Hidden Italian Gem

A few friends have been madly raving to me about an Italian restaurant hidden in the heart of Melbourne CBD.

I have always struggled to find good authentic Italian cuisine in Melbourne's CBD without paying a visit to little Italy on Lgyon St.

Manchester Lane

Maccaroni Trattoria Italiana is secretly tucked away in Manchester Lane (located just off Colins and Swanston Street. Without word of mouth, I assure that you would not be able to spot this place.
The feeling of homely goodness immediately fills us as we step into the restaurant. The Interior is small and can be a bit of a squeeze, it literally only fit around 15 or so people (so not recommended for larger groups). The tables are set up along one wall, all adorned with cute red checked table cloths- adding to the authentic Italian feel.

Cosy interior

We have made 2 visits to Maccaroni now- we immediately fell in love with it after being introduced the first time, and just had to come back for more. On each of our visits, we happened to be seated in front of the open kitchen- witnessing the homemade food preparation in action.

Made right before your eyes

The menu is simple yet has plenty of options to tickle your fancy, with a number of starters, home made pastas and mains. One of the recommended dishes was the penne pasta with black olives, tomatoes and fresh chili. Mr S order that and I ordered the gnocchi sorrentino. We also decided to order the hot Sicilian 'Panelle' which is fried chickpea fritters as a starter

Adorable checked table cloths

The service is excellent, waiters are friendly and judging by their accents, all are authentically Italians. The portions of the panelle was generous and can easily be for 4 people. The batter was light and not overly oily, however I did find it a little over seasoned. We struggled to finish the dish as it is probably not one which you could have too much of.

Starter- Sicilian Panelle

Mr S was impressed with the penne- the pasta was fresh and cooked al dente, flavors simple yet delicious. The blend of both the chili and olives brought just the right punch of flavours to the pasta. In my opinions, the only thing missing from the dish was the lack of meat. In saying that, it's not often that Mr S says "let's come back here", so this place definitely won him over.

Spicy penne

The napolitana sauce on my gnocchi was rich but not over powering. I loved the stringiness of the melted mozzarella (mmm, love melted cheese!). The size of the gnocchi are a little bit smaller than your average, similar to the size of pearls in bubble tea. However, the taste is chewy, fluffy and flavoursome. Again, the only criticism I had of the dish was its lack of meat.

Gnocchi Sorrentino

The second time we visited, we had to try one of the popular main dishes- the Osso Bucco with risotto. I loved this dish, the meat was cooked to perfection and literally fell off the bone. The risotto was also perfectly cooked and has a creamy consistency. Definitely recommend this one!

Osso Bucco- delicious!

Although the food may not be helping your waistline but it definitely would not hurt your wallet. Pastas range from $11-1$4 and mains are reasonably priced between $15-$20.

I have also heard their tiramisu dessert is to die for, we will be saving our stomachs next time..

Dessert on display

Not often do I come a cross a gem this good and want to share it :)

Maccaroni Trattoria Italiana

Yum: 8/10
Price: 8/10
Service: 8/10



Ciao!
Miss Scribble