Criniti's Big Bold Breakfasts and Christmas Day Giveaway

For the uninitiated, Criniti’s has long occupied a particular niche in Australia’s dining landscape. Italian at its core, unapologetically generous in execution, and built around the idea that food works best when shared. It began in Sydney two decades ago and expanded on the back of consistency rather than novelty. You come here knowing there will be options, volume, and a room that can absorb families, friends, and indecision without flinching.

Breakfast at the Southbank outpost follows that same logic. This is not a pared-back brunch menu chasing trends. It is broad, comforting, and confident in its appetite. Plates arrive fully formed, often oversized, and the menu is structured to accommodate everyone at the table rather than rewarding the person who orders fastest.

Egg On Plant is a case in point. Crumbed eggplant, Greek yoghurt, chilli oil, fried leek and poached eggs form a dish that feels grounded and deliberate, rather than decorative. It sits comfortably alongside Sophia’s Breakfast, a sprawling combination of eggs, smashed feta avocado, bacon, Italian sausage, sautéed mushrooms, halloumi, greens, roasted tomato and woodfired bread, finished with chips and dips. It is less a single order than a statement about how the morning might unfold.

Elsewhere, Rustico Bruschetta pairs bacon and forest mushrooms with poached eggs on thick-cut woodfired Italian bread, while the granola fruit bowl offers a sweeter option without shrinking the portion or the ambition. Berry yoghurt, seasonal fruit, fresh berries, almond flakes and roasted pepitas arrive in a bowl that still reads as a meal, not a placeholder.

What makes the breakfast offering work is not any single dish, but the cumulative effect. Criniti’s understands that mornings are often social by default. People arrive in groups, order across the menu, and linger. The Southbank space allows for this, and the service leans into it rather than rushing things along.

December brings another incentive. Criniti’s Southbank is open on Christmas Day, an increasingly practical option for those opting out of home cooking without abandoning the idea of a proper meal. Diners who spend over $150 on Christmas Day or Boxing Day are entered into a draw to win one of five Criniti’s branded coolers, each paired with a six-pack of beer. It is a modest promotion, sensibly pitched, and in keeping with the restaurant’s emphasis on shared reward rather than spectacle.

Criniti’s has never been about reinvention. Its appeal lies in reliability, scale, and a clear sense of who it is for. Weekend breakfast at Southbank, particularly in December, reinforces that identity. It is a place for long tables, full plates, and mornings that quietly extend into the rest of the day.