Igni Review

A great experience and fantastic food - highly recommended!

Absolutely amazing experience.
We enjoyed the 8 course degustation on a Friday lunchtime, the food was amazingly delicious. Locally sourced ingredients meant the menu was fresh and thoughtful and also had an interesting twist. The staff were fantastically attentive and consumate professionals, never interrupting each other and working perfectly with each other. The wine list is very eclectic and the staff are knowledgeable and can easily help with selections. We finished with a Negroni...the perfect finish to lunch.

Didn't leave feeling full but with a smile. Expected coffee to be part of meal. 5 bucks for coffee

Wowee what a great restaurant - 10/10 service and the food experience was fantastic.

I can't tell you how much I loved the food.

We will definitely come back again.

The wine list is amazing.

Impeccable service. Great food. My new favourite place to eat for a special occasion.

Very nice service. Some food extrordinary - but some food not. At these prices, it all needs to be fantastic. One dish was nasty - unless rancid fat is the new nice. I think it's worth a 2nd chance, maybe, if someone else was paying. A very good - small - wine list.

Fantastic food that's not too complicated. Service is also great.

Been a few times and each time it s has blown our minds. Thanks Jo and team for a very special unique offering.

Friendly, knowledgeable staff, and the food and matched wines were superb.

Mostly great food. A couple of ordinary dishes which shouldn't exist at that price. Had a cartoonishly pretentious character of a waiter; seemed like he was putting on a voice akin to Prue and Trude of Kath and Kim fame. The experience helped me to recognise how pathetically unethical and absurd fine dining like this is. Have a restaurant offering consistently better quality meals at half the price on the doorstep, in Zigfrids. Am convinced people love to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars in one sitting simply to be seen as a type of person capable of spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars on a meal. Go to Zigfrids. Incredible food. Give the rest of what you'd have spent at Igni to the starving, for a far more satisfying evening. Thank you, Igni. It's been a revelation.

Amazing dining experience. Lovely staff, knowledge about the wines and of course awesome food.

We did the 8 course lunch on a Sunday for our anniversary. One word, amazing!

Fantastic restaurant located in the middle of Geelong. Staff were fantastic, providing the perfect level of detail on what was being served up and the wines on offer. The food is amazing, hence the quality standing the restaurant has. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for somewhere to go for a special occasion

Firstly, we loved the friendly yet professional table service as soon as you arrive, everybody has a warmth about them and we felt very confortable. The non-alcoholic flight is impressive, my husband loved the flower mead and I got to sample many drinks I normally wouldn't choose myself which was great. The food is beautifully presented and interesting, I wasn't wowed by the desserts though. Overall it was worth the price for a unique experience and a nice night out!

Amazing restaurant, everyone should dine here at least once if you can!

Simply a must-visit.
To start with, the food is delicious. But this is somewhat expected on such a place, right ? Flavours are balanced, surprising and yet comforting. The technique can go from fermentation to flame grill. A whole panel of texture and taste ! Also worth to be mentioned : the mocktail are excellent (and homemade). I went for the non-alcoholic pairs and everything was matching very smoothly.
And to finish with : what a cool atmosphere! It's great to be surrounded by happy people talking and smiling. The team is young, relaxed and adorable.
So as a conclusion, just go. It's worth it in every ways in my opinion. Thank you for the good time.

This place was worth the wait though! The options are flexible but simple. Each person can select a 5 item or 8 item tasting menu, with or without pairings. This flexibility is perfect for my husband and I. I get full quickly so I can taste the extra courses from his without committing to my own 8 item pairing.

The best intimate dining experience in Australia. Long lunches go for hours with matching food and wine. Can't wait to come back!

The ultimate dining experience but even better sitting at the chef's counter rather than at a normal table. Had been to many of the world's best in the past couple of years and this compares so well; cutting edge, innovating, exciting; every course is a delight. It is akin to where both diners and the world's best are heading - small intimate restaurants with perhaps a chef's table where you feel part of the experience - we are though so lucky in Australia with restaurants like Igni charging only a fraction of what New York's favourites would charge. Locals think it's expensive but compared to world's equivalents, it's a bargain.

5 Stars don t do it justice in terms of personal dining experience. We drove down to Geelong for my Birthday in August and had dinner on what I assume would have been a slow night for them. It was probably the best fine dinner I ve ever had More

What an amazing experience. We went with the wine pairing and it truly is exceptional. We enjoyed ourselves and took our time and we never felt rushed - in fact the opposite. All of the staff were very friendly and not at all snobbish as you might expect from a restaurant where you often have to book weeks in advance. We've eaten in some of the best restaurants in the world and found IGNI has a world class sense of style, taste and service that is unique, comfortable and truly exceptional. You can tell that the staff are proud of what they are doing and want to make sure you enjoy yourself. A word of wisdom for people who are trying to tease out what the menu is - don't bother - it's different every day and truly seasonal - it's literally a surprise when you arrive! But don't fear....You'll love it. IGNI is located in the perfect location for what it is - blindly follow google maps and you won't have any problems...but park on the main street and walk the last 100 meters. If you try to showboat and pretend in front of others you know "exactly where it is" you WILL walk right past it. The outside is kind of like the whole concept... they aren't pretending and they don't shout out that they're good - they just are.

