Grill Americano — Restaurant in Melbourne

This is a wow restaurant. From the moment you step inside, it is a feast for the senses. The decor is opulent and feels special without being stuffy. The staff are friendly without being overfamiliar and the food and cocktails are outstanding. I took my husband here for lunch on his birthday and wish I'd taken more photos of the food because it was so beautifully presented. Unfortunately I was enjoying myself too much and only got one pic of the birthday boy and his cake.

On a friend's recommendation, we started with a lemon sorbet cocktail (I don't recall the name) but it was every bit as magnificent as she promised. The waiter explained the menu was designed to be shared, so share we did! We started with fresh oysters, carpaccio di manzo with tuna mayonnaise and a focaccia di potata with green olive butter. Every item was delicious. The carpaccio melted in the mouth, and the oysters were the freshest of fresh. I think most surprising was the focaccia. I am not usually a bread person, but this stuff was another level - light and fluffy with perfectly cooked potato and a creamy butter with the slight piquancy that comes with olives.

We decided on one of the day's specials for our main - a lobster with linguini and bisque. I was nervous. So many times I've had lobster that was overcooked and rubbery and pasta that is too soft or too hard. There are many things that could have gone wrong with this dish, but it was phenomenal. The lobster was succulent, the pasta cooked perfectly and the bisque absolutely full of flavour. It was a very generous serving for two and we enjoyed every mouthful. We enjoyed a simple leaf salad on the side and, at the waiter's recommendation, the cauliflower and prosciutto gratin. He suggested we might need it to make the meal more filling, but the pasta serving was so generous, we really didn't need it. That said - I'm glad we had it because it was an absolute highlight.

We were both stuffed, but the friend who had recommended the cocktail also told us we shouldn't miss the bombe Alaska style cake, so we decided to share a piece (it was his birthday after all!) WOW again. It looked like it would be rich and heavy, but it was instead as light as a feather. I'd happily go to Grill Americano again just for that cake. I think it may be one of the best desserts I've ever had (big call, but true).

A shout out to the sommelier too, who did a fabulous job. As it was a lunch date (and there were offices to which we needed to return). We only wanted a glass of wine each. She suggested we have two half glasses per person to complement our entrees and main. I loved that she also recommended wines from both the special list and the standard one - describing how each would either complement or bring out the flavours of the dish. There was no pressure to go for the more expensive ones - she made either choice sound perfect.

I note that a number of previous reviewers have commented on the proximity of tables to each other. It is true that they are close by each other (much like a real NY restaurant!) and if you had a highly sensitive business meeting or are a deeply private person, this may not be the place for you. For me it wasn't an issue though.

This is not an inexpensive restaurant, but in my opinion it was worth every cent we spent. I highly recommend Grill Americano and am already looking for an excuse to go...

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WISH THERE WERE MORE STARS TO GIVE YOU

We have been to all Lucas Restaurants (Society, Chin Chin, Hawker Hall, Baby etc) and, no disrespect to the rest, but Grill Americano truly and utterly exceeds all expectations set.

One thing that really stood out; the amount of food that was portioned for each dish - SO MUCH - and truly, it's worth every single dollar.

The decor is so elegant yet unassuming, the staff are so knowledgeable yet friendly, the food is so well executed yet simple in its complexity. A 10 out of 10 experience.

From the moment you walk through the door to the moment you walk out, there is no ounce of pretentiousness and you feel straight-out welcomed. And even though we rocked up early to our scheduled booking time, the staff tried so hard to find us a spot for a quick drink (unsuccessfully admittedly but the effort was strong and noticeable).

We were seated at the back; we were happy as we were able to observe the organised frenzy all around; a well-rehearsed chaos. We had the most pleasant lady take our order and we couldn't be happier as she helped us navigate an otherwise large menu and held us back when we were about to go overboard with our ordering, like kids in a candy store.

You must try the potato focaccia that is made in house - it is truly something. The deep fried olives were a first for us and we instantly thought of a night at home snacking on them nonstop - if you're afraid that they might be a bit too salty, fear not; the level of sodium is just perfect to keep luring you in for more. Do not omit ordering their version of a Mac N Cheese but be careful; it is large and filling and so ensure you visit with a large enough group and stretchy pants. The Scotch Fillet steak was cooked to absolute perfection - although a little more resting time might have been needed but every bite melted in the mouth. The onion rings - oh the onion rings - we wish we had more room to finish them - they were not the oily, sickening type - and the batter was seasoned beautifully and so crunchy.

And then we go to dessert - go on, check the pics - those desserts are massive - and we ordered three of them.

The tiramisu arrives at the table in a big pyrex bowl and a generous portion of that is served on your plate at the table - we gasped at that moment at the generosity of the portion. We were warned that the Trifle might be a bit too sweet - we didn't find so and demolished the large portion of that as well - it was only one component of it that was slightly sweeter but the acidity of the fruit was the perfect balance. And we finished off with nothing but the most delicious chocolate heaven - the profiterole; served with a generous amount of warm chocolate sauce poured at the table and the most delicious choux pastry that almost reminded Paris Brest texture - now a favourite dish.

Ask for opinions from the staff, they're so friendly and be ready to be super pleasantly surprised by it all.

A night that we will remember for...

My partner Hayden and I have been wanting to try Grill Americano for a while now so figured our 2 year anniversary would be the perfect fit.

The restaurant itself is absolutely beautiful, the mood lighting and ambiance is what makes this place so nice. We were seated unfortunately next to the waiter station which was a little disappointing as I asked for a nice spot in the restaurant for the two of us to enjoy.

Our waitress Tanisha was so delightful, she recommended dishes to fit my dietary requirements of no onion and garlic. This is where we encounter a slight downfall. I knew this restaurant was expensive from what I’ve heard from others but I guess I didn’t realize how expensive it was until we started to order the dishes. That overall taste of some of the dishes was beautiful but some dishes are pretty over priced for what you get. The best meal by far was the burrata, the ravioli was nice but not a fan favourite as we got 3 pieces each, and although the steak was cooked to perfection, the size and price didn’t really align. I have to agree with what I’ve read on the portion size of the chips. It was so big compared to everything else. It makes you fill up on the sides to disguise the fact that the steak was tiny.

We unfortunately didn’t try the dessert. I assume he is the head waiter as he was dressed different to the others; I don’t think he realized but made us feel really bad that we didn’t try order any. His tone when asking us if we wanted to try dessert was very monotone and direct, the complete opposite to Tanisha, and when we said no, his reaction was very rude. He could tell from the obvious small portion sizing, that we were still hungry and openly chose not to try any desert because it was expensive, but it was how he delivered it, it made us both feel like we picked the wrong restaurant because we couldn’t splurge. Basically saying it’s a shame, we should have accounted for it cause it’s the best part. It doesn’t sound bad when I type it but his delivery when he said it, left both hayden and I shocked a bit, like he could tell this isn’t a place we normally go to to eat and obviously couldn’t afford to spend anymore.

Overall it was an ok experience. I’ve worked in hospitality before and Tanisha is a classic example of a well trained host who is super friendly and was the highlight of the night for us. It was a shame we encountered the head waiter, because we had an overall enjoyable experience, but it isn’t a place I’d go back to unfortunately. Unless Tanisha gets promoted then that’s a...