Romanello — Restaurant in Melbourne

Oozing old school Italian energy, it is a great addition to the Queen Vic Market precinct.

It's a fast eats set up with no indoor seating area but it's far from rushed or cheap eats style food. The atmosphere is people watching on shared tables style, which isn't too far removed from the market vibe.

They source only the finest and freshest ingredients, both from the market and from Italy meaning pizza toppings are often changing dependent on whats in season across the way and for that I praise them.

The pizza is definitely where it's at in terms of quality, size and price. In this way, the Mushroom And Prosciutto Pizza was truly exceptional and great if shared between two.

The schiacciata bread is thin and crispy and made fresh on-site daily. It isn't heavy and to the naked eye, especially compared to the pizza, it might not exactly be value for money, but will still have you surprisingly full. Or it's just because we had the pizza too... For that I'm not too sure.

The Bonita Amore Mio! was a refreshing change to heavier options found at most other Italian focaccia shops in the CBD. And the pan-fried artichokes and hint of liquirizia powder won me over in the Ham Italiano.

Like other reviews, in terms of other 5 star sandwiches in the city though, I feel like it's not quite there and can unfortunately be easily forgotten about beside the $5 borek.

For a "once so often" change from other market options however, don't discount this foacciaria for freshly made slices, topped with premium ingredients and...

Romanello is where the hype meets reality in the form of crispy, fluffy schiacciata that people are practically fighting over. Picture this: a bustling crowd, the constant buzz of hungry folks lining up to order, and tables in high demand. Naturally, we had to test the waters, starting with the mortadella schiacciata. The result? Pure perfection.

The bread, oh the bread! crispy, yet with that perfect chew and fluff where it counts. The mortadella, straciatella, and pesto combo was on point. When mortadella and cheese come together like this, what more could you ask for? Plus, Romanello doesn’t skimp; the mortadella was generously piled on, not the sad single layer that barely makes an impact as we saw at other cafes.

After sharing the first one, we took a 90-minute city wander, searching for another focaccia to compare. Spoiler alert: nothing came close. So, back we went for round two, a prosciutto and mortadella schiacciata. One word: Minchia 🤌🏼

In short, Romanello is absolutely worth the hype and the money. We’ll be back for more before heading to Rome, and here’s a thought, Romanello let’s get some trapizzinos on the menu!

Edit: we’ve been a few times since our initial visit and each and every time it’s been consistently amazing. Their new menu it also great and if you’re lucky enough to try the porchetta you...

One of the best focaccia sandwiches in Melbourne after the surge of sandwich and deli shops. Not your regular focaccia, thinner and crispier yet still fluffy.

Mortazza! ✨ mortadella, pistachio paste, stracciatella cheese crushed pistachios, seasoned rocket, Quinby’s chilli honey

Joey Cutlets cotoletta di Pollo, creamy red peppers, pistachio pesto, crunchy sweet & sour onions, flamed spicy provolone, seasoned rocket

Romanello Homemade porchetta, shredded eggplant, split green olives, semi dried tomatoes, flamed provolone dolce, Quinby’s Chilli Honey

Cheeky Beef Homemade beef carpaccio, stracchino soft cheese, truffle paste, seasoned rocket leaves.

Pizzata mortadella, burrata, pistachio pesto paste (+ honey) ✨✨ prosciutto, brie & pesto paste ✨ prosciutto & fig

Cold meats are a win, housemade roasted meats unfortunately need more improvement. Gotta trust the guys more bc they know how to perfect the ratios of a sandwich: good meat stack, good gooey cheese, more sauce for the roast pork/beef though and it might be a...