Yes, it lived up to all expectations, the food, service and ambience were brilliant! We trusted them to match the food and wine and wow, they nailed it! Fun staff and food, we can't wait to get back!!

So ridiculously good. Wonderful staff, wonderful venue, and ridiculously good food. Wine pairings are also fantastic. You won't get a giant plate of food and don't expect to, however by the end of the meal you will be stuffed and satisfied. Will be back again and again.

Magic. How they turn those ingredients into a delicious and surprising journey is beyond me. Well worth your time and effort - cannot wait to go back and try the other dishes. Thank you to the team for a memorable experience - my compliments to everyone there.

it was friendly and cool. we sat at the bar and it was comfy. The staff made us feel so special. Every course came with a story, where it was sourced and how it was cooked. We only went the 5 course but even John who is a big eater was satisfied. We experienced some new tastes and love every minute. I liked it that much took Cait for lunch the next day we sat at the kitchen which was a whole new experience. All the staff made sure it was a new menu for us so I didn t have any of the same foods again.
Loved it

Wonderful 8 courses with matched wines. Never disappoints. Sit at the kitchen bench and watch the magic happen.

Over rated. Food was good, not exceptional. Tried it twice to be fair.

Inventive and delicious, every night is a new adventure centred around the fire. You never see the same menu two nights in a row or even at two table on the same night. There are some things like the saltbush chips with vinegar powder that you can reliably expect, but otherwise come with an open mind and welcome the surprises.

Just amazing.
Well worth the money.
Knowledgeable staff and ridiculous chefs.
Everything was delicious

Staff are perfect. Best service. But food was a let down. Make sure you request a seat at the bar, so you can watch all the magic unfold in the kitchen.
Hygiene of cooking staff is of a concern. Saw a guy use chopsticks, lick it and then wipe it on his apron.. not a very pleasant site.
Weird that we selected the most expensive degustation menu with matching wine but had little protein on our plates. Not only that others were served completely different dishes which was something I was expecting.
For the price that you pay, I do not think its worth it.

A fantastic dining experience and well worth coming to Geelong just for dinner here. A very enjoyable degustation experience, along with an awesome pairing of drinks to go with the food. Very friendly and knowledgeable staff, and definitely go for the Kitchen Counter booking if you can to watch it all unfold right in front of you. Comes with a price tag but undeniably worth it.

Amazing set menu. Staff were very accommodating and was not pretentious at all. Definitely recommend and will be coming back

All timer tucked away in Geelong. Beautiful food, great staff, awesome setting. Can't go wrong!

I went IGNI at the end of June. Initial feeling was great. This is one of the fine dining place. BUT! The second dish with some fresh flowers has EXTREMELY disgusting black worms under there, yes, not 1, but at least 2 I saw. I was shocked, this is the first time I saw alive thing in any restaurant in AU I went. I rose my hand and ask waitress to come. She caught the moving worm on the desk, which was nearly running to the end of the desk and almost went to my seat, what a disaster!! After taking the plate away, she explained these flowers comes directly from garden without any "Sorry" or any kind of apologize. I had no good words on mind at that time so I did not try to argue and not want to disturb other customers. They offered me providing the same second dish again if I want, which I don't, risk with seeing those thing again. My partner was also shocked. With following dishes coming, they simply did not mention this thing again. At the end, they still charge full amount. Get discount itself was not my purpose, so I paid. After payment, we mention this accident again, since we wondered if the waitress let kitchen/manager know about this or not. They just behaved like nothing happened after 2nd dish. And it appeared another staff knows, but tried to explain "direct from garden", and made some jokes about farmers can eat those worms, which is nothing like an apologize!! I really have nothing in mind except bad language at that moment. So I keep silent and went out.
At any price, especially at this price point, there is no excuse, IGNI did not carefully check food material before delivering to the customer. I'm really disappointing. I understand everyone can make a mistake. But what's that attitude? 2 staffs with the same response, I cannot treat this as incident. Your food/flowers are too fresh, direct from garden so can have worms under it, and go to my desk???
Last if not least, as I known, those black worms have poison can let skin swelling if you touch it. Your joke with eating them, totally lie. It just makes me feel you try to avoid any compensation. Now, only negative feeling remains in my mind. I posted the same content to tripadvisor as well.

