Papa Gino’s

Carlton, Australia

3.7

Closed now

21 reviews

Contacts

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Telephone:
+61 3 9347 5758
Website:
www.papaginos.com.au
Address:
221 Lygon St, Carlton, Victoria, 3053
Carlton
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
350 ftGrattan Street
480 ftFaraday Street
810 ftMelbourne University
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
Yes
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepted Cards
Credit, Debit
Parking
Street
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Has TV
No
Waiter Service
Yes

Today

Today 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm
5:00 pm – 12:00 am
Closed now
Local time (Carlton) 08:38 Monday, 26 May 2025

Business hours

Monday 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm
5:00 pm – 12:00 am
Tuesday 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm
5:00 pm – 12:00 am
Wednesday 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm
5:00 pm – 12:00 am
Thursday 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm
5:00 pm – 12:00 am
Friday 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm
5:00 pm – 12:00 am
Saturday 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm
5:00 pm – 12:00 am
Sunday 12:00 pm – 11:00 pm

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Il Vicolo Courtyard Restaurant
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Nearby

Near this location:
70
ft
Crystal Heart
213 Lygon St
80
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Intrepid My Adventure Store
231 Lygon St
100
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icoachu
207 Lygon St
120
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TAB
237-239 Lygon St
120
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Cafe Trevi
294 Lygon St
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The Original Lolly Store
239 Lygon St

