Amici Trattoria

5.3 Average

Food  3      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  2     

It is a disappointment when what has been one of your regular eating places allows their standard to slip and you have to move on. This was the case at Amici, which used to be our favourite Italian eatery in Camberwell, when we dropped in last night for a late meal. My pasta was up to the usual standard, but my wife's veal was certainly not really veal, as the knife couldn't even cut it. Gristly beef would better describe it.

You can take this sort of thing, if there is some sign of concern at one's complaint, maybe the owner and/or cook coming to discuss the issue, maybe some adjustment to the bill. No. All we got was a relayed comment to the effect that no one else had complained. Well presumably (hopefully) no one else got the same pieces of meat! Sorry Amici! There's a whole heap of competitors out there waiting for us to try them now.

Mar 28, 2012 

1.8 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  3      Service  2      Value  1     

First time my partner and I have been there. The garlic bread was terrible, gnocchi was worse than a supermarket packet type, way too salty and something that made the dish look like something you would order in a cheap diner in the middle of nowhere, it was smothered in mozzarella.

By partner's penne was served in what looked like a cereal bowl even though he ordered a main. Very average and looked unappetising. Unsure why people would go there in an area with many other quality options. Giving this food a 1/10 is being generous.

Jan 15, 2012 

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  10     

My friends and I dined at Amici Trattoria not long a go on a Sunday night and I have to say I was really impressed!

The food servings were extremely generous in size and we all enjoyed our meals a lot. I had pasta, while my friends had a chicken dish and a veal dish. We started the meal with the bruschetta which was served as a whole loaf of delicious warm bread and a pot of really tasty tomato and onion bruschetta so we could help ourselves to as much as we liked. We thought this was a really novel idea and enjoyed it a lot.

The service was great and the staff were really friendly. We were seated straight away. We were actually surprised when the bill came at the end of the meal and it was so reasonably priced. For the size of the meals and the great time we had, we expected to pay a lot more. At least this way we got to leave a good tip!

Would and will definitely recommend Amici to friends and family and will be going back again very soon. Best restaurant I have tried in a while.

Jan 11, 2012 

7.5 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  8     

Even though Amici’s appears to have been here since the 80s, this was our first visit. Seems not a lot has changed for a couple of decades (for example, the dark décor), but obviously the citizens of Camberwell like things the way they were. We shared the bruschetta to start, and it was nice. The mains our group had were pleasant enough and the serves generous (barramundi, penne, chicken Italiano and one of the scaloppine dishes), but there was only a limited range of deserts tiramisu and so on). The service was helpful and the prices were reasonable (but we took our own wine so can’t comment on the wine list).

Nov 25, 2011 

4 Below Average

Food  3      Ambience  6      Service  2      Value  5     

We went there on Valentines Day 2011 and to start with they didn’t have our booking listed that I’d only called them about 2 days earlier to confirm the time (I made the original booking a week earlier). We were seated anyway and we were packed in like sardines. We got the bread and entrees in a timely manner but the deep fried calamari was terrible. The table next to us finished their entrees about 10 minutes after us and got their mains about 10 minutes later - they ordered the fish and chicken. We also ordered exactly the same mains but had to wait at least another 45 minutes to get our food (even though we finished our entrees 10 minutes before them). The chicken was pretty dried up but the fish was ok. Then, to top things off, when we paid our bill, we paid cash and there was about $15 in change that we were waiting for -but after waiting another 25 minutes, they never returned with our change! We were going to say something but couldn’t be bothered so we just walked out. Never going back again!

Feb 15, 2011 

1.8 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  3      Service  2      Value  1     

The bread was stale and the scallops were like rubber. On a scale of 1 to 10 where we gave 5 to the sausage in bread outside Bunnings we struggled to give it 1!

Dec 14, 2010 

7.3 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  7     

Went here for lunch on a Friday with some work colleagues, and all of us were impressed. All raved about the food including myself, who had one of the best chicken dishes I have tried. The service was good, we had to ask for more drinks, but you could not complain about it. Whilst we had the house red and it was wonderful, in looking at the wine list there was a lot of one brand of wine.

I would certainly recommend this to anyone for a lovely lunch. As a note we all ate off the lunch menu.

Jul 05, 2010 

6 Average

Food  5      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  6     

I ordered the Ravioli, and it seemed a bit tasteless, but the the sauce had flavour. Service was a little slow, but was okay.

Jul 03, 2010 

5.3 Average

Food  4      Ambience  7      Service  4      Value  6     

Compared to other Italian restaurants, even in Camberwell (eg Fiorellis), the food here is very tired, something you might have found in Melbourne in the 80s. My osso bucco was not melt in the mouth as it should be, my wife's scallopini was overwhelmed by the taste of rancid/off cooking oil, and the "Affetati Platter of Italian delicacies" was as dull and limited a collection of cheap supermarket sliced meat and lettuce parading as am antipasti plate as I have ever seen.

Unlike some other reviews, service was pleasant enough (though our party of four was left standing at the entrance for several minutes unacknowledged by several waitstaff before being led to our table). The excessively dim lighting and the whole setup reek of a typical Camberwell restaurant of the 70s/80s, and these guys really should bring someone in to bring it into the new millennium.

It was packed (two weeks before Christmas), so, perhaps, they have their market, but surely even their staid, elderly customers would appreciate a better standard in food and menu.

Edit: As part of a group booking, we had to return, so hoping for the best. Unfortunatel,y the food was as disgusting as last time, and unlike last time the service had deteriorated badly, rude and very slow. Never again, there are plenty of fantastic restaurants around, and this place seems to be a time warp.

Mar 28, 2010 

5.8 Average

Food  4      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  6     

Perhaps, they serve better food at dinner, but the fettuccine with chicken and avocado from the lunch menu was completely tasteless and the accompanying garden salad was lathered with an astringent dressing straight out (I’m sure) of a bottle. The soup of the day was a bit better, will not be returning.

Sep 07, 2009