Tipo 00

Tipo 00 is a pasta-focused Italian restaurant at 361 Little Bourke Street in the centre of the city. Its owners are Andreas Papadakis, Luke Skidmore and Alberto Fava, and the team has deep fine dining roots: Papadakis, the co-owner and chef, spent years at Vue de monde, Skidmore, who runs the floor, has worked at Vue de monde, Saint Crispin and Estelle, and Fava cooked at Merchant and Scusa Mi before becoming head chef. Gourmet Traveller published its review of the restaurant in March 2015.

The restaurant calls its menu innovative modern Italian, and pasta is the centre of it. The current pasta list on the official website includes tagliolini al nero with squid and bottarga, paccheri with celeriac, hazelnut and cavolo nero, spaghetti with Moreton Bay bug, yellow tomato and broad beans, and pappardelle with wagyu beef, pine nuts and celery oil. Earlier menus included a saffron tagliolini with spanner crab and a dessert called the Tipomisu. Reviewers have also praised starters such as rosemary focaccia with fresh ricotta, and sharing a starter and a couple of pastas is an easy way to try more of the menu.

The wine list leans Italian with some Australian bottles, and a good range is poured by the glass and by the carafe, which suits a quick lunch as well as a longer dinner. The room is lively, and a 2015 review warned that it becomes very loud when full, so it is better for a fun meal than a quiet conversation. That review also noted that wheelchair access was not available, so check with the restaurant if this matters to you.

The official website lists opening hours of Monday to Saturday from 11:30am to 9:30pm. Reservations are made through the reservations page on the website, and booking ahead is sensible for dinner. For enquiries, call +61 3 9942 3946 or email [email protected].

Tipo 00 belongs to a small group of Italian venues. Osteria Ilaria is next door at 367 Little Bourke Street, while Figlia and Granadeli are on Lygon Street in Brunswick East. If Tipo 00 is full, Osteria Ilaria is the obvious alternative. The restaurant is in the centre of the city grid and suits couples, friends and solo diners who want a good bowl of pasta without the formality of a tasting menu.