The food was delicious, 8 courses plus snacks didn't leave anyone hungry but you can add more if you want

Had a memorable meal at Igni last Saturday. We did the 8 course degustation +1 extra dish which was definitely a good call. Total time was 4 hours. The dish of the night was the hay smoked duck which was a glorious intersection of a perfect level of smokiness, super crispy skin and full flavoured duck meat from Great Ocean Ducks. The Western Plains pork neck along with the young pepper icecream with pickled strawberries were a close second. Overall the experience was excellent with high quality food that paid respect to the produce, along with excellent service. A huge foodie drawcard to Geelong!

Great Degustation every element had seen the fire. Sit at the kitchen bench it is very entertaining.

The food was good, the wait staff were so attentive, the cocktails delicious.
A very special place.

Nice service. Nice dining room. Can be loud depending upon the crowd. Food was okay. Matched wines for degustation were disappointing and underwhelming. Pinot Gris off the bat for the first course calamari would be nice. Also adding an eg. Tasmanian Pinot Gris to the wine list would be good for those who wish to order by the bottle would be a good move. Adding a full bodied SA red to match up with the beef would be nice. Desert was disappointing to finish, a little basic and boring with berries. A nice botrytis would be good too. Having only been open for a short time it might be too early to judge. I will come back in 12 months. They do have a nice house Pinot Noir from Bellarine peninsula that was impressive.

Delicious food and a relaxing atmosphere. I would recommend sitting at the kitchen bench to get the complete experience! Very friendly and knowledgeable wait-staff. Plan for at least a minimum of 3 hours for the 8-course meal. Plenty of car parking nearby within a 5 minute walk.

Absolutely delicious food, changed menu every night and amazing staff. Well worth the price.

I and my dining partner went to Igni January 2019 paying $100 per head and loved it.
We booked again for the 5 course meal in January 2020. This time we were charged $150 with no explanation given. At least 3 of the courses were inedible and returned to the kitchen. The other courses were very ordinary,
I travelled from WA to attend and booked months ago and was given the worst table in the house. We asked to be moved to a better table giving them 3 choices which were available. They told us we cannot be moved.
Both mine and my friends drinks were not good. Mine costing $18 for one glass. The background music was awful and too loud. The WHOLE experience was disappointing.
Needless to say we will not be back and we have advised countless friends and acqaintances who will also now not be going there
VERY DISGRUNTLED AND UNHAPPY

Great food
Awesome service

Great food, great service.
Kinda mysterious but so worth it!

We attended for a Sunday lunch. The staff were friendly and professional, operating seamlessly around the restaurant. The eight course degustation was so delicious. (Loved the bay leaf, loquat & lemon!) The courses are plentiful in the context of a degustation menu. The drinks list is varied and well priced. The restaurant has a friendly, casual vibe but also gives a sense of occasion. They provide a personalised copy of your menu at the end which is a lovely touch. Highly recommend for couples or groups. Enjoy!

Amongst the best in Australia. Sensational creations and experience.

Underwhelming. A few really exceptional dishes, but 3 or 4 that really missed the mark, lacking flavour and balance. At the price point I expect better.
Nice staff and relaxed atmosphere, the dishes all looked great but it should be all about the food.

This would have to best the Best fine dining restaurant. Been 3 times and loved every one!

One of the best meals i ve ever had.

My wife had the non Alcoholic pairing that was amazing!

Thank you to the team at Igni for a wonderful dinner. We experienced an original and exciting menu, which centred on hanging different meats and veggies above an the open fireplace to cook. I love that we only had to mention foods we couldn t eat and then each small course was a surprise.

The food was experimental, delicious, often surprising, perfectly prepared and a big success; a really refreshing experience to dining. We also really enjoyed the enthusiastic presentation of wines to match the food.

The wait staff were personable and fun. Interestingly groups of two are placed side-by-side on square tables, looking out in a people watching way toward the centre of the restaurant. I feel little circular tables might be a nicer way to experience the food and your dinner company, but this did not take away from the overall stellar dining experience.

Would highly recommend spending the night in Geelong, if you re living in Melbourne, to experience this wonderful restaurant on a special night.

The food at IGNI was exceptional and the service was faultless. A great concept with the mystery menu which kept you guessing as to what was going to come up next. A great place to treat yourselves for a special occasion.

Wine pairings are also fantastic. You won't get a giant plate of food and don't expect to, however by the end of the meal you will be stuffed and satisfied. Will be back again and again.Very awesome and delicious food

This gem in Geelong is consistently great. I went outside my usual choices and had the fish taco. It was excellent!. The fish was sweet tender and crispy on the outside. The salad fresh and tasty. That this place is licensed with well priced wine by the glass and has efficient service gets it over the line.

