iTALiAN ARTiSANS — Restaurant in Melbourne

Travelling interstate from Western Australia, my husband and I were eager to make the most of a rare date night. Italian Artisans came highly recommended, and with an enticing menu and glowing reviews, we made a reservation with great anticipation. As parents to a 12-week-old baby, and travelling with family, this was our first outing without our toddler — a moment we were really looking forward to. Due to breastfeeding, our baby needed to come with us, and we brought a pram accordingly. Unlike many booking systems, there was no prompt or option to note a pram during the online reservation process. My husband, who made the booking, understandably didn’t realise that a manual note was needed. On arrival, we were met with a less-than-welcoming glance from a male waiter. Still, we brushed it off and provided our name. A red-haired waitress then approached and said, “You’re not two, you’re three.” When we asked for clarification, she pointed to the pram and reiterated we were three people and would need to wait while a table was arranged. The tone and delivery made us feel embarrassed and uncomfortable, as if we were being reprimanded. We were then seated at a larger table, and my husband politely apologised for the misunderstanding — only to be told again that we were taking up a bigger table due to our “mistake.” This left a sour taste before we’d even ordered. Ironically, if we had booked for three as they claimed we should have, we would’ve been placed at the same sized table anyway — making the interaction not only hostile but illogical. Determined not to let it ruin our night, we tried to move on. But when the male waiter returned to take our orders, his attitude was arrogant and dismissive, especially when my husband asked a question about the red wine. He made us feel as though we were ignorant for asking. He also got our entrée and main wrong, and offered no apology. The only redeeming part of the service was a younger waitress who was warm, professional, and apologetic for the mix-ups. Her kindness stood out, and we appreciated her approach. The food itself was absolutely outstanding — fresh, beautifully plated, and packed with flavour. The kitchen is clearly exceptional and deserves recognition. Were we reviewing the food alone, this would have been a glowing five-star experience. But hospitality is more than just the meal. And unfortunately, the unkind and judgmental service left us feeling deflated and disappointed. As someone who has worked in hospitality for years, I know how to handle curveballs — and how important it is never to take frustrations out on your guests. A truly excellent restaurant let down by its front-of-house service. I hope they take this feedback seriously, because the food...

After a disappointing and subpar dinner on Wednesday night at Chancery Lane in the CBD (truffle dinner event – more on that in another review – appalling to say the least) we needed to tantalise our taste buds, stomachs and souls, and it being Thursday it called for Pizza night. Reading a lot lately about Italian Artisans in Albert Park so we made a booking and got down to business.

Upon walking into the restaurant, it gets you hungry immediately, the aroma of pizzas and focaccias baking, the visual display of cured meats hanging there patiently awaiting to be sliced and served, and the aroma and fragrance of the produce in general got us salivating. Service was quick, attentive, the lovely lady that served us was on the ball the whole night, and upon taking us to our table she recommended a Prosecco from the motherland for us, so obviously we ordered a bottle, blasphemy not to!

We started off like all w0gs do, getting full on mezze/antipasto 😊, so a salumi board with some cold cuts, cheese, pickles, olives, the usual trimmings, a freshly baked focaccia the size of a pizza, doused in garlic (as it should be), and some Amalfi coast anchovies because life is better when it’s salty and by the ocean. Hey, how else would you enjoy your food besides tearing off fresh focaccia, scooping up some sardines, salumi, cheese and making your own little paninis which sipping on some vino. Bliss. So, the starters were brilliant, and packed a flavour and umami punch that we needed.

For a pizza we had to get the Cornuto, it screamed to us, like our parents and grandparents would when we misbehaved, but this time in a good way. The tomato, provolone, soppresa, red peppers and nduja was a flavour combination reminiscent of what we grew up eating, so it hit all the nostalgia buttons. Such a great pizza, chewy, fluffy, crispy crust, texture and mouth feel were on point, and the toppings were sublime. If we weren’t full from the starters we would have got another one as we were also eyeing the capricciosa.

Seriously, we have had so many brilliant pizzas lately over the last 5-6 weeks on our Melbourne Pizza Tour, and Italian Artisans delivered the good. Grandmissimo! Highly rated, one of the best in town, and we know have said that a lot (trust me we have had some shockers so our curation process for pizza joints in Melbourne is a tedious one), and as we have stated previously for others, they (Italian Artisans) are one of the best in their domains. Although pizza looks like ‘pizza’ in photos, it tastes different, smells different, has a different bite and mouth feel, and is a winner, especially after serving up quality starters. Italian Artisans does pizza right and provides an enjoyable dining experience!

Thanks...

I was hesitant to write this review because this place is a hidden local gem and worried it'll be hard to get a booking in the future!

Our first time here, we actually went twice, two days in a row with another person, the staff was a bit confused at first since they thought it was an error in the system. Since discovering this restaurant, this has been the go-to spot for date nights or just damn good Italian pizza.

The restaurant has a good buzz, it's lively and full of locals with a mix of couples, families and just people enjoying an evening out with good company and food.

The staff were all pleasant in our interaction - friendly and accommodating. It looks like everyone was having fun while they were working and enjoyed the friendly banter with their regular customers. We usually didn't wait too long to get a table when we visited, highly recommend booking so you don't wait on busier days.

Seating There's outdoor seating available in the front, more quiet and private compared to inside the restaurant, there's also a covered outdoor area in the back of the restaurant but that area wasn't being used so can't comment what the experience will be there. Inside there's multiple seating available, catering to couples to families.

Food I'm going to just come out and say this place makes the best pizza in Melbourne - period. Tried other award-winning pizza restaurants and have always left wanting more. The pizza here are made with high-quality ingredients, the star of the show here is definitely the pizza base. In my opinion, it strikes a perfect balance between crispy, airy and slightly chewy crust. I know most people don't rate pizza based on the base but like a good house, you need a solid foundation.

If you're having leftover pizza, recommend reheating it in the oven and if you have a cast-iron pan, highly recommend reheating the pizza on the cast iron pan first and putting it in the oven to finish, your taste buds will thank you.

Antipasti items for the one that we've tried were really good, highly recommend the Focaccia, Piccolo Antipasto, Amalfi Coast Anchovies to share. You can tell all the items sourced were from quality ingredients and suppliers.

Drinks Great selection of Italian wine and beer available to enjoy, all displayed in front of the restaurant which gives you a bit of time to explore while you wait for your table. I believe most of the wines are available to take away along with some of the fine Italian goods you can takeaway, i.e. pasta, salt, olive oil, etc.

Hope you all enjoy the mini-review, just don't eat...