Scopri is the best of what Melbourne's Italian restaurants used to be like

It's 8pm on a Tuesday night, and the dining room of Scopri is heaving. The doorway has people crowded around both sides, some waiting for tables and some, having just departed, gossiping on the footpath.

Owner Anthony Scutella is chatting and wrangling customers happily, saying goodbye to regulars, welcoming newcomers. From the energy in the room you'd think this was the hottest new place in town, not a 12-year-old restaurant that rarely ends up on anyone's "best" lists, that has neither the reputation of somewhere like Grossi Florentino nor the cool kid factor of Tipo 00. 

But mention Scopri to just about anyone who's been there, and the reaction will be one of extreme affection. There's something about the place that straddles the line between old-fashioned and freewheeling, that feels like the best of what Melbourne's Italian restaurants used to be like without the downsides that beleaguer many of those older spots.

Yes: there's the blackboard with the day's specials; there are the white tablecloths, the framed maps of Italy on the slate-blue walls.

Service is efficient but relaxed – there's none of the "have you dined with us before?", let-me-explain-the-concept-of-a-menu silliness that has overrun the world in the past decade. Do you want a drink? Are you ready to order? A touch of friendly banter if needed, and let's get this show on the road. 

And the show remains really, really good. There are many reasons why this restaurant is so busy, including the comfort of it and the loyalty that a host like Scutella inspires, but much of the good will thrown in Scopri's direction is thanks to the quality of the food, which has been overseen by chef Maurizio De Marzi for the past four years. 

Look to the specials board to see the fish carpaccio of the day ($32), which most recently has been fat and buttery kingfish dressed simply enough – capers, good oil, lemon – to allow the quality of the fish to shine.

For lunch, the Gippsland quail ($29) could be a meal unto itself, deboned and perfectly crisped and served with gorgonzola orzotto, mushrooms and pancetta. It's an extremely elegant dish that's bursting with flavour.

Rabbit, pork and veal agnolotti ($27/$35) is gloriously delicate, adorned simply with sage and butter. When you're craving the cosiness of a pasta or risotto done right, and with a little more care than most of Carlton manages to muster, this is your place. 

Heavier dishes, too, lean into classiness and comfort. Kid goat ($48) cooked on the bone has all the heartiness of a good braise, but is lightened by white wine and the pop of green peas.

A recent special of whole flounder ($49) was perfectly cooked and barely dressed with capers and lemon, a fish for fish-lovers. 

In an era of pared-back desserts, Scopri perhaps shows its age with over-the-top sweets like the cannolo ($16), a practically pornographic creation that includes coffee gelato, hazelnut zabaglione and sweetened buffalo ricotta. For those with simpler tastes, the Mirto-infused panna cotta ($16) might be more your style.  

When Larissa Dubecki reviewed Scopri back in 2010, she declared it something of a bargain, noting the main courses were around $30. I'd hesitate to put it in that category now – $30 is more likely to get you an entree these days.

But the bread here – springy, high-quality sourdough – is still complimentary. The wine list is full of reasonably priced finds, and the staff knows it well enough to direct you to something great. And you could do a lot worse, value-wise, than the $110-a-head degustation, which includes about six courses. 

The sense of community here is palpable, the warmth of the place undeniable, the food dependably delicious – much of it sourced from the owners' biodynamic farm in the Macedon Ranges.

Scopri is a poster child for what a restaurant can be when you put the right owners in the right building in the right neighbourhood in the right city.

For all the excitement of new restaurants, it's returning to places like this that, to me, make living and eating in Melbourne such a lifelong joy.

Vibe Old-school but not stuffy; elegant but comfortable

Go-to dish Quaglia arrostita (Gippsland quail)

Drinks Classic cocktails, great selection of Italian-leaning wines

Cost $150 for two, plus drinks