La Spiaggia Italian Restaurant

5 Average

Food  4      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  3     

Went here last night and didn't think much of it. We arrived at 6.15pm, got a great seat, ordered some drinks and settled in with the kids drawing on the table cloth (paper!). Unfortunately, we were not informed of any specials of the day or the fact that we could have an early dining special. The garlic bread is not fresh, overcooked and just 4 pieces of french bread with some garlic butter. I get better garlic bread at the local RSL.

The bruschetta is woeful, same garlic bread (2 pieces) with some chopped tomatoes (straight out of the fridge) and a little bit of basil. The pizzas are ok, the spaghetti marinara was very ordinary. If you are charging $25-$35 for a main, it should be excellent food! Dinner cost us $140 and that was for 2 kids and 2 adults, this struck me as really expensive given that we had no wine and only 3 beers.

The service is ok although waiters should work sections so that you don't get a different waiter asking you questions about your meal/order every 5 minutes. It will be a long time before I go back there.

Dec 01, 2011 

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  10     

What a treat to find a classic Italian restaurant in a tourist filled suburb! From the wood fired pizza to the hand made pasta the high quality of this restaurant is obvious! The Italian speaking staff are so nice, I can't believe people have written that they are rude. They all have a sense of humour and make dining there really enjoyable.

This place has been around for years so they definitely have a recipe for success. Do yourself a favour and work up an appetite and then come here! Pizza is as good as in Italy I promise!

Aug 07, 2011 

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  7      Value  7     

Deeeelicious! I love this place and return again and again. Not only is the food absolutely to die for, particularly the bruschetta, just perfect and everything tastes freshly sourced, but the atmosphere is delightful. We always come a little earlier than our booking to start a glass of wine and the gorgeously quaint bar and soak in the vibrant atmosphere. Everyone seems so happy and chattering gaily with each other, there is nothing worse than walking into a restaurant that is all hush hush and only the chink of cutlery and some low conversation can be heard.

And the staff! Simply amazing, so helpful, so friendly, occasionally somewhat slow but on busy nights one expects this and there is nothing wrong with some extra minutes chatting with your dining companions. We all need to be less impatient and just enjoy the dining experience, it isn't all about post haste service, getting people in and out, how sterile.

Oh and the clincher for me, the number of Italian customers eating here, chatting with a number of the staff and chefs in Italian, don't they always say, 'eat where the natives eat'.

May 18, 2011 

7 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  7     

La Spiaggia is one of my favourite Coogee restaurants. We've tried the pastas before which we don't like (sorry), but really, the Only thing to order here are the wood-fired oven pizzas, especially the margarita pizza. The crust and tomato sauce are both delicious, and they use buffalo mozzarella too which is a plus. I think their pizza gives Pizza e Birra a run for its money. I just wish they would deliver. It's also a bit cheaper if you order pizza for takeaway.

The restaurant can be quite loud on busy nights, so sit in the front room if you can. The wine selection is pretty good as they have some italian wines too. It's a family-run business. The service is pretty solid and the wait staff are friendly, although service does tend to be slower on the really busy nights. They have an early dinner special at the moment: $25 for a pizza/pasta, garlic bread, salad, and glass of wine, beer, or softie. It's a great deal.

The only time we were disappointed was when my husband had ordered a glass of the house red wine. When he got to the end of his glass, there were some dead fruit flies at the bottom of his glass. We told the waiter who took it to the senior staff who didn't do anything. We felt the least they could've done was take it off the bill. So now we always order a full bottle of wine. Other than that, I'd recommend this place.

Nov 05, 2010 

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

We have been regulars at La Spiaggia for the past 3 years. Over the past 6 months we haven't been as regular due to work commitments so we thought we would make time to have dinner on Friday night. Wow - I can only say that the food and service only gets better and better. The staff are always friendly and attentive and more than willing to make your experience a pleasant one. I am surprised that there are so many negative comments here and I can only say that this is the best Italian restaurant I have ever eaten and I can't thank the staff enough for making our experiences so enjoyable.

Sep 26, 2010 

4.5 Below Average

Food  2      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  1     

Lovely place. Beautifully set out area and fantastic service, however, the food was terrible. No taste and very oily. Would never eat here again. I could have made a $5 pasta at home that would have tasted and would not have been so ridiculously over priced.

Aug 05, 2010 

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  8      Value  10     

Absolutely wonderful. The food is fantastic and the price is unreal for the quality, but don't get there too early they might forget about you!

Jun 27, 2010 

2.3 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  3      Service  2      Value  2     

Having read some mixed reviews of this restaurant I was hestitant to go, however, I shouldn't have bothered! The plate of mixed vegetables I ordered was cold and tasteless. When questioned about this the staff couldn't have cared less. They were rude, unfriendly and unhelpful. The price for this meal was hardly worth the effort. What an utter disappointment.

Jun 24, 2010 

2.3 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  3      Service  3      Value  1     

This restaurant was poor. It seems as if it had a tired and depressing atmosphere. The food was poor and tasted bland. The service was shocking and took an hour and a half to get our food. My wife was disgraced at the noise and the clumsiness of the staff. To top it off the serving sizes were ridiculous and expensive. Not recommended.

Jun 24, 2010 

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

I was very hesitant to dine at La Spiagga after reading previous reviews. As I arrived at the door, I was welcomed by a very courteous waiter and the smell of garlic, cheese and pizza. I was taken and seated at my table where I was very promptly presented with menu's and table water.

The pizza was fantastic (our table ended up ordering one more it was so irresistable) my main meal was the seafood casserole, and it was delightful, full of fresh and tasty seafood, dessert was amazing, profiteroles with vanilla custard and chocolate sauce, and coffee was served with the most delightful biscotti, meals were very well priced and portion sizes were generous. The whole dining experience at La Spiaggia was amazing. I will definitely be returning for another plate of Southern Italian fare!

May 08, 2010