking accountability or improving their service, management seems intent on shifting blame onto paying customers. That’s not just bad business – it’s arrogant and...