The Gertrude Street Enoteca

This was one of the first places my partner took me to when I moved to Melbourne so it’s a little bit special to me for that reason, but it still is more than worthy of its 5 stars. There is an excellent choice of wines available and the staff are very willing to help you choose. The menu is exactly what you would expect, with an ever-​changing selection of cured meats and cheeses, and they never disappoint.
The seating is limited, which I feel adds to the intimate ambience, and when you’re seated at the table outside, you kind of feel like you’re not in Melbourne anymore.
For me, Enoteca is all about the feeling and to be honest I can’t think of a better way to start your weekend than with a glass or two of prosecco, some cheese and olives in a snug but stylish setting.

The wine selection is very good and the setting is quite nice and confortable. An excellent place to have an afternoon conversation or small bites before dinner. Wine is their strength even though they prepare other well drinks. Unfortunately their Aperol Spritz is not very good.

Wine. Charcuterie. Cheese. Bread. Perhaps the greatest foods ever invented?
Gertrude Street Enoteca provides all of these things in very generous proportions, and it’s hard to declare which of these is the best; they’re all good. The wine selection is always interesting, with some great options by the glass and even more by the bottle. It’s hard not to end up buying a bottle to take home once you’ve tried something new and intriguing.
The food is perfect drinking food, rich and good for sharing. There’s the likes of smoked salmon with crème fraîche, eel rillettes and cured meats, served with mountains of super fresh baguette to ensure you have plenty in your stomach to soak up all that vino.

Lovely décor, it really does feel like a slice of Italy. The sophisticated wine bar, small bite to eat or apéritif type of café.
Staff were nice and very attentive with water but not very attentive when it came to trying to obtain the bill and pay. Maybe that was on purpose? Maybe they expected me to go to them to pay? If so it worked.
The salmon gravlax was delicious if a little small as was the glass of sparkling. Delicious that is, not small. I was a little thrown when it arrived in a wine glass rather than a flute.
I was lunching with a friend who is vegetarian and dairy free which the menu doesn’t accommodating however our waitress agree to make some minor alterations to a baguette and was very accomodating. It wasn’t too busy for a Saturday afternoon. Overall it was a pleasant experience but not spectacular I’d probably try somewhere different next time. Mainly due to the lack of menu options both to my taste and for my friends requirements.

I fully expect to update this review in the fullness of time — but I believe in rating not just the location, but the experience, in the context in which it transpired. So, in the interest of full disclosure: My wife and I tried out the Gertrude Street Enoteca after an evening of cocktails at The Everleigh. We probably had 4 each, things were not entirely fuzzy, but playing a game of darts was most definitely out of the question.
We had the nibbles, and the staff at The Everleigh were always happy to make a suggestion or two. Sadly, The Everleigh does NOT offer much by way of nibbles, they have no kitchen, no storage, so there really aren’t any options besides some basics (sigh) so we were forced to wander on our way.
Most other visits have wound up with us at Belle’s Diner downstairs, but, Belle’s was packed, so we wandered along the road. MaryAnn had mentioned the Enoteca and we happened to glance across the street and see it, so, in we went.
It’s cozy, has a GREAT atmosphere and I saw some spectacular looking wines on the shelves and on the menu.
However, we were in the mood for food, so we went for that part of the menu — and had an excellent chicken stuffed with veal dinner. It was the only «dinner of the day» option, and the rest of the food menu was more in line with the true character of the location as a wine bar.
We loved our meal, had a great glass of white each (I forgot to note which, and after the cocktails, it probably didn’t matter) and I finished with a love Bas Armagnac.
The staff were friendly, the feeling very much one of comfort, and I got the sense that if you return more than a few times, you’re instantly a regular.
So why not more stars?
Simple: My fault. We arrived after cocktails, we weren’t looking for a wine bar experience, and we didn’t actually have one. We only tried the dinner of the day, and everything went swimmingly. Not a single complaint.
But I think that to more accurately rate the Enoteca would require arriving sober, going through a few reds, having some nibbles on the side, and truly enjoying a few hours there. I’m not sure we did it justice by simply showing up after a night of drinking.
We *WILL* be back, and I am sure I will update this review and star-​count. But I think the context of our visit is important; don’t choose the Enoteca if you’re not looking for the full experience it has to offer. We really enjoyed our meal, but, I feel it deserved more than we were able to give that night.

Go here if you want to impress a date… wall to wall wine bottles and a very cool space… add some cheese to boot and you have a winner.

As other reviewers note, the main reason to come here is for the excellent wine selection — including many unique wines from area winemakers that you won’t find in your local wine shop — that pairs well with the food offerings (mostly share plates).
This is all true, but let me give you another reason to come here: the quiet ambiance that whispers (not screams) romantic, making it a great low-​key, non-​pressure date (or «maybe it’s a date?») place. It’s sexy in a subtle and understated way — just the right amount of light, not too heavy on the candles — and your conversation won’t have to compete with the music. All things that ought to be standard in a wine bar, but unfortunately are not to be taken for granted.
I will always remember Gertrude Street Enoteca as the place I first realised I was on a «date» with my partner. SIlly American me, unaccustomed to the informal and civilised ways of Australian «dating», had thought we’d just been hanging out until that night. Within moments I knew: nope, definitely a date.
If you are in that in-​between not-​quite-​friends limbo with someone amazing and want to up the ante, Gertrude Street Enoteca should be on your list.

An addition to the family called for a celebration and Enoteca was highly recommended.
Preferring dry whites, the waitress recommend a bottle of Riesling which we paired with a mixed plate of cured meats.
Really really good…

Sherry is no longer an old lady’s drink, it’s making a comeback. That’s what I heard on the grapevine anyway.
The Enoteca is all elegance and class and this is where I tasted the goddamn best sherry ever. Not knowing much about sherries, but realising that I would like to know more about it, I came in here and asked the bartender what kind of sherries they have. The bartender reeled off a whole string of words that I did not understand, but I did gather that, on the most simplistic level, I could choose between dry, medium or sweet sherry. Like the fence-​sitter that I can be, I went for a medium sherry.
And I tell you what, it was beautiful. I wanted to buy a bottle of it to take home with me, but at $ 15 a glass, I knew I didn’t have the funds for the full bottle. Still, sitting in the cosy and intimate bar space surrounded by the best bottled grapes known to Melbourne, I took pleasure in the moment and god knows I sipped the %^# out of that drink and savoured every note, scent by cent.

This high end wine bar, come café, come take-​away boutique wine shop, come restaurant excels in every single way. If you are after absolutely the best of the best, be that their outstanding wine menu, delicious hot chocolate or just a platter of cheese and olives — then Enoteca is the place for you.
Not to be confused with the Italian owned business of the same name on Lygon Street, Enoteca is not the place for those light in the wallet. Everything is of the best quality here. Expect to pay upwards of $ 15 per glass of wine. But then again that is because it is most likely worth the price. The simple and ever changing food menu is also something to keep an eye on. The food is always tasty if on the pricey side — again because only the best ingredients are being used here.
So if you are feeling like taking a dip on the classy side and don’t mind paying for what you get — then check this place out. If you aren’t into paying a cool $ 20 for a glass of wine you can always go there for a coffee, or even better a hot chocolate. You only have to see how much real Belgian chocolate they add to see it is going to be a good experience.
If you are dating a wine connoisseur and want to impress, then look no further than Enoteca. They only sell top quality wine hand picked by one of Melbourne’s best sommeliers, and they do take-​away at a (relatively) cheaper price.