Gilson

Q: Does Gilson offer gift cards?

Gilson does offer gift cards which you can purchase here .

4.5

732 Reviews

$A40 and under

Italian

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2 people

24 Mar 2025

19:00

Booked 68 times today

Experiences are available.

About this restaurant

Lively
Good for special occasions
Good for groups

Nestled within the Domain Road enclave in South Yarra with indoor and outdoor seating overlooking the stunning Royal Botanic Gardens sits Gilson.

Gilson’s intimate dining room is available for breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 days a week and caters for large groups and private dining events.

Gilson offers an all day menu focusing on Italian cuisine and seasonal flavours.

A neighbourhood favourite due to its relaxed setting, friendly staff, fabulous drinks list and dishes such as the ‘avocado bruschetta’ for breakfast, the ‘Seafood Linguine' for lunch or dinner, and a 'tiramisu' for dessert.

Wood fired pizza is also available for lunch and dinner cooked in the custom built oven.

Gilson's brunch service is available for walk-ins with reservations available from midday.

Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$A40 and under
Cuisines
Italian, Breakfast, Pizzeria
Hours of Operation
Mon–Fri 07:00–23:00 Sun 07:00–22:00
Phone number
(03) 9866 3120
Website
http://www.gilsonrestaurant.com.au/
Payment Options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive Chef
Luca Ghirelli
Catering
Please contact our helpful events team info@gilsonrestaurant.com.au
Private party facilities
Our upstairs light filled private dining room overlooks the tree tops providing the perfect venue for your next seated or standing event.With its own private balcony and open fire place the space lends itself to events all year round. An intimate and flexible space. For details and enquiries visit our website.

Location
171 Domain Rd, South Yarra, AU-VIC 3141
Area
South Yarra
Cross Street
Park Street and Anderson Street
Parking details
Street parking is available on Domain Road, Birdwood Avenue and Park St. Also available on surrounding streets.
Entertainment
Borrow our bocce set and play in the sunshine on the bocce court across the road.Gilson is located walking distance to the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Moonlight Cinemas and the National Gallery of Victoria.
Additional
Dog Friendly, Gluten-free Options, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Vegan

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Experiences

$65pp Classics Group Shared Menu
A$65.00 per person
Multiple dates available
Bookings of 8+ feast on our favourite dishes from our antipasti, pizza and pasta menu. Reserve your spot now and let the fun begin. TO START - Antipasti & Wood fired flat bread MAIN - Selection of wood fired pizza & pasta SIDES - Iceberg, radicchio & herbs, fries Choose to add shared tiramisu on the day +$5pp Please Note: a 15% service charge is applied on weekends and a 20% service charge is applied on Public Holidays. This offering can be tailored to accomodate all dietary requirements.
$65pp Classics Shared Group Menu
Multiple dates available
Bookings of 8+ feast on our favourite dishes from our antipasti, pizza and pasta menu. Reserve your spot now and let the fun begin. TO START - Antipasti & Wood fired flat bread MAIN - Selection of wood fired pizza & pasta SIDES - Iceberg, radicchio & herbs, fries Choose to add shared tiramisu on the day +$5pp Please Note: a 15% service charge is applied on weekends and a 20% service charge is applied on Public Holidays. This offering can be tailored to accomodate all dietary requirements. Please make a note of dietaries at the time of booking.
$85pp Premium Shared Group Menu
Multiple dates available
Bookings of 8+ experience a feast of our flavour packed favourites with fun and relaxed dining. TO START - Wood fired flat bread, Antipasti, Calamari fritti MAIN - Cacio e Pepe, Pappardelle w. Lamb Ragu, Dry-aged Porterhouse SIDES - Iceberg, radicchio & herbs, Fries DESSERT - Tiramisu Please Note: a 15% service charge is applied on weekends and a 20% service charge is applied on Public Holidays. This offering can be tailored to accomodate all dietary requirements, please make a note of these at the time of booking.

