Spaghetti Club

Promising the warmth of Nonno and Nonna's house, Spaghetti Club is Swan Street's homely Italian spot rooted in housemade pasta, live fire cooking and communal dining. 

It's an homage to co-owner Lucas Gugliandolo's Italian heritage, weekly dinners at his grandparents' house, and a little orange cookbook once carried from Sicily to Melbourne.

“The orange book was never meant to become a restaurant,” Gugliandolo says.

“It was simply Nonno writing down what he cooked throughout his life, from pastry kitchens in Sicily through to the dinners we all grew up around. Seeing those dishes evolve into a menu in Melbourne feels incredibly emotional for our family.”

Led by Chef Michael Fleming—with an impressive resume spanning Totti's Bondi, the Botanical Hotel and Press Food & Wine Adelaide)—the menu heroes simple, unfussy food done well: think housemade, quality ingredients spanning pastas, rich sauces, fresh herbs and your favourite cheeses. Live fire cooking takes things to another level, adding to the rustic character of the venue and packing extra flavour into the dishes. House favourites include the cacio e pepe arancini, house-made spaghetti vongole with bottarga and lemon and Nonno's lasagne layered with bolognese, bechamel and ricotta. 

Fleming has worked closely with Gugliando's family to shape the menu, reinterpreting recipes that have been passed down through generations and giving them new life in Spaghetti Club's kitchen.

“It’s not about replicating the dishes exactly,” Fleming says.

“It’s more about preserving the feeling of their generosity, simplicity and food that naturally brings people together around a table.”

The venue's interior centres around an open kitchen (offering prime viewing for that fireside cooking), with plenty of warm accents in the form of amber lighting and timber panelling. Notes of nostalgia shine through in the white tablecloths, framed photos and candlelit tables. Pull up a chair at the kitchen-side bar, or step away and into the booth seating lining the walls. 

Words: Coby Renkin
Image credit: Spaghetti Club | Supplied