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Geppetto Trattoria

9.6/10
480
78A Wellington Pde, 3002 East Melbourne (VIC)
Italian
Average price A$70

Footy Menu (mains only) OR Geppetto Banquet A$59

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Offers

MENU

Footy Menu (mains only) OR Geppetto Banquet A$59

Includes: Geppetto banquet or order individually any dish from the special menu

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In 1981, Nino Cea opened Geppetto Trattoria with the vision to create an unpretentious eatery that focused on Italian home-style cooking. This idea was inspired by those eateries found in his hometown region of Puglia in Italy. Nino has work in kitchens across the world since 1967. Moving to Melbourne in 1974 Nino worked as the chef/manager of the then famous Campari Bistro on Hardware Lane. Whilst working at Campari Bistro Nino also got experience as a waiter and pizza maker at Toto's Pizza on Lygon Street. In 1979 Nino moved on to Degraves Pizza in Degraves Street Melbourne CBD where he honed his a la carte skills before opening Geppetto Trattoria in 1981. Now working closely with his son Adriano, the tradition continues.

Restaurant menu

Last update: January 2023
Chef Nino Cea
Average price A$70
Dietary optionsGluten free, Lactose intolerance, Locally produced, Vegan
Agnolotti Ai Tre Funghi
A$38
Homemade large pasta parcels filled with porcini, swiss brown & portobello mushrooms served with sage and butter reduction
Spaghetti Alla Pescatora
A$38
Spaghetti tossed with prawns, calamari, mussels, fish fillet, garlic, tomato & basil
Risotto Alla Barbabietola
A$34
Roasted beetroot & lemon thyme risotto with aged pecorino cheese & almonds
Footy Menu (mains only) OR Geppetto Banquet A$59
Includes: Geppetto banquet or order individually any dish from the special menu

User photos

Geppetto Trattoria, East Melbourne (VIC)
Geppetto Trattoria, East Melbourne (VIC)
Crispy pork loin - Geppetto Trattoria, East Melbourne (VIC)
Geppetto Trattoria, East Melbourne (VIC)
Apple and berry pie  - Geppetto Trattoria, East Melbourne (VIC)
Grilled calamari  - Geppetto Trattoria, East Melbourne (VIC)

Reviews

9.6/10
Excellent480 reviews
9.7/10

Food

9.6/10

Service

9.2/10

Ambience

9-10

7-8

5-6

3-4

1-2

Real experiences from real dinersOnly people who have booked with TheFork or paid with TheFork PAY can leave a rating and review.
How do we calculate ratings?
  • Danni D.
    Danni D.

    May 26, 20231 review

    10/10

    Absolutely beautiful food and incredible friendly service in a cute old school Italian restaurant - we absolutely loved our dinner here. 10/10 recommend! Thank you!

  • Eamon V.
    Eamon V.

    May 3, 20234 reviews

    10/10

    The food and service as usual was excellent. The lamb shoulder was delicious. A wonderful atmosphere in a place which you could imagine was in Italy rather than across the road from the MCG.

  • Terry W.
    Terry W.

    May 2, 202311 reviews

    10/10

    We love going to Geppetto, usually with one of our neighbours. The team do a great job of providing great and fresh food with excellent service. We highly recommend going there if you haven't yet been.

  • Parvez M.
    Parvez M.

    April 22, 20231 review

    9.5/10

    This restaurant is really good , very friendly staff and great food. Only small comment, it too k sometime to serve food, rest all awesome. I recommend atleast one should visit once to enjoy the food here.

  • Michael H.
    Michael H.

    April 21, 20231 review

    10/10

    It was a wonderful experience a great family restaurant with good food and great service good wine list and very helpful staff. Good portions and great night

  • Oscar F.
    Oscar F.

    April 4, 20231 review

    10/10

    Great food and attention to detail, Adriano is very welcoming, and service is impeccable .I and my wife cannot fault the food and our friend's loved it. Well done Geppetto's.

  • Kristin T.
    Kristin T.

    March 25, 20231 review

    9.5/10

    Never disappointed with this lovely restaurant with incrediblly authentic Italian food. Quality ingredients and clearly made with love.

  • C C.
    C C.

    March 23, 20234 reviews

    10/10

    Beautiful food, Italian wine and great service.

  • Sian O.
    Sian O.

    March 22, 20231 review

    10/10

    Great space for a business lunch and great food! Small and quaint

  • Sally D.
    Sally D.

    March 15, 202310 reviews

    10/10

    great little restaurant with nice atmosphere and amazing food. Lovely staff and an authentic Italian family run restaurant. Well worth a visit

    Geppetto Trattoria (Owner)

    Thanks so much Sandy for your wonderful review, we are so glad you had a great experience :)

  • Norvena L.
    Norvena L.

    March 8, 20231 review

    10/10

    It’s a great place to eat

    Geppetto Trattoria (Owner)

    Grazie mille Norvena :)

  • Viv J.
    Viv J.

    March 1, 20231 review

    10/10

    Geppetto Trattoria is a lovely Italian restaurant right on the tram line in East Melbourne so very easy to get to and no parking problems. The food is absolutely wonderful and they cater for both vegetarians and meat and fish eaters. I am vegetarian and enjoyed the orecchiette gorgonzola with walnuts (wonderful) and my friend said that the barramundi was perfect.

