It’s been years since I’ve been to a Criniti’s Italian Food restaurant. I’ve been to the one in Carlton a few times years ago. Criniti’s has always struck me as a very high-quality pizza franchise. It has 8 locations across Victoria (Carlton and Southbank), NSW (Brighton-Le-Sands, Castle Hill, Kotara, Parramatta and Wetherill Park) and WA (Westfield Carousel in Cannington).
I would say that this, my first order from Criniti’s Southbank has stood up to my expectations of what to expect from eating at their Carlton location several years ago. So what did I order? My colleague Jack was really feeling pizza today, especially with it being the first day back at work after payday. Jack suggested Criniti’s as he didn’t think he’d tried it before. For a moment, he then got it mixed up with Crust Port Melbourne which he had recently been disappointed by, but luckily these franchises are completely different companies.
So whilst Criniti’s offers a wide range of food including wood-fired pizza, pasta, BBQ ribs, burgers, loaded chips and various interesting starters and sides, we kept it simple today with a pizza each. I got the Marley Truffle pizza and Jack got the Suprema
Marley Truffle Pizza at Criniti’s
Black truffle paste, sausage, mushrooms, parmesan, mozzarella, oregano & parsley
Surprisingly to some, I am actually a big truffle fan and it’s not very common to find pizza places with truffle as an ingredient. It is kind of similar to how I like a garlic base rather than a tomato base. In this instant, the black truffle paste acted as a similar flavour here, so I was pretty happy with how it turned out. As well as this gourmet truffle, the other ingredients all appeared to be very high-quality as well, the sausage especially. I’m usually more of a pepperoni guy, but this sausage is far better than what I typically see being used. As a wood-fired pizza, this has nice dough and is definitely one of the better examples of this style of cooking. I would definitely eat this again and recommend it.
Suprema Pizza at Criniti’s
I decided to go with the Suprema pizza from Criniti’s Southbank. This pizza had napoli sauce, mozzarella, mushrooms, ham, sopressa salami, roasted capsicum, bacon, onion and olives. I requested they remove the bacon and replace it with extra cheese, however, they rudely did not oblige. The pizza itself came in what I thought to be a high-quality box, it looked slick and felt relatively smooth in my hands. The taste and texture were rather delightful upon my initial few bites, however, after the hype had died down I concluded it was average. This pizza was nothing special, it tasted starchy and completely fell apart in my hands. The olives were far too big for the pizza and therefore would lose traction the pizza and fall off, not good. I give this pizza a 6/10. Not bad at all, however, nothing special.
Criniti’s Menu
The menu is based on Criniti’s website.
Breakfast
BRUSCHETTA & EGGS
avo & eggs bruschetta – $14.9
rustico bruschetta – $14.9
monte cristo bruschetta – $14.9
eggs benedetto – $14.9
caprese bruschetta – $14.9
smokin bruschetta – $14.9
fig & ricotta bruschetta contain nuts – $15.9
crinitis bruschetta – $16.9
eggs on bruschetta – $13.9
PANCAKE
nutella pancakes contains nuts – $15.9
ricotta pancakes contains nuts – $15.9
oreo pancakes – $15.9
very berry pancakes – $15.9
savoury pancakes – $15.9
EXTRAS
2 eggs / hashbrown / bread (gluten free +2.90) $4.9
mushrooms / asparagus / bacon / ham / grilled tomato $3.9
smoked salmon / bufala mozzarella/ sausage/ $4.9
smashed avocado w/ feta / halloumi
sauces and dips $0.9
BIG BREAKFAST & OMELETTES
italiano breakfast – $25.9
australiano breakfast – $25.9
sophia’s breakfast – $25.9
mamma’s omelette – $19.9
nonna’s omelette – $19.9
rustico omelette – $19.9
MORE BREAKFAST +
healthy breaky – $19.9
egg on plant – $19.9
granola fruit bowl contains nuts – $19.9
mediterranean hot pot – $19.9
breakfast burger – $19.9
SHAKES
SOY MILK +0.9 | ALMOND MILK +0.9 | MAKE THICKSHAKE +2.9
traditional milkshakes served with whipped cream $9.9
banana
caramel
chocolate
strawberry
vanilla
LOADED THICKSHAKES
banana caramel – $16.9
nutella bomboloni contains nuts – $16.9
oreo smash – $16.9
PROTEIN SMOOTHIE
bangin’ mango – $12.9
honey avocado – $12.9
peanut butter contains nuts – $12.9
strawberry & banana – $12.9
FRESH JUICE
green detox – $10.9
super detox – $10.9
vitamin c booster – $10.9
watermelon breeze – $10.9
Main Menu
STARTERS & SHARING
Bunch of food across from other ranges including seafood like oysters, octopus, prawns, or other stuff like cheeseburger spring rolls, mozzarella stick, chili wings, hot olives, and more.
