Julia's — Restaurant in Melbourne

I ordered the "Crispy Fried Chicken Caesar Salad for $32 listed on their specials. What I received was an expensive and disappointing sodium bomb lacking in any finesse whatsoever.

The copious wad of extremely salty so-called "prosciutto" was dry, fibrous, and relatively thick-cut. As much as I love and know real prosciutto there was way too much of it here. Instead of complimenting and enhancing the salad, it completely overwhelmed it. I feel sure the owner will come back on here and say "it's real prosciutto!" but as someone who has lived in the "land of cured meats," I can tell you, it's not.

To add insult to injury, instead of being tastefully macerated into the Caesar dressing, several whole sections of über-salty anchovy fillets were hiding in the salad. My tongue almost tied into a knot when I unknowingly put the prosciutto in my mouth with one of these anchovies.

The three or four croutons I found were not crunchy; rather, they were slightly chewy. In fact, their stale herbal taste gave me the distinct feeling they had been made a fortnight before by a restaurant supply company, bagged up in 5 kilos at a time and sent to the restaurant the previous week.

What should have been the STAR of the salad (the "crispy fried chicken"), was ~12 smallish cubes of cold, overcooked, dry, almost tasteless chicken breast featuring a flaccid, thin coating reminiscent of what you might find boxed in the freezer section of Woolies. It had not been pre-brined—merely fried and cubed many hours before dinner service and kept in the refrigerator until a handful was unceremoniously tossed into a bowl.

Last, and probably least, the garnish of four shavings of what I hoped to be Parmigiano-Reggiano bursting with umami and wee bits of crunchy tyrosine crystals was most likely a domestic Pecorino Romano lacking in flavour, character, or raison d'être.

In sum, there was no love, care, or pride in the concept, preparation, or presentation of the dish. In fact, I felt vaguely nauseous for a couple of hours after eating the equivalent of 3 days worth of sodium chloride at one go.

But yep...I ate it...the whole thing... because you know— $32. And no, I didn't complain because I didn't want to be "that customer" dubbed Karen or Chad on a busy night. Thankfully, after the vague sense of nausea the only fallout from the meal is that I had to get up three times in the night to micturate and drink copious fluids. 😜

I hope you take my well-thought-out, non-AI generated review to heart instead of merely responding with a knee-jerk reaction.

Perhaps enjoying a professionally prepared Caesars salad with its balance of flavours and textures can give you an idea of what it really should be like? It should be a harmonious combination of sour (lemon, which cuts through the salt and oil), unctuousness from olive oil, umami (from a bare bit of anchovies blended into the spare dressing and/or Worcestershire sauce) salt (from the Parmigiano-Reggiano and anchovy in the dressing) and a hint of sweetness from fresh romaine and perhaps Dijon mustard.

I want to emphasise that all of the wait staff (and management) are hardworking, pleasant individuals, but that is NOT the primary reason I...

Honest, authentic food!! Great Cocktails!! This is my third time eating at Julia's and I'm yet to be disappointed. Good flavourful Italian food can be tricky, people forget the basic flavours are what is important. Julia's has achieved this, showing that flavour does not have to be sacrificed in a commercial kitchen. The Napoli sauce that they make... is delicious, not acidic but a beautifully rounded tomato flavour that reminds you of eating in Nonna's kitchen. I've tried a majority of the entrees.. the Arancini -very nice, the Calamari Friti- soft and tender, Pan Fried Prawns- finger licking good with that hint of chilli and the Portobello mushrooms- wow.. they are superb!. Even the Garlic & Cheese foccacia was crunchy The mains servings are a good size, I've had mainly pasta dishes. If the Spaghetti Marinara, Penne Matriciana and the Linguini Funghi are anything to measure the rest of the mains dishes against, then I don't think there would be any disappointment. I did see a Chicken Parma on the next table, looked great and it was huge! The Pizzas are thin based and have that lovely hint of wood fired flavour, without being overbearing and the bonus is that they're tasty! Not just cheese on bread with a splash of sauce.. Desserts...a good little selection.. well what can I say when the Churros are made in house as well as the other desserts. Rose water scented Creme Brulee.. smooth, light.. delicious.. yummy!! Coffee.. If you're a coffee lover, you must try...it's aromatic and heavenly.. I know this review may sound a bit much... however, I have to say that I had lost faith in many Italian restaurants, complicating flavours and hiding the taste of the food under so many layers and complicated sauces, it became weary!! The staff are lovely and you feel looked after and cared for. Thank you Julia's for continual...

Cocktail Lovers 🍸 This One’s for You!

If you’re passionate about cocktails you gotta check out this newly-opened cocktail bar Their J’s Signature Lychee Sour is a game-changer!

🍸 LYCHEE SOUR (AU$25) Crafted with premium London Dry Gin and fresh, juicy lychees Strikes the perfect balance of sweetness and gin’s aromatic notes

Not Just a Bar —It’s a Pizza Haven Too! 🍕🔥

This isn’t your ordinary cocktail spot. Julia’s also serves up some of the best Italian wood-fired pizzas drawing crowds even on weekdays!

🍕 MARINARA WOOD-FIRED PIZZA (AU$31) Pizzas baked to perfection in a traditional wood-fired oven The crust is irresistibly crunchy topped with generous portions of seafood —a must-try for pizza lovers!

🍄‍🟫 LINGUINI FUNGHI (AU$27) Deliciously creamy linguini with portobello mushrooms Extra thick white wine, and parmigiano sauce a comforting classic done right!

Mouthwatering Snacks to Pair with Your Cocktails

🦐 PAN-FRIED PRAWNS (AU$18) Succulent prawns cooked in a rich cherry tomato sugo with chili coriander salsa served with crusty bread for the perfect bite

🦑 CALAMARI FRITTI (AU$16) Lemon- and paprika-coated calamari Pair it with their house-made tartare sauce A flavorful snack that’s ideal with cocktails

🌎Fullfoodie in Melbourne! 🖖🏼FOLLOW Fullfoodie for our latest travel eating tips around the globe🥰

Food quality ：😋😋😋😋 Instagram-ability：👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 Value for money：🤑🤑🤑🤑

📍 Julia’s 170 Warrandyte Rd Ringwood North VIC 3134, Melbourne, Australia

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