Great place to potentially get sick. This makes it tough to give an accurate star rating. Yes, there are many positives about Igni. However, there was one major thing that was, in hindsight, truly disgusting and unacceptable.

We sat at the kitchen bench a few months back. The problem was, the head chef was grossly unsanitary. He kept wiping his nose, rubbing his eyes, licking his fingers and running them through his beard. His version of cleaning his hands was to wipe them on his pants. Chef then continued on touching plates and food. The man was clearly getting over a cold or flu and hanging his head directly over the plates.

Now, I've seen similar situations a couple times in my life before and walked out of the establishments. I have no idea why I did not call him out right then and there. I suppose I did not want to make a scene or spoil the time I was having with my partner.

Coincidentally, we both came down with a cold a few days later... smack dab in the middle of typical incubation time. I've never caught a cold in all my years of working in hospital (diligent hand hygiene) but, it appears I may have caught one at Igni.

Other than that, the ambiance, food, wine and service was spectacular. Kudos to the sommalier. The pairings were amazing.

We were sitting on the bench , watching the staff prepare the food and i must say that the attention to detail was amazing. The food was great , the staff were pleasant and the ambience was very relaxing. Well done to Joanne and staff..

Absolutely incredible. We were amazed at the food the chef created for us. The expense was 1000% worth it. Staff made our night special and they were very knowledgeable and friendly

Hospitality and fine dining in particular is an underrated craft. Decision making around overall vision and then creating strong, yet inspired decisions about menu, wine, staffing etc needs an experienced, confident leader.

Few industries can match the finesse of fine dining when it comes to strong business model, yet fluid approach. I thoroughly enjoyed myself today and im grateful for every opportunity to watch anyone good at their job do their thing, but no more than i enjoy a great restaurant humming along. Well done team. Apologies again for rocking up before service!!!

Recently visited IGNI with 5 friends, due to great reviews and recommendations.
Had the 8 course degustation with matching wines. Food fantastic, very attentive service, great ambience.
However we were a little disappointed with the wine selection??
Saviour being the red served with the pork course, and the French oxidised sticky. Otherwise would have been a Five. Highly recommend.

Staff, atmosphere and food were all perfect. Thank you for a brilliant experience- Geelong is lucky to have this level of dining available to us!!!

had a really good experience there, the front staff was amazing, the foods were banging the snacks were amazing im happy with 8 course 150

a must!!

Amazing food, must try place. Delicious and custom made menu each day with seasonal vegetables and fruits.

I have dined here three times now and this place just keeps getting better and better! This is not only the best restaurant in Geelong, it's the best restaurant I have ever been to and no doubt one of the finest in Australia.

My sister took me here for my birthday and have to say I was not disappointed at all! The meals and variety of food was excellent, plus with the degustation they can taylor to your requirements, if you are still hungry then keep adding additional courses. A truly memorable experience due to the atmosphere, food, drinks and service was top notch. Can't wait to come back again for another excellent day out!

A disappointing dining experience. None of the flavours stood out. Overrated.

Amazing food and service. Thanks for a great evening guys :)

Sensational food, excellent wine + soft drinks and fantastic service from friendly, smiling and very knowledgeable staff.

Great food. Definitely sit at the kitchen counter if you can, fascinating to watch the chefs work. Sommelier and wait staff were informative and prompt, fixing up the bill and leaving at the end of the night did take some time but overall an amazing night.

Spectacular and delicious, the staff went over and above and made this the perfect night. A must if you're anywhere near Geelong

Read some reviews prior to going. It lowered our expectations, but we were pleasantly surprised. Excellent staff who were very professional but also laid back. Wonderful food, which we had worried would be a bit "wanky" but everything was amazing. Interesting wine list, some fantastic beers as well. We'd go back. A true gem in Geelong.

Over rated. Food ok, but not exceptional for the money.

Visited for our wedding anniversary, Wow! Amazing service and wonderful ever changing menu. I really enjoyed the simple elegance of the restaurant and the beautifully crafted dishes. I hope it wont be my only visit!

Service was lovely, and the ambiance is nice, but I would have to say the food was quite bland. There was no significant flavours that stuck out.

our most disappointing dining experience.

food was way under seasoned and the combination of flavours didn't work for me.

service was well below standards.

One of the most pleasurable dining experiences I've had in Australia. Service was amazing, space is comfortable and food is simply incredible.

Has the 8 course degustation. Dietary restrictions were no issue. Food was lovely. Service attentive and friendly. Not a cheap meal, but worth it.

Fantastic experience, high end food without the pretentiousness. Familiar ingredients used in unfamiliar ways. Worth the price. Pro tip, the non alcoholic drinks pairing is every bit as good as the alcoholic.

Flawless.
Food was incredible and service was impeccable.
Aaron Turner and his team are remarkable.