Spaghetti Club arrives on Swan Street today as a glowing ode to the long, lazy lunches that become family legend—bowls of pasta passed around the table, wine flowing freely, and conversation stretching well into the afternoon.
From MAMAS Dining Group—the team powering Melbourne favourites like Disuko, Hochi Mama and Straight Outta Saigon—this Southern Italian haven springs from co-founder Lucas Gugliandolo’s childhood.
Inside a faded orange recipe book carried from Sicily by his late Nonno are decades of culinary memories—scribbles from pastry kitchens in the 1950s, bustling shifts at Bar Irrera Messina, and the sacred Monday night feasts of cotoletta, fresh-rolled pasta, lasagna, involtini and pasta alla norma.
Echoes from Nonno’s Notebook
“The orange book was never meant to become a restaurant,” Gugliandolo reflects. “It was simply Nonno writing down what he cooked throughout his life, from pastry kitchens in Sicily through to the dinners we all grew up around. As a result, seeing those dishes evolve into a menu in Melbourne feels incredibly emotional for our family.”
Additionally, Head Chef Michael Fleming channels that spirit through house-made pasta and live-fire kisses, drawing from his own Italian-Australian roots in Myrtleford. “It’s not about replicating the dishes exactly,” he says. “It’s more about preserving the feeling of their generosity, simplicity and food that naturally brings people together around a table.”
Also, the menu flows with those reborn classics, with cacio e pepe arancini paired with black garlic aioli; housemade spaghetti vongole scented with bottarga and lemon; involtini brimming with provolone and herb crumb; Nonno’s lasagne, its layers of bolognese, béchamel, and ricotta crisped golden at the edges.
A thick pork chop cotoletta revives family Mondays, scattered with fried capers, parmesan and green goddess dressing. Subtle surprises like Vegemite focaccia weave in Fleming’s heritage, while desserts—tiramisu, ricotta cannoli, zeppole with smoked honey—seal the spell.
A Kitchen That Whispers Home
Joan Budiono and co-founder Thai Ho craft an interior that wraps you like a well-worn apron, with amber glows from stained glass, while dark timber warms the walls and marble gleams beneath copper pots suspended above the open kitchen.
Moreover, plush booths and candlelit tables invite you to linger, evoking Nonna’s hearth through a contemporary haze—cozy, unhurried, alive with the sizzle of flame and conversation.
Beverage maestro Aaron Wall (ex-Eau-De-Vie) pours aperitivo poetry, with spritzes and Negronis to start, Birra Moretti flowing from the tap alongside Peroni Red and Menabrea. Italian icons like Barolo, Negroamaro, and Primitivo mingle with vibrant locals, while cocktails play with tradition—such as a Sicilian Sour sweet as summer, Not Your Nonno’s Negroni with a sly edge and an Espresso Martini, hot or cold under chai cream.
Swing by 95 Swan Street, Richmond to dine at Spaghetti Club—Monday-Tuesday from 5pm, Wednesday-Sunday from noon. The doors may have opened today, but this is only the beginning.
