Baby

I’d say don’t throw Baby out with the bath water… or perhaps not to put Baby in a corner, but Baby it’s bland inside! Heyyoohhhh… seriously though, compared to Chin Chin, Go Go Bar or even Kong, they all have identities and a sense of uniqueness. This Lucas brand incarnation is unique in its blandness. And I don’t mean to be harsh or mean, it’s fine. It’s fine! It’s really just fine. Spacious, clean and no personality like many other eateries nearby, including its brethren Kong.
We had pizza but nothing special. The beer selection was woeful and the waiter couldn’t tell us anything about the beers they did have. None were on tap/​draught either. So I guess when you are a pizza place with a wine list, you get to charge more for pizza?
You know when you have a friend that you aren’t really good friends with but you can’t not be their friend anymore, and you need some place to go… this is the place! It would also be ideal for lunch or work related events, but there are so many better options for date night or getting together with friends — you know the ones you like, like.

For those east siders that aren’t a fan of heading north side for DOC, hellllloooo BABY. Delicious thin crust pizzas with amazing toppings, will have even the best carb avoider tucking in.
A somewhat under-​utalised hour though is breakfast. Sit outside and enjoy the sunshine while tucking in to delicious treats like baked eggs or a smashed avocado.
There is another incredibly popular café across the road, but skip those queues and head to Baby for a sneaky brunch. Nommy nom nom.

Didn’t have such a great experience here last Saturday night. We arrived after 7 to find we had to wait for 45 minutes and accepted that was ok, given an interstate friend was very keen to try this place out. With it pouring with rain outside, the restaurant packed and the bar area not having any space in sight. We were restricted to wait inside the front door which became overly packed as others arriving late had no where to go. The guy co-​ordinating the bookings asked us to move as we were blocking the door. We asked where he would like us to move, as the only place was between tables where people were eating. At that point we had waited for 45 mins, only to be told we would have to wait for another 30 mins.
You guessed it, even though we had been patient to begin with, after the guy at the desk gave us the attitude we decided to bail and find a restaurant that was more accommodating and have to say friendly. I am not sure what the fuss is about iwith this place, as it is only Italian food after all. We obviously left very disenchanted and our interstate guest disappointed. I guess this what you get when you are not able to book for parties of less than 8. Oh btw, we won’t be returning to even see what the restaurant has on offer.
Extremely disappointed

This is brilliant Italian food. Being of Italian descent I’m usually weary of Italian style cuisine when eating out but the offerings from Baby will not disappoint. I had the $ 66 meal where multiple dishes including pizza, arancini, cured meats and pasta were served to our table and all were to die for. I wish I could have eaten more! It was also really nice to have wait staff describe each dish and tell you a bit about why they’ve chosen to serve it. Very pleased! Wear your pants with the elastic waist when visiting for sure!

Biased opinion cause I got takeaway, but paid 20 something for the chicken dish, pretty underwhelming service and nothing particularly special. Pizzas are decent but also nothing I’m that excited to you about.

Good pizza, maybe not for the price. DONT do breakfast here, plenty of awesome places nearby, these guys don’t specialise in a good breakfast. Though have cheap OK coffee.

An early Sunday brunch, seven of us including 3 kids. The place was practically deserted when we arrived, and were wondering if the absence of custom was an indicator of a bad choice on our part.
By the time we had had coffee (really very good coffee) the place was filling up. And by the time we left, with a very nice brekkie inside us, the joint was jumpin.
Highly recommend for brekkie/​brunch.

Picked this place randomly on the way home because it looked crowded. The design and atmosphere inside are very fresh and sharp. However it is a bit loud. The tables outside look great but as it was autumn it was already chilly. There is a decent selection of wine and beers. The waiter was attentive. The roasted potatoes were tasty and chicken breast was very juicy. The portion size was also on the large size. The margarita pizza was very light as it should be. The apple pie we had for dessert was also good. I would give this place 5 stars if not for the price which is a little bit to high in my opinion.

Had one of my Melbourne breakfasts here before we headed out to the wineries.
I’m not sure why, but I almost gave this place 3 stars. But I ran through the checklist in my head and nothing was «bad»… I guess I just didn’t like the service much. We had this ridiculously gorgeous waitress who just seemed unimpressed with everything and took 15 minutes at a time to bring us our $ 7 orange juice (annoying when you need to leave and that gives you 1 minute to drink it), and looked like she was holding herself back from rolling her eyes at every interaction, lol. Maybe that was why.
Everyone’s breakfast was pretty good. I had the spicy eggs with guanciale. Good, but quite heavy. And the $ 7 orange juice, which was quite a small serving too. It has a great ambiance, indoors and outside and I got freaked out in the bathroom with the Italian lessons on the radio. I was like, there’s a man in here? What? Hehe.

I was craving an iced latte on a hot Melbourne day. My first choice café was closed so I ventured over to Baby.
Now all the iced lattes I’ve ever had (in Melbourne and NYC — NO Starbucks!!) looked like this:
Unfortunately the Baby version of iced latte was an icecream in coffee dessert kind of thing. An «Iced Coffee». And $ 5.50 for this food court kind of drink! I’ll be sure to double check in future.

