Criniti's

Where do I start. So we had a booking for 8pm on Saturday 12th June. Even with a booking we were told to turn up 15-30 minutes early (we were a bit unsure why). So we turned up at 7:25pm and told to stand in line with around 20 others ahead, and soon after,maybe 30 behind us. Thought this was bad form as we we had an interstate reservation. So eventually we are in and ushered to small bar tables (us and two teens) and told to wait. After 15 mins and a couple of reminders to passing maitre-d staff ordered two drinks. BANG! At 8pm in a Saturday night they are out of their two Tap Beers (one being Peroni, reminder this is an Italian restaurant). So after after about 35 mins (remember we had an actual booking) and twice reminding staff that there was 4 of us, not 2 (after twice being told our table for 2 was ready), we were seated. So the service was very slow. Excuse, we are busy. It's Darling Harbour, Saturday night, on a long weekend. Hello, not our problem. One Starter meal never turned up, one main never turned up, wife's main was wrong meal (veal limone instead of saltimbocca), my veal parmigiana - tough as boot leather, no eggplant topping per the menu, no side of mash as ordered, vegetable medley was almost raw, as if all vege had been steamed less than 5 mins. All in all an extremely disappointing dining experience. Small main servings, missing items, wrong dishes, very slow service, poor excuses for poor service/standards, highly overpriced wines. Would not ever recommend this place to family and friends. I'm sure there are 100 times better Italian restaurants around Darling Harbour. Avoid this place at all costs.

Expensive, but you get what you pay for - really high quality pastas and the service is excellent. A bit of a wait on my food but it was worth it

I find this place to be popular among alot of people i know but for me personally, the pricing is a bit on the steep end. Nearly $30 for a pizza that took quite a while to arrive. Waiters were nice enough, was very busy here, and premises were clean.

So well known amongst my friends etc as they have delicious food. Great pricing considering the menu and the area. Good servings and a nice representation of italian food.

Really enjoy the dining experience in this place. the food was really good and the service was excellent. I was using a scoopon voucher but the service and the quality still stay the same. Highly recommended to you all

Approximate cost: $50

Crinitis is a staple for good italian cuisine. The food is always spot on, however the prices are a little high. Woolloomooloo is our favourite one however Darling Harbour also has lovely views.

Approximate cost: $35

Absolutly love love love this italian restaurant even though people complain about their prices to be honest I'm always happy to pay the amount on my bill, the reason bring is that its clean delicious quality italian food with excellent staff and service plus a great view of darling harbour (if sitting outside)
...its not very often you get friendly staff, exceptional service, amazing traditional food with a great view while dining all at the same place.

Criniti's is an Italian restaurant with a large menu selection, however I find that the food is overpriced for what it is and for the price it tastes quite average. Nothing on the menu has ever wowed me. The food is not terrible but it is not spectacular either. Service is usually very slow and the food takes ages to come out. Once I waited close to 30 minutes for a bottle of table water!! These days I only end up here if I am with friends and they insist on going there, I never initiate the visit myself.

Pricey Italian and other western cuisine restaurant. Came here for a work lunch and most of us agreed pizza price of $28+ I a bit tool pricey. Ended up with a burger that came with chips for about $20. Not bad. The staff were friendly and the views were spectacular of darling harbour.

I think all of my experinces have been diffrent, though i love there food it has come out late a few times but otherwise the service is ok. A very relaxing outdoor setting. Best place to go for a quite night in the city, on weekdays.but on weekend they can be quite busy and take forever to get the food out. But never had a bad experience otherwise.

Approximate cost: $30

Crinitis is a cool restaurant, with a good energy and a large menu. Unfortunately, the food average, it is often cold when it gets to you and quite expensive for what it is. The customer service is consistently slow. I have been here several times now and I am still hoping that the food and service will improve.

We went there beacuse we were already in darling harbour. The placed was busy so we had to wait for our table. We had prawn cutlets and Fettuccine. The food was OK, but pricy and service was average.

