Osteria Ilaria

My husband and I dined here tonight and had the best experience. The food was amazing with locally sourced ingredients. We were lucky enough to sit at the chefs table and enjoyed watching the them do their thing and chatting to them. It just added to the whole experience, thank you The tortellini and the stracciatella were our favourites ! We will be back :)

Great service and nice spot but the food was mediocre. Out of all our dishes, the tiny mushroom croquettes were the most flavourful. The desserts were nothing great—with the truffle flavour really offsetting the pumpkin mousse in a bad way.

We got the chef's selection and came out hungry after all of it. The service was particularly slow. We had to wait quite a bit in between the dishes. I guess it's a mix between slow service and tiny portions you can finish in a few bites. Highlight for the food were the cultured butter and bread, mushroom croquettes, and the steak. However the rest of it was average. The black garlic tasted burnt and bitter. It was an experience but I wouldn't go back.

Had the set menu, gorgeous restaurant, yummy food, with the set menu it was very well priced. My girlfriend and I really enjoyed our time here. The Juniper Meringue, Buffalo Milk and Blackcurrant Gelato was the greatest desert I have ever eaten !! It’s part of the set menu, get it!!

Had a lovely birthday dinner here, definitely would recommend booking as it seemed to fill up quite a lot by 7pm. The service was wonderful. A highlight was the special pasta with prawn. The flavours were rich but not overpowering. The portions are pretty small, so there is room for dessert or ice cream next door ~ The entrees were my favourite over the mains. One issue, the pork we got was undercooked and raw.

I really wanted to enjoy my food journey, however and unfortunately was deeply disappointed and shocked how mediocre the food was at Osteria Ilaria. We were a party of 3 out for family dinner and dined here on the evening of the 5th July 2025. We tried a variety of dishes, some to share as well as individual main dishes. The best part of the meal was the complementary bread and butter, warm bread and soft tasty butter. The mushroom croquet is the size of a small biscuit however it did certainly pack a punch and was good. The black ink spaghetti with diced scallop was also worthy of a mention. However all other dishes are uninspiring and far from memorable. The beef tartare was flavourless and carried no seasoning. Exceptional boring to the pallet. This is a generous description of the beef tartare. The seafood tart was a disaster and seemed like dressed up party food served in a restaurant setting. The tart was thankfully the size of a large 20 cent coin and after 2 bites it was gone so didn’t have to live through constant disappointment because the portion size is so small. The pasta with beef looked very appealing to the eye, but looks can be deceiving. Worse dish of the night. My son had the pasta special with truffle. Wow this was dry and if you call this truffle..I suggest you find another supplier as the truffle was carried no flavour unfortunately. The truffle pasta was close to being worse on the night and this was the special. I suppose the chef thinks it’s special. Hardly. The deserts are hardly inviting and leave no desire to return for more. Our experience at Osteria Ilaria was a real shame and I don’t quite understand how such a popular restaurant can dish up food that really didn’t live up to expectations. If one dish or a few were average I can tolerate and move forward and have a good evening. However the food consumed here in most part was average at very best and certainly non memorable. If you are seeking good and authentic Italian food don’t come here you will be deeply disappointed based on my experience.

Dined at Osteria Ilaria late last year and enjoyed a lovely set menu. The food was delicious with some fun and innovative flavours. The atmosphere was intimate - perhaps a tad cramped but the space was nonetheless very chic. The price point was well represented by the quality of the dishes. Would definitely recommend a visit.

Greasy, overpriced, bad service Spend your money elsewhere… - The squid ink spaghetti ($49) was an oily mess, tasteless minced raw scallops drowning in a pool of oil. Not sure what the so-called smoked clam sauce was, fancy name but it was completely absent from the dish. - Flathead fish ($54) was plainly pan fried and served with melted butter. Felt that I could have made it at home myself. - Prawn tart ($19) was an expensive one-bite of the size of a 50-cent coin. TBH I could only taste the lemon olive oil. - The broccoli side dish ($23) consists of 8 pieces. The two male servers were particularly rude: - when asked how we found the spaghetti, we said it was a bit oily. Without even looking up, he said nonchalantly “that’s just the style” and walked away. Dude, don’t ask for feedback if you don’t actually want it. - the other male server (dressed in black) was similarly rude. He was obviously annoyed and let out a visible sigh when we asked which nine dishes the $120 tasting menu consists of. - Upon knowing that we gave feedback about the spaghetti, the service evidently went down the drain. We asked for the bill, and again the male server (dressed in black) shoved the machine in front of us and said blankly “sign here”. Only after we said thank you, did he mutter back “thanks”. Service was so bad, i felt we were serving the waiters instead. Afterwards I went online and read all the reviews (particularly the bad ones), and noticed that many of them came from Asian customers… I would like to think that it has nothing to do with that, but it’s hard not to make the association. Regardless, the food was subpar for what we paid for - $95 per head and we left hungry. Even had to grab gelato next doors at Piccolina afterwards. Osteria Ilaria was my last meal in Melbourne and I wish I hadn’t wasted it on them. Thank goodness I had enough amazing dining experiences that I know it’s not representative of what MEL has to offer! Till next time!

WOW! Just WOW! The food here was amazingly delicious - we had the ciabatta and cultured butter, kangaroo polenta appetizer, tuna tartar starter, lamb pappardelle pasta and a coconut ball sweet as a free treat at the end of our meal. The portions looked small but were very rich and filling and were all very flavorful. We ate at the bar and the bartender gave us excellent service as well as the sommelier took us through tasting a couple of excellent wines before we settled on our glasses of a wonderful Grenache. Highly recommend checking this place out if you like really excellent food and service.

