grappino trattoria italian restaurant

the service was impeccable. there was the friendly waiter who made jokes and he italian nonna who made you feel like a kid again. food was amazing. we had the melted cheese soufflé (wow), escargot (which is weird because they are french and i loved them much more than the frenchplacenext door's (montrachet) escargot), then the marinara which was good of tasty fresh seafood and a richer lobster bisque sauce which isn't what i was used to. and my friend had their speciality veal which was so tender and the sauce was really complex and delicious. dessert was a little chocolate cake thing which oozed chocolate sauce from the middle served with ice cream and strawberries. great experience. will definitely be back!

as soon as you step into grappinos, you could be excused from thinking you have transformed back to the 70s , with the retro tables and chairs, the floor to ceiling bar and comfortable decor. you are welcomed by smiling staff, who make you feel like you are there for dinner at thereplacein a...

it was my day of free! i had scored free tickets to the global tens and also free tickets to the stand up comedy club, so why not spoil myself with a beautiful italian dinner with some amazing friends? i have been walking past thisplacefor so long and had always been memorised by the interior design and decor t had to offer. grappino has this unique italian feel to it, as well as some absolutely fantastic and professional italian waiters. thisplacehas character!!! now the food, i had the pappardelle with duck and oh my goodness what mouthwatering flavours! yes the serving came out on the bone, but it broke away with easy and the sauce and pasta compliment it's hearty flavour. i ended off with a cheese platter (the tallegio cheese) which was just a perfect way to finish off with the remnants of the delectable shiraz. all and all, thisplacehas fast, professional service with a unique character that only italians possess. such a lovely night out, i highly recommend this place!

i am a pasta queen i love italian food so i'm always on the hunt for somewhere to eat a good bowl of pasta. thisplacehit the spot! i had the mushroom gnocchi and my husband had the penne puttanesca both were so flavorful and we left nothing on our plates. we also got the cannelloni special with shrimp and lobster oil. wow it was amazing i could have eaten 5. definitely recommend this spot to anyone looking for good italian food with a warm and friendly staff. we will be back!

quality, tasty, italian food. went to thisplacefor dinner and ordered the sand crab cannelloni, with prawns in lobster bisque, it was delicious. then for dessert i had the panna cotta which was also very nice.

expensive, arrogant, rude and below average meals!. i dined at grappino on the weekend with a group of friends. the food was very below average and expensive, couldn't get a drink, couldn't get a coffee, couldn't get any service and then they packed up around us and left us to freeze at our table outside on the footpath! thisplaceis seriously overrated -i dined at spaghetti house at west end just a couple of weeks ago - the food was amazing, the service was excellent and very inexpensive, try it instead!

grappino’s is a greatplacefor friends and family to get together and enjoy authentic italian food. be sure to get there soon to enjoy the current blackboard specials. i’ll probably see you there! ciao.

we had to stop a mcdonalds on the way home. i’ve just moved up from sydney where i ate frequently at quite pricey restaurants and my god, i have never felt so ripped off in my whole life as this one visit to grappino. it was like something from american psycho where we should have planned to eat dinner at home before going out to dinner. the formica tables, wall mounted tv and cheap posters blu-tacked onto the wall give thisplacea cheap and cheerful trattoria vibe which is not reflected in the appalling prices, rude service and pathetic servings. places like leo’s spaghetti bar in st kilda do this kind of tratorria thing well; dark, soprano’s style décor with cheap, plentiful and delicious hearty italian food.if you’re going to charge $40 for a bowl of pasta, then it better be amazing. instead the “main” size was a small bowl containing a single layer of thumbnail sized gnocchi which would have barely been 3⁄4 cup of pasta. the waiter made eye contact when we entered, smirked at us and then ignored us, leaving us standing in the doorway like idiots. when we were finally seated by an older woman, he came over and without so much as a hello, started reeling off the specials like a race caller.
i don’t know if people are just used to being ripped off in brisbane, there is no other way to explain all the positive reviews for this place. the food (what there was of it) was nice, but people don’t pay these absolutely ludicrous prices just for food. you pay for the entire experience which encompasses excellent service and ambiance. thisplaceis hinging its prices on food alone and sorry, but that’s just not enough. grappino needs to work out what it wants to be; five star dining or cheap and cheerful italian food, but you can’t have the ambiance of sports bar and charge urbane prices. if your customers need to stop for takeaway on the way home, you’re doing something very wrong.

