MariLuca Ristoro is an Italian restaurant at 55-57 Mulgrave Street, Thorndon, tucked down a small alleyway behind vine-covered walls at the Parliament end of Wellington, a short walk from St Paul's Cathedral. The location has a long dining history: the site previously housed Maria Pia's Trattoria, which operated from 2002 to 2011 and was a well-known fixture on the Wellington restaurant scene.
The MariLuca name dates from 2011, formed as a contraction of the names of former owner Giuseppe Malaponti's two children, Marina and Gianluca. Jeoffrey and Yasmin Bisa took over the restaurant in January 2016 and kept the name. Jeoffrey is head chef and brings around 25 years of cooking experience, including time working at sea in the Mediterranean and a period as head chef at Maria Pia's.
The menu is described as an inter-regional selection drawn from traditional Italian cooking, with an emphasis on simple preparation and quality ingredients sourced both locally and from Italy. Saltimbocca alla Romana is a signature dish, and the kitchen also runs less familiar regional plates such as pappardelle with braised duck. Handmade pizza and pasta feature, and a lunch special of pizza and pasta starts at $15. Handwritten Italian proverbs on the dining room walls are part of the fit-out.
MariLuca operates a second site at 101 The Terrace in Wellington Central. The Thorndon restaurant serves lunch and dinner Monday to Friday and dinner on Saturday, with the kitchen closing 30 minutes before the venue.
Groups and functions. MariLuca offers customisable set menus for groups of 12 or more, with lunch and dinner set menu options published on its website and the team available to tailor a menu to a specific booking. The restaurant actively markets itself as a function venue for celebrations and private events, with set menus, food and beverage service included in the arrangement. Gift vouchers are available in $50, $100 and $250 denominations, which suits corporate gifting.
The combination of a discreet Thorndon location close to Parliament and the ministries, established group set menus and a stated functions offering makes MariLuca a practical option for corporate lunches, team dinners, client entertaining and end-of-year functions. Group bookings and functions are arranged by phone.
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