We had take aways, Pretty expensive and food wasn’t that fresh once we got it home. Pizza yum but pasta not the greatest and small for $ 20 or more.

I’m not quite sure when pizzas became a $ 20 fare but it seems to be the standard everywhere outside of Bimbos these days.
Baby is definitely on the pricey side, but the ingredients are fresh and good quality.
The fit-​out and ambience is nice. I went in early for lunch and was glad I did, as the place filled fast. The pizza menu had a ton of great options and I’m keen to come back and try the pastas and other bits.
Service was pleasant and speedy.

Americana baked eggs is the number one hit for me on this menu (Brunch). A spice blend of tomatoes and baked eggs sieved bubbling hot on a skillet pan with a side of toast. «Tip» order extra toast with this dish, you only get one slice otherwise to mop this pan clean.

From Chin Chin to Baby, serving Italian cuisine. Baby is a real crowd pleaser, just like its older brother Chin Chin, you can’t book but it gets busy baby, so get in early.
Décor-​wise, there’s a modern, hip, renovator’s hook with red lights and wooden floors. The noise level is loud, but it’s expected with all the babies in here. The mood is detailed, it’s relaxed, amibent and busy. It attracts a fun crowd, definitely a place you feel like you want to stay in and this was a Monday night? Am I missing something? Fun? Monday? All in the same wowing sentence. It happened.
Staff are friendly and smile to your delight, they might not know the menu well staying true to popular opinion, but that didn’t ruin my experience as I was amusing myself working out which dish to dive into while sitting in the open chief area while they work their magic. Spaghettini Marinara was delicious which had white wine and garlic for good measure. The Birra Messina beer is great companion to this dish with its light and delicate taste (wine might be a better option for you).
The dessert was tempting my fragile eyes but my stomach didn’t seem to agree, so maybe next time. Yes, I’m talking to you, tiramisu, you looked fantabulous when I peaked over.
It was a great experience, the food was tasty and expect similar pricing to Chin Chin. I highly recommend Baby.

Went for dinner with friends — enjoyed all the pizzas we tried, and found the staff to be quite pleasant and funny. Yes, it’s a bit pricey for pizza, but it IS good pizza. That said, the décor was a bit lacking, and there was a funny vibe.
So no complaints, but nothing to go nuts about either.

Went to this place after hearing it was from the makers of Chinchins.
They have definately gone with an authentic Italian feel– even a lot of the staff were Italian.
Everything was good– the food was simple, not over the top and pretty darn tasty. I had the Rigatoni Ragu which I think totally surpassed my dates Salumi pizza. Nothing was like WOW OMG crazy-​good… But still above average and pretty hearty. Didn’t have any dessert but we did have the Arancini’s for entrée which had 4 varieties and they really did all taste different.
The wine list was pretty extensive and took a while to choose something– but still that was passable as well. Had ourselves a Yarra Valley Pinot Noir– the Italian selection was massive but we were not too sure what to go with so chose safely.
For me, everything was A-​OK but not amazing, and probably the service was a bit disappointing. I just think of the first time I went to Chinchins when we just had the most incredible waitress who really talked us through the menu, and the wine. I would have been down to try something different & quirky if the staff were more knowledgeable or explained stuff to us.
Anyway, not a bad venue for Richmond and has a nice little buzz about it but probably wouldn’t make a massive effort to come back here. I’ll save my dollars for chinchins ;)

Ah Baby, so much potential & yet you don’t quite get there. Yes, the food is lovely & yes it’s a little pricey (save for the coffee which is possibly the cheapest in Melbourne) but service is still a tad confused & there are so many other pizza joints (*cough* Ladro *cough*) that nail it that I’m really not sure I’d bother a re-​visit.
First timers, go & enjoy. It might be your only visit…

