Mietta's Review
One of Adelaide's beautiful two-storied corner shops with a return verandah and plastic shrouded footpath are home to, a much loved Italian restaurant. It's always open - breakfast, lunch and dinner daily - how do they do it. People really enjoy breakfasting in the generous South Australian sun out on the footpath, a business clientele flock there for lunch and the well-connected find it comforting at night. The food is apropriately polite - you won't find any intrusive flavours to offend here. The service is all female, attractive, efficient and only slightly flustered at the peak of service, after all it's a long haul from the kitchen to the footpath with a heavy load of plates so one should expect the occasional patter of hard working feet. This is a restaurant that is recommended often and by a wide variety of people.

Other published opinions

Gourmet Traveller 2012 Australian Restaurant Guide Score: One Star "Chianti Classico has maintained its reputation by reliably delivering Italian generosity for 25 years without slipping into complacency. Business types and affluent locals fill tables in the handsome heritage building and its enclosed veranda from breakfast to dinner, enjoying big rustic dishes from Tuscany"

Gourmet Traveller 2011 Australian Restaurant Guide Score: * "Whether you're power lunching, romancing or celebrating with family, this Adelaide dining-scene stalwart conjures a sense of occasion. It's housed in a grand, two-storey heritage building with a decor that's an easy mix of rustic and refined, just like the food"

The Adelaide Food Guide 2010 "Chianti is an upmarket Italian restaurant but deserves a mention for its superlative coffee that is available all day"

The Adelaide Food Guide 2010 Score: ** "Chianti Classico is one of Adelaide's most loved restaurants, from its classic breakfasts to its high-end modern-Tuscan menu. Proprietor Maria Favaro and her stag work the linen-clad tables with aplomb, explaining special-dish offerings and the seasonal changes of long-time chef Toby Gush, while talking up foundation meals such as slow-cooked rabbit"

Adelaide Advertiser Tony Love, 23-09-2009 Score: 17/20 "High-end presentation and dining ideals yet with all the warmth, welcome and generosity of a traditional Italian restaurant. A wonderful wine list and hearty and well-felt cooking all continue to impress."

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2010

Gourmet Traveller 2010 Australian Restaurant Guide Score: * "This is one of Adelaide's most loved and consistent restaurants, exuding familial warmth, proud Italian style and. quality at every step. It really hums from breakfast to dinner so booking is a must"

Age Good Food Guide 2009

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2009

Gourmet Traveller 2009 Australian Restaurant Guide "Italy is everywhere at this grand Hutt Street institution: its sleek decor, the robust flavours of its dishes, the perfect pronunciation of the all-Italian menu. It's in the warmth of the welcome - the moment you arrive, front-of-house Maria Favaro makes you feel cosseted and comfortable"

Gourmet Traveller 2008 Australian Restaurant Guide "Just like the wine with which it shares its name, Chianti Classico presents a polished modern face backed up with a rustic Italian soul"

Gourmet Traveller 2007 Australian Restaurant Guide "It has become a local cliche to do business over lunch at Chianti Classico, for its comfortable setting and the dependable menu. Rustic dishes inspired by Tuscany and Veneto are familiar pillars here shellfish steamed in white wine, herbs, chilli and tomato, Florentine steak, and vitello tonnato - though Irish-born chef Tobias Gush adds a few flourishes among daily specials, such as braised oxtail tortellini or grilled snapper fillet with chargrilled balsamic vegetables."

Adelaide Advertiser 2007 "Chianti looks as if it has been in this heritage-listed building forever, its traditions carefully honed over decades. In fact it's been here barely five years, but its style reflects the fact that its owners, the Favaro family, had 16 years at a previous restaurant in which to contemplate the day they could open the restaurant they really wanted to run."

Gourmet Traveller 2006 Australian Restaurant Guide * "This trattoria is packed at lunch and most nights of the week, delivering what Italian cooking in Australia should be, real-deal heartland fare. The daily specials are always worth listening to"

Gourmet Traveller 2005 Australian Restaurant Guide * "Chianti Classico is a high-quality trattoria in a heritage-listed corner building, surrounded by a buzzy broad verandah for outside dining. Chianti has its own strongly cosmopolitan style and a blend of good service, attractive menu that makes you believe you're getting the real stuff from Tuscany and Veneto, and a good wine list."

Adelaide Advertiser Food & Drink Tony Love 17/8/05 "Chianti Classico is a continuing tooth merchant's top of the pops. As well as location, ambience and the cachet of being a place to be seen, the food explores the Italian spectrum."

Adelaide Advertiser Jessica Hurt 4/8/04, "Chianti is a great place to start your day - but you'll find many others have the same idea, so be sure to book for breakfast."

Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Australia 2004, 2 Black Stars, Excellent wine list,'the longer she goes on the better the food gets.Chianti's menu has matured:you now sense that you're getting the real Italian stuff...service is fast and hospitable, the wine list is well chosen and reasonably priced.But the atmosphere is pleasantly breezy'

The Advertiser, Food & Wine, 24/9/03, Tony Baker,'the menu goes beyond mainstream Italian...cheerful and professional service...demonstrate that the cooking of Italy can match that of France'