Latest news with #PietroBarbagallo
New York Post
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Trendy restaurant owner has epic meltdown, throws food over complaint pasta is ‘too spicy': ‘Get out of my f–king restaurant!'
A dramatic video has emerged of a heated altercation at one of Melbourne's trendiest Italian restaurants after chef and owner Pietro Barbagallo confronted a group of diners who complained their prawn pasta was too spicy. The incident, which took place in April but has only recently gone viral, occurred at Kaprica in Carlton – an eatery that is currently trending thanks to TikTok. Advertisement On the night in question, the group ordered wine and starters, but when the prawn pasta main arrived, a customer claimed it was too spicy. At some point during the incident, one of the diners decided to record a video message for his boyfriend, complaining about the meal. 'I literally had like, the chilliest food tonight, and it was so spicy,' the unidentified man told the camera, footage of which was later published by The Age. 3 A dramatic video has emerged of a heated altercation at one of Melbourne's trendiest Italian restaurants after chef and owner Pietro Barbagallo confronted a group of diners who complained their prawn pasta was too spicy. Advertisement The situation reportedly escalated when chef Barbagallo was informed about the customers' complaint and became enraged. He then appeared behind the group as the man was recording the video. 'Really? Really you have to do that?' he could be heard saying in the clip. The confused customer responded, 'What's wrong?' but Barbagallo's tone quickly shifted. Advertisement 'This is what you're doing in my restaurant, in my house,' he said. The customer appeared shocked and replied, 'This is so abusive'. Barbagallo then demanded the group leave the restaurant. Advertisement 'You get out now,' he demanded. According to the footage, the chef attempted to grab the recording phone and then yanked at the tablecloth, collecting the plates within it and sending some crashing to the floor. 'Turn that f–king phone off! You and your f–king phone!' Barbagallo shouted at the group. 'Get out of my f–king restaurant!' The Age interviewed five eyewitnesses about the incident. One witness claimed the pasta dish was 'inedible' due to the overwhelming chilli flavour. 'All the pasta was running down the wall,' the witness reported. During the confrontation, people outside the venue said they could hear 'yelling and screaming'. 3 At some point during the incident, one of the diners decided to record a video message for his boyfriend, complaining about the meal. Advertisement One bystander even thought 'a homeless person was in there attacking someone'. At one point, two witnesses claimed they saw a chair fly out of the front door towards the customer. A waitress was also allegedly seen exiting the restaurant in tears. Inside, the mood quickly turned sombre. Advertisement 'The music was playing but everyone was shocked and disturbed,' said one witness. 'It became incredibly awkward,' another added. has reached out to Kaprica for comment. 3 'The music was playing but everyone was shocked and disturbed,' said one witness. Advertisement At the time of publication, Kaprica has not issued any official statement or apology regarding the incident. Barbagallo is no stranger to the Melbourne restaurant scene. He first made his mark in 1998 when he opened I Carusi in Brunswick East, which was later hailed as the birthplace of Melbourne's 'pizza revolution'. He went on to open I Carusi II in St Kilda and, more recently, Kaprica in Carlton South. Advertisement Despite his influence, Barbagallo has faced personal and professional challenges. In 2011, he experienced financial problems, which led to the closure of his venues on Lonsdale Street and his departure from the I Carusi brand.
News.com.au
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Melbourne restaurant owner explodes at customers
A dramatic video has emerged of a heated altercation at one of Melbourne's trendiest Italian restaurants after chef and owner Pietro Barbagallo confronted a group of diners who complained their prawn pasta was too spicy. The incident, which took place in April but has only recently gone viral, occurred at Kaprica in Carlton – an eatery that is currently trending thanks to TikTok. On the night in question, the group ordered wine and starters, but when the prawn pasta main arrived, a customer claimed it was too spicy. At some point during the incident, one of the diners decided to record a video message for his boyfriend, complaining about the meal. 'I literally had like, the chilliest food tonight, and it was so spicy,' the unidentified man told the camera, footage of which was later published by The Age. The situation reportedly escalated when chef Barbagallo was informed about the customers' complaint and became enraged. He then appeared behind the group as the man was recording the video. 'Really? Really you have to do that?' he could be heard saying in the clip. The confused customer responded, 'What's wrong?' but Barbagallo's tone quickly shifted. 'This is what you're doing in my restaurant, in my house,' he said. The customer appeared shocked and replied, 'This is so abusive'. Barbagallo then demanded the group leave the restaurant. 'You get out now,' he demanded. According to the footage, the chef attempted to grab the recording phone and then yanked at the tablecloth, collecting the plates within it and sending some crashing to the floor. 'Turn that f***ing phone off! You and your f***ing phone!' Barbagallo shouted at the group. 'Get out of my f***ing restaurant!' The Age interviewed five eyewitnesses about the incident. One witness claimed the pasta dish was 'inedible' due to the overwhelming chilli flavour. 'All the pasta was running down the wall,' the witness reported. During the confrontation, people outside the venue said they could hear 'yelling and screaming'. One bystander even thought 'a homeless person was in there attacking someone'. At one point, two witnesses claimed they saw a chair fly out of the front door towards the customer. A waitress was also allegedly seen exiting the restaurant in tears. Inside, the mood quickly turned sombre. 'The music was playing but everyone was shocked and disturbed,' said one witness. 'It became incredibly awkward,' another added. has reached out to Kaprica for comment. At the time of publication, Kaprica has not issued any official statement or apology regarding the incident. Barbagallo is no stranger to the Melbourne restaurant scene. He first made his mark in 1998 when he opened I Carusi in Brunswick East, which was later hailed as the birthplace of Melbourne's 'pizza revolution'. He went on to open I Carusi II in St Kilda and, more recently, Kaprica in Carlton South. Despite his influence, Barbagallo has faced personal and professional challenges. In 2011, he experienced financial problems, which led to the closure of his venues on Lonsdale Street and his departure from the I Carusi brand.
Daily Mail
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Kaprica chef loses it at customer in Melbourne with foul-mouthed rant
Alarming video has shown the moment a Melbourne chef unleashed on a customer, trashing their table and throwing them out of the pizza restaurant. An unnamed customer was recording a message for their boyfriend at Carlton venue Kaprica in April when chef Pietro Barbagallo appeared behind them. 'I literally had like, the chilliest food tonight, and it was so spicy,' the customer said to the camera in footage published by Nine newspapers. Appearing behind them, Mr Barbagallo can be heard saying: 'Really? Really you have to do that?' The customer responded: 'What's wrong?' but the chef, voice raised, went on: 'This is what you're doing in my restaurant, in my house.' 'This is so abusive,' the customer replied, but Mr Barbagallo started to tell the group they needed to leave and appeared to attempt to grab at the recording phone. 'You get out now,' he said, and can then be seen to grab the tablecloth, plates falling to the floor, as if to drag the dinner setting and food off the table. 'Turn that f***ing phone off! You and your f***ing phone! Get out of my f***ing restaurant!'' he shouted at customers. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Kaprica for comment on the incident. Mr Barbagallo, who is Italian, owns several restaurants in Melbourne, including Kaprica in Carlton. He was credited by The Age in 2005 with kick-starting Melbourne's 'pizza revolution'.
Sydney Morning Herald
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Investigation
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