il centro

service was good, food was nice, their crab lasagne was nice, dessert was good. child friendly, has high chair, and chef was very nice he made adishthat's not on the menu to suit my fussy son.

one of the best italian restaurants in brissy.

it has it all: great food, good service and last but not least, the ambience, being right by the river.

and they have adishyou will not find anywhere else in the world: lasagna.

hold on; lasagna you say? this is no ordinary lasagna, it's a sandcrab lasagna...with the most succulent sauce.

i've even had a friend fly halfway across the world, across the pacific, from nyc to try this signaturedishof theirs!
and this was the first fine dining place in town i took my missus to when she visited from interstate.
did i mention, they do a delectable tiramisu...

pretentious restaurant with very average food. first impressions of this restaurant was that it was not friendly. the first few waiters who served us did not greet us with smiles or a good evening, how do you do. we were given menus and asked if we wanted bread to start, and were given 2 servings of the sourdough bread the most expensive kind (when there were 3 kinds of breads to choose from but we weren't asked) - some may think this is just efficient service but i thought it could be more considerate to let us choose. i had the sandcrab lasagne entree size which was still very filling because it was so creamy and rich. probably adishyou want to share with someone else with some less heavy dishes on the side. the salad was probably the best thing served - it was fresh and the amount of dressing was perfect. my sister had the vegetarian gnocchi entree size but it was so tiny in comparison to the sandcrab lasagne entree size. it had about 10 pieces of gnocchi in it?

the desserts were good - raspberry souffle was the best, creme brulee was so-so, i'd say there's a lot better out there. also coffee was terrible especially at $4.50 per cup, i wouldn't have minded paying $4.50 for a cup of coffee if it was actually good and served hot!

throughout the night the staff weren't very friendly (only 1 out of the 5 i talked to was), some had communication problems like i had to ask for panini twice before it was served, i asked about the banana bread and the waiter went away and told another waiter i wanted banana souffle instead of raspberry souffle and it took another time's explaining for the waiter to understand.

overall it's just a pretentious italian restaurant on the riverside (they don't even have a good view) - unfriendly staff, average food, place lacked in ambience - won't be going back again.

the restaurant is quite large and you have the choice to sit inside or outside. when we arrived, it was about 8pm on a thursday night, so the restaurant was rather quiet. 

now, i had been to il centro a fair few times prior to this, however hadn’t ventured out past the sand crab lasagne. of course, we still ordered it, but we also ordered an array of other menu items so we could see what il centro was really about. in light of this, we ordered the entrée size of the sand crab lasagne, which actually ended up perfect as it is an extremely rich dish. obviously, this was amazing and it will always be one of my favourite dishes. we also ordered the lightly dusted calamari. il centro’s menu changes seasonally ever so slightly, so when we visited thisdishwas in fact a special - from my knowledge it is now a regular menu item? the calamari was good, nothing too special, but it was a nicedishto nibble on whilst we waited for our mains...

for the full review please check out: foodspaceaus.com/blog/dinner-il-centro

thank you!

solid 4.5
this place is amazing. i recently went to il centro for a working dinner. having worked all day none of us had thought to make a booking anywhere considering it was a tuesday night. luckily the great staff at il centro managed to squeeze us in to their fully booked restaurant.
we decided to choose many different dishes to share which was such a great idea. we managed to try a wide range of their delicious options. the crab lasagne is to die for and i couldn’t recommend thisdishanymore. a solid 4.5 for this place. they just loose out on that extra 0.5 due to beer selection. not everyone is a fan of craft beers. what happened to good old mainstream aussie selections?

otherwise all in all a great night! 👌

ordered:
1. lamb pasta - a bit too salty for me
2. crab lasagna - way too rich for me, it is better to order it as a shareddishamong 4 people
3. soufflé - average to good

will i go back: yes but more for the atmosphere and location, this restaurant faces the pretty brisbane city river view

re-visited this one-hatted restaurant last saturday for my birthday celebration. well, it was as busy as usual. our table was allocated near the front entrance so we enjoyed the river view while we were having our dinner. we were greeted and served by very professional wait-staff. other than that, it may be my high expectation, overall dishes were only average to somewhat below my benchmark. entrée of quail and daily chef recommendation seafood soup did not ring the bell. quail was bland and fortunately the wholedishwas saved by the taste of polenta, figs and crumbed walnut, otherwise the negative impact would be quite high. seafood soup was done with good taste and enough seafood but the presentation of the soup was not that great. mains of their signature sand crab lasagne and risotto gained back some marks. however, i would prefer the presentation of the lasagne as the same as their advertising picture with crab shells; having said that, the quantity of crab meat and the texture of pasta deserved thumb-up. risotto came with generous amount of king prawns, rice of the risotto was done spot-on but the king prawns were slightly overdone. at last, we ordered the daily special banana soufflé, which was good but still has a big gap from the soufflé that i had at vue de monde. overall, ambience 4/5, service 4/5 and food 3/5 so review mark 3.5/5.

