osteria ilaria

4.5
it was a long wait at tipo 00 so we popped next door to the new kid on the block and we were so, so impressed! impeccable food and friendly staff made it a great dinner while sat at the bar overlooking the kitchen. first of all, the mushroom croquettes (5/5) were to die for - in fact we had to get a few more rounds of them. seasoned perfectly, they had just the right crunch and i could easily eat 30-35 myself. the stuffed zucchini flowers were decent but we needed more mushroom croquettes! the snapper and scallops on purée pea had a generous amount of seafood. the next 5/5 dish was the asparagus with goats cheese mousse which went perfectly with the pasta special that was served on a venison ragu. the octopus dish was served with ‘nduja sausage and was something different! dessert was a meringue which was probably the weakest link. they also do the bottomless sparkling at $4 a head which is commendable. i’ll definitely be back!

wish i’d written this one up when i went so i could remember all of the dishes! as a girl’s dinner out we booked in to this cosy italian eatery near hardware lane on a weeknight. it was buzzing and a booking was essential even on a winter’s thursday night.
i went out with two girlfriends. the three of us shared four entrees and three mains and couldn’t face dessert! it was delicious and each dish cooked to perfection (i even managed pork which i’m not wild about) but my only criticism was that i found it on the salty side. thoroughly enjoyable evening out!!!

finally made it to the osteria, the italian place on lt bourke street. 

we came on a monday night just after 6 so it wasn't too busy. ordered a glass of pinot noir to start with and later on realised its quite expensive ($140 a bottle). always read the wine list before you order! don't get me wrong the wine was super nice i just wasn't quite ready to pay that much. waitress was really lovely they gave us half a bottle so we can order another half bottle of cheaper wine. 

for food we ordered, mushroom croquette, squid, prawn pasta, duck sausage, pork and some broccoli on the side. they were all quite yummy especially the croquettes and the pasta. ordered a bit too much tho that we didnt finish everything and didnt have enough room for dessert. 

definitely worth a try!

honestly not too satisfied with the dining experience, i ordered the steak and gnocchi which was the special of the day and it didn't taste that good. going to a steakhouse would be a better option to get a better steak for a larger portion and a lower price. charging $50 for a steak around 300g is not reasonable especially when it doesn't even taste that good. the gnocchi was average at best, going to any other italian corner cafe would've served me better gnocchi as well.

even the dining experience could be improved for such a "classy" place, staff has to put more effort especially for the price point.

portion size should also be taken into consideration, it is very small portions, as we speak my friend who dined with me went to kfc after to get more food.

fresh food, good service. tried the passionfruit beer was really surprise me. even a weekday dinner also full house!! will happy to come again try other dishes.

i’ve heard good things about osteria ilaria and was very excited to try it out. everything on the menu sounded delicious. i wanted to order the whole menu! the menu has a good variety of flavours and they keep it interesting with special menus. my favourite dish was the trout. it was soft, tender and fresh. every dish was executed beautifully. the staff and atmosphere was lovely. i would come back to try the rest of the menu

love osteria ilaria! highly recommend coming to this restaurant with a few friends! amazing vibes and such a great view from the bar to watch the chefs plate up. my absolute favourite was the truffle tortellini! absolutely delicious 😍

another iconic italian restaurant in melbourne.

as expected, the service was great. very attentive.

all the dishes looked beautiful. mozzarella were very fresh and tasted really gentle. my highlight will have to be the main meat dish and prawn pasta.

i dont know id it was memorable to me. maybe it's not completely my pallete. but all dishes were good.

a beautiful restaurant with top notch service and amazing food. definitely one of my top melbourne restaurants. this place has left a strong impression on me.

beautiful cozy place for a late sunday lunch. 4.5 stars is the rating i would give this place if it was possible. only let down was the tables are too close to each other, your conversations would be easily disturbed if guests sitting at next table are loud. the buffalo mozzarella  with beetroot sauce was light and smooth, i am not a huge fan of mozzarella but absolutely loved this. globe artichoke with eggplant was of great flavours however the artichoke was a bit on the mushy side. i would prefer they were cooked a bit less. ricotta gnocchi was beautiful. the sauce was rich and full of flavours. ricotta was so light and fluffy. brussel sprouts were  nicely cooked. soft enough yet still crunchy, soaked in the flavours yet keeping the bitterness. service was attentive.

osteria ilaria is serving up delicious modern italian food and like their first restaurant tipo 00 (which is next door), people are lining up for this exceptional italian food. the great thing is that you can make a booking (which is a sigh of relief) and it’s a bigger space. they have a lovely wine menu and source beverages from around the world. there are less pasta dishes on the menu than tipo 00 but in saying that they still have some impressive pasta dishes. they also have a variety of cheeses, charcuterie and breads. they put quality and care into the food that they produce, and you can taste it.

i cannot imagine how the chef can make cabbage in the roasted duck taste bitter. very disappointed about almost every dish and never come back. the only dish i enjoy is crispy mushroom, inside is soft creamy and outside is very crispy.

went here for lunch, opted for the 2 course menu. started out with a dish of artichokes and cheese. that was delicious and then the main arrived; lamb shoulder with cabbage. it was very wholesome and i was satisfied!

i fell in love with tipo 00 on my first visit there, and a host of positive feedback for its sister restaurant osteria ilaria meant osteria’s position on my ‘must try’ list was secured. we book in for an early-ish lunch, and watch the kitchen prepare fresh pasta for service. although osteria ilaria also has pasta on the menu, it isn’t quite as pasta-focused as tipo 00.

i had a lovely dinner here at osteria ilaria and was amazed by all of the flavours on each dish. the first few dishes were my absolute favourites - the octopus, scallops and mushroom croquettes. the only negative would be the special truffle pasta which only had a very slight truffle flavour.