Umberto Espresso Bar

The food was nice although some dishes were a little big and others were too small. The salads were quite bland.

The calamari fritti were tender and delicious..easily the best we’ve had anywhere. Both our pasta dishes were cooked Italian style - al dente with authentic home made sauces. Portions were good and one of the few places that still serve bread to mop up the sauce! Service excellent and the Aperol spritz👏 -true Italian 🇮🇹. ! We will be back…did I mention the espresso corretto ✅

Over priced! The food was decent overall some dishes were enjoyable, while others felt a bit average for the price. The pasta was cooked well, but the flavours didn’t quite stand out as expected. Service was polite, though a little slow during our visit. The ambience was nice and the restaurant has a pleasant vibe, but there’s room for improvement to really elevate the experience. With a few tweaks, this place could be much better.

I enjoy Umberto’s. The atmosphere is good. The décor is well done and warm. It's a good feel. The staff are very welcoming, friendly and attentive. This compliments the delicious Italian food. And the specials board is always worth a look. Umberto’s is managed by a genuine family that provides lovely food. And they make you feel welcome. I'll be back.

Lovely place , lovely went to try their traditional deserts . Also tried these garlic bread .

Yum yum yummy Food was delicious, the polpette were absolutely delicious, melt in your mouth snd the spaghetti alla marina was cooked perfectly - the flavour was on point. The service was exceptional and Kyle did an absolute brilliant job with quick service and great banter! Highly recommend this place.

Extremely Disappointing! What Happened to This Place? This restaurant has been around for years and used to be a reliable favourite, but sadly it has gone completely downhill. We tried to dine there a few nights ago and the experience was nothing short of a disaster. After being seated, we had to call the waiter over multiple times just to get bread to make the entrees go down easier but not even the bread helped. Then we waited an entire hour for our main meals. In that time, three people walked in, were seated, ordered, and were served almost immediately. Whether they pre-ordered or not, it was incredibly frustrating to watch them finish their meals while we were still sitting there with nothing. When we asked again about our meals, we were told, “won’t be long,” yet still nothing arrived. We eventually got up to leave and tried to pay for the entrées, which were completely tasteless. The owner’s son then offered to put our mains into plastic takeaway boxes and even added, “we have plastic forks,” as if that solved anything. Naturally, we refused. What exactly went wrong, we’ll never know, but the confusion and disorganisation were obvious. Four staff members standing around looking like deer in headlights. Sadly, we won’t be returning. This place needs a complete overhaul of staff, management, and kitchen operations… or they might as well shut their doors for good.

Came here for the first time on a special date day and it did not disappoint. The food was hearty, warming and perfectly flavoured - we had gnocchi, eggplant parmigiana and green beans with ricotta which were beautifully seasoned with butter and a delicious dash of lemon. The cinnamon panna cotta was delicately flavoured and delicious too. Staff were friendly, knowledgeable and had good recommendations, while the atmosphere was perfect for warming up the body and soul on a cold, rainy day. Can thoroughly recommend and will return!

Umberto's is a lovely bar/resturant down High street Thornbury, an area that is quite becoming a quirky strip of places to dine. We enjoyed a sensational meal of Calimari, seafood pasta and a salad to share. This place has a great area outside to eat and wonderful staff who were awesome enough to cater for us just past the time the kitchen closed. I would recommend this place as a venue to start off your night if you are going out in Thornbury/Northcote or just for a quick meal. The prices are very reasonable and it has a very intimate feel.

I visited Umberto's most recently on Saturday night with family members.We were seated in the courtyard, as everywhere else was fully booked. I was told on arrival that the corkage charge was $15.00 per person as we had brought of bottle of wine with us. This surprised me as we had always brought our own wine previously with nothing like a $15/per head charge. For the first time in all the years I have been going to Umberto's, the food wasn't up to the usual standard. The pasta, which two of us had, special $40.00, was tasteless, my partner's scallopine was chewy, probably yearling beef, and came with no vegetables, the carbonara was rather dry, but the best of the dishes we ordered. Before the food arrived we noticed foul smelling water under our feet, presumably coming from an overflowing outhouse. People at the other table also notice the smell. The staff seemed unconcerned, so we had to move ourselves to another table, by pushing 2 x 2 tables together. The staff eventually came to attend to us, but surprisingly, were critical of us for moving thereby losing a table for 2. Needless to say, we were not impressed with food, service or ambience on this occasion, so much so that we asked if there had been a change of management. The answer was "no". Sadly we won't be returning to Umberto's, which has been our "go to" restaurant since we moved to Preston 10 years ago having been introduced to it by a long term patron. Helen

Went for a late brunch/early lunch and managed to snag a seat in their gorgeous little courtyard. Be sure to head straight to the back on a sunny day! Avocado on toast with ricotta was deliciously simple and the coffee was lovely. We ended up staying for a couple of hours longer and sampled the drinks menu - the espresso martini is a notable highlight!

We went for dinner at Umberto last night and it totally kicked arse. We'd tried to get in there before, on the recommendation of a friend, but it was full and we were told to book ahead. Months later and we managed to get a table on the night (though it was the last one) and man was it worth the wait. Umberto do coffee and cakes and cafe type stuff during the day and full-blown Italian meals by night. The menu consists of pasta classics and basic entrees and sides. The bruscetta comes in three kinds and the meatball starter is insanely good. We all had pastas for mains and the spaghetti marinara special killed it for freshness and held generous serves of scallops, prawns and mussels. I had the carbonara (it was a cold night) and it was all creamy deliciousness. The service here was the winner. We had a pretty fussy person with us and the staff responded to all requests with good grace and a smile. I'll be back there for sure.

Went here on a busy Thursday might. Small cafe, bespoke and limited menu and they turn the tables over every 2 hours. Food was great and staff attentive and friendly. The panna cotta is to die for and my Italian companion said it was better the An she had ever tasted. Praise indeed. Would recommend without hesitation - but do book ahead!

The best out of best simple home cooked Italian Food .Highly recommend. Well balanced menu with excellent customer service . Cosy , tasty, smart.

Dropped in for a coffee and was delighted with the whole experience. The coffee was perfect, it was delivered with a small biscotti on the house - mmm delicious. The atmosphere is cozy, sat at the window bench, chatted with the owners who are extremely nice. Will definitely return to try the food menu.

Wow, I've heard lots about this place and finally had lunch this week. Fantastic, food was traditional and plentiful and delicious. the service was unbelievable. You know when you visit a place and you just know they get great customer service, Umberto is such a place

This place is different from most espresso bars because it doesn't matter what day or what time u go the owner is always there, sometimes his dad is also there helping out. The food is like home cooking, real Italian food, I come from an Italian background, so I recognise the jars of homemade eggplant and olives, the homemade sausages, THIS is when u know u r getting a real Italian meal! The owner Marco invites u into his home and kitchen not his business. Do yourself a favour, visit him.