Popular dishes

What 732 people are saying

Gilson reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.5

4.5 based on recent ratings

4.6Food
4.5Service
4.4Ambience
4.3Value

Noise • Moderate

Diners' Choice Awards

Melbourne
Hot spot
Melbourne
Most Booked
Inner City South
Great for brunch
Inner City South
Great for creative cocktails
Inner City South
Hot spot
Inner City South
Great for outdoor dining
Inner City South
Lively
Inner City South
Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Gilson offers a vibrant dining experience with "amazing food" and "attentive service." It's perfect for group gatherings and special occasions. The restaurant's authentic Italian dishes, particularly the chicken salad and pizzas, are "to die for." While the ambiance is lively, it can get noisy, but the overall vibe remains "one of the best in Melbourne."

732 Reviews

M
Matilda
Melbourne1 review
3.0
Dined 1 day ago
1. Overall 3
2. Food 4
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 2
The music inside the venue was extremely loud and as we were sat at a large round table - we could not hear one another when talking. We requested to move to a table outside where it was a little quieter. Again, the music was still loud outside but it was much easier to hear one another when talking. Additionally, we ordered a bottle of wine for the table. Our starter dishes came out and we followed up about out the whereabouts of our drinks. Our waiter responded that they were being prepared - which was odd given there was nothing to prepare, simply bringing out the bottle of wine and glasses. By the time we had all finished our starters, our drinks had still not arrived and no one had come out to explain to us why. One of my guests went inside to further follow up about our drinks. Again the server said they were being made. My guest followed her up again to which they revealed they actually didn't have any wine glasses available to bring our drinks. The venue was certainly not at capacity with many tables free. For an expensive restaurant where I was bringing friends who were visiting from overseas this was very disappointing. About 15mins later our wine and wine glasses were finally brought out however the glasses were very wet and had obviously just been washed and not even properly dried. I was very disappointed in the whole experience and will be unlikely to return. This is a shame as Gilson used to be one of my favorite restaurants to bring friends visiting Melbourne.
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K
Kathleen
Brisbane1 review
5.0
Dined on 14 March 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We have a really great dinner, so happy I booked Gilson. We had a table of 6 and we all enjoyed the food and it was so busy, but we still had good attention from our waiters. Also the Spagetti Cacio Pepi was amazing. 😁🫶🏻
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S
Sonia
Melbourne1 review
5.0
Dined on 8 March 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Amazing antipasto choices, we really enjoyed them - you can make a meal out of the antipasto alone! This place has a real buzz about it in a Saturday night, it was great to sit outside and enjoy the crowds.
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F
Foodie888
Victoria3 reviews
4.0
Dined on 7 March 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
I love the atmosphere but you don’t need the music when the cafe is busy. It’s noisy!
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N
Nikki
Melbourne2 reviews
5.0
Dined on 7 March 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Thank you to the team at Gilson for helping to make my bridesmaid proposal special! They were very attentive and the food was incredible as always!
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Melbourne1 review
5.0
Dined on 1 March 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Food and service was great. Vibe was good. Very, very noisy indoors very hard to have a conversation without shouting. Once peak hour was over, very pleasant.
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B
Bertina
Melbourne1 review
5.0
Dined on 28 February 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Food was phenomenal and service was exceptional. Our new Friday lunch spot has been found!
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C
Carmine
Sunshine Coast2 reviews
5.0
Dined on 28 February 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
WHAT CAN I SAY, I HAVE BEEN MANY TIMES AND UP TILL TODAY FOOD IS ALWAYS GREAT, STAFF ARE TREMENDOUS AND ATMOSHERE IS ANOTHER LEVEL. MY GO TO PLACE ON LAZY FRIDAY SUNNY AFTERNOON.
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H
Helen
Melbourne1 review
5.0
Dined on 15 February 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Lovely service and food thoroughly enjoyed our breakfast, great location and vibe.
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J
JANE
Melbourne4 reviews
5.0
Dined on 14 February 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Brillant! Easy to book. Great atmosphere fantastic food and coffee. Staff friendly and efficient
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FAQs

Gilson offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (03) 9866 3120.

Gilson is rated 4.5 stars by 732 OpenTable diners.

Gilson does offer gift cards which you can purchase here.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.