Lasagne Victoria: Where to find the tastiest versions from Balwyn to Bendigo
No one makes a lasagne quite like your mum’s. But these versions from across regional Victoria and the ‘burbs come pretty darn close.
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There’s nothing more comforting than a plate of bubbling hot, rich and cheesy lasagne.
The dish is so popular that three countries claim they invented it.
Its name can be traced back to Ancient Greece but the Brits reckon they made the first lasagne in the 1930s while the Italians swear they perfected it.
In any case Aussies love lasagne and it’s on high rotation in most household during winter.
Many busy families like to take away their favourite lasagne for a quick and filling weekday dinner but there are also plenty of restaurants with the dish on the menu.
Check out some of the favourites nominated by our readers from across Victoria.
Lasagne Lab
184 High Street, Windsor
It is difficult to ignore a place called lasagne lab when looking for Melbourne’s best lasagne.
Not only does the Windsor based shop offer the traditional lasagne everyone knows and loves with tomato passata, fresh pasta seats and parmesan cheese aged three years – but offers a range of unique variations of the much loved dish.
For the team at Lasagne Lab it is all about offering food that is “Italian classic with a twist”.
For more adventurous lasagne lovers, you can order a roasted pumpkin version with burned butter bechamel and amoretti crumble.
There is also a braised duck lasagne with fresh vegetables from the lab’s garden, as well as an option made up of porcini mushroom with Italian truffle.
At Easter the lab produced one of its wildest lasagnes yet – filled with braised goat, roast potatoes and black olives.
1800 Lasagne
653 High St, Thornbury
In Melbourne’s inner north, you’ll find a stylish restaurant dedicated to the delectable lasagne dish, aptly named 1800 Lasagne.
It began as a takeaway and delivery lasagne business that gained extreme popularity during the pandemic and opened a Thornbury restaurant and bar that has delicious gourmet pasta, cocktails and live music.
The highlights of the menu are, of course, the lasagne – with a mixed beef and pork option as well as a vegetarian eggplant option – each with plenty of creamy bechamel sauce.
There’s an array of other pasta dishes too that are worthy of a fine dining restaurant.
The restaurant still has delivery and takeaway available – but to get a coveted lasagne delivery customers book in days beforehand.
An extensive cocktail menu is available too with classic options to enjoy, including eight different types of Negronis.
To finish off the dining experience, there’s a classic Italian tiramisu.
Crooked Kitchen
287 Lyttleton Terrace, Bendigo
The light and fluffy layers of this lasagne make it a standout in the landscape of hot pasta comfort meals.
It has the added bonus of being gluten free, which is good for those on special diets.
And if you can even send it as a gift to a friend.
Online you can place an order and select “send as a gift” at the checkout.
It will be packaged up as a gift of food and delivered it with a note on your behalf.
You can upgrade to a hamper with a card.
Johnny Ripe
284 Main Creek Rd, Main Ridge
It’s best known for apple pies but this Mornington Peninsula bakery also does a mean beef lasagne.
Johnny Ripe’s version features the perfect ratio of rich beef ragu and bechamel between thick layers of silky pasta.
It’s as close as home made as get without any of the work.
The business, which started in Main Ridge, now has its products stocked in bakeries, butchers and gourmet delis across the peninsula, Bass Coast and suburban Melbourne.
Bicaro’s Ristorante Bar Forno
30 North St, Shepparton
Craving some Italian up in Victoria’s north? Experience Bicaro’s Ristorante’s all class meat lasagne topped with the parmesan cheese — your ideal lasagne dish.
Try it today where the meal will take your tastebuds all the way to Italy and beyond.
Their mouth-watering special tomato sauce filled between each pasta layer makes this lasagne irresistible.
Why not order a bottle red wine to accompany the dish and get into the full Italian spirit?
Bicaro’s Ristorante Bar Forno is open Tuesday to Friday from 5pm to 9pm and Saturday from 5pm to 10pm.