Came here for a 50th celebration pre booked the table , there was an hour wait for our table. We were then rushed to order and then yes our starters arrived which were ok, but an hour and a half later there were no mains , when we asked a waitress she went to the kitchen to find out was going on only for her to return and to say our order had been forgotten about!! And chefs were going to start it now, by then it was too late we were all hungry and didn't want to wait yet another hour for food. The waitress turned quite rude about our response and the manger apparently was to busy to come and talk to us. I found this a disgrace and awful of sucha big company. I will never be returning to here.

Visited here with a large group for a family farewell. I'd previously been to the Castle Hill location, so didn't hesitate to book here. Service was average at best, and it took a few times and a few different wait staff to follow up where our meals were after a fair time waiting. I much prefer the Castle Hill location, I think the Harbourside location is to big, to loud, and your orders get lost in the kaos. The food is great when you get it, but I'd recommend trying the other locations for a better experience and atmosphere.

I have only been to Criniti's once before & I had very high expectations as I had been told many times about how great it is... I was extremely disappointed when I went there last year for a friends birthday. We had a set menu as there was a large group of us. The food was disgusting - pizza was cold & damp. Service was average - the waiter ended up dropping a drink all over my friend & smashed all over the table. I don't think I will be returning to this restaurant any time soon..

Went here on wednesday night and i was blown away. I ordered the double stacker burger and it was amazing! literally double the size of any burger i have ever eaten. IT WAS A MONSTER OF A THING and to top it off it was gorgeous. 2 beautiful beef pattie, melted cheese and crispy pancetta. It was about $27 but so so worth it!

Approximate cost: $27

We have been to Crinitis twice in the past year, and both times we were blown away by the friendliness of the staff, the amount of time and attention given to us, and most of all the quality of food. The staff were all very patient and not at all overbearing when we were eating, but were quickly available when we wished to order drinks and food. We enjoyed the view of Darling Harbour, and at no time did we feel pressured to leave (granted, both times have been midweek). I highly recommend the restaurant, and will endeavour to make it down to Sydney to dine at least a couple of times each year.

Approximate cost: $35

Visited Criniti's on Saturday for dinner with a group of 8. Excellent starter of calamari and chilli followed by a very nice cheesy pasta, baked in the oven. Yes something different and absolutely delicious. During the night I had a few Long Island Ice Teas which were severed in fantastic classes. The restaurant was very busy and the service was no existent, the staff were not rude but neither approachable. All in all the food was delightful. It is pretty expensive, but we had a great table and could watch the darling harbour fireworks which was very enjoyable. I will not go back in a hurry but I would recommend to a group of friends looking for good Italian food.

Approximate cost: $35

everyone used to say crinitis is the best restaurant in sydney in terms of italian food and I used to agree . but since i visited last i was shocked. staff were not nice and the pizzas that used to be succulent weren't that good. and thinking of what you pay , well it's not worth it. hope this time was an exception and that it's back to yummy business

If half points were available, then I would rate this resturant 3.5/5 instead. Until then...

Visited Criniti's in the city for the first time with work colleagues for a Christmas party. After hearing rave reviews, I was pretty excited to see what all the fuss was about. I've had negative Italian food experiences before, so it was wonderful to eat something that actually tasted moderately Italian.

For starters, I tried the artichoke and roasted capsicum on bruschetta, and zucchini flowers stuffed with goat's cheese. Although etiquette dictates that eating with fingers is a no-no, cutting the bread was quite tough with a knife and fork. The artichoke was nicely done, not too overcooked, and the cheese tied it together. The zucchini flowers got mostly negative reviews from our table, but I genuinely enjoyed it. The batter on the flower was just light enough not to smother the actual flower, but heavy enough to keep it from falling apart. As I have an affinity for cheese, the filling was simply divine.

For mains, I decided to indulge in the Garlic Prawns, which came submerged in a tomato sauce, accompanied with two pieces of bruschetta bread. The prawns were simply delectable. However, the sauce itself left a bit to be desired. It was not particularly garlicky, and tasted rather bland (as though it were made from canned tomatoes). For that price, I would hope it was made from fresh tomatoes. Seasoning was a little underhanded as well. The dish was fine, filling and well-portioned, but didn't quite kick a punch like I had hoped.

