Renzo's Bar — Restaurant in Melbourne

Absolutely terrible. Service was disgusting. Food had to get sent back to the kitchen. Do not go here. There is nothing authentic about this restaurant.

No one acknowledged us upon arriving, with staff walking right past us and avoiding eye contact. When we were finally seated, we were given no menus and had to wait 10 minutes for someone to finally come over to give us a menu. We placed our orders, two pasta dishes and two pizzas. The pasta dishes came out first, and upon eating they were both extremely undercooked. To the point where the pasta was still crunchy. I have never asked for food to be sent back but this was inedible. It took so long for a waiter to come over to our table. I even made eye contact and waved to a brown haired waitress to signal we needed something. She shook her head and walked away. I thought she was just busy, but moments later she was at a table taking their order. She never came to our table. Eventually, one waiter came over and I explained that the pasta was inedible. He checked with the kitchen and they said they would send out another one. This was probably about 15 minutes after I first received the pasta dish, and keep in mind, the pizzas were still not out. The new pasta dish arrived promptly, which was worrying considering the first one was undercooked. I tried it again, and it was still undercooked and inedible. I’m not sure how a supposed “Italian” restaurant can undercook pasta not only once, but twice. The pizzas eventually came out 30 minutes after the arrival of the first pasta dishes. The fact that guests on the same table needed to eat 30 minutes apart was not acceptable. Hesitant, annoyed and still hungry, we went up to pay. The man, who we assume was the manager, asked us for our table number. You would think he would ask how the dinner was but he said absolutely nothing else. It’s clear where the staff get their work ethic from. This was the worst restaurant I have ever been to, and I will tell everyone I know not to go here.

P.s. Don’t call it a bruschetta if you only put 7 cubes of tomato on six slices of bread, and don’t call it a pina colada if you’re going to just fill up a glass with coconut cream and nothing else...

I’ve just had the most dreadful experience with the Renzo Bar in Docklands. My wife & I are from NSW & have been to Melbourne previously raving to our friends, work colleagues & family about how awesome the food is in Melbourne as some of the finest we have had in the country.

We arrived for our 7pm reservation tonight 22nd May & ordered two garlic bread starters, drinks all round & main meals for the four of us. I ordered one of the most expensive items on the menu the steak for $42. Call me crazy, but my expectation was I would receive a main meal that was more than a single piece of steak (220-250g at best) with a few mushrooms placed on top with a rosemary’s garnish stem - literally that was it. This meal was obviously less food compared to the others ordered by my wife & companions & yet my meal was the most expensive we ordered. I have to say the waitress was fantastic & professional as when I raised the issue, she had the kitchen provide some additional chips to make it more of a meal. I thanked her for providing the chips. I had literally just taken my 1st mouthful when the manager came over & said I was supplied what I ordered from the menu. He seemed quite irritated that I was given the additional chips. I was polite and calm & simply said I was thinking I was ordering a meal that was more than a steak with some mushrooms on top. I have ordered steak in restaurants for years and usually you get a salad or chips or something to make it an actual meal. The Manager lost his cool & asked me & our entire party to leave the restaurant. I had one mouthful & my companions had started their meals when this happened. We were in shock due to his behavior along with other diners in the restaurant who witnessed what was happening. I remained calm & left as he instructed. One of our party offered to pay but he told her to leave also. Ive never encountered anything like this in all my 53 years. It was too late to get a meal anywhere else so we all went away hungry. We just wanted a nice meal in a nice restaurant was that too much to ask? The Managers reaction was over the top & so unprofessional. My advice is avoid this restaurant as the managers...

I don't usually complain about restaurants but this place really needs a Gordon Ramsay visit. We ask the 1st waiter after we sit down if the pizzas are cooked by wood fire, are he said I'm not sure, let me ask. (thinking to myself how do you not know) coming back, No sir there cooked by gas. I thought OK. So wife are I ordered a Pizza after a very long night at work around 9ish. We waited and waited for 1 pizza, asking another waiter how long's the eta would be? coz there was only 4 other tables occupied so it was quiet empty. He said it would be 'on its way' so waited again some time more about 30 mins before it was served. When we did receive it was one of the leanest topping pizzas I've ever seen. The crust was so ridiculously high and the rest was so so thin that you need a spatula to eat off. The one i ordered was with olives and there was no olives on it so i complained to the waiter. So disappointed i had to order more off the menu so i ordered a Sicilian insalanta with extra olives and coz lettuce. Waiting waiting again after 20 mins for this salad to be served. Guess what no extra olive, no coz lettuce and no fennel as shown on the menu. Oh man i lost it here with all the food and the waiters. I ask the waiters and chef (as he was alerted) 'where is the food that was meant to be on the salad' no sign of it. It was an full on orange fruit salad. I said to the wife - let's go. We were both at the till paying for the pizza with a nasty complaint and brought the 'fruit salad' to the register and ask them this isn't what i asked for so dis-grunted. they tried to justify there serve of this salad i said come on get real. This place needs to get real chefs and real service because they actually don't know...