Matteo's Restaurant, Melbourne

I didn’t even make my dinner there. My booking was canceled straight away by the owner over the phone saying literally “I don’t care your bday party. I have 15 bday parties this weekend. ’
I called to modify my booking because one of friends tested positive. But the owner just arrogantly thought I was going to bring a Covid positive customer down there.
I was really worried about his IQ. Because if I was going to do that, what was the point for me to call? Sir, I pray all your 15 parties going well and nobody even inform you their Covid condition. Shame.

I have been coming to Matteo's on occasion since the restaurant first opened in the mid 90s. Whilst over the years the decor has changed and the style of food has altered to reflect, I suspect, the talents of the Executive Chef of the day, many things have stayed the same. The service is still faultless, the menus remain interesting and innovative and there is as much focus on the design and preparation of desserts as their is on the entrees and main courses. No bought in ready to slice and serve cakes here!

Last night I was celebrating my mother's 85th birthday with 11 others including my three children who are now in their late teens and early 20s. Going to a restaurant of this calibre provides an opportunity to educate them on what excellent food and service are all about.

I also love Matteo's willingness to permit BYO of something special from the cellar. As someone who likes to collect and age wine, it is fantastic to be able to bring it along to enjoy with such wonderful food. Very few top end restaurants that I know of allow this.

Thanks to all the staff at Matteo's for a very enjoyable evening fitting our occasion.

Tonight we visited Matteos for my sisters 30th birthday. We walked in with a small cake and was greeted by the front of house manager. He proceeded to tell me that it is $12 a head to serve the cake in the restaurant. Which would bring our total to $48 (with the rest of the fam) for this cake. I thought he might have been joking so me and my sis just stood there dumbfounded, only for him to snap that he wasn’t joking. He said to us in a snide manor that the charge is for the staff to cut the cake and serve it. Now at this point, I politely ask if it may be possible to simply cut it ourselves at the table to avoid hassling the staff. In which he replied in a VERY sarcastic tone “who brings food to a restaurant? ” “Sure you can cut it at the table… and you can bring your own plates and cutlery too” “I’ll just send our pastry chef home then”…… we just stood there. I have never been spoken to that way by anyone in customer service completely unprovoked. He was extremely rude and inappropriate, effectively dampening my sisters birthday. Albeit we should have called first, I totally understand how it may be frowned upon at the establishment. But it was so uncomfortable and shocking to be spoken to that way just for bringing a birthday cake. I will not be going back to Matteos, despite the wait staff and food being fine. This man should absolutely not be in customer service and should definitely not be at the front door greeting guests. He was nasty and sarcastic, for a situation that could’ve have been politely discussed and agreed upon without ruining anyones night.

I recently had the pleasure of having dinner at Matteo's and had heard it was great, but didn't realise it would that good!

- Amazing service.
- Amazing food.
- Beautiful restaurant.

Highly, highly, highly recommended.

Easily the best restaurant I've eaten at in Melbourne.

I'll be back very soon.

Good food choices. Menu is not overloaded. We were greeted with a smile and were waited on attentively. Nice ambience. Good service and awesome food.

Maybe it's the post-COVID hospo staff shortage, but the food at Matteo's just didn't quite live up to its usual amazing standard. We had the degustation menu which felt a bit imbalanced - lots of uncooked proteins, fried snacks and creamy sauces, which in a five course dinner was a bit much. A simple vegetarian dish between the meat and fish courses would be ideal. On the bright side, the waiters were seriously good at their craft - attentive and helpful.

Have been coming back here for years now. I LOVE getting here for the express lunch and today I possibly had the best pork dish of my life - was the pork chop. Really need to get here for the full set menu again soon

Average place to take granny for a special occasion. Owner is rude, food is garbagio and its so dang dated. To think about the history of this place, so sad. What a shame.

Food was amazing. Staff were so friendly and recommendations were fantastic.
Great experience. We are looking forward to going back.

Owner seems fairly self obsessed and has a sense of self entitlement. Food is overated at best. Do not reccomend.

This may be the very pinnacle of fine dining. So much so I look forward to coming back to this place because my experience there was truly amazing.

My partner and I went as we have heard nothing but great things and we were prepared for an amazing night of fine dining.

What a time to come because they had their 25th anniversary menu which consisted of the chef's favourite dishes over the last 25 years. Seemed as if the universe had aligned for ourselves or we just struck gold.

So let's get into it. Matteo's is such a popular place but what makes it even better is the ease of finding parking upon arrival and being 6 hour parking you don't feel like you need to rush to avoid a parking fine especially in the City of Yarra.

We were warmly greeted at the door and ushered to our table. Matteo's is immaculate when you enter. The staff are dressed formally and the cleanliness of the restaurant is second to none. Everything is meticulously maintained and the spacing of the tables makes your evening/night one to remember as you don't feel like you're competing with other tables to converse.

