Cena — Restaurant in Melbourne

⭐⭐☆☆☆ — Two stars, and that’s being generous

Having read all the glowing reviews, we decided to check this place out for ourselves. As passionate local foodies, we’re always hunting for the next venue that’ll wow us with both great food and great service. Sadly, while the service here absolutely delivered, the food was such a bitter disappointment it left a really bad taste — literally and figuratively.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

We couldn’t fault the presentation, cleanliness, or lively atmosphere inside. The modern layout, smartly designed seating, and welcoming vibe clearly show this place is built to host a crowd in comfort.

STAFF

From the moment we walked in, the staff were professional, warm and attentive. They anticipated needs, moved with purpose, and worked together like a well-oiled machine. Not a trainee in sight — just seasoned pros doing their job exceptionally well. Full marks here.

ENTRÉE

We kicked off with Arancini Balls and Fried Calamari — hot, fresh, and delicious. At this stage, we were already planning to make this our new local go-to. Everything was lining up for a five-star night… until the mains arrived.

MAINS – AND WHERE IT ALL FELL APART

We ordered two Surf & Turf and the Fish of the Day. Timing was spot-on, presentation looked promising, and plates were piping hot. But from here on, things went downhill fast.

The well-done steak was cooked perfectly. The rare steak (mine) was an absolute disaster — tough as boot leather, impossible to chew, and utterly inedible. After spitting out three attempts at meat pulp, I gave up. And at $59 a plate, I sat there gobsmacked, wondering how on earth a kitchen that nailed the entrée could send out something this bad. It was gristle masquerading as premium steak — and whoever cooked it should stick to flipping burger patties, because that’s clearly their level.

AFTERMATH

I quietly asked the waiter to tell the kitchen, “I wish the soles of my shoes were as tough as this steak.” He whisked the plate away and returned with a menu, offering for me to choose something else. But the damage was done — I was too furious to eat anything else.

They then tried to smooth things over with a free dessert, which only insulted me further. You can’t buy off a bad dining experience with sweets. A manager — or better yet, the chef — should have fronted up and spoken to us directly. Don’t leave your floor staff to mop up the mess someone else made.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I’ve given one star for the décor and one for the staff. Everything else? A total let-down. This place had the potential to deliver a five-star experience, but the kitchen — and the chef in particular — failed it miserably.

What a pity. We walked in excited and hopeful… and walked out vowing...

Strict 2 hour in and out time ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Last night I attended Cena as a guest of a 60th birthday party. There was about 25 of us. The booking was at 6pm and we had an out time of 8pm (which we were repeatedly reminded of). Immediately I could see that the person hosting the party was stressed. The waitresses were asking to bring out the food but a couple of the guests were running 10-20 minutes late which is to be expected with such a large group of people. We were given the ‘feed me menu’ with entree, primi and secondi courses.

At the party we had babies, kids and elderly so some people took longer to eat than others. At about 7.30pm the waitresses were back talking to the host of the party about timing. We were still very much eating and I don’t even think all the food had come out. By 7.45pm the manager was talking to the host about moving the party outside. At this time I was still eating my food but I felt like I was being circled by a sea of servers looking closely at me to finish so they could clear my plate as they clearly wanted us out of there. I really couldn’t enjoy my food and had a pit in my throat from the feeling of being uncomfortable.

We were moved outside a couple of minutes before 8pm and the next huge party of people were at the door. They let us sit in their outdoor area to do the cake. They brought us one bottle of water to share between us and were never seen again. I’m grateful that we weren’t completely turfed out and were able to stay for another hour in the outdoor area to do the cake. This of course wasn’t ideal as it was cold and we had little babies and children.

I am trying to be quite fair with this review, which is why I left three stars. Personally I had a bad experience but I am appreciative of the Cena staff for trying to find a solution for us. Ultimately, I’m just left feeling with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth on behalf of the hosts. I didn’t express my frustration or disappointment last night because I didn’t want to upset them further. It was clear that they had spent thousands of dollars on last night’s dinner and it really was a dud of an event. A two hour in an out time for such a large group is totally unrealistic. I’m aware that the host knew about this but I think being in the industry, Cena should have advised the host of this. I might come back here if it was for a date night or a small dinner but definitely would not book this place for...

ORDERED: 🍕 Prosciutto pizza: San Daniele 600 day aged prosciutto, fior di latte, mozzarella di bufala, basil, cherry tomatoes ($32.00) 🍔 100 layer lasagna: home made pasta bolognese, bechamel, parmesan, mozzarella ($29.00) 🍝 Gnocchi zucca spinaci: lightly fried gnocchi, pumpkin, baby spinach, goats curd, balsamic glaze ($32.00) Tiramisu ($15.00)

It was ~$60.00pp which included a drink each, between two people!

REVIEW: We over-ordered on purpose so that we could take some portions home! ⭐ My favourite at Cena was: the gnocchi zucca spinaci! I like the pillowy nature of gnocchi, love it MORE when there's a crispy texture to it. The goats curd gave it a chalky texture, but its tangy flavour was definitely a nice contrast to the sweetness of the pumpkin & added a bit more dimension.

🤔 I found it interesting: Prosciutto pizza. The toppings (prosciutto, fior di latte, basil, cherry tomatoes) are layered ON TOP of the mozzarella and pizza base, which means everything can be pulled off. If you don't mind this, the 600 day aged prosciutto was delicious! 100 layer lasanga. I prefer my lasagna to have a lot more bechamel. So if you like your lasagna more meat-facing, this could be a great option for you! 🫕 Tiramisu. Bottom layer of the tiramisu was soggy and I'm not a fan of this.

🪩 Atmosphere was lively. A very family friendly place with affordable options and plenty of parking. I can see the appeal! I also appreciated that they took our leftovers and the kitchen packed it up for us. However, at times it was noticeably hard to grab waiters' attention to follow up on our requests (e.g. our drink order) because it was so busy! Also a noticeable visual chip in glassware isn't my favourite...