Came here for a birthday dinner so we went all out: set menu plus the wine pairing. We went for with the option with the bonus barramundi course - this wasn’t on the menu in person but we’d seen it on the website and the staff were happy to do it for us. Started off with some antipasti and prosecco – woodfired flatbread, olives, pickled veg and some ‘gabagool’. A nice way to start the meal. Pasta dish was next - a classic pork and beef ragu which went down a treat. Was served with a fresh fileja-style pasta - worked well and was super tasty. Paired with a rosé which was nice. Fish course was pretty good - nice crispy skin on the barramundi and the fish was well cooked. I didn’t mind the almond flake garnish but I think there was a bit too much of it that distracted from the texture of the fish. That said, the flavours were on point, well complemented by the salsa verde and the white wine. Lamb shoulder came next and was a showstopper - super tender and rich flavour. The potatos were crispy and well seasoned and the chickory salad was a nice light touch with a lemony vinaigrette. By this point, we were in full-on food coma mode. With a struggle we managed to fit in the nutella and ricotta cannoli. Went really well with the amaro to cap off an excellent meal. Really happy with the choice to come here. Food was very good, set menu is a steal (5 drinks for a measly $45, in this economy!), the service is unfussy and the atmosphere is super nice. We’ll be back!
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$100–120
Recommended dishes
Roasted Lamb Shoulder

Cozy Italian place with delicious authentic food that makes you want more! The place reminds me of a friendly Italian place that was my husband and my favorite haunt in Wisconsin - Osteria Papavero. We really enjoyed all the dishes. The warm bread with stracchiatella was amazing; the roasted cauliflower with pine nuts were coated with a delicious sauce that even our carnivorous friends ate several helpings till the plate was clean. The arancino was a giant ball of delicious rice with tomato sauce and crispy batter - just be aware it only comes in one piece, and probably good to share between two people. I also really loved the pesto pasta with pine nuts and grillled zucchini - the zucchini had a nice umami and chew to it that really added to the dish, and the pesto sauce was amazing! My hubby and friends all enjoyed the lamb dish - for $35~ it was a huge piece that could feed two person comfortably. A great deal! We all spent about $55 per person for a bottle of wine and all these delicious dishes. I can’t wait to visit again and hope to have space for dessert next time!
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$40–60
Food: 5
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Roasted Lamb Shoulder
Parking space
Somewhat difficult to find parking
Parking options
Free street parking
Parking
Parking were available on the side streets, but often only free for an hour.

Had a bad experience, down to two things - a dish missing its key ingredient, which was not disclosed, and some clear poor communication among staff that was brought back to the table. Ultimately, the food was good despite missing its key ingredient, which was a credit to the restaurant. But when a waiter tells a table that waited more than 15 minutes for its drinks that its mains were delayed at least half an hour because it'd ordered an entree (which was never cleared), it's not a good look. Especially when its neighbouring table is in the same situation and a third table has arrived later, been served by someone else, and been served its mains. And even more so when it's framed to a table as their problem for ordering bread. Clearly there was an error. That's fine, it happens - ingredients run out, let the table know; the restaurant is short staffed, tell people there will be a wait when they get there. Communication between kitchen and floor sometimes breaks down. People get stressed. But giving a table of hungry people the message they should be grateful they got their bread will never go down well.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$40–60
Food: 4
Service: 1
Atmosphere: 3

Absolutely shocking. If you are seeing this review, save yourself and go eat somewhere else! This was my birthday dinner… and it was a disaster. To have a waiter come to you is very complicated. You have to constantly chase them. When you are eating, nobody comes to see if the food is nice. Nada. Mains took 1 hr to arrive. The drinks were below average and that is not the worse of it. We asked to put some more aperol in my partner’s aperol apritz, the waiter bought the drink back on the counter.. another waiter drank his own aperol spritz (yes apparently waiters drink alcohol while working), before tasting my partner’s drink. We saw it with our own eyes. Obviously we didn’t drink it and ordered another one (didn’t want to ruin the bday dinner). At the end of the dinner, i Mentioned this to the waiter and he didn’t know what to say, sheepishly he said sorry. We paid and we left!! What an appalling experience.. no less for a birthday dinner! Last time I am coming here! And i’ll make sure to spread the word!!!!!! Customer service shouldn’t be that hard. And I expect waiters not to sip on our drinks!!!!!!
Food: 1
Service: 1
Atmosphere: 1

