Bottega Ph: 9654 2252 ; 74 Bourke St, MELBOURNE 3000 www.bottega.com.au Italian, $$, * for Food & Ambience Open Lunch Mon-Fri noon-3pm dinner Mon-Sat 5.30pm-11prn; Licensed; AE DC MC V Chef Joseph Vitale (21-9-11) Owner Denis Lucey, Kenneth Meere & John Tully (11-10-10)

Mietta's Review
From the team that brought us French inspired eatery Bistrot d'Orsay in Collins Street, comes its Italian incarnation- Bottega. Sandwiched between Italian stalwarts Pelligrini's and Grossi Florentino, the room is pleasant with a concertina view onto the top end of Bourke Street. Dishes are simple and well done, complimented by a thoughtful wine selection. It's a good spot for people watching during a long languid lunch, a business meeting or an intimate dinner.

Other published opinions

Gourmet Traveller 2012 Australian Restaurant Guide "With its booths. Deco fittings and theatre-district location. Bottega has a touch of New York diner sparkle, and it's impressive from the start, with knowledgeable wine waiters and brisk efficiency from the other wait-staff"

Age Good Food Guide 2012 Score: 14/20

Age Good Food Guide 2011 Score: 14.5/20

Age Good Food Guide 2011 Score: 14.5/20

Age Good Food Guide 2011 Score: 14.5/20

Age Good Food Guide 2011 Score: 14.5/20

Age Good Food Guide 2011 Score: 14.5/20

Age Good Food Guide 2011 Score: 14.5/20

Age Good Food Guide 2011 Score: 14.5/20

Gourmet Traveller 2011 Australian Restaurant Guide Score: * "If suits, sharp service and smooth good looks appeal, then Bottega is for you. Comfortable booth seating, a notable wine list and professional service with an injection of real personality deliver an assured package"

Age Good Food Guide 2010 Score: 14.5/20

Gourmet Traveller 2010 Australian Restaurant Guide Score: * "Bottega's good looks, straightforward Italian menu and Bourke Hill location appear to be aimed at the business community. Corporates come here in droves, but this comfortable dining room (booths, double-draped, generously proportioned tables), sharp service and, wine list all point to a place capable of pleasing any group"

Herald Sun Stephen Downes, 27-01-09 "Would I go back? No, Bottega is priced too high for what it delivers. You could easily divide Melbourne's restaurants into those where the eaters pay and those where they don't. No one is skipping bills. It's just that in the second category we - the consumers are charged for businessmen's lunches. Bottega belongs in the second category. It's rampant with pastel shirts, lilac ties and dazzling cufflinks. And for their sorry, our money, the money men get well-cooked standard Latin-leaning fare and businesslike services "

Age John Lethlean, 4-11-2008 Score: 15/20

Age Good Food Guide 2009 Score: 14.5/20

Gourmet Traveller 2009 Australian Restaurant Guide Score: * "It can happen at any time, usually when you're heading down Bourke Street. So strong is the urge for handmade tagliatelle with spanner crab blended with nettles (which makes the dish quite green but doesn't overpower the crab's sweetness), you have to make a bee-line for a comfy seat at Bottega"

Age Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 14.5/20

Herald Sun Bob Hart, 7-04-07 "And now, with one of our most accomplished Italian chefs picking up the reins at the unpretentious and entirely admirable Bottega, just up from the Flo, things have taken a further leap. Riccardo Momesso was, until a few months ago, working the stoves at the eccentric vegaquarian CBD establishment SOS, where he turned out some remarkable food."

Age John Lethlean

Age Good Food Guide 2006 score 15/20

Gourmet Traveller 2006 Australian Restaurant Guide * "Bottega makes a welcome debut to our pages this year via a conspicuous effort to elevate the restaurant beyond the rustic bistro approach that characterised its early years. In fact, everything has been bumped up: service staff are particularly savvy, the wine emphasis stronger than before, and chef Daniel Schelbert has been given latitude to turn out original Italian-inspired food"

Age A2 The Good Life Jane Faulkner 1/10/05

Age Good Food Guide 2005

Age Good Food Guide 2004 14/20

SMH, Good Living, 25/3/03, Matthew Evans

Age, Epicure, Restaurants, John Lethlean, 4/2/03, Score 14.5/20

Herald Sun, Sunday Magazine, 3/8/03, Dining, Graham Pearce, Score 7/10