Spaghetti Club is the ninth venue from Mamas Dining Group and co-owner Lucas Gugliandolo, but it’s their first that leans Italian. The package comes together in part thanks to Gugliandolo’s Sicilian heritage – and more specifically, his nonno’s recipe book – where handmade pasta takes centre stage while slow-simmered, Sicilian-style sauces are tended to hours ahead of service in the restaurant’s open kitchen. On the plate, the multi-generation celebration of Southern Italy looks like big, bulging meatballs in a sea of spaghetti, baked rigatoni, classic carbonara and a bounty of meats from the grill.
Here’s Gugliandolo now with the download on you might like to order when Spaghetti Club opens next month.
Which dish best captures Spaghetti Club’s vibe?
Pasta alla Norma. It’s one of the great Sicilian pastas and it’s been on tables there for generations. There’s nothing trendy about it, it just works. And then Nonno’s meatballs, because every Italian family has a version and our version is the real deal.
And if you’re going all-in, the squid ink spaghetti and the carbonara pair up beautifully with the Norma – they all sit alongside each other the way they would in the south. And when you’re ready to move beyond pasta, the chargrill is doing serious work too.
And we’re looking at plenty of live-fire cooking. What can we expect coming out of the flames?
The chargrill is the heart of the kitchen. The beef braciole skewers get that char that makes them sing. The pesce spada is a classic Sicilian preparation that only works over real fire. Then there’s the spatchcock, the pork chop, the lamb shoulder. Even some of the sides go on the grill. If it can be charred, we’re charring it.
I’m here for a good time, not a long time.
Grab a stool, order the focaccia straight out of the oven and a couple of the fried stuffed olives. Add an oyster or two if you’re feeling it. We’ve got a great Italian beer selection – something cold is always the move.
Got anything light and fresh?
Don’t overlook the pasta, which carries the same delicate touch: refined, balanced and surprisingly airy while still delivering depth and flavour. Our tuna crudo with ’nduja, capers and pickled red grapes has everything you need to start the night off right – fresh and spicy. And for those of you looking for something light to go with your focaccia, our house-made curd with smoked honey and black olives is the perfect pairing.
How about if I like tasty food but don’t eat animals?
The baked rigatoni alla vodka is rich and indulgent and completely vegetarian. The pumpkin gnocchi is the one if you want something a little more delicate – smoked pumpkin, stracciatella, walnut, crispy sage. And the fried zucchini pickles as a small to start.
What if we really want to go big and go crazy? What have you got for us?
Start with the full run of smalls – arancini, braciole skewers, the crudo, a board of salumi. Then anchor the table with the squid ink spaghetti, the baked rigatoni alla vodka and the doppio raviolo. Get the lamb shoulder as your centrepiece off the grill. Sides across the board. Then somehow find room for the cannoli and crispelle. That’s a proper Italian Sunday lunch.
And to close?
Gug’s homemade cannoli. The cannoli originates from Messina and we take that seriously – made in-house, the real deal.
Spaghetti Club, 95 Swan Street, Richmond, opening May 2026, spaghetticlub.com.au, @spaghetticlubmelbourne