Illovo Mastrantonio

2 Jaq Leonard - 3 weeks ago

Decent setting for lunches only.
Rowdy and loud and (too) full to capacity for supper.
Mains and starters are average in flavour. Definitely not a top notch Italian restautant. Attentive staff when empty - disappear when full.
Bookings here a must or else you'll have to sit in a corner by the bar.

5 Vincent - a week ago

Some of the best Italian food in Johannesburg is here. Incredible wine selection. Staff are excellent and take special requests. Phone and make a booking.

5 Sonia Borg - 2 months ago

Yet another exceptionally memorable family meal at MA in Illovo last night. We started off with a selection of starters that included their very special wild mushroom appetiser (in season) and the Buffala mozzarella with the trademark thicker skin hiding a creamy inside. Mains consisted mainly of veal dishes for us but equally noteworthy was the linguine Portofino, with fresh seafood and pasta that is freshly handmade in-house and the rack of baby lamb chops that were devoured. We finished off with a selection of desserts. Excellent tiramisu and beautiful crepes with a dulce de leche sauce. In my years of living, holidaying and eating in Italy, I can say hand on heart that this place is no different to anywhere you might find while on your travels in that country. Italian food is often mimicked and mistakenly thought of as "simple" to produce but it is quite difficult to get it right - especially when it comes to the tomato sauce. It is rare to find a gem that holds true to the values of the origins of the cuisine by using fresh ingredients, and providing light but tasty meals that do not rely on the dreaded heavy cream for taste, which is so ubiquitous in your average restaurant - instead, at MA you will find tasty tomato bases, and beautifully balanced wine sauces - cream is nowhere to be found. Tender and tasty meats, more-ish clam pasta (my absolute favourite)...the list goes on.

3 fuzzy wuzzy - 4 months ago

Very average experience. Nice bread options at table but had a tuna salad and it was very basic and over priced. Barely any tuna in the salad and only simple chopped greens in the salad. Maybe 3 olives could be counted in the salad. Not worth the price tag. Not sure about the other meal options here.

3 Brenda Dorren - 7 months ago

Not best food for me, quiet when we first arrived, but still had to find own menu's.
It got busy u0026 noisy, but host did offer me alternative when he heard I didn't enjoy meal but by then my husband had finished his food.
Was just an off evening for me I guess, it has a wonderful reputation

1 Nathanael Leo Van Blydenstein - 6 months ago

Honestly a hugely dissapointing experience. I was hoping for a classic Italian square meal, a good salad and a filling pasta. I was expecting simple, generous cooking at a fair price point for good ingredients, in short a value for money experience. I ordered a rocket, tomato and fennel salad and a tagliatelle al uovo with fresh truffles. Simple good food that should be generous and filling, something rich and something fresh, recipes that are supposed to showcase good ingredients and leave you with a full belly and an appreciation of an important culinary tradition. Unfortunately, the experienced betrayed the expectation. What arrived at our table felt more closely suited to a rustic tasting menu, the portion sizes on these items would be ok if it was part of a 6 course tasting menu, but we were there for a single course square Italian meal. I tried to get the attention of the manager on duty twice to share this concern to no avail, I didn't want to make a fuss in front of the other guests, so I positioned my body directly towards him and looked straight at him with my hand slightly open and raised. He walked past me twice, completely absorbed with telling his monologues to the bigger tables, fine and good we were just a table of two. But quite honestly, for a +R1000 bill for a simple two person single course dining experience this was really dissapointing, Italian hospitality is not supposed to leave a bad taste in one's mouth and one's heart. But Illovo Mastrantpnio left me feeling really sad, like the cultural ethics of generosity and warmth that should define Italian cuisine have taken a back seat to the theate of pretense and unreasonable profit. I worry about the future of Jozi's culinary scene if this is happening in a nice restaurant in Illovo, it doesn't bode well for the setting of standards.

4 Andre Thomashausen - 2 weeks ago

A famous classic, less expensive than expected, still very good, but could do with a rejuvenating make over!