Alfresco Italian Restaurant

We ate at Alfresco on a Sunday night and by 6 p.m. it was near capacity. The atmosphere was nice-what a busy quality casual Italian restaurant should be -noisy with fun loving people tired and hungry after a day at Surfer's Paradise. The G tram stops pretty much outside so is easy to get to. I thought the food was good and the service was great. I would dine here again but eat something simpler ( I said to my wife I should have had spaghetti and meat balls-usually can't go wrong with that). Anyways...we did enjoy Alfresco and all those who filled the place to capacity seemed to be loving it.

My wife and decided to have Italian and chose to look 'the best Italian Restaurant in Surfers Paradise'... According to Tripadvisor, that's Alfresco; hmmmWe arrive, the waitress is friendly and seats us at a table and we order a beer and cider for my wife. The drinks were delivered by a bloke (I guess from the bar). My beer in a glass and my cider; just in the stubbie, with no glass - Just a little thing, but not cool. Dare I say, a tad unprofessionalNext, after waiting too long and musing that all the staff seem to disappear in 'waves', a lovely young lady took our order. I ordered crumbed Camembert-stuffed Mushies for entree and Veal Scaloppini for my Main and my wife ordered Napoli Sauce on RavioliWhen the Mushies arrived (via what looked like the owner), I showed him the dirty knife that I'd discovered on the table and asked him to change it for me. He did so, but without an apology and with (almost) apathy - That was off-putting. Anyway, the flavours were quite lovely, but there was way too much Napolitana sauceThen, we received our Main Courses. My Scaloppini had the loveliest of flavours, but sadly the veal was over-cooked. My wife's Ravioli consisted of a handful of Ravioli that appeared to be the same stuff you'd buy out of the freezer at Coles and (again) had way too much sauce. Given that fact that you had to pay a premium to have Ravioli as your pasta (and having seen other pasta dishes served to other patrons) the amount of Ravioli was extremely disappointingBased on reviews and Tripadvisor having this restaurant as number one, we had such high hopes. Sadly, Alfresco was not even close to my expectations

After planning to go to a restaurant in broadbeach that didnt do reservations then walking around for an hr trying to find somewhere that had room for us we ended up at Alfresco Italian, funny enough right near our hotel. They were busy but made room for us with no drama. All the staff were lovely and welcoming. The good was wonderful too. We later found out the person who showed us to our table was the owner. He was lovely, remembered my dad's name and also remembered we mentioned it was my husband's birthday. They also provided a slice of Italian continental cake and sung happy birthday. After the night looking like it was going to be a flop it ended up perfect all thanks to Alfresco Italian. I would highly recommend you go here. Best service i have ever recieved and I work in an industry that makes service high priority.

The wait staff were all very friendly and helpful. The food was good, not amazing, but nice. My husband had carbonara tortellini which he really enjoyed. I had a chicken dish with tomato, pesto and feta cheese. The pesto sauce was delicious but the chicken that it was covering was flavourless. I didn't eat the chicken. I ate the pesto sauce with the steamed vegetables. If you ask for a mocktail they have 2 options. One of them is a Mojito. I wouldn't recommend it though. It tasted like soda water with mint leaves. When we told the waitress she didn't offer to replace it.I asked for some cucumber for my son, they brought it cut in small cubes. I asked them to bring it out in sticks as the cubes are a choking hazard. I hadn't clarified this the first time. I was disappointed though when we paid because they charged us for both bowls ($1 each). Overall, I wouldn't go here again unless someone else was paying. Our bill was $71 for the tortellini, chicken dish, 1 soft drink, 2 small bowls of cucumber and a mocktail Mojito.

Firstly the greetings - they value every guest who walks in the door, and as they leave again. The place was buzzing from 5.30pm until late. The owner (Italian descent) was just a professional ! Order light, or order heavy, the flavours of the foods we experienced were awesome. Food was presented without a long delay, the portions are very generous. Pretty good Wine List for those who partake. We returned twice to this restaurant at the end of our stay after discovering a wonderful gem. Although Italian influenced, steaks and seafood are also available.Staff were pleasingly efficient, polite and well presented. The front part of restaurant looks out onto the main street with people and light train passing at regular intervals which made for a visual as well as a gastronomic experience. The alfresco to the side of entrance near the kitchen was a really nice alcove to sit and watch the evening go by. The walls are covered in Italian memorabilia, old advertising, Italian film stars/singers, photos of family generations, that makes for a very interesting interior. Lots of windows to the outside worldInside, alfresco, outside dining depending on the weather. Its a larger establishment but obviously built on reputation over generations. Alfresco is only a short block from Cavill St, Surfers Paradise and has a nearby train drop off point.Thanks for the great experience. We shall be back in the future. Highly recommend for adults and families.