Spaghetti Marinara Spaghetti Marinara

Spaghetti tossed in tomato sauce with herbs, garlic, and seafood, creating a flavorful and hearty dish.

Nino's

Nino's

18 Electric Parade, E18 2LY, Redbridge, United Kingdom

Pasta • Vegan • Italian • Vegetarian


"We three gluttoneers invaded this delightful eatery to celebrate my wife 's, Angela 's birthday last Tuesday night, and it was better than great. We were welcomed into an inviting ambience of romantic lighting, light tiles and coloured walls, and shown to our favourite window table. Amidst the polite murmer of chat and laughter from diners already there, and the lovely background music, accompanied with a perfectly concocted Aperol Spritz and a Pornstar Martini, we made our selection from a varied menu, especially when you include their specials ' board. James, the proprietor extraodinaire, and the others made us feel right at home with the banter and laughter great. We soon made our selection. All three of us went for the Mango al Granchio; Nino 's do the best this side of Essex. There followed Involini Pescatrice, Saltimbocca Romana. and Linguini Gamberoni; all were faultlessly prepared and presented, and the flavour was astounding. This culinary perfection was baptised with a chilled Prosecco, and it truly woke your palate up. We then concluded this gastronomic extravaganza with a shared Apple Pie and ice cream with a surprise candle and team Nino 's singing 'Happy Birthday ' with their quirky horn wonderful. We finished off with a lemon tea, black Americano, Cappuccino, and black Sambucas plus complimentary ones from our gracious hosts grazie mille! Yet again, Nino 's have raised the benchmark in cuisine excellence, friendship, and laughter. Our compliments to the chefs in the 'hot room ' for their artistry and kind attention, and a huge 'thank you ' to all at Nino 's for an uplifting dining and birthday experience. Until the next time, keep smiling and be happy, ciao."

Francesco's

Francesco's

53 High Street, HP23 5AG, Dacorum, United Kingdom

Pizza • Pasta • Steak • Italian


"An earlier conversation with the owner left me with eager anticipation of an evening with friends at Francesco 's last Saturday. My wife and I arrived to find an a homely restaurant setting with lively Italian music booming out. We were all set for a fun evening...Our friends arrived who we had not seen for a long time and stood to greet them. Instead we were instantly approached by the surly owner gruffly telling us all to sit down and order our food as they were busy that evening. We meekly complied, taken aback by this strange attitude and, quite frankly, rudeness on the part of 'mine host '.It got worse, the owner stripped off to a singlet vest top and roamed about the restaurant bellowing orders to his small staff who clearly were in fear of him. We asked a poor lady waitress if the music could be turned down a tad so that we could hear ourselves speak. She rolled her eyes and declined to approach the boss....In an earlier conversation prior to booking, the owner had assured me that all the food used in the restaurant was fresh. Absolute rubbish! We chose squid or antipasta to start and as far as the squid was concerned were presented with something that did not look like squid. It may have been squid it was difficult to tell but it was very ordinary and looked reminiscent of something from the freezer chest in Aldi. The antipasta was topped with nothing less than a bit of tinned salmon!This was followed by our mains. I was looking forward to my spaghetti marinara. What I received was a pile of steaming hot spaghetti, very al dente, on which a tomato flavoured pasta sauce had been slopped. If one looked carefully one could find the odd small prawn, an occasional small mussel or a squid ring. All very reminiscent of what one would find in a bag of frozen seafood. So much for fresh!The food was left on the plates largely uneaten. The surprising thing was that the staff were not surprised we had left it and did not query whether there was a problem! The bill £115.00 paid very reluctantly but we just wanted to leave it was all so appalling.A disappointing and embarrassing evening. The atmosphere in the restaurant was tense and unpleasant, the food, such as it was, decidedly below expectation.Our first visit to Francesco 's. Very poor experience; we will not be coming again, not only because of the food but the owner 's unpleasant manner and rudeness!"

