Umberto Espresso Bar

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 ✅

Unfortunately this is the end of an era. We didn’t check reviews because we’d been here several times before over a number of years. Such a disappointment, and never will eat there again. (Also as I paid the poor man asked ‘how it was’ and I told him it wasn’t good. I asked if change of ownership. No, he said. But change of staff. Whatever that means. Whoever is in the kitchen doesn’t know how to cook pasta. Doesn’t know about flavours. It was the worst Italian I’ve ever eaten. TRAGIC!!) These are my daughter’s notes, taken on the night, during the meal: - Took forever for food to arrive - Garlic bread came first and then was cold by the time mains came - Pasta very undercooked and clumped together - Marinara was 3 mussels, 2 scallops, three prawns, used to also have fish - Very hard to get waiter’s attention left with empty glasses for a while - Water not replenished - Salad didn’t come until we were almost done with the meal, though they brought it and put it on the house which was nice - Used to be our fave marinara would’ve said the best in Melb, now so disappointing - Been coming here since it was the smaller venue over the other side of the road - it’s lost its atmosphere and the staff seem stressed and run off their feet so not a good vibe - Obvs issue with the kitchen - I’ve never felt a need to leave a review but this has hurt me in my soul (this comment is from my daughter; I obviously HAVE left reviews on google) - End of an era If the owner/manager reads this: you need to have someone in the kitchen who can cook Italian food, knows how to cook pasta, how to balance flavours. There are reviews about how poor the food is going back months. You will go out of business if you don’t attend to this and you should address the issues sincerely and immediately if you want to keep customers. But you’ve lost us and many others from what I can see on this page. Good luck, it’s a sad end to a wonderful institution.

Enjoyed our nice lunch today of calamari fritti and spaghetti carbonara……. Great authentic Italian cuisine from homemade pasta and a delicious choice of other dishes……my family have been here on several occasions over the years as we always make it part of our itinerary whenever visiting from Sydney 👍

Umbertos is my go-to Thornbury establishment & honestly it’s in career best form. The Espresso Martini helps me hit my KPIs, the Marinara is a generous, moreish serving that fuels me for a full afternoon while the Broccolini keeps me sharp, healthy & cold free (touch wood) during the winter months. Oh and the staff are warm & attentive — proper Italian hospitality. Bravo 👏🏻

All meals absolutely delicious - clearly made with high quality ingredients and expertly prepared. Can recommend the calamari, pasta matriciana and (amazing) coleslaw with Parmesan and fresh peas. Will definitely be back. 👌

Great selection of Italian dishes , wines and deserts.. reasonably priced and quality is very good. Had meatball panini and tiramisu, both of which were excellent. Portions are decent and taste/flavours are authentic. Has different specials so things do change a bit. Plenty of indoor, outdoor and courtyard seating.. service is great with attentive staff.. will go again.

Went to Umberto's last night with a friend. We started with the Calamari which were fresh and delicious. I had the rockling which was cooked to perfection and finished off with the cannoli. The staff were very friendly and the service was excellent. It still is an institution in Thornbury for great food and service. Keep up the great work.

Unfortunately, my recent visit to this restaurant was quite underwhelming. The pasta was severely lacking in flavor, with barely any seasoning—no noticeable salt or pepper, making the dish taste flat and uninspired. Even more concerning, the calamari had an off-putting smell that raised questions about its freshness. Given the quality of the food, I genuinely cannot recommend this place to anyone. Instead of spending your money here, you'd be better off donating it to a good cause—it would certainly be put to better use. I hope the restaurant takes this feedback seriously and makes the necessary improvements.

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.

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.

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.