Caffe Di Alessandro — Restaurant in Melbourne

Really nice coffee, although I didn't find the atmosphere very welcoming.

I don't usually write reviews, but this one perplexed me.

I walked into the cafe at an early hour, and simply asked if they were open as the open sign is in Italian and I cannot read Italian, (I also asked because some cafes turn on there lights/prepare coffees machines ECT. But not open yet). The owner looked at me with disgust and said ' of course it's open, there are people outside' it was still dark at this point and clearly I didn't pay attention to my surroundings, but you did not need to be rude. I asked politely, and you snapped at me.

The vibe was off, should of left at this point. I sat down, owner asked if I needed sugar, I politely said yes please, after about 5 minutes I got up and asked for a napkin he handed me one, and I reached for another as i needed to wipe my face. He looked at me with disgust.

Look owner, I may have caught you on a bad day, you could be nice, not sure.

But when the atmosphere is unfriendly like this I don't want to come back, no matter how good the food looks.

On a positive note, your pastries look amazing and your coffee...

Best, true and real, proper Italian made coffee in Bayside. It truly is one if the best places for great coffee in Melbourne..."Perfetto!"

It serves traditional Italian foods and, while (as a vegan) there is nothing for me to eat, the food looks, smells and is heralded as "squisito" by all who have experienced the dishes and pastas. I would be eating there weekly, if there were a vegan option. There is nothing that compares to traditional Italian pasta made by an Italian. Honestly, if you have never experienced a home-made pasta cooked by an Italian, you have never experience the true gift and pleasure of pasta.

Alessandro is a very charismatic man, is always friendly and welcoming to me and my dog (he holds the door open for me or brings out my take away coffee so my dog does not have to wait outside alone) and he encourages and inspires me to learn new Italian words and phrases. It has been lovely to engage with Alessandro and to enjoy the...

When asked for a shot and a half, I got a lecture on how he "was over it" (people requesting variations). He said he had no idea how strong his coffee was. Also my wife asked for extra hot which was similarly ignored. The flat whites that arrived were overdrawn and very average. We sat outside where the table wobbled so much my wife asked for a serviette to wedge one side. This was met with "is not my fault ... There's no point ... It's the council's fault etc. Overall, poorly made coffee from a grumpy owner who should have found another business long ago. Thanks for ruining my morning coffee ritual. I...