Catalina Kitchen Cafe, Bar & Restaurant - Food (VIC)

5 /5 naomi t: all the food was delicious and the servers were super sweet. The steak was also cooked to perfection, very juicy and tender. The steak was also super massive !!

5 /5 Michael B: Catalina Kitchen is that hidden gem you almost don’t want to tell people about — but it’s too good not to share. The vibe is relaxed, warm, and perfect for a casual catch-up or family dinner. The menu is seriously impressive, especially the gluten-free range. It’s not just “available” — it’s actually done properly. The pizzas are next level: crisp base, quality toppings, and full of flavour. You can tell everything is made with care. Service is where Catalina really shines. The team is friendly, attentive, and genuinely welcoming — no forced smiles, just real hospitality. And the coffee? Smooth, rich, and exactly what you need to finish the night. If you’re in Melbourne and haven’t tried Catalina Kitchen yet, you’re missing out. Consistently great food, beautiful atmosphere, and a place you’ll keep coming back to.

5 /5 Laarnie: We recently held a function at Catalina Kitchen and it was an amazing experience from start to finish. From the moment we arrived, the staff were incredibly welcoming, organised, and attentive, making sure everything ran smoothly for our event. Planning a function can sometimes be stressful, but the team at Catalina Kitchen made the whole process easy and enjoyable. The venue itself was perfect for our gathering. The space was comfortable, well arranged, and had a lovely atmosphere that allowed everyone to relax and enjoy themselves. It was ideal for socialising, catching up, and celebrating together. Many of our guests commented on how nice the setting was and how comfortable they felt throughout the event. The food was definitely one of the highlights. Everything served was fresh, delicious, and beautifully presented. The dishes were full of flavour and the portions were generous, which everyone appreciated. It’s clear that the kitchen takes pride in the quality of their food. Several of our guests even mentioned that they would come back again just because of how good the meals were. Another thing that stood out was the service. The staff were attentive without being intrusive, always making sure guests had what they needed and that everything was running on time. Their professionalism and friendliness really made the event feel special. Overall, our function at Catalina Kitchen was a fantastic experience. Great food, wonderful service, and a warm, inviting atmosphere made it a memorable event for everyone who attended. I would highly recommend Catalina Kitchen to anyone planning a function or special gathering. We will definitely be back again in the future.

1 /5 K A: One of the worst dining experiences I’ve had in a while. Would not recommend this restaurant at all for several reasons: 1. Expensive for what you pay for. We ordered a seafood linguine and they gave us one prawn and several mini mussels. See picture for reference. The pasta itself was very soft, overcooked, and extremely spicy. Nowhere on the menu did it state that it would be spicy? Not worth the price that you pay for this. 2. Extremely rude and poor customer service. We ordered the seeds salad, and the waitress returned after five minutes to let us know that it comes with chicken or salmon, and asked us to choose which one. Not remembering that it came with chicken or salmon, I clarified with the waitress and asked whether it was included in the price, to which she replied “Yes, it’s included”. She even clarified further that the salmon option was smoked salmon. So we went ahead and chose chicken. When we paid, we got the receipt and saw that we got charged $6.05 for the chicken in the salad. I immediately raised this with the staff at the cashier and she immediately went defensive and loud, whipped out the menu and started pointing at it, saying we saw the menu and ordered the EXTRA chicken. I told her about the interaction we had with the other waitress, but she was not listening. Just loudly and rudely repeating that it was in fact our own fault and that we should cop it. No apology. And she was getting increasingly more aggressive. Another male staff walked over to see what was going on, and I explained the situation again, this time the original waitress who took our order was also there. The man and the cashier woman started questioning the original waitress in front of us, asking her if it was true, berating her and making her visibly scared. I felt bad. My intention was not to get the first waitress in trouble, I just wanted to be clear that we never ordered extra chicken, and that it’s deceitful to be told it’s included only to be charged $6.05 later in the bill. I found the interaction between the staff to be extremely unprofessional and unpleasant. If this is due to the staff lacking training and making a mistake, misleading the customer to believe chicken was included when it actually wasn’t, then the management staff should train her and discipline her later - not in front of the customers. They should not be publicly humiliating the waitress who made a mistake. It shows what a toxic workplace it is. Moreover, once realising they had not properly trained their staff, leading to this mistake occurring, we should immediately have been apologised to and been offered a refund of the $6.05. Instead? They refused to refund. I had to stand my ground and insist several times, only for them to offer me “$2 as a refund. That’s the best we can offer you”. I was not satisfied with this. Deceit is deceit. A mistake was made and it should never fall on me as the customer, especially when it was clear the fault was with the restaurant. $2 is nothing. They finally shoved me $5 in coins and said that’s the best they’ll do. The entire interaction was beyond rude. I didn’t want to waste any more time than we already had, so we left out at that. Don’t go here. Save yourself the trouble, and the money. Go somewhere and have some actual good food, cooked by people who care about their customers, actually have a passion for food and customer service - and are good genuine people. These people (presumably the owners or management crew of this restaurant) are crooks.