Emilia reviews a Lygon Street landmark
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Il Gambero
166 Lygon Street, Carlton
I’m spending this finals series making my way through footballer-owned venues across Victoria, and tonight that took me to one of the icons of Lygon Street – Il Gambero.
This legendary Italian spot is run by former Bulldog-turned-Richmond midfielder Paul Dimmatina, who took over the reins more than a decade ago. Dimmatina hasn’t just maintained the reputation of Il Gambero – a restaurant that has been feeding Carlton locals and uni students since 1973 – he’s shaped it into both a living institution and a place that still feels personal.
If you’ve ever walked the stretch of Lygon at night, you’ll know the scene: tables spilling onto the street, the smell of wood-fired pizza travelling down the road, a clatter of plates, glasses, and laughter. Il Gambero slips seamlessly into that lineage, but once you sit down, you see why the locals are loyal. The service hits that balance of casual and attentive – no fuss, but never inattentive – and the menu reads like a greatest hits of crowd-pleasing Italian cooking.
We began with Nonna’s Meatballs, three to a serve, generously sized, sitting in a rich tomato sugo that was all comfort and nostalgia. They had the sort of slow-cooked flavour that suggests the recipe hasn’t been touched in years, and rightly so.
After that, we went half/half on a pizza, I love a venue that knows the value in allowing a half/half – half Mark’s Special, half Agnello. The Agnello was fragrant with lamb and rosemary, a clever nod to classic roast flavours transposed onto a pizza. Mark’s Special is loaded with hot salami, prawns, olives, and capsicum; it straddles the line between indulgence and balance. (For the record: “Mark” refers to long-time Il Gambero chef Mark Torriani, who passed away in 2017 – the pizza lives on now as a tribute to him, a reminder of the strong ties that run through this kitchen.)
The Il Gambero Pasta was last to land, and fittingly so: a house specialty of fettuccine tossed with prawns, scallops, calamari and mussels, all in garlic, chilli and olive oil. It’s the kind of dish that doesn’t need dressing up – just fresh seafood, pasta with a good bite, and a sauce that clings in all the right ways.
Il Gambero doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, and that’s precisely its charm. There’s something reassuring about a place that leans on tradition but still has enough verve to feel contemporary. Paul Dimmatina has built more than a footballer’s side project here – he’s the steward of a Carlton landmark, and you get the sense he looks after it in the same way he once looked after teammates on the field.
This is a restaurant that’s about familiarity and generosity, the kind of venue where everyone from first dates to family birthdays feels at home. In a finals season that’s all about passion, Il Gambero might be the perfect place to fuel up before or after a game – just don’t skip Nonna’s meatballs or Mark’s enduring legacy, both of which tell you everything you need to know about why this place endures.
Image: 3AW