"Melbourne's basement Italian power-lunch room since 1995, run by Caterina Borsato. Book a Queen Street table to close a deal."
About Caterina's Cucina e Bar
Caterina Borsato opened her basement dining room under Queen Street in 1995, and Melbourne's bankers and barristers have been booking the same lunch tables ever since. You enter through Art Deco iron gates and descend into a low-lit room that was once an underground car park. Borsato, known from the Regional Italian Cuisine television series, runs a kitchen that turns out refined, traditional Italian: vitello tonnato, baccala alla vicentina, braised rabbit on buckwheat polenta. It is the default power-lunch booking in our Melbourne dining guide and a fixture among the best Italian restaurants worldwide.
The Kitchen
The room belongs to Caterina Borsato, who financed the lease in 1995 and has run it as a refined Italian kitchen for thirty years; her long-serving chef, a northerner the regulars know as Marcello, cooks central and southern dishes with a steady hand. The menu reads like a tour of regional Italy: vitello tonnato, baccala alla vicentina, pansoti and strozzapreti, and a braised rabbit on buckwheat polenta that regulars order without looking at the card. Mains run from about A$47 for a pasta with duck to A$54 for the rabbit, and a full lunch with wine pushes past A$200 a head. The wine list is the real depth: more than four hundred labels, heavy in Italian regions, with staff who will steer a table through a bottle to match both the mood and the agenda. The address has not moved since 1995: 221 Queen Street, in the basement on the CBD's banking blocks. Lunch is the only service, Monday to Friday from noon, with weekends kept for private functions. Book the back of the room if you need to talk business without an audience.
The Room
Caterina's is a windowless basement, and Borsato has made that an asset: low ceilings, warm light, white linen, and tables spaced far enough apart that a deal can be discussed without the next table hearing. The sound level is a discreet murmur, even at a full Friday lunch. Dress is business; this is a room of suits, from banks and chambers, with the occasional celebration table. It seats around eighty, with quieter corners at the back for private conversation. Service is polished and deliberately unobtrusive, and the staff are practised at reading when to bring the bill and when to leave a table alone.
Best for a Business Lunch
Book Caterina's to close a deal over lunch for three reasons: the tables are spaced for private talk, the service is discreet enough to leave you alone, and the four-hundred-label list gives you something to order while the conversation does its work. A typical scene: two or three people at a back table, a Northern Italian red decanting, a plate of vitello tonnato, and a two-hour lunch that never feels rushed. Because it serves only lunch, it suits a daytime negotiation better than almost any room in the CBD. Book the back of the room and pre-arrange the wine.
Not for
Skip Caterina's if you want dinner or a budget meal: it serves lunch only, Monday to Friday, weekends are private functions, and a full lunch with wine runs past A$200 a head.
Frequently Asked
Is Caterina's Cucina worth it?
Yes, if you want a discreet, refined Italian lunch built for business in the Melbourne CBD. Caterina Borsato has run the basement room since 1995, and it has become the city's default power-lunch table. The cooking is traditional and precise and the four-hundred-label wine list is deep. It is not cheap, at roughly A$200 a head with wine, but the privacy and service back it up. See our Melbourne dining guide.
How hard is it to book Caterina's Cucina?
Easy to moderate, and the catch is the hours, not the demand. Caterina's serves lunch only, Monday to Friday, with weekends reserved for private functions, so plan around a weekday booking. Friday fills with corporate tables, so book those a week ahead and ask for the back of the room if you need privacy. Reserve direct through the website or by phone.
What is the dress code at Caterina's Cucina?
Business. This is a CBD power-lunch room full of bankers and lawyers, so a suit or smart business dress is the norm at midday. There is no formal jacket rule, but the room skews dressed-up and corporate, and you will feel out of place in casual clothes. Dress as you would for a client meeting, because most tables are exactly that.
What is the average meal price at Caterina's Cucina?
Mains run from about A$47 for a pasta with duck to A$54 for the braised rabbit, and a full multi-course lunch with wine pushes past A$200 a head. The price reflects the linen, the service and a four-hundred-label list rather than the size of the plates. For a lighter spend, an espresso-style lunch is possible, but the room rewards taking your time.
What should I order at Caterina's Cucina?
Order the vitello tonnato to start, the braised rabbit on buckwheat polenta as a main, and lean on the staff for a Northern Italian red from the four-hundred-label list. The baccala alla vicentina and the house pastas are the other dishes to get. For more Melbourne Italian, see our best Italian restaurants guide.
Reserve a Table
Reserve at Caterina's Cucina
Book direct or by phone. Lunch only, Monday to Friday from noon; weekends are reserved for private functions. Book the back of the room for a private conversation.
Affiliate disclosure: Restaurants for Kings may earn a commission when you book through our reservation links, at no cost to you. Our scores are editorial and never paid for.
Practical Information
Address221 Queen Street (Basement), Melbourne VIC 3000
NeighbourhoodCBD / Queen Street
CuisineRegional Italian
PriceMains A$47–$54; ~A$200pp with wine
Dress CodeBusiness
Seating~80 · quieter corners at the back
ReservationDirect or phone
Phone+61 3 9670 8488
HoursLunch Mon–Fri; weekends private functions
DietaryVegetarian & regional options; notify ahead
