University Cafe

An institution in Lygon Street and it didn’t disappoint. Wonderful Italian fare that ticked all the boxes. Pasta, parmigiana, calamari and my favorite crispy chicken limone were all given 10/10 by a table of foodies. Bravo 👏🏻

Very very tasty food and good service!

We spent an evening here and had a good time.

The welcome was friendly. We were led directly to the place.

Both the appetizer the main course and the dessert tasted perfect!

Who is looking for a successful evening with authentic Italian food will find it here.

Highly recommended!

Wow 🤩 Great traditional Italian 🇮🇹 food.
The service was 10/10 lovely to see a restaurant run well & on top of there game.
The pizza 🍕 was great, loved the pasta 🍝 coffee ☕ & cakes 🍰 we will be back 100%

It was a lovely late afternoon lunch/dinner. We enjoyed the quiet period before the evening rush on a Saturday. The staff were attentive but gave us space to have a conversation.
If modifications were required, they let us know promptly and offered alternative options. I eat small, so while it wasn't possible, the staff were kind enough to enquire if entree-sized mains were an option.

We typically find the most challenging part of eating out is obtaining the bill; however, they were totally on their game, had staff nearby to take requests and came back promptly, which was such a lovely change for us.

I would 100% come back again!

With my partner, we had a delightful dinner at Universita Cafe. We love the atmosphere, the friendly staff and something quite difficult to find in this city: dishes not only delicious but also plentiful. We will definitely go back.

I recommend the risotto, it's chef kiss.

For more than 30 years this has been a “must-visit” restaurant every time I go to Melbourne. It has a great atmosphere and terrific food at reasonable prices. This time I had their home-made Gnocchi, which was exceptionally smooth and tasty. My wife had the Lasagne - which she orders every time we go there and reckons it’s the absolute best. Our son and his partner were equally impressed with the dinner and have been very regular customers since moving to Melbourne.
Despite it being a cold winter night, we sat at an outdoor table and were very comfortable, thanks to overhead heating.
As always, the service was friendly and efficient.

This place has over 60 years of history for serving authentic Italian food. I had the prawn and broccoli linguine and it was perfect. No heavy cream just garlic oil and so so tasty. The prawns firm and flavoursome. The tiramisu was light and elegant with subtle flavours. Great wine list too.

We love this restaurant. Great for a business lunch or Birthday party. Always good food and great service. 👌 👍

Incredibly delicious and very good service all three times we were there!!

Recommend it.

Big thanks for making my special meal spaghetti Alfredo, definitely coming back!!

Great service… fresh cook pasta and food.. I prefer this restaurant over Papa Gino.. in terms of both the food and service 👍👍👍 although the taste of food sometimes are inconsistent.. but 5 stars for their service.. I wouldn’t order the tiramisu again because of the extremely small portion and the taste is not really that good, maybe other dessert or cakes next time..

Paul, Micky, Dominique and Daniel provide outstanding customer service and always accomodate your dietary needs. Have been coming here for years and the warm welcome we receive is genuine and heartfelt. We always take overseas visitors here - a true Lygon Street staple. Love the pizza but I’m now gluten free so switched to pasta which is equally delicious and authentic.

Brilliant food at a good value, very friendly service, highly recommend to everyone. Will be coming back.

Brilliant tasting food at fair prices, friendly service, highly recommend & will be going back.

Lovely place, great service, the food is absolutely delicious every single time!!! My partner and I love the place. Highly recommended.

A very historically significant cafe. Where one of the very earliest espresso machines is still on display inside the building. This cafe is a "must see" location at Lygon Street if you are genuine in your interest about Melbourne's coffee ☕ history and unique culture.

Very nice experience for a night out, the portion is big and taste is fantastic, would definitely recommend it!

I order linguine broccoli and add up chilli flakes..
The food was great, the service was better. The staff are wonderful.

Lovely Italian cuisine. Big choice, so hard to decide as everything looked so good.
Recommend trying it once and you will return!

A great place. Very good service and good food. A place to go back to time and again. Prices are reasonable, and the place is down to earth, not snobbish. There are few restaurants of this high calibre, so check it out.

Amazing food and service, delicate portions that do still fill you up. I had the gnocchi, the eggplant, parmigiana, and the tiramisu all amazing.