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Jr. Staff Writer
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March 16, 2026
Soon, Swan Street is about to get a big, warm bowl of comfort with the arrival of Spaghetti Club—a new Southern Italian trattoria from Melbourne’s MAMAS Dining Group, the team known for filling tables with heart, flavour and good company.
The inspiration, however, comes from Lucas Gugliandolo, who grew up surrounded by his Sicilian family’s food rituals. As a kid, his grandparents’ Sunday spreads meant hours of chatter around the table, bowls of pasta tossed in slow-simmered sauces, and the kind of laughter that never quite stopped.
“Spaghetti Club aims to recreate that feeling—a table full of food, people gathered together, and the kind of belly laughs that only happen around a shared meal,” Gugliandolo says.
Housemade Pasta At Spaghetti Club
Taking the reins in the kitchen is Michael Flemming, fresh from stints at Totti’s Bondi, Botanical Hotel, and Press Food & Wine in Adelaide. True to those roots, his menu celebrates homemade pasta and nostalgic farmhouse cooking, shaped by simplicity and fire.
Moreover, you’ll find orecchiette with just-cooked greens, smoky grilled meats from the open flame and sauces that taste like they’ve been on the stove all afternoon.
Additionally, the drinks list tells its own story—embracing the Italian art of slow drinking. Start with a spritz or Negroni at the bar, move to a glass of local or Italian vino over dinner and linger with a bittersweet Amaro afterwards. Even the beers are a nod to tradition, with Birra Moretti pouring on tap.
Inside, the space has been designed by Joan Budiono with co-founder Thai Ho, who’ve created something warm and familiar rather than polished and formal. Beyond that, copper pots hang over the open kitchen, terracotta planters line the counters and you get that quintessential hum of energy only a busy kitchen can bring.
Carrying Nonno’s Legacy Forward
Source: Supplied
For Gugliandolo, this one’s deeply personal.
“Our family’s spaghetti tradition is a love letter to Nonno’s legacy. Every Monday, he’d gather us around with his trusty orange recipe book, passing down a taste of Italy. Now, we’re carrying it on at Spaghetti Club, every sauce a nod to the man who started it all,” he says.
Finally, Spaghetti Club opens this autumn at 95 Swan Street, Richmond, serving lunch and dinner from this April.
Dining and Cooking