La Mensa

My disappointment at the exit of La Porchetta was quickly changed to joy when I found La Mensa in its place, still doing the food I love! The arancini balls were perfectly cooked and way more filling than I remembered, followed by a fettuccine and gnocchi with wonderful flavour that even in entree size we couldn't finish (and were allowed to take home)
On the restaurant itself, the colour updates make it feel more professional than its old franchise look, however the size and shape means it has always been echo-y. Some of the lighting could be improved too, where harsh spotlights focus on some tables and leave others a bit dark.
Overall a great place for your Italian fill, and in my opinion, well priced even when the sales aren't on.

Waitress was beautiful and lovely, food was average but a little disappointing for a place that prides themselves on Italian food.

Waited 50 mins for our meal after ordering. Was given the run around by the waiter when we complained about the wait. The manager didn’t seem to think It was unreasonable and had the cheek to ask if we had somewhere to be.

My rib eye that I paid $38 for, was just under well done when I asked for medium rare and was like eating a dry piece of rump, they cooked it too slow, the peppered gravy was not strong at all, it's like they put peppercorns in at the last minute, no flavour. Fries came soggy in foil containers, should've been in paper so they didn't absorb the condensation, watery fries is what you can expect.
The fella said he can't check every order to see if they need to cook the steak less than normal as it keeps cooking whilst in transit to your house. I'm sorry but yes you do, that's your job, to make sure the customer gets what they want. I spent $80 on your food and only ate a small portion of the steak as it was dry, both types of fries were waterlogged but the side salad, mushroom balls and mousse were delicious.

I'm Italian and this cooking has nothing to do with Italy. Go in Italy get a pizza and let me know if it's the same.

Fantastic food. I had pizza which was a delight and my wife had pasta which was beautiful. Really friendly staff. Recommend for families.

A bit of a mixed experience. The first table we sat at was near a really large group of kids and their parents at the back of the restaurant which the waiter told me was an unbooked walk in. The level of noise made conversation really difficult so we asked to be moved which was no problem and swiftly done. However, I suspect because of this group, the floor was very understaffed and it was 20 mins between receiving our drink order and me having to wave over a waiter to take our food order. He was really nice, but evidently under the pump and running around. Our food came out and it was tasty and generous portions. We ordered some more drinks which took quite a while to come out and when they did, the waitress spilled the bottle of beer over my wife's cardigan and all down the back of my jacket which was on the back of the chair. She was really flustered and came back with a wet towel to mop the floor. She apologised and I went to get some serviettes to dry our clothes. She then went off to serve food elsewhere and I had to go and ask for a replacement beer. I am sure on a different night, we would have and a much better experience but I was disappointed that there was no gesture like taking the beer off the bill to acknowledge the spillage. I feel for the staff as they were run off their feet.

My family and I visited LaMensa during our visit to Hobart. The food was absolutely amazing and the service was so friendly. Our kids loved the colouring in that was provided and the ice cream was a great hit too. Great place to dine with the family. We can’t wait to go back!