Prosciutto Prosciutto

Thin slices of cured Italian ham, delicately salty and savory, perfect for appetizers or pairing with cheese.

Il Principe

Il Principe

➤ 82 Cowley Rd, Oxford, OX41JB, OX4 1JB, United Kingdom

Delis • Pizza • Pasta • Italian


"Il Principe Oxford, England. Authentic as pizza can get, Il Principe is well known amongst the locals and it should be better known to visitors. To thank the babysitter one day, there was a group decision for having pizza for dinner (what else to share? well, maybe fish and chips.. but where to go? After some negotiation and discussion, it was agreed upon for Il Principe. I had a cold at the time, so I stayed at the home base. From what I heard, the waiter there had a very strong Italian accent. Between six people, five pizza were ordered; quattro formaggi, vesuvio, napoli, parma and pesto Genovese. All five of them were good, for differing reasons some to varying degrees. By authentic, these pizzas had a thin base with few ingredients spread in a single and sparse layer on the pizza. This way, there is focus on the quality of the ingredients as well as the different flavours which contrast and interact. After this way, ideally there would not be going back to the pizza chains. For a four cheese pizza, the quattro formaggi was surpringly not overbearing. It was hard to detect the different types of cheese used but it was quite lovely to taste the different flavours. It would have been helpful if the menu told what the cheeses were to attempt detecting them better but it was a decent one, if the weakest of the lot. The vesuvio was advertised as hot underwhelming in that regard. Otherwise not bad, with a guaranteed dynamic of pepperoni, mushroom and chili oil. Parma was the surprise of the night, with the subtle flavours of parma ham and rocket mixed with the sharpness of parmaesan cheese. It was one that improved a second time around. The pesto genovese was pretty good, if a bit on the sloppy side. Tastes and ingredients here range from distinct and acquired to a bit strange for a pizza but the combination works exceptionally well. Finally, the winner of the night is the traditional and tried true napoli anchovies, olives and capers. Three salty and strong ingredients very familar to Italian cuisine. Combining these with good cheese and tomato and you have yourself a bone fide classic of Italian restaurants. This time was no exception. These pizzas were exceptional. I await going here on time, and anticipate eating their food. It is certain that I wish for a return."

Carluccio's Colchester

Carluccio's Colchester

➤ 22b High Street, Colchester, United Kingdom

Cafés • Pasta • Coffee • Cheese


"Carluccios was my first dining experience out following I was impressed by the measures put in place by the team and how well these were adhered to. I felt completely at ease throughout my meal, staff wore face masks, tables were socially distanced, staff...were visibly washing their hands/using hand sanitiser throughout and the cleanliness of the restaurant was unmatched. It was reassuring to see these protocols in place during these uncertain times. The staff really went above and beyond to deliver the authentic Carluccio’s experience despite the current challenges! My experience was amazing from beginning until end. I was greeted by management at the door and by the wonderful bar team, Gemma and Emma, who made me feel welcomed with their friendly greetings as I shown to my table. I was then greeted by my amazing waitress Sasina, who is an absolute credit to the team! She was so friendly and bubbly, very attentive to our needs and delivered an overall wonderful experience! Our drinks order was taken promptly, we were asked if we had any allergies (very impressive and offered bread and olives to start off with. Once our drinks arrived, our food order was taken quickly without any hassle. Sasina suggested the lasagna for my main with a side of the garlic and rosemary roast potatoes. Her suggestions were superb! Sasina was also very mindful of the fact my guest was a vegetarian, making sure to point out all the vegetarian options (and even went out of her way to get some vegetarian Parmesan cheese Our food came promptly and cannot be faulted. It tasted incredible (big thanks to the amazing chefs We had the garlic focaccia with cheese, tomato bruschetta and calamari to start which was delicious. The calamari is the best I have ever had! And for mains, we had the lasagna and the spinach and ricotta ravioli (which the lovely Sasina was able to change the usual sauce to a tomato one with a side of garlic and rosemary roast potatoes. Our meal was phenomenal and the service was even better! My mother and I will be returning to dine with the amazing team at Carluccios without a doubt! Overall, the restaurant had a lovely, welcoming ambiance. All of the staff were smiley and friendly and all made a point of saying goodbye to us as we left the restaurant. I look forward to coming back and trying more of the mouth-watering new menu! Thank you all for a terrific experience!"

Bella Italia

Bella Italia

➤ 4AA Leisure Scheme, Norwich, NR11EE, NR1 3QF, United Kingdom

Pizza • Cafés • Seafood • Asiatic


"I went with a group of people last night and we were waiting nearly minutes for our drinks to arrive, Then finally ordered our food and they took over an hour with that then they served us half cooked prawns which we did not realise until i ate one and had a funny taste in my mouth so we checked the others and they were part cooked and part raw which is abissmal i told them to take them away then they offered to cook more i said i do not want any more food from you as i didn't feel well then and hour later when everyone finished there main course the waiter who seemed non existent finally arrived to take pudding orders and tried offering me it when i told him i didn't feel well was ridiculous and that i wished to speak to the manager he arrived minutes later and tried telling me that the prawns were cooked so i told him to go get them and we can check again even after the waiter admitted they were not cooked and my whole cooked see they were not then he asked what he could do to help with the issue so i told him to remove all my food off the bill which he said he did but when it came to pay he had not taken anything off and even tried charging for a free bread dish which i asked for to try and settle my stomach so i spoke to the rude manager again to remove it all he then added a service charge and tried billing us for things we didn't have so they ruined my first night out in a month and made me very ill and just didn't care the service was the worst i have ever seen and i eat out rather a lot due to hours i work so to all members of the public do not go eat there unless you wish to be very ill and have a condescending manager try telling you that your wrong."

La Pappardella

La Pappardella

➤ 253 Old Brompton Rd, London, SW59HP, SW5 9JA, United Kingdom

Wine • Pizza • Pasta • Italian


"aaahhh, La Pappardella....There's nothing I can say that can give their food justice...I've known La Pappardella for years, though I haven't been there for a while, until recently, where my husband and I decided to celebrate our wedding anniversary.So we went there full of hopes for a delicious, romatic evening. And such evening we've had.We were greeted by two of their staff and even though we have booked a table, they gave us a free choice to sit wherever we wanted. The restaurant is small but they do have some sitting downstairsin and in the back garden in the summer.We've ordered a nice bottle of white wine. The choice on the menu is endless. Anything from pasta through risotto to pizzas and salads. We started off with grilled prawns and carpaccio. Now, I'm not a big fan of sea food, but I scoffed up almost all of my husband's starter. Carpaccio: tender and full of flavour.For main, my hubby chose risotto. That was the biggest plate i have seen while eating out. It was rich and creamy with fresh chicken and tender veg. I went for a lobster spaghetti. A bit extravagant, but it was a special occasion and I just wanted to compare London's lobster to the one we had in St Kitts. Well, I was not dissapointed. A huge plate of pasta (though it was slightly over-cooked and i like mine a bit tenter) in a rich, fresh tomato and a hint of a chilli sauce and there, on top, lay the lobster in its full glory: cut in quarters. It was delicious and... messy.... I never had to play with tools like this before, as previously I had my lobster shelled. But it was so much fun to get dirty.Ice-cream based desserts were the perfect finish to a lovely meal. At the ned, we received complimentary shots of lemon flavoured course meal for with bottle of wine and service we have paid which is an absolute bargain for the quality of food and service you'll receive in return.I love that little place and we just keep coming back for more.Buon apetito!"