When you enter this cosy restaurant you feel like you're stepping into a Sicilian restaurant. It has this authentic feel to it that is impressively matched by the exquisite traditional food. The menu is designed between two or larger groups with shared plates, and there's a large range of dishes to choose from. Seafood, beef, chicken and vegetarian offers a delectable platter to pick and choose amongst you. While the food was absolutely divine, the service didn't quite hit the mark. I arrived earlier than my group and hadn't been there before, I was pointed to my table (rather than seated) and was handed the menu - without any explanation. This made it difficult as most of the menu was in Italian or had ingredients I needed to Google. This was disappointing, it felt like just because I was alone they weren't going to bother until everyone was there. Also we had to help ourselves to our own cutlery and continue to ask for water to be refilled. Nothing too excessive, but the hospitality was a letdown and didn't match the excellent authentic feel and food. Overall a recommended restaurant for great food!

Visited the bar with a friend. We were allocated 1.5 hrs seating but no one bothered us to vacate past our time, which was great. Service was appalling. We were seated in front of dirty glasses. Upon asking for new glasses we were told they are just water marks and with an eye roll we were given new glasses. Each time we needed something, it took several attempts to get someone's attention. Finally managed to order a beer and it took over 10 minutes to get one by then my meal was over. When I refused the drink, once again was met with attitude instead of an apology. Server came to clean the table before serving dessert. She came with a wet towel and threw all food in the floor and near our feet, as a way to clean. Towards the end, our bill has extra items that we didn't even eat. Of course they took those charges off. Entire night was full of bad service and lack of respect towards patrons. This place has potential, should they like to work on customer service.
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$60–80
Food: 4
Service: 1
Atmosphere: 3

From the minute we entered, the service wasn’t great. We waited quite a while to be seated even though we had a reservation and then once we were finally seated, it took even longer before we got any menus or water. No one then acknowledged us and it took another long while before we were able to actually place an order, to the point that we even considered just walking out and going somewhere else. Probably important to note that we were seated outside. Once we ordered the service got a bit better, although it was a little frustrating that multiple different waiters checked in on us as there was no comms between them, eg ordering dessert and then another waiter asking if we wanted any dessert. The food was good, not amazing and the drinks were fine too. Overall, I probably wouldn’t return but happy to have tried it. Just go across the road to Old Palm Liquor instead
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$80–100
Food: 4
Service: 1
Atmosphere: 2

bar idda..what a delight. a cosy, warm little spot that feels like you're walking into an italian grandmas home, also reflected in the food. despite the REAL tight seating arrangement, we loved absolutely everything. from the friendly and kind staff (who didnt rush us out of our seating despite how busy it was!!) the hearty, homecooked food made with so much love, and the generous servings for the much cheaper price point than most popular restaurants in melb these days! that dessert...choc torta with italian coconut pudding was truly something else. i love the sicilian influence here, really creates that point of uniqueness compared to other italian restaurants with your standard burrata fried calamari vodka pasta tiramisu blah blah. i cannot wait to come back!! thankyou bar idda xx
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$40–60
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 4
Recommended dishes
Layered Eggplant

My colleagues wanted to have some good Italian dining/bar vibe on the day and we reserved a table upstairs over the phone because they mentioned we could have little private dining. Unfortunately, the experience was not that great. They booked us a very small table downstairs. After every few minutes, staff come and asked us to order more food or drink even though we were still not finished our food. They always come and disturb us either trying to take our dishes and glasses or forcing us to order more. It was really disturbing. If you want a nice and calm dining experience, this is not a good place. I would never go there or recommend this restaurant to anyone again. For the four of us, we spent a little over 250 bucks, but the dining experience was not that good.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$200+

