Ricardos Italiano — Restaurant in Queensland

So pleased to be one of the first reviews under Ricardos Italiano’s new ownership. We had the pleasure of meeting Jo this evening, one of the new owners, who was a pleasure to chat with about her restaurant and the hurdles she’s facing in her first restaurant venture.

Her tentativeness about her abilities is totally unwarranted; we had a phenomenal night dining here.

My partner and I were tossing up between Santini’s (a known favourite), or Ricardos, a restaurant we had both never dined at before, to celebrate our 3rd anniversary. We chose the latter, of course, as we had perused the menu earlier and found a few dishes we’d love to try.

Upon arriving at Ricardos, we were immediately greeted by a lovely lady who escorted us to our seats next to a big beautiful window. Our table was lovingly lit thanks to dainty fairy lights in a glass and the beautiful grape vine ceiling.

We were told immediately about the changes in menu that night, the dishes they recommended, if we had any food allergies and if we were celebrating a special occasion. The lovely lady offered to take our drink and food orders as soon as we settled in, and we appreciated the prompt services as we already knew what we wanted!

My partner and I ordered the Chilli Garlic Platter for 2 which consisted of Kilpatrick style oysters, finger lime scallops, chílli garlic oil whole lobster, salsa verde Moreton Bay bugs, garlic Hervey Bay prawns, salad, fries and sauce for $149. The lobster was not available tonight however they happily substituted with more Moreton Bay bugs.

I am not a massive seafood eater. I sneer at most fish, I despise tuna, and you’d never catch me willingly eating prawns. My opinion on the latter has been changed tonight after those incredible HB prawns and effort the kitchen team went through to ensure the experience was as palatable as possible. They generously seasoned the prawns, cut them straight down the back for easy peeling and removed the dreaded ‘poop chute’ so little old me didn’t have to.

The bugs were cooked so well I don’t think they could do better if they tried; meaty, succulent and well seasoned with a delightful chilli aftertaste. The oysters were ah-may-zing; not overpowering as I’ve experienced before, and so tasty I cleared my portion immediately. The scallops weren’t far behind, displayed on shells and left mostly how the good lord created them besides a sprinkling of chilli. Also devoured in seconds. The salad and chips were perfectly chosen accoutrements: the chips were salted perfectly for a quick pallet reset, and salad was cool to combat the chilli.

I’m not one to leave long winded reviews, however Ricardos have achieved the impossible: they made me like seafood. My partner and I are beyond pleased that we chose to dine at Ricardos tonight, and we’ll definitely be back after the wonderful food and excellent hospitality from Jo and the team.

I would absolutely recommend this restaurant to anyone for any occasion. A true hidden gem in plain sight who has the full ability and capability to rival (and beat) other Esplanade...

Asylum for Italian foodies in Pialba, Hervey Bay

S25°16'44.4" E152°50'22.4" Next to the WetSide Water Park on Charlton Esplanade in Pialba, Harvey Bay and in the same building as a fish & chips shop, this Italian restaurant is a serious eatery in Pialba. For ordinary tasteless American pizzas, head south 3 blocks. Otherwise, read on. Looking at the menu, this restaurant tries to get close to the real Italian cuisine, with some very interesting dishes. The wine list is impressive. You can order take-away pizzas too.

In September 2018, we ordered as starters bruschetta (AU$9), calamari (AU$9), stuffed truffled mushrooms (AU$12). Although we can debate taste, texture and different flavours, these starters were fresh, well prepared and tasty. Strange to see straight calamari, not calamari rings.

For the main courses, we ordered pesto chicken fettuccine (AU$20), truffle mushroom risotto (AU$22), Ricardo's Italiano pappardelle (AU$20), Danish feta gnocchi (AU$22) and blue cheese risotto (AU$22). Good risotto takes 30 minutes slow cooking and adding stock to the risotto rice. After 15 minutes, the risotto was acceptable. The combination of blue cheese and risotto was very unbalanced in taste. Sensitive risotto with loud shouting blue cheese should be avoided. Not the best combination. The fettuccine and pappardelle dishes were really good, as was the gnocchi dish. These dishes excited our taste buds.

The service was quick, personal and easy-going. With this great menu, clients are satisfied customers.

Fine dishes in taste, texture and flavour should not be expensive. Ricardo's makes this all too clear. Fine cooking, exciting menu options and good service offer all you need in a country of tasteless fish & chips. Highly recommended as food therapy for the...

My name is Kylie but tonight it’s Karen..and I am really disappointed in my family’s visit to Ricardo’s. We booked a table for 5 for my Sister’s 50th at 7.30. None of us had ever been there. I imagined a high end 5 star dining experience for the prices but got a shabby, over priced fish & chip vibe dive bar. The place was busy with a table of 20 & so we were shoved in corner next to the staff door to kitchen. Then sound of it banging added to our disappointment. We were warned that there would be a wait on food on arrival but it took at least 45mins to get garlic bread & drinks & from there everything went downhill. We ordered the rest of our meals. Items were unavailable & so we then sat on our existing drinks another hr until some of the meals came out, the birthday girl getting hers last. At this point we were told that the big lobsters were gone & offered extras instead. We wanted complain about the wait & lack of attention but there was no one to hear us. The wait staff were flat out & the time stretched out. Our main courses arrived yet again over an hr later & by that time the restaurant was supposed to be closed. We couldn’t really enjoy the best bits of our meals as we had to rush, we were tired & over it! Such a shame! The food itself was decent but not at all worth the wait. It’s a big thumbs down from us! After being stuck for almost 3hrs, most of it waiting, We definitely...