il Ciao Applecross — Restaurant in Western Australia

We been coming here for years. Sadly it’s our second time since the change of ownership. We watched the new chefs/cooks being trained in the original handover . The first time after handover the food was very poor and not same quality or taste as previous owners. We did question the quality and taste. We thought we would give them another go last Friday evening. We were probably not surprised when we could walk in off the street and get a seat instantly. For prior owners you would wait nearly an hour sometimes on a weekend night for a seat as it was so popular. It was very empty Friday evening which tells a story. I ordered spaghetti marinara as I have many many times. It came out mushy, tasteless and the sauce was watery. It was very evident it had been frozen too long and they just defrosted it and mixed it through the pasta. I did let them know during the meal and at checkout how it was. I took most home in case I was ill that night from the seafood. The gentleman at the checkout said the chefs had never changed from previous owners. Also seafood suppliers were the same. Sorry I used to see the chefs cooking from previous owners….these are not the same people. Sadly we have lost another great restaurant to new owners that haven’t learnt not to try and change what was working perfectly for decades. Don’t waste your...

It pains me to leave a negative review but after some unsatisfactory experiences, I feel there's no choice. A takeaway order of 2 x veal scallopine marsala took over 40 minutes to be ready (told it would be 20-25). Staff was apologetic and offered some rocky road which was nice. These things happen and the food was good as before. The next time I ordered takeaway, I made sure there was plenty of time. I ordered 3 x veal scallopine marsala which were ready in 20 minutes. The only problem was that when I got home, it wasn't veal. It was chicken breast. I rang the restaurant to complain and I was only offered apologies. The takeaway cost $102 so I would have expected more than apologies (say a free side of pasta next time?). Needless to say, I am going to make my own marsala sauce next time. Veal itself isn't expensive. We used to dine in on/off at Il Ciao over the years and loved it. However, it's come as no surprise that there's been a change of hands in the last year and a drop in regular customers. As others have said, you used to have to be lucky to get a table on a Saturday night but it was half empty the last takeaway pick up. I really hope this feedback can be taken on board. Hospitality is a tough industry but I can't say I feel enthusiastic about ordering from...

Walked-in without a reservation and found it easy to find a table for 2. This restaurant used to be a lot more crowded so it was a pleasant surprise to get a table so quick. The food was generally nice but the pizza was not crispy such that it kept folding, which was disappointing. The ravioli at least was delicious but a little on the salty side. I think we could have done with a little less salt and oil in everything..... Sometimes, it was hard to get the attention of a waiter even though the restaurant was not full. Overall, it was a pleasant dining experience but my dining companion and I both agreed that the restaurant standard seems to have dropped quite a bit, bearing in mind that I was a regular customer to this restaurant for more than a decade. The Italian flair felt subdued now, and it was as though the restaurant was struggling from competition from nearby newer restaurants. After dinner, we went for a walk to check out the other restaurants nearby and we found that the others had more people as well as lively and bigger groups of customers because of newer more exciting value for money menu ideas, choices, and I emphasise the value for money part. Maybe Il Ciao needs to find out what its neighbours are doing to innovate more, before...