Mietta's Review
People always seem to have good things to say about Matteo's. The food is always well prepared, innovative and of good standard. The restaurant itself is huge, offering lots of light and room for diners, both in the dining rooms and the rear courtyard. Lots of good and well-priced Australian and imported wines. In 2005 a major revamp took place making the restaurant softer and adding loung-like touches. The food too, under new chef, Brendan McQueen, has left Europe behind and moved into the modOz mainstream with an emphasis on Asian flavours with fine results. Recommended.

Other published opinions

Gourmet Traveller 2012 Australian Restaurant Guide Score: One Star "Reports of the death of fine dining are greatly exaggerated. It's alive and well at this history-soaked site, a large Victorian terrace divided into intimate spaces. Velvet drapes, lush wallpapers and crisp damask add luxe appeal, and there's clear commitment to service: polished and knowledgeable, not starchy and ceremonious"

Age Good Food Guide 2012 Score: 16/20, 2 Hats

Age Good Food Guide 2011 Score: 16.5/20, Two Hats

Gourmet Traveller 2011 Australian Restaurant Guide Score: * "With its wallpapered and opulently draped dining room - all rich colours, snowy linen and flattering lighting - Matteo's looks like a classic Italian fine-diner. But while it has taken the best"elements of that genre - crack service, a sense of occasion, attention from the ever-present owner Matteo Pignatelli - it has mostly ditched Europe for a modern take on Asian"

The AgeMichael Harden 6-04-10 score 16/20

Age Good Food Guide 2010 Score: 16/20, Two Hats "16/20

Gourmet Traveller 2010 Australian Restaurant Guide Score: * "Opulent and sumptuous. Matteo Pignatelli's restaurant has a sense of occasion. But its the welcoming atmosphere and arresting combinations of ingredients and ideas that are the real hooks"

Age, Sunday Night Dinner Janne Apelgren "Once you're in, you know you're in the hands of professionals. There's chemistry at play in this place, which manages to be at once old-fashioned and modern. It has brio, with its simple banquettes crowned with chic designer lighting, its smooth service and its menu surprisingly Europe-meets-Asia and out-there for a restaurant with an Italian name"

Herald Sun Simon Plant, 18-11-08 "Would I go back? ? Definitely Trend spotters overlook this enchanted dining room. Mainly because it has has been quietly pleasing its customers for nearly I5 years But now is the time to revisit Matteo's for its exciting Asian-influenced food, Italian hospitality and worldly style "

Age Good Food Guide 2009

Gourmet Traveller 2009 Australian Restaurant Guide Score: * "Reverence is not a word commonly associated with Brunswick Street, but that is precisely the mood that prevails among diners at this maverick fine diner. Some of that can be attributed to the dramatic light fittings and luxe curtaining"

Age Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 16/20

Gourmet Traveller 2008 Australian Restaurant Guide "Matteo's has a loyal following of locals who cherish the place and enjoy the excellent standards of service"

Herald Sun Bob Hart, 20-01-07 "none better than Matteo's which has managed, for more than a decade, to keep things lively, interesting and excellent. With Matteo Pignatelli at the helm, it made its mark, initially, as an Italian establishment with touches of French finery. But now ... The food at Matteo's, not unlike many residents of this edgy and stylish suburb, is unorthodox and adventurous while remaining accessible and deliclous."

Gourmet Traveller 2007 Australian Restaurant Guide "New owners Courtney Christie and Jake Stephens have sparked renewed enthusiasm at Flying Fish. Faced with becoming marginalised as a beach eatery serving expensive fish and chips, they've dropped prices and ramped-up kitchen quality. There's a casual air befitting a funky shack here, but inside, the food quality and presentation reach far beyond what you'd expect."

Age Good Food Guide 2006 score 15/20

Age Epicure John Lethlean 17/5/05 score 16/20

Age Good Food Guide 2005

Age A2 19/2/05 Jane Faulkner

Age, Agenda, 20/6/04

Age Good Food Guide 2004 2 hats, score 16/20

Age, A2, 17/4/04

Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Australia 2004, 1 Red Star, Excellent wine list, Good vegetarian options,'The triple-width shopfront is a warm assemblage of terracotta tiles, timber and white linen;service is amiable and professional...A vegetarian degustation menu (and very fine desserts) alleviate the meaty-focus.'

Sunday Age, Eat Streets, John Lethlean,1/12/02

Herald Sun, Weekend, Bob Hart, Eat, 23/11/02

The Herald Sun, dining, Stephen Downes, 22/1/02

Age, eatstreets, 29.4.01