Review of Mister Bianco restaurant

Updated October 12, 2026,first published November 18, 2024

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When a beloved neighbourhood bistro ups stumps after 13 years to double down around the corner, it must be doing something right. Two years on, Joe Vargetto’s much expanded restaurant – complete with tan leather banquettes, terrazzo floors, marble-topped tables and colourful artwork – is indeed doing most things right.

Two orbs of burrata are doused in an autumnal melange of pumpkin puree, raisins and seeds. The always-popular veal cutlet is crisp-crumbed and pink-tinged, with an earthy, umami boost from creamy porcini sauce and chestnut mushrooms.

It would be a mistake to skip house-made pasta: perhaps spaghettini with regal prawns and dried scallop-spiked XO – a whirlwind of funk and butter. Waitstaff take jackets, recommend wine and happily scoop you a serve of the signature old-school tiramisu at the table as a final warm gesture.

Best for: A candlelit date night or a cosy celebration with friends.

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A chic space that doesn’t forget the fundamentals.

Neighbourhood restaurant for feasts of whole fish, noodles and claypot dishes.

Still one of the defining Melbourne meals, 12 years in.