So upon sitting we were given the drinks menu and the menu for the evening. Which we had already viewed online. When we dine we normally stick with the tasting menu and sure enough it didn't disappoint at Matteo's. Also I probably should have taken a photo of the menu to show what we had but excitement for great tasting food always gets the better of me.

So I won't bore you with the details and I'll sum our evening up in one word. Phenomenal!

Matteo's truly is a beautiful place and if you love fine dining then it's a must try.

Staff
Food
Service
Cleanliness

We attended Matteo's in late December to celebrate our wedding anniversary, having dined there and thoroughly enjoyed it. Unfortunately, this time we were greatly disappointed. The Pithivier was so rich it was inedible. Upon noticing I had barely touched it, the waiter noted, "you too have been defeated by that dish' implying I was not the first to leave it unfinished. He said he would not pass my feedback to the kitchen for fear of angering the chef. It was not the only occasion the service was not up to standard for a restaurant of that caliber. Not willing to spoil our evening, I chose not to take it further. I have since shared my feedback with Matteo's directly via email with no response. There are so many great restaurants in Melbourne that have nailed customer service, and unfortunately, this is not one.

High end food at affordable price. Chose the chef tasting menu being first time here. Love the service level even at full house capacity night. Very memorable food that I tried tonight: kingfish crudo with citrus cured scallops and added anchovies pangrattata. The snacks was really tasty with lots of combination of raw and fried! Love the prawn sandwich and ocean trout cigar. I enjoyed the mains is the rabbit bolognese with handmade pasta! Lots of cheese and made it rich, pairing with the Chianti made perfect. The highlight is the duck breast, the far best I have ever eaten! The meat is so tender and flavorful! Pairing with Pinot noir goes so well. The dessert is uniquely made Yuzu Gelato.lovely and will come back again! Do book earlier as the restaurant is really packed. The parking is easily find and available nearby.

There is no doubt that when a restaurant exists and flourishes for the last 27 years as Matteo's has, then there is a winning formula at play here. Last Wednesday night I had an evening of unsurpassable excellence. The attentiveness and subtlety of the lovely staff, the magnificence of the culinary expertise and delightful tastes of this contemporary cuisine, as well as the warm and inviting disposition of the owner Matteo himself, certainly explains why people continue to frequent and be impressed by this highly esteemed eatery. To dine at Matteo's is a night of joy as you experience food and wine of the highest standard, in a comfortable and relaxing fine dining environment. Thank you one and all at Matteo's.
I cannot wait to return to this beautiful venue and am already planning a major function there. How lucky we are in Melbourne to have you in our midst. Thank you!:)

Great ambience and outstanding menu. Just celebrated my birthday and was made feel very special every step of the way including warried and tricky dietary requirements.

We had dinner here and the food was tasty. Standouts were probably the kingfish crudo, saffron spaghettini and parfait cigar that came with the duck. The 6 year old kid loved his pasta and there’s a kids menu with plenty of options available. They also give you generous amounts of warm bread at the start.

Food came promptly and the ambience of the restaurant was good.

We missed out on our workplace Christmas dinner last year due to covid restrictions so we had to make up for it. Matteo’s in Fitzroy is where we go every year and it was really nice to be able to visit again and pretend like it’s Christmas.

The 3 course meal was deliciously delicate. I had the crab pasta for entree, the steak for main and a caramel tart for dessert. Everything was prepared with care and tasted great. Service was attentive but not intrusive.

Christmas in July…it always sounded hokey to me but with the cold weather, it’s not such a bad concept. ️

Ohhhhh myyyyyy god! That meat lovers was so good! Finished it off in 3 minutes flat! Great food, delicious cocktails! I will be back!

If there was a 1 star I would give it. From the moment I walked in they where extremely rude.
The “owner” unbelievably was one of the most rude people I’ve come across in the industry.
Yes,
3 of my guests canceled, but I was more than happy to pay additional at any price to cover their losses. But they way” and tone” I was told:

YOU KNOW WHAT? I WILL CHARGE YOU FOR ALL CANCELLATIONS!

My response.quietly.but of course, if anything, WE” my group, eat a lot.so I’m sure our bill will be satisfactory.

Still.rude, and the food? It was ok.
Good luck to you,
Best you learn table manners.

Good decent food with great service. Great selection of alcoholic beverages, though I'm not a drinker (whole table ordered an apple cider and one sparkling, others had non-alcoholic).
We were a party of 13,7 adults, 1 teen, 3 kids and 2 toddlers. Some had tasting menu, some had a la carte menu, kids had kids menu. They services us all with no problems.
We were put in a side area so we (hopefully) didn't cause any trouble with the other guests.
Had a special happy birthday message on one of the desserts for the birthday girl.