BRUSCHETTA
A bread that topped with olive oil and salt. Various bruschetta flavours like garlic, herb, halloumi, prosciutto, salmon & avocado, tomato bruschetta, and fig.
PIZZA CRUST
Has flavours like garlic & cheese, fig, bruschetta, garlic, chilli, criniti, and truffle prosciutto.
Seafood
Include seafood platter, grill, lobster, mussel hot pot, various type of prawns, fish ‘n’ chips.
GRILLED FISH
barramundi fillet and salmon fillet
SALADS
Many different types of salads to choose from, including seafood, lamb, caprese, caesar, salmon, and a lot more.
PROTEIN & CO
Meat including platter, chicken, lamb, platter, and pork.
BBQ RIBS
Types of ribs including, beef, chicken, pork, and lamb.
BBQ SKEWERS
BBQ grilled chicken spiedino, lamb spiedino and seafood spiedino.
STEAK
Sirloin, scotch, and tagliata di manzo.
CHICKEN & VEAL
Tender chicken with different flavours.
BURGERS
Flavours like forgetaboutit, criniti’s classic, australiano, chilli cheeseburger, schnitzy, peri, and halloumi veggie.
LOADED CHIPS
Pizziolo, joaquin, cheeseburger and cheesy bacon.
SIDES
Include potato chips, potato wedges, potato mash, woodfired bread, seasonal vegetables and side salad.
RISOTTO
Arborio rice with flavours like mamma rosa, pollo e funghi, king prawn, salsiccia & truffle, pescatora, and veggie.
PASTA
Made with flour, water, and egg. Lots of choices to choose.
CALZONE
A single serving pizza with flavours like arena, tropea, rina rosa, cornuto, and vegetariano.
WOODFIRED PIZZA
Pizza that is cooked in brick oven with a bunch of flavours to choose from.
WETHERILL PARK MENU
Link of the menu: https://static.crinitis.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20101247/wetherill-main-menu.pdf
DRINKS
Link of the menu: https://static.crinitis.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/22204445/Drinks-Menu.pdf
DESSERT
Link of the menu: https://static.crinitis.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/22204831/Dessert-Menu.pdf
KIDS
MAIN MENU
kids margherita pizza – $13.9
kids ham & pineapple pizza – $13.9
kids mac n’ cheese – $14.9
kids penne napoli – $14.9
kids spaghetti & meatballs – $14.9
kids cheeseburger & chips – $16.9
kids fish & chips – $15.9
kids schnitzel & chips – $15.9
kids nuggets & chips – $15.9
DESSERT
kids gelato cup – $7.9
kids strawberries & chocolate – $12.9
kids fruit bowl – $12.9
kids oreo sundae – $12.9
MANGIA MANGIA MENU
link of the menu: https://static.crinitis.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/22205310/Mangia-Mangia-Menu.pdf
SET MENU
link of te menu: https://static.crinitis.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/31185229/CRN_SetMenu_Digital.pdf
DRINKS PACKAGES
link of the menu: https://static.crinitis.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/22204445/Drinks-Menu.pdf
Criniti’s locations
SOUTHBANK
645 Freshwater Place, Southbank, Victoria 3006
CARLTON
198-204 Faraday St, Carlton VIC 3053
BRIGHTON-LE-SANDS
1 & 2 95 The Grand Parade, Brighton-Le-Sands, NSW 2216
PARRAMATTA
328 Church St, Parramatta NSW 2150
CASTLE HILL
SHOP 17, The Piazza , Castle Towers, Castle Hill NSW 2154
WETHERILL PARK
Shop C04, Polding Street, Stockland Mall, Wetherill Park, NSW, 2164
KOTARA
Westfield Kotara, The Rooftop, CNR Park Ave and Northcott DR
CAROUSEL
Westfield Carousel, R211/1382 Albany Highway, Cannington, WA 6107
