Emilia heads north to review a new Italian restaurant making an ‘obvious impression’
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Toni
21-31 Hall St, Moonee Ponds
Toni is a very newly opened restaurant on Hall Street, Moonee Ponds. Whilst there were a couple of little signs of their newness with plenty of signs of veteran hospitality to juxtapose against that.
Toní is the latest venture from the talented team behind Naga Moon, and it’s already making an obvious impression with the who’s who of the Ponds. While Naga Moon is known for bold, modern Thai by Moonee Ponds locals, Toní takes a different path: a soulful, confidently modern Italian menu with a focus on seasonal ingredients, vibrant flavours, and a genuine sense of hospitality.
Despite being open barely 2 days when I visited and whilst bookings were still available for an hour’s time when I booked late Wednesday afternoon by 7.30pm when our 2 hour sitting expired we got an old covid tradition rolled out asking if we could pay the bill as our time was up and most other tables were filled. Thanks to my early booking I was in time to sneak in one happy hour drink (4-6pm) which was a $6 mini martini, a good way to start. A King Valley red from Dal Zotto followed, pretty happy with my choices to be honest.
We kicked off with a golden-crusted house-made focaccia, warm and chewy with a whisper of olive oil and sea salt, begging to be dragged through a velvety plate of stracciatella, creamy, luscious, and indulgent topped with figs and pine nuts. In fact the top of their menu encourages this kind of uncouth behaviour – “At Toní, we pay homage to the way Italian families eat at home – everyone gathered around the table, sharing, passing plates, and making a bit of a mess in the best way possible. Our sharing-style menu invites you to get playful: dip the bread in a random sauce, top your pasta with some marinated tomatoes, mix and match as you like.” I always do as I’m told.
Charred peppers bring smokiness and sweetness to the table, a clever contrast to richer dishes. Of a bed of yellow split pea, and topped with chorizo and chives we happily got the Skull Island Prawns involved in this extravaganza.
Among the pastas, the crab spaghetti is a standout: delicate, fresh, and full of ocean flavour, with the heat dialed up and citrus throughout, we got ours with gluten free pasta to try it and they nailed it – a large fusilli to get all the flavours caught in each turn.
The beef cheek lumache (shell-shaped pasta) is comforting and deeply savoury, with meat that melts into the sauce. For purists, the cacio e pepe rigatoni is done right, peppery, cheesy, and beautifully emulsified, letting each tube of pasta shine.
For mains, the spatchcock is perfectly cooked: crisp-skinned, juicy, and subtly smoky. It pairs well with the butter lettuce salad, a fresh and herby reset between bites, and the fries- which are golden, crisp, and seasoned just enough to disappear fast. The beetroot dish is earthy and sweet, adding colour and depth to the table.
Price wise the appetisers were super well priced but pastas sat a little on the higher side with nothing under $30. Whilst the atmosphere was elevated it can feel like you’re paying city prices in the suburbs. Nevertheless, I would pay it in the city or Moonee Ponds for the quality.
Toní isn’t trying to reinvent Italian food, it’s honouring it, with clarity and confidence. Every dish feels considered, seasonal, and made to share. The vibe is intimate yet buzzing, we saw two tables of two, each a pair of the opposite sex start chatting only to leave the girls kicking themselves that they didn’t get the boys numbers after. There is an air of cheekiness to the place, a definite date night vibe.
My misstep but worth noting, I might’ve misconstrued the vibe before I went, I brought my 4 year old niece and whilst they did tell me they didn’t really cater to kids with a kids menu (totally fine, she’s been eating ox tongue and curries since she could handle solids), I later saw on their website they said they don’t normally cater to kids under 8 there was one waitress in particular who made her feel welcome, special shoutout to her!
The food speaks for itself and it appears word is travelling fast – give Toni’s a go for when you need great food in the north.
Images: Supplied