I went there with my partner for his birthday dinner, the place brought me straight back home to France, I know this isn’t a French restaurant but the smells, the traditional food was something I hadn’t had of felt for at least 20 years. It brought me back to being a kid at my grandparents place, just for this flash back I wanted to give a 5 start review. Haha The food was really delicious and generous in serving. The overall price was fair and I will definitely be back when I want to share a special evening with someone close. Better get in early as this is often packed !
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$60–80
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Roasted Lamb Shoulder

We had been wanting to come here for a while and Bar Idda did not disappoint! Lots of gluten free options which were all delicious - The baked eggplant, cauliflower caponata and ragu pasta were the stand-outs. Friendly service and a cosy restaurant transported us to Italy. Great Italian wines and digestifs!
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Layered Eggplant
Dietary restrictions
Gluten-free options plentiful, GF pasta available for all dishes, also had coeliac awareness

I grew up eating the most incredible Italian food (all thanks to my mum and Nonna), so I rarely find myself wanting to go to an Italian restaurant. I mean, why pay for it? Well Bar Idda has convinced me otherwise. We had a few plates but I only took photos of a couple because a cleaned my plate to quickly. It was so delicious. The asparagi and house made capacollo are an absolute must, closely followed by the purpetti. Do yourself a favour and get the Connolly for desert. Delicious. Sorry Mum and Nonna, I still love your cooking but I can't wait to go back here!

Lovely place to have a special dinner or a quiet romantic meal. We had the $55 chefs menu and was inundated with the amount of food. Atmosphere and service was on point. The food had a few real highlights, crusted fish, ragu and meatballs, but wasn't a huge fan of the olives, pickles and cold meats. Would really recommend this place for a nice local dinner, romantic with great calm and chilled atmosphere. We went on BYO Mondays which is a great way to help support the restrauant and also try out some craft wines from the bottle super across the road.

Love this place!! Had my 30th birthday lunch here and they were so friendly and accomodating for all dietaries. My friends who were coeliac, vegan and lactose intolerant all loved their altered meals and everyone else’s food was also amazing. Cannot recommend this place enough for vibe and delicious food
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$100–120
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Roasted Lamb Shoulder, Olives, House Pickles, Bullhorn Peppers, Pane Piatto

We decided to have our much awaited Christmas dinner at Bar Idda; mainly because in the past the restaurant delivered and surpassed all of our expectations on ALL fronts. Sadly on this occasion it failed miserably ! The room was very hot and stuffy - and the food was disappointingly bland. Thank you to the wonderful English waitress that was the only highlight of our night. We won’t be back
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$40–60
Food: 2
Service: 2
Atmosphere: 2

My friends and I, went there for my birthday and it was like being at my Nonna’s for dinner. The food was amazing, cheap and tasty. the restaurant looked very old-school Italy and everyone was so nice and respectful. I highly recommend dining here! Kind Regards, Zac
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$20–40
Recommended dishes
Roasted Lamb Shoulder, Olives, Meatballs, Purpetti Dolce
Parking space
Somewhat difficult to find parking
Parking options
Free street parking

The food was nice, but the atmosphere was ruined by the rude bartender. I'm not sure if your bar tender was just having a bad night but she was quite rude/abrasive towards customers. She spilt a drink and swore her head off. Then smashed a glass shortly after and started swearing again. Maybe she needs some more customer service training? Or would be better suited to a position BOH. We felt like being there was inconveniencing her. Ruined our meal really
Food: 4
Service: 2
Atmosphere: 3

My current social media feed is full of people travelling Europe. Well friends, lucky for us we have Bar Idda! If you're looking for some delicious Sicilian food this is your place. We ordered the flatbread, arancini, eggplant, slow cooked lamb and potatoes. The food was absolutely divine. My only critique is that the tables outside were quite unstable but I guess the unevenness makes it feel like you're seated on the cobblestone streets of Italy...
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 4