Tosca's Italiano

Tosca's Italiano

Commercial Road, SO15 1GF, Southampton, United Kingdom

Pizza • Pasta • Lunch • Italian


"My granddaughter and I had tickets for the matinee and evening performances at the Mayflower Theatre, and need to eat between shows, we discovered a distinct lack of eating places in the near vicinity, so opted for this one as being more or less the closest. I have to say we were greeted very cordially, and shown to our table. It was explained that we could help ourselves to the hot and cold buffet as many times as we liked, and that pizzas and meats would be brought to our table. My granddaughter pointed out that it seemed quite expensive, but as I said there was little other choice. I was ok with the salads on offer, but my granddaughter had a spaghetti dish which wasn't hot (and should have been). Eventually someone did appear with some pizza, which was 2 slices of garlic bread, one slice of ham/pineapple pizza and one slice of cheese pizza, and that was that, so we settled for a slice of pizza each. after a while I did manage to attract a waiter's attention, and was able to have another slice of pizza, but we saw absolutely nothing of any other meats etc. And also it was just so noisy, I don't mind background music, but the music here was so loud you could hardly hear yourself speak. For £14.99 each, and for what we had, this is a real scam, and we would certainly not go back if in Southampton again. I would possible look to book the restaurant at the Mayflower, which was, unfortunately, fully booked this time."

La Dolce Vita

La Dolce Vita

16 The Square, Hamble-le-Rice, United Kingdom

Fish • Meat • Pasta • Coffee


"On arrival we were warmly welcomed with a huge smile. A lovely lady who single handedly commandeered the restaurants busy front of house. Her effortless charismatic control over the entire establishment oozed experience and was impressive to say the least. Her ability to acknowledge and strengthen relationships with regulars as well as build rapport with newcomers created a relaxed atmosphere that immediately put us at ease. I knew from being surrounded by people having a good time that we were in good hands. We ordered the Calamari Fritti (to share A true test! As all Calamari lovers know, this is a dish that annoyingly varies significantly from restaurant to restaurant and can often result in a small portion of expensive greasy let down. The Calamari Fritti at La Dolce Vita did not disappoint! It was generous in portion size, had great taste and texture (not rubbery The batter was wonderfully light and not greasy, and quite frankly it was delicious! The only thing that could’ve made it better is to have eaten it by the sea on a hot summers day, but that’s not their fault, I definitely booked a table at 8pm in October! I personally would’ve preferred an aioli or tartare sauce rather than the sweet chilli sauce it came with but that’s my preferential taste and I’m sure if I would’ve asked, they would’ve accommodated my request as they serve tartare sauce with their Whitebait. Ok, so despite being advised on multiple occasions to try their steak we thought we’d do pizza’s this time and conquer pastas next time (Nothing to do with a current promotion or anything lol! I had the Diavlo, an Italian equivalent to perhaps the more commonly known ‘American Hot’ that you may find at a takeaway dedicated franchise. The pizza was a good size and more than enough for 1 person (I’d say the size of a dinner plate it had a thin, crispy base and a wonderfully raised crunchy crust. Although this particular choice of pizza only has a few toppings, they were generously spread and of a very high quality. The meat was similar to a rich spicy smoked Calabrian pork sausage or Chorizo/Nduja and the onions and chillis were crunchy and fresh. The additional chilli oil placed on the table was a nice touch and I’d welcome the option of a garlic oil or garlic dip for the crusts. I also tried my wifes vegetarian Calzone which was like a big hug on a plate, a generously filled Italian pastry pillow. Definitely a cosy winter warmer and a great veggie option. We opted for the New Zealand Marlborough, a Sauvignon blanc which was clean, crisp and fresh, with hints of passionfruit, lychee, and gooseberry. The high acidity was perfect for cutting through the richness of the pizza cheese and the Calamari batter. The wine glasses were clean and the wine was served nice and cold. We were too full for dessert however the options looked enticing (almost as enticing as the Limoncello the table opposite were having! We also appreciated the classics such as ‘Tiramisu’ being on the dessert menu. Why on earth did we wait 2 years to try La Dolce Vita?! From it’s buzzing atmosphere overshadowing it’s humble decor to it’s wonderful food and friendly staff. La Dolce Vita is a restaurant run with passion and skill, celebrating the beauty of classic Italian simplicity delivered through high quality ingredients, traditional methods and efficient service. it’s safe to say we’ll be coming back. We’ve heard the steaks are amazing and we’re also tempted by the Linguine Marinara. The fact they’re always busy would imply that they are uncompromising in their standards which has resulted in a consistency that their customers have not only come to rely on but keep coming back for. Good food, good wine, good company, you can’t get any more Italian than that! Well-done guys, or should I say ‘Bravo!’ PS: I booked a table (as advised by leaving a voicemail on their landline. Their recorded message is clear and concise and there were no issues with my reservation. I do however feel a booking confirmation text would've been reassuring."