Local Italian restaurant with lots of great food and charm. I highly recommend doing the chef's tasting menu. Just sit back and be pleasantly surprised by the various dishes that just comes out. They brought out 3 appetizers (fried blossom, yellow-tail carpaccio, burrata), home-made pasta with shrimp, octopus, and grilled pork chop with roasted eggplant side dish. Everything was super fresh and executed perfectly. It was truly great food without the huge price tag.

Nice staff, pleasant tables in the back, front area is crowded and more noisy. Good service. Our dinner was ok -- I had the crab, octopus pasta which was a bit bland but ok. My friend had the game ragu pasta which had no flavor, she didn't finish it. The salad was excellent. The bread pudding was nothing special, Melbourne has so many wonderful restaurants I won't return here.

Monday night and the restaurant was packed. For good reason. With seamless service, comfortable surroundings, and beautifully conceived, and executed dishes, we had a dining experience of the highest order. We started with octopus. Four baby octopi over an anchovy brown sauce, ensured that each bite was tender, with hints of salt, and heat in the gravy. Somehow the intense anchovy flavor was harnessed, so that it complemented, rather than competed with the delicate octopus flavor. On to the paccheri pasta, with crystal bay prawns, in a sorrel sauce. Home made al dente pasta, with a delicate sauce that supported the small, flavorful prawns. Our last main was the duck. Exquisitely tender, with crunchy roasted hazelnuts, bitter cooked radicchio, in a duck sauce. I was happy that they did not take the easy way out, with one of those over used, overly sweet fruit sauces. This dish was for mature palates, and married beautifully to our Pinot noir. We concluded with chocolate cake. The dish was deconstructed so that little bites of cake sat alongside bites of chocolate mousse, chocolate ganache, various fruits, strips of tarragon, and then covered in a blanket of very thin persimmon slices. Again bitter notes were emphasized over sweet ones, leaving one with a more complex dessert than any chocolate cake you have had before. Embrace the vision of this restaurant, and you will be well rewarded.

We just had dinner here tonight. Everything was wonderful. The service and food were both outstanding. We shared the mushroom croquettes, tiger prawns, nightly special of Mushroom Gnocchi and also a dessert of chocolate cream with coffee gelato. Would highly recommend

Osteria Ilaria is the wonderful cousin of Tipo OO, next door. I made the call to have a corporate team dinner here and was so was so pleased with the experience. Mediterranean inspired sharing plates, international wine varietals (try the Bosnian red) and seamless, unpretentious service. Dietary requirements are effortlessly catered for and the causal yet quality dining environment made for a relaxed evening. I especially liked the octopus and duck dishes. Although, everything was perfetto, including the house warmed bread the creamy butter. I have a crush for restaurant bread and butter. Grazie Mille. Looking forward to my next visit.

The four of us split a bunch of small tapas sized plates of food (it was almost half the menu). We left satisfied but not overly full. Apparently this is the sister restaurant to the Italian one next door that was too packed to sit. I would definitely eat here again. My favorite dish was the burrata.

We tried to get in to this restaurant but was put on a wait list, we were told that because there was 6 of us it would be an hour to an hour & a half wait. We kept checking in only to be told that they have a table of 4 away and that 6 was too hard! 3 hrs later we left to eat at another restaurant. Would NOT recommended this place as they were quite rude. I wouldn't give them a star but to post this review I had to give at least one. Not worth the trouble!

Totally agree with Glen Ellyn about the wine-listing rip-off. Outrageously sharp practice: it meant we ended up paying $85 for a bottle of wine which to all intents and purposes, following normal listing practices, should have been $45 - no mention of a carafe! Who buys a decent wine by the carafe? (Not that I have an issue with buying wine by the carafe if you want a vin ordinaire to glug with lunch, or w.h.y. - as I often do myself). Food-wise, helpings were definitely on the small side at any price, though the flavours were very good. The service was professionally pleasant and the ambience was relaxing with well-judged design and a well-lit interior. But the wine-listing catch is unforgivable.

The week before Christmas is a real test of a restaurant and Osteria Ilaria passed with flying colours. We made a booking for lunch a few days before , not on line but in person. We requested the quietest area so we could chat with our two friends.We arrived promptly at 12.15 and within a few minutes were sitting at our table, sparkling water poured and wines ordered. The open kitchen was busy gearing up for the guests to arrive as we walked past. The staff were cheerful and proactive offering advice on wine and food. We went for the 3 course menu with a couple of sides. ( the delicious chickpea fries and a mixed salad) my Hapuka starter was finely sliced , almost sashimi thin but very fresh and with a delicate sauce. I was told it was the first day on the menu and I think it may become a regular. My main were two baby snapper fillets on a smooth potato purée garnished with snap peas and cannellini beans. I was told the beef rump was delicious too. My dessert was panettone with cream, ice cream and berries, with a shard of white chocolate sprinkled with freeze dried raspberries. Coffee was excellent. I think the meal which worked out about $70 a head including tip, wine and charity donation was very good value for money. Don't go expecting huge serves, this is a refined if casual bistro place with excellent service, simple but stylish "Melbourne" food, bare timber tables, nice china and glassware , a massive wine list and paper napkins! Sorry, too busy eating to take photos!

Went here when we couldn't be accommodated at TIPO 00. The food was delicious, but serving sizes are tiny. Besides the snooty server, my biggest beef is with the wine prices. Wine list has two prices for each wine choice, separated by a slash, like every other restaurant. Except at this restaurant, the prices are not glass and bottle. They are glass and carafe. So the wine we chose which we thought was $13/$48 for a glass and bottle respectively turned out to be $78 a bottle! Unseen unless you happened to make it to the end of the 10 page drink list. Buyer beware! Again, food was tasty, portions were tiny and 4 small plates and wine came to $180. Felt a bit ripped off when we left. Won't be back.