montalto restaurant

beautiful food and view though little bit pricey. they only have set menu can choose 2 courses or 3 courses. 3 courses is recommended. dishes are small.

everyone speaks highly about this place, so we finally decided to try it on the weekend.
yes, it's surroundings are beautiful, and ambience is great. service was good at the start and went downhill from there. food, however, was disappointing.
we ordered the charcuterie platter and literally got 3 shavings of prosciutto and capocollo, with slices of salami, 5 gherkins and 3 tiny slices of ciabatta type bread. that cost about $22. then we ordered the slow roasted lamb shoulder and it came out with the relish poured on top - it looked very uninviting and a dish that i thought should have been served in a pub environment than a vineyard! that was $30. we also ordered the baby cos salad - can't go wrong with a salad! beware servings are small.
montalto wines were ok, nothing special, but on a positive note the glass servings were generous.
we asked for salt and pepper and the salt grinder was empty and we couldn't get anyone's attention because they were all busy. i know i'm being picky but all the refilling and stocking etc should be done prior to opening your doors. it's part of house keeping! and these little hiccups detract from the experience.
at the end of our lunch we went up to the waitress to get our bill as no-one was available - all too busy!
overall the experience was blah and a note that once our order was taken and served, no-one bothered to check up on us to see 'how's everything'!

had a lovely lunch in the cafe/bar dining area. the indoor area is quite small so there was a half hour wait for a table at lunchtime. gave us some time to do a wine tasting and having a drink at the bar. food was excelllent and well priced. would be amazing to have lunch outside next to the vinyards on a good day.

i love this place. been here a lot and it never disappoints. beautiful food with a gorgeous view. one of my favorite wineries on the mornington peninsula.

i really like the sculptures, the olive oil, arts support and community support that this winery provides. it was packed to the brim again this weekend. great products and friendly even when they are run off their feet!

pretty disappointed with our meal here. beautiful setting but the food was really bland and boring. i had the kingfish entree which was very tart no sauce or avocado or wasabi or something to lift it. other entree of pork lion was probably the best dish of the night. mains of snapper and lamb were both ok but we eat out for something special. we didn't get this tonight. snapper was overcooked and dry and the lamb was very boring. zucchini side was bland also and desserts were again nothing special at all. if you're in the area i would recommend ten minutes by tractor, wish we had gone back there for our 2nd visit this trip.

we went out with a group of 6 people on 27th of dec. our first stop was the cafe and was told that the wait was 45 mins for a table. we then headed towards the restaurant to have lunch knowing the fact that it was a fine dining restaurant. the hostess gave us the menus and said that it was pricy and asked us to check if we were happy with the price. what kind of customer service is that ? being vegetarians there was limited options so we therefore decided to go back to the cafe. we were told that the wait was 1 hour so therefore we decided to enjoy some wine at cellar and go for walk and enjoy the scenery. we came back to the cafe and was told that the wait was only 20 mins for table. we waited patiently and ordered more drinks and then when we saw them seating a group of 6 people who had just walked in through the door. after waiting for 1.5 hours we were told to wait for another 1 hour!!! utterly disappointed with rude waiting staff. wait a way to ruin a perfect day for us!

montalto vineyard & olive grove is undoubtedly one of the better stops along the mornington peninsula winery trail, having plenty to offer a visitor. along with its cellar door, piazza and restaurant it also incorporates a sculpture park with over 20 permanent sculptures scattered around the grounds, which you’re free to roam and explore.

foods were really nice 3.5/5
service 3/5
atmosphere 4/5

really good atmosphere!

not only winery, they have art sculpures too!

i went to piazza cafe few times. love the atmosphere and cosy environment. they just change menu last month. and their food are seriously good! the grill whole snapper is absolutely spot on. the flavours are there, the seasoning is good. the wines are good. love the sculpture and the morris minor there. lol. always my favourite place in mornington peninsula.

when u done here you start with a tasting at the cellar door to find the matching wine for your dish. the views is stunning perfect for a romantic get away. the good just can fault it's use of produce is just splendid.

had a lovely 3 course dinner at montalto on saturday night. despite the miserable weather the venue was absolutely packed. as a result the restaurant did get very noisy and the service was at times a little bit slow but overall this didn't detract too much from the experience. i ordered the smoked mackerel for entree, the pork loin for main and the chocolate fondant for dessert. the pork in particular was a highlight. i also loved the complementary olive bread and warm olives served at the beginning of the meal. definitely a good option if you're looking for fine dining in red hill.

food was overrated for what it was - found a hair in our starters which was a little off putting. main course was also under cooked - fish was very raw. only saviour was the good service, great views and wonderful desserts.

a couple made a booking here one fine weekend for lunch. neither had heard of this place or had any idea what to expect. all they knew was it was 1 hatted and usually this means great things.

when they arrived they enjoyed some wine tasting followed by purchasing a bottle of wine that they just couldn't resist.

once in the dinning area and looking at the menu he decided to get the duck with jui & her the lamb. for dessert a chocolate and passion fruit fondant.

every since, this couple makes it a point to return once a year to see what montalto is up to. the next year they had a pizza making station for families next to the vegetable patch, the year after they had a jazz night.

since then people can book picnics and enjoy a nice walk the grounds too.

as the years went on, they saw private functions, more sculptures placed throughout as they took a stroll around.

whilst the dishes altered to keep up with the times they remained just as good. unfortunately the chocolate passionfruit fondant yet to return.

with masterchef now on the scene and some competition down the road, montalto started to seem a little ordinary. good food as always but the couple were beginning to get a little disappointed.

then on their 10th wedding anniversary they returned for dinner. for the memories and to enjoy the sunset over the hills. they didn't have high expectations this time just went to enjoy the great wine and old favourite.

but again, montalto had evolved. new staff, some old ones returned or stayed and a new chef. the view the same, a new sculpture or two and the same great wine. but the food was presented better than they had seen there. tasted better than they had in a long time anywhere.

so the couple just ask one favour. please can we have the chocolate passionfruit fondant too one day? no one but you have made its match anywhere.

oh and see you next year for the next instalment we loved it. you are once again our favourite. we highly recommend and urge all to try!

fantastic experience - the food & service was of the highest level!

tried five dishes and each one was prepared and presented to perfection.

highly recommend as a must do destination when in the mornington peninsula region