Pellegrini's Espresso Bar

Posted by: bjm123 | 2 November 2011, 9.17pm

This is my favourite restaurant now! I went there once with my friends a few weeks ago and it was so packed but we were showed to a cute table in the kitchen. Even though they were busy, the Italian mama who was making the dishes and the cute male owner always came in and spoke to us. They don't have a menu, that's how cute the atmosphere is! Food comes ASAP - barely any wait. I had Lasagne and it melted in my mouth. Best meal I've ever had. EVER. I've never been to Italy but I imagine that's what a good Italian restaurant would be like. And according to my dad who's also been going there for years, their coffee is also brilliant. Highly recommend to everyone! Oh, and it's cheap! They also give so much free buttered bread! Loveeeeee

Food:			Visit: Wed 2 November 2011 Mealtime: lunch
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Posted by: drento | 30 May 2011, 5.37pm

Relaxed atmosphere... very similar to the service and food you would experience in the bars in Italy. The cappuccini are full flavoured and never too milky or weak. Being a vegetarian I had no problem as veg. pasta is always on the menu. If you like your pasta with chilli they will happily provide you with chilli flakes. The pasta sauce was the best i've had in Melbourne and the southern suburbs included. Highly recommend this restaurant for a real italian food experience.

Food:			Visit: Tue 28 December 2010 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: hubbly | 10 September 2010, 1.50pm

A group of us sat out the back at the bench table in the kitchen, reminded me of being at home with the family; loud, great pasta, lots of bread on the table, banter with the waiters and cooks and really good coffee.
I found it a bit pricey for pasta, but become a regular and you may get a discount.
btw don't even think about stealing that pepper mill.

Food:			Visit: Thu 9 September 2010 Mealtime: lunch
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Posted by: hiki | 12 August 2010, 10.53pm

Hands down, the best pasta I have ever eaten. Okay, I haven't been to Italy so I can't brag about how close it is or better than the pasta over there but the sauce was absolutely amazing. I was visiting Melbourne for a few days from Sydney.

I went with my girlfriend, she had a penne with white sauce and I... well I asked the good old chap (who seems like the boss) what he'd recommend and he whipped up a penne pasta with some slightly spicy pasta sauce. Clearly I'm not good with names, but all I care about is the food. And boy o' boy food here was absolutely amazing. As were the cups of juice which everyone seemed to order (turns out to be grapefruit juice) - very nice and economical addition to a meal. I did notice another couple sitting next to me on the bar table was also a tourist visiting and the boss recommended the same pasta dish as I was eating. It was gorgeous. (it's not really spicy at all, just a tinge to excite). Oh, not to mention that the portions were generously sized.

There was a really relaxed and busy atmosphere. Probably not somewhere to eat if there's some serious business to discuss, but otherwise the warm orange glow of the lights, bustling kitchen and diners is a very welcoming atmosphere.

This leads on to the service. There wasn't much service. But then again, what service do you need? We sat at the bar table so all that I had to do was to call out to one of the staff behind the bar table if we needed anything.

We walked past the restaurant again the following evening and it was even more packed than when we went. Seems like there's always a queue on the outside, but customer flow is pretty quick so I probably wouldn't be dissuaded by a 5min wait.

Food:			Visit: Wed 14 July 2010 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: Andre Di Ciocci | 14 July 2010, 9.11pm

Just like dining in a great italian cook's traditional kitchen.
The food is great. home cooked it feels like...

Food:			Visit: Wed 14 July 2010 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: Shaun86 | 7 July 2010, 11.39pm

I entered at 12:45pm and the place was jam packed. We were quickly found seats the helpful waitress, where we ordered off the wooden board at the "bar". The drinks were made on the spot and drinks were delivered promptly. The Spaghetti Bolognese was truly delicious. The Spaghetti melted in my mouth, with a freshness I would have happily paid three times for and the Bolognese sauce was equally noteworthy.
Everyone there was very relaxed and friendly, not your typical CBD cafe/eatery crowd.
The staff can be a bit short with some people, reference a flamboyant man trying to order menu items without any meat. I quickly learned that Pellegrini's isn't the best place to order a Decaf Skinny Soy Chai Latte.
If it's great food at a very reasonable price ($14 for mains), you can't go past Pellegrini.

Food:			Visit: Wed 7 July 2010 Mealtime: brunch
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Posted by: maurisa | 21 January 2010, 1.14pm

So authentic. Kind of place you would find in a railway station or in a little out of the way town in Italy. Food aint anything special but there's an honesty about it. Good hearty stodgy plate of pasta, perfect in winter. Hard to get past the lasagna. Love the old dudes in there and go there for the atmosphere really.

Food:			Visit: Thu 24 September 2009 Mealtime: lunch
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Posted by: renalittle | 6 October 2008, 4.28pm

It's like having your Italian grandma cooking for you. There are two classically looking Italian ladies behind the counter. One tells us what's on the menu for the day - there's not much variety, just lasagna and a few different pastas.
They're not very friendly, but that's totally cool because they're totally relaxed and carefree - it's like you're a guest in their kitchen. In fact, there is a table in the kitchen if you choose to eat in there - otherwise there's two rows of retro bar stools, complete with mirrored walls, old memorobilia and checkered floor tiles. And the cakes and pies look lovely and home made.
Worth it for the experience.

Food:			Visit: Sun 5 October 2008
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Posted by: sporty | 4 September 2008, 1.24pm

Alas nothing special about the food here although the portions are large.

Food:			Visit: Thu 4 September 2008 Mealtime: lunch
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