Carlton osteria, dinner only

Osteria Bardo

Northern Italian. Open fire. Six tables a night.

Carlton, Wed to Sat, doors at 6pm
A look inside

A room, a fire, a glass that does the talking.

Twenty-eight seats, a single hearth, and the producers named on the wall. Photographed honest, no styling tricks.

  • A long timber table set for service with candles and stemware

    The dining room

  • Plated dish presented with seasonal garnish

    This week's producers

  • Chef plating the pass during a service

    Front of house

  • Slow-cooked dish photographed honestly under low light

    On the menu

The Kitchen

One menu, written each Tuesday, served Wednesday to Saturday.

We cook what the producers send us this week. The menu is short on purpose. If we cannot stand behind a dish, it does not appear.

  • 01

    Wood Fire

    A single hearth runs the kitchen. Bread, fish, lamb shoulder, vegetables on coals.

  • 02

    Pasta

    Hand-rolled each afternoon. Two shapes a night, sauced to the dough.

  • 03

    Producers

    Named on the menu. Dairy from Gippsland, lamb from Flinders, herbs from a Brunswick rooftop.

  • 04

    Cellar

    Italian first, with a small Victorian shelf. Natural where it makes sense, conventional where it doesn't.

  • 05

    Service

    One floor lead, two on pass, one runner. No pagers, no phones at the table.

  • 06

    Pace

    Two and a quarter hours, start to coffee. We do not rush you, we do not stall you.

  • 07

    Allergens

    Tell us when you book. The kitchen replaces, never substitutes through guesswork.

  • 08

    Closing

    Last reservation seated at 9pm. Espresso, amaro, the lights come up gently at 11.

This week's menu

Written Tuesday, served Wednesday to Saturday.

What you see is the room's menu for the current week. The kitchen prints a fresh card each Tuesday around the producers we're working with.

Antipasti

  • Sourdough, cultured butter$9

    From the wood oven, sea-salt cultured butter

  • Vitello tonnato$24

    Slow-cooked veal, tuna mayonnaise, capers

  • Mozzarella, peach, basilV$26

    Pugliese mozzarella, white peach, torn basil

  • Crudo, lemon, olio nuovoGF$28

    Today's catch, lemon, new-season olive oil

Primi

  • Tagliatelle, ragù bianco$32

    Slow-cooked pork, white wine, milk

  • Cavatelli, broccolini, chilliV$30

    Bronze-cut, garlic, chilli, lemon

  • Agnolotti, brown butter, sage$34

    Veal-stuffed agnolotti, sage butter

  • Spaghetti, blue swimmer crab$38

    Hand-picked crab, white wine, parsley

Secondi

  • Whole flounder, brown butterGF$74

    Wood-grilled, lemon, capers — for two

  • Lamb shoulder, salsa verde$84

    Slow-cooked Flinders lamb, salsa verde — for two

  • Charred leek, anchovy$26

    Coal-roasted, anchovy butter

  • Fennel, blood orangeVGF$22

    Shaved fennel, blood orange, parmesan

Dolci

  • Tiramisù$16

    Made daily, mascarpone from Gippsland

  • Olive oil cake, mascarponeV$15

    Lemon, olive oil, whipped mascarpone

  • Affogato, seasonal granita$14

    Single-origin espresso, today's granita

  • Cheese, honeycomb$22

    Two cheeses, honeycomb, walnut bread

Dietary requirements are handled when you book — tell us at the time. Two-course minimum at the bar, four at the table.

Sittings

Three ways to eat with us.

Same menu, same kitchen, different shape of evening. Pick what suits the night.

Bar

Walk in. Eight stools at the pass.

From $65 a headFirst come
  • Two-course minimum
  • Watch the fire from the seat
  • Held until 7.30pm only
Walk in
Most booked

Dining Room

Six tables, two sittings.

From $95 a headReserve online
  • Four-course set or à la carte
  • Wine pairings on request
  • Two and a quarter hours at table
Book a table

Private Hire

The whole room, one party.

From $4,200Minimum spend
  • Up to twenty-four guests
  • Custom menu with the chef
  • Dedicated front-of-house lead
Enquire about hire
FAQ

Asked often enough to answer here.

If your question is not here, write to the floor and we will reply by the next service.

  • The eight bar seats are first-come, first-served from 6pm. The dining room is reservation-only, with the occasional last-minute spot if a booking falls through.

Reservations

Book a table.

We confirm by email within the same evening. For private hire enquiries, please add your guest count and the date you have in mind.

Confirmations sent the same evening.