21 reviews of Papa Gino’s

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Place rating: 4
Oakleigh, Australia
Cheap but good food. Can’t complain about the serving sizes as they are a decent amount.
Place rating: 4
Houston, TX
First-​time visiting. Came here based on the high reviews. Ordered their Super special pizza, medium size. Pretty large for 1 person but I finished all of it since I was pretty hungry. Served straight from the oven so it’s burning hot. After a while, I got tired of the smoked mussels as the pizza got cold. Interesting combination of flavors though. Not too bad. Good amount of cheese.
The staff is very friendly.
Place rating: 3
Perth, Australia
Unpretentious, great service and full of real Italians eating. Prices from the 80s, couldn’t even make it through an entrée serve of lasagna at $ 12. Wine list is full of unknowns but our Sangiovese (the most expensive on the list at $ 35 a bottle!) was decent.
Complimentary limoncello with the bill — who doesn’t want to pay when they receive a round of digestif shots!!!
Place rating: 1
Aachen, Germany
This was definitely the worst pizza I ever had… If you like your pizza cramped with slices of ham of a bad quality, (imagine: ham instead of cheese) this is the place for you. But if not, stay away! A very disappointing experience!
Place rating: 2
Newcastle, Australia
Underwhelmed. We came here out of all the tempting possibilties on Lygon St based on Unilocal recommendations for an authentic Italian experience. Pasta wasn’t made, only dried. I think the sauce may also have been out of a bottle. Seemed to be very little fresh about it, but lots of tired. Wouldn’t recommend
Place rating: 4
Port Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
One of the few remaining, non touristy old school Italian pizza and pasta places in the now forgettable Lygon St.
Food is simple and inexpensive. Service very efficient. Entrée size pastas are big enough for hungry adults and just 10 – 11 $. Great value.
Pizzas are okay with thin crust.
Very busy bustling restaurant with many nearby Melb University students.
The last reminder for what Lygon St used to be like 20 yrs ago, for those of us that enjoy nostalgia.
Place rating: 3
Melbourne, Australia
I don’t mind Italian food, and while I have had dinner on Lygon Street a couple of times, I generally don’t make it a regular occurrence, which is probably a good thing due to the average price of a meal. However, I generally do enjoy the atmosphere of the place. As for Papa Gino’s, well, there wasn’t all that much about this place that made it stand out from the rest of Lygon Street, though my German friend with whom I had dinner here with chose the place so she obviously liked it. Mind you the dinner itself was fun because it was a ‘let’s get together and speak German’ dinner, which was an experience since even though I can speak, and understand, German, I am still a very long way off from being able to hold up a decent conversation with a native speaker. Oh, the pizza was hot, but that was probably because of the cheese, and I pretty much expect that whenever I order pizza (unless it is from pizza hut, but then I don’t make a habit of buying food from there — Papa Gino’s pizza is so much better).
Place rating: 4
Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
I believe they serve the largest pizzas for a an Italian restaurant. I always think of this restaurant first when it comes to pizzas. It is not that expensive and the portions are large enough to fill you. We always have dishes left in complete to take home.
Place rating: 3
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Overrated. El servicio realmente le resta a la experiencia, dado que el éxito seguramente les lleva a bajar un poco la calidad de atención.
Fuimos en Melbourne dado a las reseñas que encontramos en Unilocal.Queríamos un lugar para comer buenas pastas cerca de donde estabamos. Las reseñas decían que era un lugar familiar y con pasta casera. Mayoritariamente pizzas, obvio.
No nos imaginábamos que iba a estar TAN hasta las pelotas un lunes a la noche. Llegamos con la hora justa, última mesa libre.
Pedimos una pizza meat lovers chica para mí (mediana, a quién vamos a mentir) y unas pastas con salsa de vegetales. Y pedimos agua y pancitos para arrancar.
Los pancitos nunca vinieron. El agua la tuvimos que reclamar. Mi pizza vino al toque y las pastas tardaron 10 minutos más, vinieron con la salsa incorrecta.
TODO ESO PASÓ. Más que nada por el quilombo de gente y mozos que no daban a basto con los pedidos. Al toque cambiaron la salsa y pudimos empezar a comer. Vale destacar que los productos tienen genial calidad de todo. Y por eso las 3 estrellas. Pero no es particularmente barato y como dije, no es lindo o cómodo para ir. Voto a llevarse las pizzas a tu casa y comer mirando tele.
Place rating: 5
Carlton, Australia
Best focaccia pizza in town! Very generous portions and great prices too. We’ve tried many of their main dishes too and never been disappointed.
Great service. Very friendly staff and if you go often they will remember you.
Expect it to be packed on Friday and weekends, but if you wait you’ll get a table pretty quick.
My hubby and I are there at least once every fortnight. We love it there.
Place rating: 2
Melbourne, Australia
I ordered an entrée serving of gnocci and my partner ordered a pizza, his arrived first and mine arrived 25 minutes later!!! Very poor service and it was very difficult to get a waiter’s attention. The gnocci itself was a generous amount and the sauce was so-​so, but I could make it myself in ¼ the time it took them. My partner finished his large pizza by the time I got my meal. Lame.
Place rating: 4
Australia
Sometimes in life you do not want the latest and greatest fashion in Melbourne food. Sometimes you want consistency and taste that only a family favorite restaurant can seem to give you. This is what Papa Gino’s is for me. I have been going there since I was a child and I can say that the pizzas and Spag Bol are just as I remembered and still fabulous. I am taken back to special outings on lygon street for dinner followed by gelato and possibly a movie.
Food here makes me feel like I am at someones home eating, staff are friendly and it is all no fuss.
Place rating: 5
Melbourne, Australia
This restaurant is great. I’ve been going here for 10 years. The food is the same, homely, nice and well priced.
The portions are massive: they come in S, M, L sizes. The L size is much bigger than the equivalent Domino/​Pizza Hut size. The potato gnocchi is scrumptious and nice and the texture is creamy with a hint of herbs in it. The garlic foccacias are excellent and are proper ones (not the takeaway type) the bread and butter before is the right sort of crunchy, the pizzas have a thin base and sparse toppings. It’s so good. What’s even better, the pizza can also have custom options, you can add or subtract things. Also the pizza menu is pretty long and it covers most things.
