Solarino

Tried this place for lunch today. Service was quick and friendly. Ordered the rigatoni with napoli sauce and fresh basil followed by the chocolate cheesecake. Both dishes we’re served quickly and equally delicious.
It is a small restaurant and yet did not feel cramped. Would definitely come back to try more dishes.

Disgusting toilet put cleanliness in question.
Group of 4 — 2 went to the toilet when we 1^st arrive — so bad we should have left then as it ruined the rest of the stay for them. Food was ok, service marginal. Definitely will not go back.

Great little restaurant — felt like I was back in Italy — simple tasty authentic Italian menu — friendly staff with that great cheeky Italian smile.

Staff was very friendly and food was nice. However, I still believe the menu is too expensive for just a regular Italian restaurant. Awful surprise: the restrooms are located outside, on the dark alley next to the restaurant and the mensroom was filthy. Honestly it would be better if they just assume there will be no restrooms available to the guests.

Every time I go here, I am not disappointed by the food. So good, that my partner in crime that night not only polished off his meal but then proceeded to finish mine.
Wear loose pants.

Ate the gnocchi and rigatoni, both were good sized servings for a decent-​ish price.
Service was lacking, waited 10 mins to receive a menu or asked for drinks. However once ordered the food came out super fast.
The restaurant is small and cosy, a great whole in the wall that anyone would enjoy.

I had lunch here, solo. The staff were polite and not pushy. I sat and had an espresso and water before eating. The espresso needs work…
Had soft shell chilli crab salad, which was a daily special. The crab prep was excellent, though the crab itself wasn’t quite as fresh as I’d like. The dressing was nice, though, and the salad itself very pleasant.
I had with my lunch a glass of a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, which I believe was from a bottle that was open for too long. A bit flat, but otherwise acceptable.
Liked it, yes. Based on the reviews here, I will likely return and try a pasta dish. There was enough potential that I’d give them a second try.
[UPDATE: Glad I decided to give them a second go. Today, I had their rigatoni a ragù alla Bolognese, and it was positively superlative. My only minor gripe is that the pasta was a little more cooked than I’d prefer and that I’ve had typically in Roma. But the sauce was fabulous, and it had a dollop of house made ricotta on top, which I really enjoyed. Non-​traditional, but excellent addition to a classic. Just the right thing for a comfort food Sunday lunch after walking 16 km around this beautiful city.
I’m still not upping them to 5 stars, though. They’d need to improve the service for that. The wait staff seems like amateur hour compared to the kitchen staff. Step it up, folks!]

Tucked in Howey Place off Little Collins, Solarino is a sicilian restaurant that offers modern italian dishes.
It’s quite small w/​a cosy feel and would suit for a party of 2 catch up dinner or date.
We started with the Bruschetta with roasted mushrooms, pine nut paste, spring onions and rosemary oil and I had the Rigatoni with aurora-​style pork Bolognese and fresh home made ricotta for the main — Soooooo gooooood!!!
It’s quite spendy — a main will set you back in the mid $ 20s but I’m ok with that once in a while. It’s worth it. The dishes are just the way Italian food should be: Simple yet packed with loads of flavours.

The fettuccine with pancetta was insane!!! I’ve only tasted better in Italy! Delicious would definitely recommend and come back from the UK to eat here again!

Best Italian food I’ve had in ages. I went 2 days ago. And I’m going again today. The tea and coffee ate great too.

One of my favourite Italian restaurants in Melbourne.
Cosy and unpretentious, this place is a gem sort of hidden in a side alley off Little Collins Street. The heroes of this place are the pastas. The barman and waiter were very friendly, chatty and knowledgeable, and after taking our order, brought out a complementary antipasto platter!
The pastas for the most part were very good, including a seafood/​clam lemon butter linguine, an eggplant, basil and mozzarella penne and a daily specials pasta dish with a whole crab.
However, easily the highlight and something I would definitely return for, was the gnocchi (napoli oven baked and topped with grilled mozzarella). Like some of the best italian dishes (eg. Naples style pizza), this dish was nothing more than simple and fresh ingredients cooked to perfection. Plenty of fresh-​made napoli sauce, soft, fluffy, yet firm gnocchi and mozzarella, grilled in the oven over the top in a shallow paella-​like pan. Amazing.

I came here just to have a cappuccino and a slice of cake
The cappuccino was ok, not wonderful, but the problem is that I waited almost 10mn to get my cake, I would have love eating it while drinking my coffee but anyway.
But I have to admit that the banana caramel pie was delightful, really loved it.
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Pour les Unilocalers francais: ici on trouve des plats de pâtes à plus de 20 dollars, donc attention au porte monnaie.

You would never expect it from an alleyway off little Collins, much less from a restaurant that appears in amongst only clothing shops, but this restaurant offers seriously good food. I discovered this place during the Comedy Festival, in search of a local place for a casual, quick bite. What I found was a place I wanted to go to every night.
The wine list is fantastic, great selection by the glass or bottle. The food was simple yet luxurious on the palate with its rich intensity of flavours. With every bite, I could feel my taste buds reaching out to the food, greedy for more. In fact, it was like Pilates for the taste buds. Hmm, I just had a business idea. Patent pending.
Anyway, I really recommend this place for those of you looking for a good Italian feed on CBD grounds. The atmosphere, inside or out, is very unique. Inside you have a homely, intimate and sheltered feel. Outside, you have the passersby on little Collins, the French-​inspired pointed glass ceiling above the alleyway, and then the delivery trucks that squeeze through the narrow path and only slightly compromise your safety.

I must admit I have a soft spot for Solarino. Tucked away from the grime of Swanston St in oh so chic Howey Place this café/​restaurant offers consistently good food/​coffee and service.
During the day this is the unofficial hang out for DJ’s staff and inner city suits looking to catch a break.
The outdoor seating is protected by the high atrium arching over Howey Pl so outdoor dining is always comfortable. The restaurant is narrow but stretches back into a comfortably dim, stylish eatery. Its elegant without feeling pretentious or uncomfortable and is a great place to chill with a friend for coffee or graze over an antipasto platter.
Mains are around $ 20 and are an interesting variety of pasta dishes, the Italian influence carries artfully through the dishes. There is also a cheaper selection of freshly made focaccia’s.