Richmond’s laid-back Italian restaurant Ganzo has had a reboot, emerging from Melbourne’s lockdowns with a revamped venue, mouth-watering new menu items and a team ready to welcome new and old customers back with their incomparable Italian hospitality.
Owned and operated by renowned chef Ian Curley (French Saloon, Kirk’s) and restaurateur Valerio Calabro (La Svolta, Figo) the pair combined their love of the Mediterranean in early 2020 to create an authentic Italian restaurant on Richmond’s popular dining strip, Bridge Road.
Melbourne’s ongoing lockdowns meant they had to largely operate as a take-away space for most of 2020 and 2021; however, they used this time to make a few changes, so that when they finally re-opened, they could come back bigger and better than before.
Continuing to offer their famous Classic Italian artisan pizzas, they also serve a selection of silky-smooth house-made pasta with delicious sauces, along with antipasti bites such as their deep-fried crumbed mozzarella, sauteed mussels and clams in white wine, and pork and veal meatballs served in a Napoli sauce.
The hero dish on the menu is their new house-made tagliatelle served with slow-cooked duck ragu and mixed mushrooms, finished with dried porcini dust.
Transforming what was once a dark and grungy space into a bright and light-filled dining room with an open kitchen and American Oak Bar, regular customers may notice an exciting change since their last visit – the garage out the back has since been converted into an additional dining space with funky, graffiti-style wall-art, housing up to 25 guests for private parties. Affectionately called the ‘Ganzo Garage’, the space complements the main dining room that’s fitted with an industrial vibe.
While it has been a trying time for Melbourne hospitality venues, Valerio says he only wants to focus on the future.
“It’s been a long time coming, but we’re so excited to finally be open again for dine in,” he said.
“We’ve missed our daily interactions with our customers, and we can’t wait to welcome them all back again, with a few new surprises in store to make their experience a fun and memorable one.”
Meaning ‘cool’ in Tuscan, Ganzo is a casual eatery that prides itself on delivering classic, homemade Italian cuisine that lets its food and hospitality speak for itself.
Ganzo is open Wednesday to Sunday, 5:00pm – 9:30pm.