My second visit to Baby Café & Pizzeria in Richmond turned out better than my first. After attempting to take on the hipsters and hungry mob in general on a Saturday night after drinking frenzies at Ponyfish Island, Der Raum and Bar Americano, not to mention a hedonistic lunch at Movida, a one hour wait during my previous visit finally yielded a table however after waiting fifteen minutes for a menu or some sort of service after being seated — any service — we abandoned hope and left.
So it was with great anticipation of better things that I dined at Baby yesterday, commencing the New Year with hearty food, a few tasty alcoholic beverages and words shared by exordium to commence a new era of reviews on this blog. As Baby was one of the few places in Melbourne actually open and serving a full menu on New Years Day, I was not only excited to get some sustenance but finally be able to experience what the sibling to Chin Chin had to offer.
Feeling a bit energetic even though I had not fully shaken off the effects afforded to my body from a wild and rampant New Years Eve, I had the great idea to start 2013 off on a healthy foot (sic) and walk to Richmond via the beautiful banks of the Yarra River with the epicurean emo in tow. It was a beautiful day and by the time we presented ourselves at Baby after a 45 minute walk, I was very thirsty.
Cans of Red Peroni were delivered. Cans? I suppose Chris Lucas never professed that this is a genuine Italian clone, but seemingly more of an interpretation of what is fun and can work. The cans would become a fixture on our table after ordering the Banchetto. Like how Chin Chin offers the «Feed Me!» banquet, Baby does the same for $ 66 per person and I was happy to permit the restaurant to make the hard choices for us.
Offerings for the banquet are extracted from nearly all parts of the menu. Salumi misti (mixed daily selection of cured meats) are served on a board with optional bread along with marinated vegetables before the carpaccio di kingfish (kingfish carpaccio with lemon zest and mint) arrived. The vegetables and meat were a nice way to start and cleansed my palate which in turn prepared it for the delicate carpaccio.
The San Daniele prosciutto pizza followed. Heavy on the rocket and proschiutto but highlighted by the fried crust which I thought was tasty but also leaves the Baby signature on your experience. This is a new and very interesting way to prepare pizza. I liked it because the crust was thin. As a contrast, the bloke at the table next to us was complaining that his suckling pig pizza tasted too «cheesy» which I thought was an odd thing to say.
A hearty Pappardelle con ricotta di bufala pasta followed. The mix of copious amounts of ricotta, basil and pinenuts made this my favourite dish however when it was finished, I was left holding my engorged stomach not even thinking that I could drink any more beer. Service was kind enough to give us some time before the next dishes came out thankfully. Speaking of which, service remained interested and thoughtfully refilled our water and was always there to restore our cans of Peroni when required.
Pesce al forno (blue eyed cod, clams, tomatoes with salsa verde) along with a piselli prosciutto e mozzarella di bufala (buffalo mozzarella, san daniele prosciutto, shaved pecorino, peas and mint) finished the Insalate course. The latter being the most visually appealing dish of the night called out to me to finish my fair share. On occasion I would look passionately at the long padded bench that I was sitting on against the wall and ponder how nice it would be to have a deep and long sleep. I certainly was not going to walk back to Southbank.
The restaurant was not finished with us yet. Two desserts from the Dolci menu arrived to finish off the banquet — gelati e sorbetti (red, white and green sorbet and gelato) along with sfinci al cioccolato (hot cinnamon doughnuts and chocolate sauce) and despite struggling hard, I was able to finish my fair share and win this Test match.
Toward the end of the banquet, the restaurant was filled nearly to capacity and it was 2:30 PM. It reminded me that the place does get loud when busy but given the nature of the menu is to share, the restaurant is casual in nature, with a good area outside to languish around drinking whilst waiting for a table, or even whilst waiting for your takeaway, the noise can be excused as you do not go to Baby to fine dine. More so to be with friends, have a wild time and not have your palate challenged.
It took quite some time for me to roll up to the Swan to have a few more pints and recover from the onslaught of food at Baby. It doesn’t leave such an intense impression on you after you leave that its sibling Chin Chin does however for a casual eatery, it will give you what you want and some sense of satisfaction despite the time of day that you visit.

Food was good but the staff are clueless.
After reading other reviews about noise and staff I decided that 6pm on a Thursday might offer a better experience than say a Friday night. Now a can vouch for their consistency.
Our waitress was very OCD. Simple things such as topping up water became an in your face experience that made you think ‘please go way so i can talk to my partner again’. Ironically the interruptions weren’t limited to service at our table. She seemed to interrupt us while serving adjacent tables too. Unfortunately I don’t think this was limited to our waitress as «The Wine Guy» was observed dropping a carafe and generally the staff huddled around the podium at the front door.
With regard to ambiance … well there is very little. It is an all white painted concrete space that is very noisy. Some would call this ‘hip’ but this restaurant misses the mark.
The food was good. We have some pizzas and a salad. If it was not for all the other factors I could easily return for a feed.

Fair warning: This review is scathing.
I’m going to struggle to find something nice to say, but, sometimes, that’s just how it goes. I’ll break it down, but that won’t make it any prettier: this was one of those awful restaurant experiences you hope isn’t repeated.
Atmosphere
Loud, hot, crowded. Struggling to hear ourselves think, let alone speak. Watching sweat pour off wait-​staff, wishing for the proverbial cat to swing, just to prove a point.
Service
One waiter who didn’t know their wine list. Another who, when one of our party ordered «cacciatore», came back a minute later, asked where she’d seen it on the menu, and, when it was pointed out, muttered «ah, the pollo» and stalked off. And a third who didn’t notice cutlery sliding into the polenta on the plate she was delivering.
And when L spilt her cocktail, the waiter was more interested in completing our order than helping clean up.
Food
12 minutes between the first and second mains arriving; 20 minutes between the first and last. pasta that was closer to crunchy than al dente.
But none of those things matters much when you’re served raw chicken.
Not much more to be said, really. Three strikes, and you’re out.
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Addendum
After contacting the restaurant via email to advise of our experience, we received an apology, and a voucher to dine there again. Maybe on a quiet night, we’ll sit outside, and cross our fingers and toes. Maybe.