Cafe Di Stasio

Ph: (03) 9525 3999; 31A Fitzroy St, ST KILDA 3182

Italian, $$$, ** for Food & Ambience
Open 7 days noon-3pm, 6-11pm; Licensed; AE DC MC V, Seats inside 65, Outside seats
Chef Steven Bofe (7-11-07) Owner Rinaldo Di Stasio (7-11-07)

Mietta's Review
Ronnie Di Stasio is famed for his extreme behaviour in much the same way as his mentor Paul Lynch was in his younger days. It's what originally gave his eponymously named cafe it's buzz. If they (the customers) mattered enough Ronnie would have them dancing on the tables. Today it's a much more sedate scene as well-heeled diners enjoy the discreet and attentive service at St Kilda's premier Italian restaurant. It should be noted that here the service can vary with the importance of the client and the anticipated size of their tip. Of course, fine food, wine and service inevitably come at a premium price. The lunch special offers good value.

Other published opinions

Age Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 17/20, Two Hats "If mood could be bottled, they might sell it on the low-lit, marble-topped counter here, next to the big silver water jug, not far from the evocative Bill Henson image on the wall, and right alongside the proprietor's own Coldstream pinot noir"

Gourmet Traveller 2008 Australian Restaurant Guide "This darkly moody St Kilda landmark is, as they say, the total package. A restaurateur's restaurant, t recalls the days when the host was king and the chef stayed in the kitchen"

Herald Sun Bob Hart, 24-02-07 "In fact, after you have seen Rinaldo (Ronnie) Di Stasio prowl the floor of his eponymous "cafe"in darkest St Kilda, or watched him adjust the theatre of the place from his corner table, the conductor analogy will make more sense. But then it's not just what a great restaurateur does, but why. And in Ronnie's case, it's to do with passion."

The Age Good Food Guide 2006 score 17/20 2 Hats "The snug dining room feels lived-in without being shabby - if walls could talk, Melbourne's juiciest stories would surely come from these. Clued-up waiters (most of them Di Stasio veterans) operate with smooth confidence, whether they're reciting the long list of specials, decanting a bottle plucked from the sizeable Italophile cellar or setting down plates of immaculate food."

Gourmet Traveller 2006 Australian Restaurant Guide ** "With its bare concrete walls and custard-orange lighting, Cafe Di Stasio offers a brooding and intimate space. Bill Henson's imposing photography evokes a sense of uncharted territory, but you'll be easily coaxed along the Di Staslo culinary journey. It centres around several signature dishes and a daily lunch special which favours natural, simple flavours over fashion"

The Age Sunday Life, Australia's 20 best restaurants Mathew Evans 05 "St Kilda's 18-year-old Italian stayer garners critical acclaim and is packed to the champagne-stained ceiling on a Tuesday night. It's not Australia's best restaurant but Mallory Wall's stupendous floor team delivers Australia's best pasta dish (the pizzoccheri), Australia's second-best pasta dish (bread pasta with occy), its best frittata (crayfish), its best tiramisu and best crepes."

The Age Good Food Guide 2005 "the team headed by Ronnie Di Stasio should be lauded for its dedication to things that matter: honest food that, while paying attention to what's around, bows neither to fashion nor fad; and waiters raised with an intrinsic understanding of hospitality and the dining experience."

Gourmet Traveller 2005 Restaurant Guide "afe di Stasio has achieved almost a cult status on St Kilda's increasingly respectable Fitzroy Street."

Take 5 John Lethlean 22/8/04 "Yes, it used to be a controversial kind of place; I prefer to think of Di Stasio as a restaurant that is not really into blandness. You have to be prepared to play the game, a little bit anyway."

The Age Melbourne Magazine 15/12/04 John Lethlean mentioned for Veal parmigiana - " But at Cafe Di Stasio, an escalope of excellent veal is egged and crumbed to order, pan-fried in butter and olive oil, smeared with a fantastic, bright and buttery Napoli sauce and blobbed with lumps of pure white buffalo mozzarella."

The Age Cheap Eats 2004,'A choice of three entrees,three mains,two desserts and two wines-and all for $25,seven lunches a week,With numbers this good,what are you waiting for?'

The Age, A2, 1/5/04,'This clubby St Kilda institution can inspire or confound-in no small part thanks to the influence of mercurial owner Ronnie di Statsio.His presence more often makes rathen than breaks a meal and seldom obscures the crisp service and the beautifully prepared Italian dishes'

The Foodies' Guide 2004,Allan Campion & Michele Curtis,'Perhaps the most advertised deal in Melbourne at $25 for 2 courses and a glass of wine,every day,year round.'

SMH GFG 2004,'the prices are on the upper side for Melbourne,but if you want a true Italian experience and you can visit only one local restaurant,this is it.Until you try the lobster frittata,you haven't really lived.'

The Age Good Food Guide 2004 Awards-2 hats, score 17/20, excellent wine list

The Age, A2, 20/3/04, Jane Faulkner,'an Italian focused dining institution in St Kilda, has been serving a fixed-price lunch...two courses and a glass of wine for $25...it might comprise dishes offered as daily specials, so it's another way diners can have some variety...there are added extras:proper napery, individual service, a comfortable dining room, and bread.'

Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Australia 2004, 2 Black Stars, Excellent wine list, Good vegetarian options,'has mellowed and matured like a fine wine.Its simplicity and dedication to exacting professionalism assure its status as on Melbourne's elite Italian restaurants.The list of dishes and specials is expounded with minimal rhetoric;the quality of food shines through without pretension.'

Vogue Entertaining & Travller March April 2003

The Weekend Australian Financial Review,15-16/3/2003, Food, Charles Wright

The Age Good Food Guide 2003. Score 17/20

The Herald Sun, Eat Bob Hart, 16/3/02"