Clifton Hotel

THE VERDICT

Australian Grossi Group chef and restaurateur Guy Grossi has revitalised the former Kew junction pub with his permanent presence in the form of the new multi-venue establishment Clifton Hotel. 

Sitting at the densely traffic-populated intersection of High Street and Studley Park Road the towering pub is now a haven for home-style Italian fare, an ode to Grossi's familial roots with several recipes drawn straight from his mother.

Having founded the Grossi Group in 1986, executive chef Guy Grossi has a stack of Melbourne institutions under his belt, including Ombra and his famous Grossi Florentino restaurant that opened in 1999, securing the Grossi name on the worldwide map of iconic Italian dining and hospitality. His most recent venture, Settimo, opened in Brisbane in early 2023. 

PUBLIC, a heritage-centric hospitality group, have partnered with this globally renowned restaurateur to restore the original 1868 hotel with its original name and return it to its former glory. 

‘’From concept to build, PUBLIC delivers individual environments that always deliver something new to the market while respecting, understanding and acknowledging the heritage of every property.’’

The venue,  housing five sectors, is also joined by Grossi’s latest project—a personality-filled restaurant by the name of Puttanesca Osteria. It’s a star-studded affair with former Carlton football club player Marc Murphy turning in his boots in favour of applying his local knowledge in the form of restaurant management. 

“Our philosophy when creating this menu was to incorporate familiar favourites you would find at the centre of an Italian family dinner table, taking quality, wholesome ingredients and treating them with respect. We wanted to create a place to bring together the local community to stop by on a Sunday for a family lunch, or a quick bite to eat during the week.’’ 

The osteria is a expansive space, with a kitchen that centres the room and a separate dining room that extends off the bar. There are plenty of aesthetic touches from the antique meat safe where salumi hang in harmony with aged cheese and then there's the vintage slicer and walls adorned with hanging Italian prints.  

Puttanesca incorporates the signature-spirited Grossi energy into this heritage site, bringing this site back to life. With the restoration, they’ve also built a new wood-fired pizza oven to compliment the authentically Italian offering.

The menu is an accessible collection of comfortable favourites, the namesake puttanesca comes both in pizza and pasta form alongside a raft of staples like the casarecce with prawn and capers, a chicken cottoletta to the bistecca (eye fillet and scotch fillet) from Union Station.

The 154yo building has been revitalised into a stunning space, rooms spring off from one another—including the traditional sports bar where ice-cold pints reign supreme and the entire Puttanesca menu can be ordered, as well as private dining space which can comfortably fit 15. 

With the expertise of the Grossi team the Clifton Hotel has managed to champion an iconic Melbourne landmark into a dining destination whether it be full the full sit-down or just a few plates in the pub. 

Image credit: supplied