Avanti Cafe & Pasta

I noticed Avanti years ago but never got around to visiting them. This valentine’s day gave me the perfect excuse to take my girlfriend to this intriguing restaurant. I’m not sure how busy they are normally, but the carpark (which is multi level) was so packed we had to park on the street. We took this as a good sign, if a place is that busy it must be something to talk about, right?
Once inside, we found a waiter and were promptly seated. I’m not sure how busy they are normally and it may be because it was valentines day, but it was bustling with customers. Avanti is BYO and their corkage was $ 7 (I think…). Our waiter was friendly and we felt we were off to a good start.
We ordered a pesto bread to start, followed by calamari fritti, I had a meat market pizza and my girlfriend had a fettucine cabonara. We didn’t have to wait too long for food which we found fantastic. The pesto bread was delicious, it had a great amount of crispiness and the pesto really brought it home. Our calamari was to DIE for! Some restaurants over season calamari or it’s over cooked. Not the case here! Every bite melted in the mouth. It was also topped with aioli which gave it a nice tang to the taste.
One thing you have to remember when coming here is to come with an empty stomach, their portion sizes are quite big! My girlfriends carbonara was served in a fairly deep bowl, pasta was cooked well, the sauce had a well balanced creaminess, definitely not overpowering like some other italian restaurants.
Finally, my pizza. I consider myself a lover of pizza, I enjoy making my own from scratch at home, so I had high expectations for my main. It’s easy to over do a topping and overpower the flavour of the pizza. Again, I was not disappointed. The base was cooked extremely well, not soggy, crispy, the cheese and toppings didn’t overpower the sauce (it was GREAT to be able to taste the sauce through the toppings! :D), it was overall a fantastic pizza!
I managed to finish my meal but we had to take the carbonara home there was so much of it! Throughout our meal the servers checked to make sure everything was going well but not in an invasive way which was awesome. We thought about dessert but we were to full! We also noticed some the other meals going around and they looked amazing! They have a crab lasagne that I really want to try!
The ONLY downside was our table, which was a tiny bit small. But other than that, we left really happy with our evening.
So to sum up, Avanti is friendly restaurant with great service, fantastic food and an intimate atmosphere. If you’re looking for a new Italian restaurant, definitely give them a try! Looking forward to going back!

I haven’t been to Avanti’s in years and thought I would give it another go. So I went with the ‘rents and made them pay :)
The serving sizes were really big, the prices were average for Italian (Pastas about $ 20, Other mains $ 25-​ish) and the food was decent. It wasn’t out-​of-​this-​world good, but it was decent enough, so no complaints here.
I also had the coconut and lime ice-​cream for dessert, which was a little disappointing. It tasted of far to much coconut milk and I didn’t taste the lime at all.
Overall, a decent night but I wouldn’t rush back, especially if I had to pay.

So I finally got myself and my husband to Avanti, it’s very close to where we live so I am happy I gave it a shot. Listen, it was ok, you wouldn’t take your visiting interstate relatives there, but it’s good for a nice meal. We didn’t order an entrée or starter as we have heard much of the trough like portions. For the mains, I had the Ravioli al Vodka, which was wholesome, no stand out flavour or anything to blow your mind. My husband had the Ravioli al Gorgonzola, which was devilishly creamy! The Danish blue cheese was stirred through giving you just a surprise after taste! For desert, we had ice cream from the lovely case they have at the counter, I had Coconut Lime Gelato and hubby had the Fig & Marscapone ice cream, both were wonderful! The service was friendly, but slow, granted they were full but still, as a frequenter of eating establishments I expect better, as should you. The décor is inconsistent, there are fairy lights that seem intended to frame but they all just sort «fall where they may.» The restaurant welcomes large groups, giving it a friendly but loud atmosphere. Also, its only one bill per table. All in all, this place is pretty good, you could rely on it to deliver plentiful, satisfying meals but definitely isn’t not like «nonna used to make it.»

In my opinion, Avanti looks kind of cheap and tacky from the outside– in that ‘bistro by the beach’ kind of way. It’s got a covered alfresco area and it’s so large it makes me think of RSLs and function rooms.
This is my only criticism of Avanti. My suggestion is the ignore the setting (if you don’t like it) and just get into the food. There aren’t many fantastic Italian restaurants in Brisbane, and all I can say is that Avanti makes up for this lack in quite a few ways.
Their menu seems endless. You’ll need extra time ordering simply because you have to read a novel of a menu before you can decide on anything. Here’s some suggestions. For entrée, try the Carpaccio. We’re talking about raw veal, with capers, lemon, pepper and mustard. For mains? You’ve got so many options, but here’s my pick of the lot: Pollo alla fiorentina ($ 24.95). It’s rich and you’d be daring to have it– the flavours are overwhelming. It’s boneless chicken breast stuffed with camembert, sundried tomatoes and spinach, finished with pesto. Too much? Definitely. Is it worth it? Without doubt.
Then, after you’ve discreetly undone your fly after your main, you should try one of the 24 gelato flavours they offer. You really can have whatever you want. They’ve got a full bar too.
It’s really just the atmosphere that puts me off Avanti. It seems generic, and with features like TV’s posted up on a couple of the walls, it brings the rest of the place down. My advice is to just focus on the food. It really is worth it.

Oh my god the food here is amazing! I went with a few friends, all of us Italian food lovers, and we were hard pressed just to pick one meal from their extensive menu. In the end, we settled on a gnocchi in sage butter with chorizo, the blackened barramundi and a seafood risotto. All were incredible, perfectly cooked with fantastic flavours and in large enough portions to leave us completely satisfied. I was surprised to find that I really liked my friends gnocchi as I usually find it bland and the texture awful but this was drool worthy. We also had an eggplant and sundried tomato dip with crispy flat bread that was full of intense flavours.
The prices are great considering the quality and taste of the food at around $ 20 – 25 a main. Avanti has a nice big open eating area and its BYO if you don’t want to try one of their wines. The staff are very nice, prompt and helpful. All in all its a really great place to take a group of people for lunch or dinner.

Avanti is the perfect place to hit up if you like your Italian; not the men, the food, I mean. It’s serious value for money and really great meals with more selections that you can think of, which works well for a picky eater like me. They also give you really generous portions and are so nice as to let you take your leftovers home. My favourite is their creamy tortellini, which is so tender and the cream sauce is to die for. I also have a bias towards their veal, which is always tender and always paired with a brilliant sauce.
For the faint of heart or the sensitive stomached there are also salads, tomato pastas, pizzas, risotto, and seafood for you to take your pick from. Their upstairs area is really great for groups and you can even order a cocktail as flamboyant as a Fruit Tingle if you’re looking for some fun with your meal. You can also BYO or have a banquet menu for larger parties. And boys, don’t be alarmed, there are two massive TVs there to keep you in touch with all the sport highlights so you don’t miss out. Stick around after your meal and sample some of their icecream too. Avanti is a great place for a really good, very filling feed without burning a hole in your pocket. It’s also an excellent place for groups and functions when you need to cater for every taste.