Watching the guy (s) do the pizza is so cool, it’s like a show. The service is quick and efficent. Be warned though, Thursday-​Saturday nights are EXTREMELY busy and you may have to wait. They don’t take bookings, as far as I know, so it’s first come first served. The noise is very loud, especially on Thur-​Sat nights. The Coca-​Cola came in glass bottles, something I like. Also sitting under the wooden arches is pretty cool. Groups up to 4 are pretty easy to accomodate.
Overall, I will go back and try some of the other dishes.
Place rating: 5
Melbourne, Australia
I thought this place was really good! I went there for the first time a few days ago and I really enjoyed it!
In a nutshell, they have huge servings of (probably authentic) Italian food (pasta, pizza etc) and the prices are quite low. The service is also quite fast and very efficient!
I had a huge portion of lasagna and a salad. I was also impressed that they didnt have «takeaway pizza style» garlic bread but instead had proper garlic focaccias and I was even more impressed that when I ordered a soda water, they served a nice Cascade soda water in a nice looking bottle making it look like it is a really sophisticated drink!!!
What all this boils down to though, is that being in this place made me feel like I was having a meal in Italy. And this is the way that I judge an Italian restaurant. If I feel like Im in Italy, then I like it.
So, lets recap: good food, cheap price, Italian authentic atmosphere, quick service, very relaxed, nothing pretentious — all pretty good! 5 stars!
Place rating: 4
Kilsyth, Australia
I could eat their pizza everyday — all day! For me as a limited vegan I have to «splurge» due to the cheese — but its TOTALLY worth it for this place. They have three different Vegetarian options. They have a transitional Veggie with Tomato, Mozzarella Cheese, mushrooms, green capsicum & olives — small 11.50, medium 14.50 & large at 20.00. Then they have a Mushroom which boasts Tomato, Mozzarella, & Mushrooms — basic but definitely DELICIOUS! (Same prices for as the Veggie). And my most favorite of all the Ortolana– Diced tomato, mozzarella cheese, spinach, red roasted capsicum, zucchini & olives — AMAZING!!! MY FAVORITE :)
Prices for this one are small 12, medium 15, and large $ 21.
As for the sizes — I’ve only ever order a medium & it comes with 8 slices — so 4 pieces for two people… just go from there.
Look, its Lygon Street so you do have a ton of options BUT this place should definitely be on your list for a stop & try — you will NOT be disappointed :)
Enjoy!
Place rating: 5
Southampton, United Kingdom
I have been coming here since my Melbourne uni days all those long years ago. I have tried a few other places on lygon street but I keep coming back to papa Gino’s because of a few small things that make a restaurant great. Friendly staff, delicious food and terrific service.
The range of pizzas is long and covers just about all combinations but if you can ask for things added or subtracted to a pizza and the staff are more them happy to oblige.
I have tried the pasta before and it was excellent too.
The pizzas are made right fresh in the front of store so you get to see the dough being tossed up into the air as you enter the restaurant or if you are just walking by through the window.
The coffee’s are excellent and the strawberry crêpe I had for desert was lovely from the first bite to the last same as the pizza.
Definitely a place I will go again when in Melbourne next
Place rating: 4
Australia
Staying in Melbourne from Brisbane for a week — just up the end of Lygon St, very accessible to lots of Lygon St restaurants! Ended up going to Papa Gino’s twice because we really liked it. First time I went there I accidentally ordered the large pizza which was MASSIVE — well worth the $ 19. Could barely eat half though! Lots of pizza variety as well as pasta. Very quick service & all priced pretty well at between $ 15 and $ 25. Chicken, steak & seafood dishes obviously a little bit more expensive.
Would definitely go there again! …and again.
Place rating: 4
Los Angeles, CA
Pretty good pizza joint on Lygon St. The pizza was good. I forget what the name of the pizza is called but it had 4 different types of pizzas. The four of us got a large and got the chance to try all 4 types. All were really good. Service was great, no complaints there.
Place rating: 4
Scottsdale, AZ
I’m totally digging this place. There’s something easy to pan about Lygon street’s everything. Most of the Italian places have the same menus, same ‘free glass of wine’ deals at happy hour, but Papa Gino’s is a bit different
It’s no frills. It’s good pizza, made to order (not warmed up when you ask for one in the window). It’s good pasta, in a BYO sense. YOu pick the noodle, and then you pick the sauce and size. It’s so great to pick the pasta the way you like it, because it’s not difficult to make it but other places won’t give you such a choice.
Trust me when I say this: if you’ve never been here, you need to wait and watch the tables around you get their foods. The sizes here are ENORMOUS. You will overorder if you don’t wait and see how this goes. My friend and I got one small pizza and two main-​sized dishes and we were rolling outta that place like Violet after she ate Willy Wonka’s blueberry gobstopper.
Buon Apetito!
Place rating: 4
Melbourne, Australia
This is one of my favourite places on Lygon. Coming here is just simple and easy.
It might not be revolutionary cooking but you know what you’re going to get every time — good comfort cooking. The bolognese pizza is quite interesting. I quite liked it but it does go soggy real quick so many people might not be too happy with that. The people there are great to talk to, I always manage to have hilarious conversation with owner, at least I think he’s the owner. Keep in mind that Papa Gino’s is always busy. One time I was lucky enough to get there when they were one table away from reaching maximum capacity. So, more likely than not you may have to wait for a little bit to get a table, as for the food though, they manage to get it to the table quick-​smart. I know that sitting outside is the place to be but you have to experience sitting indoors amongst the old brick arches at least once.
Place rating: 3
Sydney, Australia
Traditional Italian Pizza’s on Lygon Street. A cliché perhaps but if you’re looking for heavenly homemade style pizza, then this is the place to eat.
The pizza come in three traditional sizes (S, M, L), however don’t be fooled — the large pizza is roughly double the size of your standard dominos pizza.
If you walk in and order your pizza on the spot, you will not only get a feast when its ready but visually the process is grand to watch. The pizza’s are made by two men, one older, the other younger. They work like a well oiled machine, not even looking at the dishes when placing the freshly made dough down or throwing on the ingredients on. Really a pleasure to watch.
The pizza’s are absolutely delicious, a bit on the oily side but nothing dramatic. The menu also offers pasta’s, but i recommend sticking to the pizza. The pasta’s are a large serve however lack the same quality of flavour offered in the pizza’s, quite plain to be honest.
If you’re eating in, the service is quick and friendly but the venue is usually crowded and noisy, so not somewhere if you’re looking to have an intimate conversation.