Criniti's

Criniti’s is a vibrant chain of restaurants with Melbourne outposts in Carlton and Southbank. High energy dining in a unique space, Criniti’s has a cosmopolitan glow about it with a downtown design.

The kitchen serves delicious Italian cuisine which centres on providing patrons with the most amazing array of choices so there is something for everyone. 

To start we loved the salt pepper calamari – Think beautifully battered and crispy rings of calamari served with a rich garlic and chilli aioli. 

For mains, it is hard to go past a Criniti’s favourite, the lasagne. Made from a special family recipe, this is one hearty dish that is perfect for the wintery cold. We loved the flavoursome beef bolognese, intertwined between layers of béchamel, mozzarella,
parmesan, napoli sauce and topped with Mamma Rosa’s scrumptious meatball.

A visit to Criniti’s would of course be incomplete without one of their amazing pizzas. 

Quite simply, the Tommy Sneakers pizza was sensational. Sat atop a thin layer of tomato sugo were generous dollops of delicious buffalo mozzarella, mushrooms, ham, decadent gorgonzola, juicy Italian sausage, chilli and oregano. These ingredients did justice to the fantastic pizza base which was light and flavoursome.

The skewers at Criniti’s are also highly recommended. We loved that every morsel was sufficiently seasoned and had benefited from a delectable outer charring courtesy of spending the perfect time on the grill. We loved the lemon jus marinade which added a lovely acidity to the dish.

Our evening concluded on a decadently sweet end with Criniti’s newest additions to the dessert menu – the panna cotta and fried gelato. The panna cotta was expertly made, smooth and barely holding its shape. We loved the slight tartness of the passionfruit syrup which added a beautiful balance to the dish. The fried gelato on the other hand was a cheeky dessert of crumbed and fried vanilla gelato, topped with luxurious hot chocolate fudge, praline and crushed almond biscuits. Just YUM.

Criniti’s serves cooking that is fun and innovative while retaining traditional flavours, blending contemporary Italian style with classic Italian influence.

Location: 645 Freshwater Place, Southbank and 198-204 Faraday St, Carlton
Phone: 1300 274 648
Link: http://www.crinitis.com.au/
Cuisine: Italian