Pinocchio Italian South Yarra & Kew

Located in the thriving hearts of South Yarra’s bustling Toorak Road and Kew’s High Street, Pinocchio has been delivering fine pasta and pizza to hungry crowds since the 70s, but shhh, don’t tell anyone, we’ve had a little nip and tuck and don’t look a day over 20-something these days.

Unlike our naughty namesake, we’re telling no lies when we say we offer Melbourne’s finest Italian cuisine. That’s because we do things the Mediterranean way here, with passion in our hearts and music in our fingertips. Love is all about sharing, and we encourage you to join in.

Eating at Pinocchio is a relaxed affair to be shared with your nearest and dearest, your closest family and best friends, and if you don’t have messy fingers by the end, you’re not doing it right. That’s why when it comes to choosing our famous wood-fired pizzas, the bigger the better, so everyone can dive in and grab a slice or two.

The hardest decision we’re going to ask you all night is to settle for a half or the full metre circumference, though we can do regular size if you’re after a sneaky one all to yourself.

Then it all boils down to Rosso or Bianca.

Choose Rosso and you’ll get lashings of fresh tomato sugo. Our much loved Capricciosa is stuffed with spicy sopressa salami and silky fior de latte cheese. We pile on the mushrooms, San Marzano tomatoes, olives and salty anchovies. Or keep it simple and go for the good old-fashioned Margherita with the welcome kick of freshly torn basil. Cheese lovers will relish the melting mouthful delivered by our Quattro Formaggi.

Alternatively, get naked with the tomato base-free Bianca options including the meaty pork and fennel chilli sausage and mushroom laden Funghi or embrace the ocean’s bounty with a prawn, pesto and chilli oil (Gamberi e Rucola). Gluten free is no problem and if you think you can do better than us, don’t be shy, by all means speak up and ask for your unique variation.

Our life changing home made pasta brings the crowds in from all over town. Come and find out why! Whether its our famous hearty lasagne, the basil and buffalo mozzarella gnocchi or our lip-smacking spaghetti with anchovies dripping in garlic, chilli and parsley. Our risotto is loaded with scampi and asparagus and there are always seasonal specials.

Who doesn’t love a bargain? Pop in on a Monday and we’ll pour you a cold Peroni Red you can soak up with any regular pizza for only $25. Tuesday’s mean steak night where you can tuck into our grain-fed porterhouse, a scotch fillet or a rump steak.

We’ve got a bulging, thirst-making wine list sourced from all over Italy to wash it all down with or you can cheat on us with a local Aussie. Our friendly staff will gladly shake up a classic cocktail like a Negroni or an Espresso Martini. We even have our own take on a mojito, muddling grappa with zesty lime, mint and brown sugar.

All you have to do is relax and enjoy the stylish surrounds, with gleaming white tiles, wood-panelled walls exposed wooden beams. Our whimsical wall art has been hand drawn from an old storybook. Pinocchio’s is the perfect spot to while away a fabulous night in good company with even better food.

And you don’t even have to take our word for it. Check out Melbourne’s trend setting website The Urban List who have rated our Bolognese as one of the city’s finest, not to mention singling out our sweet and saucy Fragole e Panna dessert pizza too, with lashings of Nutella, home made vanilla ice cream an fresh strawberries.

So cut free of those strings and come and join Pinocchio for a fantastic feed in great company. You’d be a fool not too.