Eataliano by Pino in Windsor revamps with new look, menu

An Italian restaurant in Windsor has revamped its entire concept after realising diners weren’t going out for a three-course feed like they were pre-lockdown.

Eataliano by Pino has reinvented itself as a modern Italian restaurant and bar after realising diners weren’t going out for dinner anymore. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

It’s not unusual to revamp your restaurant, though Melbourne pizza king Pino Russo has been inspired by this post-Covid trend.

“People don’t go out for dinner anymore,” he said.

“Maybe they’re out for a drink or two, or sharing a meal, but not dinner as we know it.”

After running Eataliano by Pino for seven years on High St, the pizza chef noticed a shift in eating habits after lockdown and is changing his restaurant’s concept to adapt.

“We always had traditional Italian food like carbonara, arancini and meatballs, but in Italy, that movement has kind of passed,” he said.

“Even in Italy there is some fusion.”

Don’t worry, Pino’s famed pizzas will still be on the menu, alongside a raft of smaller snacks and plates. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Russo, of La Svolta fame, has hired new head chef from Italy to execute his vision and has even installed a bar at the restaurant to take advantage of nearby Chapel Street’s cocktail-guzzling clientele.

Expect more bite-sized eats, including a left-of-field prawn rice paper roll number that’s deep-fried and served with a simple basil pesto and sun-dried-tomatoes.

Other snacks include slow-cooked octopus in a garlic, mint and balsamic vinegar dressing on a bed of hummus.

“Hummus is not properly Italian, but with this new vision we can have a bit of fun,” Russo said.

The pizza chef is one of the pioneers, alongside Johnny Di Francesco, to introduce the city to Neapolitan-style pizzas. Don’t worry — he won’t be getting rid of those in the revamp.

The new-look Eataliano is now open.

Eataliano by Pino, 120 High St, Windsor