Romo Pizza Bar — Restaurant in Melbourne

Forget Lygon Street!!! It's been too long in between trips to Melbourne and I'm sure someone's Nonno or Nonna may say that's blasphemy (to forget about Lygon Street aka 'Little Italy'). I rarely take the time to review any of my food adventures, but I needed to make a review post our dining experienced with Romo Pizza Bar. The one thing I was craving during this trip was a Carbonara (NO CREAM). And my instincts were like...."lets go to Lygon Street". However, after reading several restaurant reviews about Little Italy, I wasn't convince. I stumbled upon Romo Pizza Bar with at the time, 119 five-star reviews and I was like "surely not". We were fortunate to get a dinner booking on 6 October 2022, for my wife and two kids. I recommend booking. Whilst no guanciale (I was not fussed) for the Carbonara, the pancetta is still a top shelf alternative. The pecorino and egg made for a creamy sauce. The table service was welcoming and met my family's needs. We ordered a Carbonara, a Margherita and at the time, an roasted eggplant pizza. I am still having vivid dreams of all the food we ordered. Salivating over the best Carbonara I have had to date. Pizza perfection for the Margherita and Roasted Eggplant one. Just the dough alone was magic! Tell your friends, families and even your enemies. This place is a winner and will be my immediate go to restaurant the next time I am in Melbourne. And remember......Pecorino and egg all the way - NO CREAM!!! Just for the record, our dinner did not survive the opportunity for photos of the dishes to be taken. Thanks to the team at Pizza Romo...

Romo Pizza Bar is a quaint little laneway restaurant serving up great quality, traditional Italian food. You’ll find Neapolitan pizza, house-made pasta and a few starters and desserts on their menu. Melbourne is spoilt for choice when it comes to Italian food but I have to say this is probably the best I’ve tried so far.

The Lamb Ragu with Papparedelle was divine. It had a rich but balanced sauce, a great amount of tender lamb for each bite and the pasta was cooked perfectly. And the portions aren’t small!! Hurrah! I couldn’t fault it, I wiped the bowl clean.

The Gnocchi was also excellent. The pasta itself was cooked so well, not too mushy and not too chewy - just right. The sauce was plentiful, again rich with flavour. I also loved the addition of dried olives on top, it added a nice hint of acidity with each bite. Add a fresh basil leaf to your fork and voila! - a perfect bite.

The Salami pizza was faultless. Really thin base, which made for a pretty soggy centre but it is expected with Neapolitan pizza and doesn’t bother me. The crust was light and airey, perfect to dip into the leftover pasta sauce. The toppings were nice and fresh, really no complaints.

Romo deserves a lot more recognition and hype for the quality of food they offer. I highly recommend paying a visit, but because seating is limited, bookings are necessary. It is some of the best Italian I’ve had in Melbourne, and I can’t wait to make my way down this...

We started with the Pane which was just scrumptious. The garlic butter was liquid magic with the toasty yet pillowy bread. The pizzas all tasted great but structurally, the style wasn't what we prefer to eat. We weren't a fan of the filling to crust ratio (sometimes 50% on a slice) which forced the cardinal sin of leaving some crusts uneaten at a pizza joint. The Gamberini in particular was unfortunately a puddle of toppings when lifted off the plate. The Salami was the personal favourite of the night as the flavours were banging.

Now on to the pastas. The agnello was a beautiful red wine lamb ragu. We should have ordered 2 of these for the group. The cabonara was fine. The amalfi had a lovely emulsion of flavours which swam in that yummy seafood broth.

Overall we enjoyed the flavours but didn't think it was a stand-out in the Italian restaurant scene in Melb. Feel like it is a little bit overhyped. They are certainly busy on a weeknight so a reservation is reccomended. They do specialise in Neapolitan pizzas which typically have a wetter centre but was too sloppy for our preferences.

Dined Jan 2023...