Amazon State Restaurant

Amazon State brings modern Italian dining to a restored 1903 building on Burwood Road in Hawthorn. Set across three levels with a basement, the venue gives each floor its own look and feel rather than treating the space as one uniform dining room. The restaurant describes its setting as suited to both intimate dinners and larger celebrations, with private function rooms available for occasions that need more space.

The menu centres on handmade pasta, dry-aged meats cooked in a charcoal Josper oven, char-grilled seafood and house-made focaccia. It also states that only Australian seafood is served. The pasta section includes tagliatelle with roasted pepper pesto, gnocchi with smoked lamb shoulder, linguine with crab and scallop, and spaghetti with Fremantle lobster and prawn. Seafood options range from Sydney rock oysters and Hervey Bay scallops to kingfish crudo, while the selection of dry-aged steaks includes cuts from producers such as Mayura Station, Portoro and O’Connors.

There is plenty for a dinner built around the grill, with sauces, bone marrow and sides such as skin-on fries, heirloom mushrooms, green beans and a Parmigiano and rocket salad. Desserts include tiramisu, vanilla crème brûlée, Basque cheesecake and a trio of gelato and sorbet. The restaurant’s wine offering is a major part of the experience: the website highlights more than 750 wines, with an extensive international list intended to complement the food. Cocktails are also part of the drinks programme, alongside the work of the venue’s mixologist and sommeliers.

Amazon State suits a date night, a celebratory meal or a group gathering where the setting matters as much as the food. Lunch and dinner are offered six days a week, and the different dining spaces give guests a choice of atmosphere within the one Hawthorn venue. There is also a separate Japanese restaurant, Kaida Little Dragon, in the basement, serving sushi, sashimi and premium wagyu. For a single booking focused on Italian food, steak, pasta and wine, Amazon State remains the main draw; the basement adds another option within the building.