Maria's Trattoria — Restaurant in Melbourne

NO FRILLS WHOLESOME ITALIAN FARE Maria's Trattoria is an unassuming restaurant on Peel Street - just down from the Victoria St corner. It's not fancy - i.e. you wont get linen tablecloths, polished wait staff or a stunning interior decor - BUT it is genuinely good Italian food :) The wait staff (two of them) ranged from super-friendly and attentive to a little bit grumpy (arent we all though some days?). It is very popular with the older European crowd but increasingly is being discovered by others. The primary focus is pasta but the menu also tempts you with a range of meat dishes. The dining room is actually two rooms spliced together. For some reason one is much more brightly lit than the other. so if you are after a softer ambience, choose the room on the right as you enter. Parking in the area can be ferocious at times as it is adjacent to the Queen Victoria Market and many parking bays are metered for a max of 1 hour. Be prepared to park a block or so away on a side street. Alternatively the Route 58 tram runs right past the door and Victoria Street trams are at the next corner. Licenced (with a small but decent range of beers and wines) and BYO. Food servings are quite generous. People with mobility issues will be fine in the dining room but may struggle a little negotiating their way to the toilets at the back of the building as there are several doors and small steps...

Maria's is one of Inner Melbourne's hidden treasures that has been delighting those in the know for more than 30 years with honest, real, homestyle Italian fare and hospitality. Maria, Theresa and the gang will look after you through the week with lunch and dinner, but is not open on the weekend. I was introduced to it by a local and we return there again and again and again. We know other patrons through the familiarity of having been in their company so often. My favourites are the group of Italian gents that gather to enjoy each other's company and the delicious food at their regular table on Tuesdays. Oh, and if you are lucky enough to be there on a Wednesday when Maria has made fresh gnocchi then do yourself a favour. It is divine. Always fresh fish, magnificent pastas, veal, chicken, grills. Too many choices to not return to resample. Don't let the somewhat dated decor dissuade you. A BYO license, a friendly and congenial atmosphere, great food, good pricing has me coming back for more as often as I can make an excuse to...

Stone's throw away from the Queen Victoria Markets along Peel St lies @MariasTrattoria serving regional Italian fare. An Italian nonna, maybe named Maria's after the reataurant, is cooking away behind the stove. Lovely service, a good range of dishes on the menu and a long list of specials, I chose the rabbit from the specials menu. A number of my colleagues chose hand made pasta dishes in a medium serve which was a hearty serving so not sure what a large looks like!

My rabbit was cooked perfectly, generous serving of tender fillets immersed in a tomato, caper and olive sauce, seasonal vegetables to boot, a very satisfying meal.

I also eyed the dessert menu and chose a personal favourite, tiramisu, which was fantastic! Light, airy, creamy and oh so delicious. Appreciated the long walk back to the office.

#ItalianFood #handmadepasta #rabbit #olive #vegetables #tiramisu #dessert #sweettooth #Foodie #melbournefood...