thumbs up for il centro!
for entree, we ordered fresh crab and avocado salad with gazpacho. to be honest, thisdishis a bit salty, but the crab is super fresh, and its texture just goes perfect with avocado smash.
for main, we ordered sand crab lasagne with crustacean sauce, osso buco with pappardelle pasta, and barramundi with celeriac puree, char grilled octopus with potato salad.
the crab lasagne is absolutely spot on. the sauce is so creamy and flavorous, but it won't cover the flavor of the crab lasagne. you can still taste the freshness of the crab.
osso buco with pappardelle pasta: i should say i love the pasta better than the osso buco. the osso buco is with little sauce, so it is quite dry. however, you can tell the osso buco has been cooked for a long time, as the veal can be teared apart easily. the pappardelle pasta is yum!
barramundi with celeriac puree, char grilled octopus with potato salad: the barramundi is a bit overcooked, though the skin is yum but not quite crispy. the octopus cooks well, quite soft. the puree is good but lacks some flavor. i don't like the potato salad. the potatoes are just too watery.
for dessert, we ordered strawberry soufflé. it is definitely the highlight today. the soufflé is so fluffy. when you dip in that fresh soufflé, and eats with a mouthful of crispy skin and soft underneath base. you just feel like it all deserves.
so must-try dishes: strawberry soufflé, crab lasagne

even though it was a somewhat rainy evening, looking out to the brisbane river and the story bridge while having dinner was pleasant.
we ordered the baby zucchini flowers, the bbq octopus, the sand crab lasagne and the sauteed spring vegetables.
the bestdishwas the bbq octopus. the octopus was cooked perfectly and was complemented perfectly by the beans and sauce which had just a tiny hint of heat.
the baby zucchini flowers, the sand crab lasagne and sauteed spring vegetables were all solid performers in that order.
the sauce for the baby zucchini flowers was just subtle enough to complement the delicate hero of the dish. and the sauce for the sand crab lasagne was incredibly rich, while the lasagna was quite nice.
at this price point, i would say il centro is reasonably competitive.

thoroughly enjoyed our meal here for a number of reasons:

1. we had no booking but was immediately accommodated.
2. our waiter (ashley) was exceptional, very professional and at the same time very engaging - we had a 'cracker' of a night.
3. food was excellent! we had the veal scaloppine and the duck leg. both meals presented so well, and they we beautiful. the 'cracked' pepper on the scaloppinedishin particular added that little bit extra.
4. accompanied the meal with a wangolina pinot gris which we really enjoyed.
5. our table had a 'cracker' of a view which we will never forget.... it was a fun topic for the night.

price was $165 for table 4-2 and you do get what you pay for.

went to il centro for the first time while visiting brisbane, and was recommended i try the sand crab lasagne - it is famous for a reason. absolutely beautifuldishand paired it with the pear and rocket salad. had a gorgeous wine italian white with it - they have a fantastic italian selection which is great to see. the service was excellent, the staff were all knowledgable and the owner zahir made rounds to every table to ensure everyone was enjoying themselves. 
i will definitely be back!!

the rich creamy sauce with the light tomato puree on the top is the perfect introduction to the lasagne. thedishhas the most beautiful flaky succulent crab meat encased within the wheaty “melt in your mouth” layers of lasagne sheets.

sand crab lasagne absolutely to die for. would come back just for their signaturedish- sand crab lasagne.....

really light and creamy texture. entree size is enough for one person.

we dined at il centro last night. an establishment that has been running since 1992 and is often considered to be on of brisbane's best restaurants. my photos give a full description of ingredients and prices.
for entrées we had the:
• special salt and pepper squid, the batter was light and scrumptious - almost as if it was made of tapioca flour,
• the chips,
• the bbq'd octopus, tender char grilled octopus which was lovely, the chorizo was very disappointing and the sauce was not at all spicy, the beans were quite good but then again they are just beans, they were also a few splatters around thedishwhich considering the hype and price were not appropriate, it takes two seconds to wipe them up...
for mains we had:
• special ragu pasta - the pasta was undercooked, and not in an al dente way and the meat was tough, not at all falling apart or stewed down, the fish was left more than half unfinished, when we told the waiter at the end why the plate was not finished he told the chef, who promptly took it off our bill, something that was not requested but appreciated
• the black angus sirloin, ordered medium it arrived more medium-rare, on the rare side, for a $43 steak you expect it to come out cooked to your preference, but the sauce was glossy and the meat flavoursome so it was still enjoyable
• sand crab lasagne - we normally never get two of the samedishon the table because we like to be able to try as much as possible on a menu but couldn't resist this dish, it was the stand out of the night! the sauce was heartily enjoyed, and i do not like cheese or cream based sauces, and it made me wish i'd tried the special seafood soup for entrée, the sand crab was delicious but a down side of all the sauce was it was harder to taste the crab as much as i would have liked, the ragu eater was astounded at how amazing this pastadishwas, especially in comparison to hers
for dessert we dined on:
• chocolate tart, expected it to be semi-sweet or bittersweet but it was just plain old too rich. beautifully presented, wished there was more of the gelato, it was divine but was more towards the gratin end of the consistency spectrum rather than ultra creamy.
• the tiramisu was enjoyed and the sour cherries were a nice edition
• the cassata (candied fruit and almond) dessert was really delicious
we drank:
• floz's fizz - grey goose pear, chambord and peach liqueur shaken with green rose tea syrup, pineapple, cranberry, lemon juice and whites. garnished with rose tea petals - it was beautiful and creamy
• the strawberry mocktail was alright but the passionfruit one was rather amazing
• only one herbal tea was available - peppermint
• the long black was obviously decent as a second with a shot of grand marnier was ordered.
the view of the bridge was lovely and the staff accommodating on the whole. despite all the widow tables being taken it would of been nice if they didn't seat us next to the thirty persons party when we booked. the restaurant added on a voluntary opt-out $2 donation to a charity to feed the homeless, which o considered a good move over the christmas period. we were able to validate our parking ticket so it was only $5 for valet under eagle street pier. overall it was a good night and despite the issues with some dishes (which would have been forgivable if it wasn't for the fact that they have been there almost 25 years) the good was very good and i can see why they are popular but i would try other restaurants before dining here again.

my favdishhere is the crab lasagne. they have an amazing wine list too! been around for years!