rude food. i can't decide whether the waiter was that unbelievably rude or simply indifferent to our concerns - either way, his attitude was surprisingly poor.

arrived, shown to our table without delay, menus and wine list offered - so far so good. couldn't hear the waitress about the specials, but the blackboard had the same information it seems.

waitress was little help on serving size so ... shared a yummy salad instead of entrees. weren't served mains for 1 hour 10 minutes after arrival. pork was absoutely beautiful... well done chef!! canneloni served on its own so small we had to ask if it was main size, not enough for modest appetite of the birthday girl. no suggestion by the waiter to add a side of veg, asked for bread that was uncerimoniously plonked on table.

declined dessert, ordered coffee all four arrived lukewarm, even the machiatto, so cold milk wasn't to blame. advised waiter coffee was barely warm - couldn't give a stuff, removed cups with no answer, apology or offer to replace... and yes they were left on the bill.

the kitchen has it right, as it should at the prices charged here. service is a word that should be introduced to this establishment

will not return nor recomend to anyone as aplaceto enjoy a meal

grappino is a greatplacefor a midweek italian meal and the bunnies absolutely loved it.

confused. thisplaceconfuses me. it's trying to pass as a comfortable, ny style trattoria, however, with a lofty price tag. personally i feel the godfather posters and football posters are all a bit contrived and the television mounted in the corner not only cheapens the place, but serves to divert customers attention. you can watch television at home.
the food wasn't bad, and the service was just ok.

amazing pasta... thisplaceis pretty fancy - so if you want to take your special one out - this is theplaceto go. make sure you dress for the occasion! the pasta was amazing (seriously, i have been to lots of italian restaurants and the pasta was full stop amazing).

awful experience!. i've never encountered the owner of a restaurant who is as objectionable or rude as i did at grappino. while the waitress was very nice, the owner's behaviour was nothing short of disgraceful.
the food was bland, atmosphere dull and they tried to tack on a few extra glasses of wine to the bill (and then argued for 5 minutes that 'that was the bill and they would not change it').
very sad as i was hoping it to be the high quality suburban italianplaceyou could use as a regular.
genuinely awful experience.

love it. we dined at grappino one saturday night a few weeks ago. theplacehas such a beautiful atmosphere and warm friendly staff. we had the specials of the day which were amazing. can't wait to go back.

love it. have been many times over the last few years and have always had great fresh, tasty food. dishes are not your typical 'aussie trattoria' classics and sway more towards northern italian cuisine. highlights for us are the fresh, meltingly tender calamari entree and the veal saltimboca. yes, because there are no soft furnishings, it's very very loud - not sure why this couldn't be addressed simply with carpet tiles on the walls or baffles on the ceiling. as a result, i wouldn't recommend it for those wanting a quiet date. but otherwise, it's equally suited to an informal midweek dinner, weekend indulgence or group celebration.


-----08 jul, 2009-----

modern italian at its best. a family-run restaurant which takes italian dining to a new level. some classics on the menu (bruschetta, pastas, saltimbocca), as well as specials on the blackboard to keep things interesting. everything is consistently high-quality and the service is friendly and knowledgeable. on a recent visit the wagyu steak with red wine sauce ($45, i think it was 8+ marbling) was a standout, rich with flavour and almost falling-apart tender. on the negative side, as already mentioned it does get very loud when the restaurant is full (which is most nights), so probably not the bestplacefor an intimate dinner.