What a fabulous dinner at @baridda We felt like we had just stopped into Nonnas house with the table decor and the ambience! It was so cozy We loved everything that we ate but the highlight dishes would be the woodfired flatbread, with dried herbs and garlic olive oil, the casarecce and the slow cooked lamb shoulder, which felt apart! The only criticism was that the lamb was a tiny bit too salty on the surface area! Definitely a spot I will continue to revisit! Cannot wait to come back! 4.8/5

Clem, the place was good, nothing special tho, of you're in for authentic Italian fare, I think you could do better. Flavours just weren't as popping as I expect for Italian. Also there was a distinct lack of moustachios amongst the kitchen staff...
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$60–80
Food: 4
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 4

Sat down for the tasting menu. Starters were alright, flatbread was the best part in this section. Tasty pasta and we loved the lamb + potatoes. Super cozy and intimate little restaurant. Be warned - it’s busy inside and the tables are all very close together, just like a Nonna’s kitchen. If you want extra space - you won’t get it here!

Starting from the point that I’m from Italy.. we ordered one aperol and one spritz for an aperitivo, they brought us two shots with ice inside for 20$ and no even one nut,chip,olive or nothing! I was ashamed in front of my partner.. what an embarrassment for an Italian.
Food: 1
Service: 1
Atmosphere: 3

Reasonable and rustic. High point were the sausages, low point were the breads and starters. Tried to order 2 bottles of wine from their wine list, none in stock, just substituted a 3rd without any explanation. Whatever.
Price per person
$80–100
Food: 3
Service: 2
Atmosphere: 3

Consistently some of the tastiest and most authentic Italian food in Melbourne. The pasta dishes never miss, so fresh and full of flavour, while elsewhere, the hits are plenty: lamb shoulder, polpette and roasted eggplant that will make you melt. Sharp friendly service that always knows what it's doing.

It took me so long to find the best spaghetti restaurant in Melbourne! The flavours just perfect. Service was great & friendly . Definitely my go back often list now .
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$40–60
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5

This place has such beautiful food, ambience, and service. The agnolotti and meatballs were delicious, and the bread with stracciatella was divine. The decor is very humble and old-school Sicilian. The waitress was lovely and friendly. Will be coming back. Thank you. More

Amazing flatbread with stracciatella! The maccaruni was ok, great texture for the pasta. Strong flavour but was not quite I imagined.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$20–40
Food: 4
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 4

Friendly service, great vibe and some good food. We enjoyed a meal, with our friends, and will be back. Can be noisy, and was cold with the back door open if you are up the back of the restaurant.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 4

Bar Idda is that local neighbourhood restaurant that you've walked past dozens of times and wondered if you should pay a visit. When you eventually get around to dining there you realise you should have done it much sooner. Everything about

Went for dinner to celebrate my birthday weekend and it was a really lovely evening. We chose the chefs selection which was a great idea. Food was delicious, the ragu and lamb shoulder with crunch potatoes especially - and the pickled

Finally made it here for dinner recently and it was certainly worth the wait. The food and drinks were great with a relaxed casual style of service. The menu is very Italian, being delineated between courses, with pasta served

We were sat outside and were looked after really well by our waitress! Food was delicious and timely. Dessert was a stand out. Thanks Bar Idda!
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5

salty and burnt food. Sitting upstairs we cant hear each other.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$40–60
Food: 1
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 2

Oh this place is my favourite pasta place now. Neighborhood vibe, No fuzzy stuff, great ingredients and taste so gooood. Very busy even on the weekdays, Make sure you got a reservation.

I'd like to start with saying that these were THE BEST MEATBALLS I'VE EVER HAD, hands down. Arrived 30min early for a reservation and was seated immediately anyway. Moved

Yum! Food and service was top notch. All the menu options were on point, so don't think you can order a bad thing.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5

Wonderful Sicilian eatery featuring authentic meals using fresh produce. Parking is a problem so be prepared to walk some distance. More

Celebrated my partners 40th birthday here. The staff were amazing! Very friendly and accommodating. Food is delicious More

What a place! Cozy, friendly, such a vibe! And food is just perfect love it soooo much! …

Recommend eggplant starters and roasted potatoes!
Service
Dine in…
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