Scarpetta Ristorante

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  10     

Dinner was fantastic. The Parma pizza was outstanding, as was the trout carpaccio and broccolini side dish. The atmosphere was extremely charming. The one and only server, Pietro, was gracious and provided a warm and inviting atmosphere for the dining experience. A great find in a populated neighbourhood. Highly recommend.

Mar 22, 2011 

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

What a restaurant! This was our first visit to Scarpetta's but certainly won't be our last. My chargrilled chicken was delicious and my husband can't stop raving about his porterhouse steak. We'll be back and will certainly be recommending a visit to our family and friends in Bendigo.

Oct 11, 2009 

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  8     

I stumbled onto Scarpetta in search of a decent looking place to satisfy my rumbling stomach, and deprived tongue (as a result of having been on the run beforehand and an overkill of McDonald's). It was a little quiet for a Saturday night but this did not detract from the experience, as my friends were more than plenty!

The choice of food start with a delightful garlic/herb bread with some shavings of parmesan. The temptation to order more of just that entree never left my thoughts, not until I was served the red emperor dish. Cooked superbly. Moist, tender, with a slightly crispy skin adding texture and an abundance of flavour.
My friends' separate dishes of duck and penne, they couldn't have liked them more.

The wine list, as previously stated by another reviewer, was decent. The only Italian wine to be offered by the glass there, is good value for money, smooth and full of flavour. Has my name!

Oct 25, 2008 

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

We are Sydneysiders who spent last weekend in Melbourne. Friday night we walked up and down Brunswick Street trying to pick a place to dine and we finally found Scarpetta and we couldn't have picked better.

The service was warm & friendly, and our meals excellent. We started with a Parma pizza to share and I had the duck lasagne & my partner the gnocchi. The duck lasagne was so good, I can't stop thinking about it when I'm hungry. My partner loved the fresh gnocchi also, with an italian sausage sauce... said it's the best gnocchi he's had to date.

We had a couple of glasses of the St. Ignatius Sangiovese each and finished off with an affogato for me and a pudding for my partner. Very happy patrons. Thanks!

Aug 30, 2008 

2.3 Not Recommended

Food  3      Ambience  3      Service  2      Value  1     

We had read reviews on this website that the pizza was excellent. We were very disappointed, they had paper thin bases, minimal topping and limited choices. The average price for a pizza was $17, so one would expect it to be good! The staff, was unpleasant to deal with. The waiter tried to be Italian but seemed to have embarrassed himself trying.

Mar 12, 2008 

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  8     

A nice find. Scapetta's ambience was reminiscent of the small suburban bistro I sought out in Paris, or the family run Trattotias in Rome or Venice in the 1980's. Small frontage, narrow without being cramped and subdued lighting.

The menus is not extensive but offers a nicely varied range. There are six antpasto dishes, 10 pasta and risotto options and 10 pizzas. The pizza here is very good. I haven't eaten pizza like this. There are specials, and on the night we ate a very good aged ribeye steak, 350gms, on a bed of mushroom mash and a little truffle oil 7.5/10). Dolce include the Italian standard Tiramisu (7/10), and vanilla bean panna cotta. I had the apple and rhubarb crumble which was well executed and very tasty (8/10). They serve a number of vegetarian dishes.

The wine list is quite good, and the owner-manager knows his grapes. There are many specialised supplier reds and whites that you won't find at the standard retail outlets. Scarpetta is not what you would expect to find in this area, but a pleasant find it was.

Jul 05, 2007 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  9     

WOW! You do not expect to find a restaurant like this on Brunswick Street! Quite possibly the best pizza I have ever eaten, perfect pastas, and wonderful service. What a talented chef, I will definitely be heading back to Scarpetta.

Apr 26, 2007 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  9     

Best amatriciana outside of Italy. Fantastic pizza.

Mar 23, 2007 

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

This place is a real find in a busy street, bustling with restaurants. We were visiting from the UK, and absolutely loved this place. Fantastic service from start to finish, great wine list, and I dont think its over priced at all.....come to the UK!!!

This place can only get better, and better. I just hope when we come back next year, that we can still get a table, as I am sure that the word will get round that this place is a gem.

Nov 27, 2006 

7 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  7     

I have had several great dining experiences at Scarpetta and 2 really disappointing ones. Both times the young chef in the kitchen (I think he's actually the head chef) mad a mess of my meal - either overcooking or undercooking my food. Aside from these 2 incidents, I have had nothing but a pleasant experience at Scarpetta. The wine list is extensive and the waiters knowledgable. The menu changes regularly and there are always interesting and delightful features. A personal favourite of mine is the fennel paoched chicken on polenta. This restaurant is getting busier and with good reason. It can be an uncomfortable atmosphere when you are the only customers and all of the waiter's attention is centred you. But as its patronage grows so does the feel of the place improve.

Sep 21, 2006