Rifos Cafe

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ We stopped by Rifos Italian Café and Restaurant in Maylands for a quick family dinner on Sunday night and were absolutely blown away! The food was incredible — from the perfectly crispy arancini balls and tender salt & pepper baby squid, to the delicious frutti di mare pizza and rich spaghetti marinara, everything was full of authentic flavour and cooked to perfection. What made the experience even better was the warm hospitality — the co-owner was present throughout the evening, checking in to make sure we were comfortable and well taken care of. It’s rare to find a place that combines great food with genuine service like this. Definitely a spot we’ll be returning to soon — highly recommended! 🇮🇹🍝🍕

Fadzai Eddie

29/11/2025: Sorry Doruk I forgot, the service received previously deserved 5 Stars, I'd neglected to change it. Your response made me realise I'd forgotten. Thank you so very much. 03/11/2025: Tonight's experience was more than I can commend. The menu has been re-purposed with some original dishes being re-named. Doruk (Host) asked if we could try the Mushroom Arancini Balls, of course being free, we said yes. And we're so glad we did. It's rare to actually taste mushrooms in a dish as other flavours tend to overwhelm, but these were sooo delicious and full of mushroom flavour, we were tempted to order another plate of them but knew we'd have trouble eating mains n dessert. The cheese sauce that came with the Arancini Balls must've been full of mozzarella because you had to swirl it or cut it so you don't make a mess. That was very tasteful too. My main I ordered Ocean Pearl Risotto and it was absolutely delicious. My mates ordered Spaghetti n Meatballs and Chilli Gamberi??? This is one of the original dishes that had been re-named from Chilli Prawns. Dessert I had Nutella Calzone and omg, I didn't think it would be as big as it was. I could barely eat half but took the other half home. I ordered Taku Pinot Gris (NZ) to drink and tbh, I'd seen it in Liquor Stores and as much as I Love NZ Whites, I never bought this bottle. I don't normally try 'brands' I don't know, but this glad has put me back to trying any NZ White. I mentioned background music in my previous review and tonight's playlist was great with 90's sounds out together today by Doruk. Well done. Unlike last time I went, it was too cold to take my jacket off but tonight our Host turned Aircon on for us making it more pleasant to sit inside. Service was great. 27/08/2025: From the outside the place looks small but it isn't. I've been here for an afternoon beer as well as dinner twice the more recent time being Wednesday 27th August 2025. I'm not really into Italian food because of the pasta and it's propensity for high carbs and some herbs that leave me with reflux afterwards. Starters I ordered S n P squid and a cacciatore and we had garlic bread and garlic pizza bread. I didn't eat the pizza bread but the other starters were delicious. My Main I ordered Chicken Scallopini that didn't have pasta. It was delicious with plenty of delicious sauce. Dessert I ordered Pannacotta which wobbled like a belly dancers stomach. Food came out relatively quickly but may be because there weren't many guests tonight. Unfortunately, I did suffer reflux later, most likely caused by the pesto. The room setting seems to be period but everything put together, one is not quite sure which. It is still nice. They have indoor/outdoor dining but a cold, raining spring evening you do not want to sit outside. In fact, I didn't take my sheepskin lined jacket off throughout the evening. The atmosphere is subdued, so is a place where you and your romantic date can have a nice quiet conversation. The background music ranged nicely. The service was really good with only one waitress serving tables. It wasnt busy so she managed very well and was attentive. The person at the counter made drinks including coffees for people walking past. Lots of Uber Eats/Door Dash pickups while we were there. They have a person constantly making pizzas so he was kept busy throughout. They have surf n turf and fish n chips if pasta and pizza are not your thing. Overall, I'd recommend it and once again I forgot to take pictures.

Rob Tai

Rifo has undergone a transformation, more Italian food. I ordered chicken and avocado pasta, huge serving and managed to finish the lot. Coffee strong and excellent. During the day, any pasta or pizza is discounted to $20. Definitely one of my favourite places. Toilet now inside instead of having to ask for key to outside lane way toilet.

Richard J

We had a wonderful evening at the Rifo’s restaurant!!! The atmosphere was cozy and welcoming, and the food was absolutely delicious- both the pasta and pizza were cooked to perfection with fresh, flavour ingredients. A special thanks to our waiter, Mae, for the excellent service- attentive, friendly, and very professional. She truly made our dinner even more enjoyable✨👌❤️ We will definitely come back again and recommend this place to our friends and family!

Kvant Dream

So so so yum!!! Came here with my girlfriend on a Monday night and it was a really nice vibe. We got the pizzas and the salt and pepper squid. Squid was BOSH, definitely fresh and cooked in clean oil and the pizza was also really yum, good sizes and fresh ingredients. Our waitress Sofia was lovely and very helpful. Would highly recommend

Spencer Hou