Birichino Cucina & Pizzeria
355 Whitehorse Rd, Balwyn
The mouth-watering lasagne is one of the top selling items on the menu at popular Balwyn restaurant Birichino Cucina & Pizzeria, where the cuisine is inspired by the staff’s southern Italian heritage.
The rich and cheesy lasagne has been voted some of Melbourne’s best.
Head chef Danilo Lanzoni said he made everything fresh and in-house.
The lasagne features traditional house-made layers of pasta sheets, bechamel
sauce, mince beef and pork, cheese and ragù.
At 450g, diners can expect a generous serve that will fill them up on a cold night.
Danilo pre-bakes the dish before cutting it into squares then topping it again with ragù sauce, before baking it again for five minutes and adding fresh cheese.
“Once it is golden on top I serve it,” he said.
Other popular items on the menu include spaghetti seafoods, gnocchi, and pizzas, especially the
Babbo, featuring Napoli sauce, mozzarella, parma, prosciutto, parmigiano, fresh fior di latte,
rocket and balsamic glaze.
Antipasti Deli Cafe
1 High Street, Yarraville Square, Yarraville
A local favourite for delicious Italian meals, snacks, and produce, the Antipasti Deli is always buzzing with great service and plenty of football paraphernalia.
The deli’s homemade range is mouth-watering and there a simply too many option on show in their bain-marie.
While the croissants and ciabattas are a perfect brunch option, for a more filling meal visitors should not pass up on their outstanding lasagne.
And while you’re there, grab a coffee which is some of the best you can find in Yarraville.
Bostini Restaurant
Shop 9/2, 10 William Thwaites Blvd, Cranbourne North
Cranbourne Lasagne lovers can fulfil all their desires at Bostini.
Bostini’s lasagne is a delicious crowd-pleaser, with the multiple layered dish oozing with red sauce and flavour, alongside a menu of other Italian favourites.
Pie Thief
297 Barkly Street, Footscray
300 Napier Street, Fitzroy
Aaron Donato and his business partner Scott Blomfield opened their first pie shop in Footscray in 2019.
Pie Thief is known for is unusual pie combinations and one of the first created was a lasagne pie.
It even features a pasta sheet on top.
They also do a nacho pie and one based on a McDonald’s Big Mac.
“We start off by asking what’s delicious, and then whether it can go in pie form and whether it would be more delicious than it originally was by putting it in pie form,” Mr Donato said.
“Sometimes the answer to that is no but in the case of the lasagne and nacho pies it was a yes, and they really work.”
Carboni’s Next Door Deli & Pasta
150 Eureka St, Ballarat East
Ballarat’s lasagne-hungry can find what their stomachs desire along Eureka St in the city’s east at a “one-stop authentic Italian shop” next to Carboni’s restaurant proper.
The deli bearing the same name as its neighbour sells pasta, antipasti, charcuterie, cheeses - and lasagne: an easy meal to combat Ballarat’s evening chill.
Bar Novanta
70 Kingsway Dr, Lalor
Bar Novanta in Melbourne’s north delivers patrons an authentic Italian culinary experience.
Its contemporary and elegant ambience sets the perfect stage for various occasions, especially a romantic rendezvous.
Bar Novanta takes pride in its lasagne, meticulously crafted with homemade sheets layered generously with Bolognese sauce, béchamel, mozzarella, and parmesan. This delightful dish, prepared with love, promises to tantalize your taste buds.
Dedicated to satisfying the cravings of Melbourne’s food enthusiasts, Bar Novanta ensures that every dish embodies the essence of Italian cuisine.
Using homemade pasta and fresh ingredients, they masterfully create a harmonious blend of flavours that truly captures the essence of authentic Italian street food.
“Our commitment is to delight even the most discerning Italian cuisine connoisseurs in Melbourne,” the restaurant proudly declares.
Their signature pizzoli is one for the books and a must-try; coated in premium dark chocolate and fresh and delicious fillings, the pizzoli offers a delightful twist on traditional favourites like pizzelle and cannoli.
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