    Geppetto Trattoria (Owner)

    Grazie Viv it's always a pleasure having you dine with us :)

  • Sandra C.
    Sandra C.

    February 28, 202341 reviews

    10/10

    Love Geppetto Trattoria, consistently great food with lots of daily specials, excellent attentive service, professional staff rather than part timers, and a great experience all round

    Geppetto Trattoria (Owner)

    Grazie mille Sandra, thanks so much for your amazing support

  • Tim G.
    Tim G.

    February 2, 20239 reviews

    10/10

    Superb food and amazing staff. Scallops were delicious, baked pear amazing. We enjoyed our dinner and can’t wait to return . A truly hidden gem.

    Geppetto Trattoria (Owner)

    Grazie Tim for your wonderful rating and we will be sure to keep the poached pears on the menu for a while longer!

  • Sandy C.
    Sandy C.

    January 28, 20231 review

    10/10

    One of our favourite restaurants in Melbourne, consistently excellent food and service. My partner always has the porchetta and loves it. I had the roast duck special and it was so amazing, 2 marylands, so a generous serve, the meat was so tender, like a confit duck fall off the bone, perfectly rendered and crispy skin. I’m hoping it makes it onto the regular menu as I’d love to have this more often when I need a duck fix.

    Geppetto Trattoria (Owner)

    Thanks so much Sandy for your amazing review on your most recent dinner with us! The porchetta is no doubt a fan-fave and the roasted duck may be making an appearance on our next seasonal menu ;)

  • jenni d.
    jenni d.

    January 20, 20231 review

    9/10

    Lovely atmosphere and friendly service. Food is good quality.

    Geppetto Trattoria (Owner)

    Thank you so much for your feedback, Hope you had an amazing dinner, and looking forward to see you another time!

  • Liz W.
    Liz W.

    December 9, 20221 review

    10/10

    Lovely food, friendly staff and reasonably priced. We will be back! Especially enjoyed the Gnocchi Bolegnese.

    Geppetto Trattoria (Owner)

    So glad you enjoyed our homemade gnocchi Liz :)

  • Mike S.
    Mike S.

    December 6, 20221 review

    9.5/10

    I'd love to keep this place entirely to myself. But alas you'll all want to eat there soon.Seas It's a gem.-- great food (better than great in fact) and service that's friendly, efficient and skilled.

    Geppetto Trattoria (Owner)

    Thanks so much for your incredible review Mike, means the world to us!

  • Dez S.
    Dez S.

    December 2, 20221 review

    9/10

    Such a great, intimate institution with an excellent meal selection and good wines. We had a great time with friends and family and absolutely loved the ambiance!

    Geppetto Trattoria (Owner)

    Grazie Dez for taking the time to let us know how much you enjoyed your evening with us. We hope to see you again soon :)

  • Sandy R.
    Sandy R.

    November 22, 20221 review

    10/10

    What a great night last night. The Italian food was exceptional. Pasta was melt in your mouth, fish cooked perfectly which is hard to find! The staff and proprietor couldn’t have been more friendly, attending to us just the right amounts and times. I’d go back any time, not too loud like some restaurants,.

    Geppetto Trattoria (Owner)

    Grazie mille Sandy, we really appreciate your feedback and hope that we can keep up the high standard :)

Tripadvisor reviews

389 Tripadvisor Reviews

More information

Opening time

Monday
Closed
Tuesday
12:00 PM - 03:00 PM
06:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Wednesday
12:00 PM - 03:00 PM
06:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Thursday
12:00 PM - 03:00 PM
06:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Friday
12:00 PM - 03:00 PM
06:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Saturday
06:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Sunday
Closed

Closing time

Public holidays have a 10% surcharge

How to get to the restaurant

78A Wellington Pde, 3002, East Melbourne (VIC), Australia

Public transport

tram = number #48 and #75 stop directly in front on the restaurant; train: Jolimont station 100 metres away

Additional information

Almost on the corner of Wellington parade and Simpson street, East Melbourne 3002

off street parking 1-2 hour

Melbourne City, Melbourne East, Melbourne North

About the restaurant

An Italian institution of Melbourne with the same family owning it since 1981; Geppetto's is an genuine neighborhood icon and a must visit before any local event at the MCG, AAMI park or Rod Laver stadiums directly across the street.

Nino and his son serve up fresh, local and authentic dishes with a focus on pasta, seafood, offal and slow cooked dishes that are hard to find.

Some of the more popular plates include homemade gnocchi, braised osso buco, double roasted pork belly, eggplant parmigiana and carpaccio just to name a few. Fresh whole fish options change daily depending what the season offers!

- Jolimont station - 100 metre walk away - with two tram stops #48 and #75 (stop number 13) directly in front of us.

BEST DISH: Gnocchi Ragú

Features

, , European, Fine Dining, , Valentine's Day, Gluten free, , , Vegan

Services

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You can reserve the restaurant for a private event (Max. 60 people)

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Frequently Asked Questions

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