Brunetti restaurant review - Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne’s much-loved Italian café has now set up shop in the CBD’s culinary epicentre, joining the impressive line-up of eateries on Flinders Lane. 

Inspired by Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa and 1950s and 60s Italy, local architecture and design firm Technē has pulled together a moodboard of marble, terrazzo, brass accents, colourful timber inlay work, and steel-frame windows. This is set over a vast 300-seat space that houses a cake and gelato counter, a coffee shop, a Campari bar, and a dining space. 

From early morning espressos to an after work aperitivo, Brunetti is a thrumming food hub that caters for all tastes – not least with chef Simon Moss’ heartwarming menu of Italian classics featuring dishes such as gnocchi alla Bolognese with gremolata and parmesan or crowd-pleasing pizzas sent straight from the UFO-shaped Marana Forni wood-fired oven.