Earlier in 2024, Dave Parker (San Telmo Group and Sebastian), and Kelly and Alex Brawn (Sebastian) opened the ground-floor all-day dining venue Caffé Amatrice in one of Cremorne's buzzing backstreets. This spot is home to Italian-inspired brunch dishes, pasta, salads and loaded focaccias — which are up there with some of Melborune's best sangas. And then just a few months later, the team opened its sibling venue up on the tenth floor: Amatrice Rooftop Restaurant. Head Chef Vincenzo Di Giovanniello (Bar Carolina, Osteria Ilaria) is running the food lineup here, which traipses across various Italian regions. You'll find plenty of snacks — look no further than the mini lasagne — as well as mains like veal cotoletta, marinated half chicken and Murray cod. Pasta, however, is the star of the show at Amatrice Rooftop Restaurant. The menu is split between egg pasta dishes paired with classic sauces and Roman-style non-egg pastas — choose from either spaghetti or mezze maniche and then add one of the sauces available on the day. As its name suggests, the signature is Di Giovanniello's take on the classic sugo all'Amatriciana. Bevs are then leaning right into the aperitivo style of drinking and dining — which is becoming increasingly popular across Melborune right now — as the menu features classic and signature cocktails, Italian wines, vermouths, amaros, and Peroni on tap. Seating up to 80 people, the rooftop consists of a main dining room enclosed by a retractable glass roof, a city-facing main deck and another small outdoor deck with high bar tables facing the Dandenong Ranges. A fully enclosed private dining room that seats ten people is also calling all those keen on an intimate rooftop celebration. Throughout these spaces, you'll find imported red marble tables, red velvet upholstered banquette seating and aqua subway tiles, plus a smattering of olive trees planted around the perimeter of the glass conservatory. It's definitely bringing a little luxurious slice of Italy to Cremorne.
