Latest Reviews
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I have always enjoyed the food and wine at this bar, Sadly, however, Bar Nonno is currently not taking reservations due to renovations. I rang today a…
Rosaria Burchielli
Bar Nonno
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Tutto da Bar Nonno e` veramente buonissimo!Il vino adatto e` sempre accoppiato con il piatto di scelta e il cliente si sente speciale.Il nostro cameri…
- Learnitbetternow
Bar Nonno
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Honestly, the place is super nice. All the wines on the walls are amazing and I would look at them for hours. We had some oysters to start with the ha…
Melbourne Food Lover
Bar Nonno
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Bar Nonno is open for Casual Dining and Wine Bar. Bar Nonno serves Italian dishes.Incorrect or missing information? Make a report, or claim the restaurant if you own it!
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9 Reviews on “Bar Nonno”
Honestly, the place is super nice. All the wines on the walls are amazing and I would look at them for hours. We had some oysters to start with the happy hour promotion and as we weren’t really hungry we only had a cheese board and then a chocolate pudding. The wine that I had was really nice and 13$ by the glass was a fair price for a French wine. What this place should improve, and the reason why it gets 3.5, it’s the service. I would definitely expect something more consistent, but it seems like they are a bit lost around the restaurant. It doesn’t look like a casual place and the service that I would expect would be more upgraded.
We had expected pizza and a more casual atmosphere however we were disappointed. There’s no more pizza on the menu (in spite of it still being on the menu on the website). We ended up paying $195 for what seemed like not very generous portions and no true ‘stand out’ dishes. Seems like more of a place to come for just wine not actually dinner. We won’t be back for food…
Not the old Bar Nonno.
Having been a regular of the old Bar Nonno we were quite excited to see it had reopened so booked a birthday dinner chef’s selection. On the phone I was told ‘we’ve made a few changes to the menu’ but could not have expected the farce that followed.
I knew we were in trouble when I arrived to see my parents drinking champagne from a wine glass (in a wine bar!). We asked for a by the glass wine list and the waiter spun some line about not having a wine list because it changes all the time and they don’t want to waste paper and kill trees. Tell me what type of wine you like and I’ll find something. Okaaay. That pretty much translated to red or white. Nice wine though.. I assume they bought some stock with the restaurant.
First round was a dolmade. Wrapped in tough leaves that I couldn’t cut through I thought ok.. Hopefully this will get better. But by now I knew the old Bar Nonno experience (the one on their instagram of beautiful food and with great reviews) was dead.
Next course we got a salad with tomato and dill that looked like a side you would whip up at home.
Then.. Another salad with dill, this time with undercooked trout (I got a bone) and best of all, that salad had a – let’s call it deconstructed – dolmade in it!
All these are on share plates and when I say plates I mean sideplate size… to share!
Up next we’re some razor clams in a broth. They were rubberry but making the most or the evening we ate them. I wish I could post pictures. You would laugh. Terrible presentation.
After we finished them, the waiter asked if we would like some bread to soak up the broth. The bread was the best part of the evening.
Next was some quail. It was okaaay but a bit tough. We had to ask for new plates as they hadn’t been changed yet and quail and clam don’t really mix. (at no time did we get a full size plate! Sideplates all night.)
Then… We waited. Nothing for a while and then the manager came to wish me happy birthday and said the chef arrive an hour early to prepare but plenty more food on the way. I was pretty pissed off by then but given my father had generously paid the bill I didn’t want to argue at that point. But I did feel like I was in an episode of Kitchen Nightmares and felt like Gordon Ramsay before he starts yelling at how the chef and owner are completely out of their depth.
So the ‘plenty more food’ turned out to be a wheel of rolled pork pancetta with skin that wasn’t crisp. That’s it. No sides. No carrots or potatoes or anything else, in fact no vegetables all night.
We had stopped drinking by this point and all I wanted to do was go salvage the night with a drink across the road. So we went to pay the wine part of the bill.. No Eftpos. Really? In 2018?
For approximately $100 a head this was a joke. It’s obvious (now) they have bought the business but have no idea how to hit the standards the old Bar Nonno was known for.
It’s hard to get a bad dinner on High St. Really hard. In fact, I give this version of Bar Nonno 6 months max. You can’t serve food at this standard and stay in business in Westgarth especially when the previous incarnation was so good.
The website, social accounts and glowing reviews have nothing to do with what this place is now. They bought a reputation and they can’t get close.
Maybe they will find their feet and improve, but they’re a long long way off. I suspect you’ll see a lot more reviews like this soon.
Change the name. You don’t deserve it. Nonno would be rolling in her grave.
I’m giving the highest points because the food is great, atmosphere lay back and the staff great.
I was in a foul mood which really had nothing to do with them and whinged to the Manager about some minor quibble. They were very gracious and made ‘amends’ with desert-on-the-house. I reckon he should have thrown me out. Hope I can show my face there again in a year or so…..
We had a great Saturday night here. The seafood linguini was fantastic- the balance of the chilli was perfect. I would definitely recommend this.
They squeezed us in at the last minute and the staff were friendly without being over the top. There was no grumpy teenager! The guy at the front was efficient and the French woman let us taste a few wines before deciding. It was really busy but the staff took time to talk to us.
This was the fourth time I’ve been to Nonno and I’ve never had a bad experience there.
Bar Nonno had been a regular favourite for us for several years with really exceptional customer service and food/drinks menu. Unfortunately this seems to have taken a turn for the worst with a recent change in management, new chef, menu and ‘different’ approach to customer service. Instead of the previous warm and welcoming staff, we’ve twice now been met by the same grumpy (teenager) and inflexible individual at the front. The menu is also quite frankly a big step backwards from the previous. We’ve been in twice now since the change was made 3 months ago and are hugely disappointed. C’mon Bar Nonno turn this around, we want to come back!
The ascetics of this place is quite warming and the wine range was great. The only real thing I could critique is the pizza was overpriced for what it was and a little burnt under however it is still somewhere I would visit again and enjoyed the experience.