Drinks were a whole other affair. The wait between ordering a drink was long enough that I started to notice (approximately 10-15 minutes). I am aware of the fact that it was very busy, but in my experience, drinks don't necessarily take too long to prepare. We started off with the "Putana" which incited a lot of giggles. It was a nice shade of pink, but uncomfortably bitter. The mandarin-infused vodka was also unpleasant - tasted as though the rind was used in the infusion process, rather than the juice, resulting in another bitter drink. However, I would blame that on Absolut, not Criniti's (but I don't recommend it overall). Absinthe was ordered as well, slightly daring. Strong as it was, it seemed to have been poured straight out of the bottle and given on the rocks. Once again, for the price you pay, you would assume that the drink would undergo the process of the louche. Their modestly titled 'w.p', delightfully called 'wet pussy' by yours truly, was barely a crowd pleaser and its contents were considered to be 'lolly water.'

The hit drinks were 'The Underworld' and 'Lights Out.' Both made with absinthe, they tasted delicious and were devoid of that bitter essence I so hate. If you're at Criniti's, be sure to try these two cocktails! They were delightful and memorable.

The service was decent, considering how busy it was. The waitstaff attended our table numerous times (probably given how big our party was). However, the waitress neglected to take my order for our mains and it took a few 'excuse mes' for her to realise. Irritating as that was, the servers were friendly.

I most likely wouldn't return to Criniti's unless it were a formidable event, because I personally don't think the prices are justified. While the food was tasty, the prices were slightly overwhelming. A good first experience, but there is always room for improvement.

Approximate cost: $35

Very dissapointing! after eating at the parramatta restaurant i expected high service and food quality. Pasta was undercooked and cold, food took an hour minimum to come out service was very poor and food was expenssive for such a poor experience

Fantastic atmosphere! I came here after work with about 10 friends and the place was packed. The staff try their best to stay calm but it's clear sometimes they get really stressed. The food can be a little pricey so it's best to order the shared pizzas. Probably best to join the Crinitis club to get further discounts. If you sit outside there's also a fantastic view of the city.

Love Crinitis always good food and service. Atmosphere is really lively especially over the weekends. The whole vibe and setup of the restaurant is great! Definitely recommended if you are willing to spend about $40 for your main meal

absolutely love the italian food that is served no matter how high are the prices. Love the view on darling harbour , love the service ( you get a button that you press to call the waiter) good range of food , love it must try

Absolutely amazing food here! Big servings too! The quality is always great. Can't complain about the price considering the amount of food on your plate and the high quality of it. You pay for what you get. Favourite restaurant. Love it :) :) :)

Approximate cost: $30.00

amazing amazing amazing italian food a bit expensive but worth what you pay i just dont like the process of pressing the button to order it doesnt always work

Food is awsome. Even if you don't really fancy Italian cuisine, come for the dessert platter. it is amazing! 8 desserts on one plate, full sized ones too. The service is great and consider its touristy location it really isn't that expensive, probably better value than other places around Darling Harbour.

Approximate cost: $20

Food was great and prices are good considering the portion sizes. However, we found the restaurant to be very busy, noisy and staff were rushing around everywhere. We had to shout to hear each other across the table because of noise and music.
It's a shame the restaurant atmosphere was so face paced and noisy it really lets down the quality of the restaurant.

This restaurant is pretty expensive.

We had a 5-7pm booking for work dinner and we got there 5.40pm due to Christmas traffic.
But they were not ready for us when we got there.
The table was incredibly squishy even though we asked for 13 seats and there were 18 seats on the table...
The food is good.
And the 1 metre pizza doesn't have a diameter of 1 metre. Very misleading. It's just long not wide at all.
So probably not worth it for $75!
We kept getting kicked out at 7pm! But our mains just arrived 10 minutes ago!!
That was horrible but I didn't try and stuff myself.

Approximate cost: $40

Food here is mouthwatering and cooked to perfection. Woodfire pizzas are available here and they taste amazing. Service is also pretty good and prices are reasonable.