Durham's Little Italy in County Durham

Looked forward to the food after reading the reviews. To which I found disappointing,it was pretty tasteless.

Lasagne was cold in the middle red hot on the outside,my prawns and squid was like rubber and they didn't heat the chocolate brownie up likes I asked

Service was slow due to many birthday party groups. Food was amazing and the atmosphere was warming, comfortable and friendly

Wonderful and Beautiful Restaurant and very well priced and excellent customer service and amazing food

Honestly one of the best Italian restaurants I’ve been to, the service is quick for food and the staff are really nice. The atmosphere is really nice and the food is spectacular as well as the prices. It’s only £9.95 for 3 courses from 12-5. I recommend the Napoli pasta as it is an out of world experience and is the best pasta I’ve ever eaten. 10/10

The Sicily pasta is really great taste and the service is lovely as well

Quiet but we were there early at 5pm, the food was outstanding, between us we had 2 pasta dishes and a pizza ....all were amazing I would recommend the chicken Arabiatta ...

Ordered through uber eats and received what can only be described as probably the best take away I've had. The food was hot, it was fresh, everything ordered was full of of flavour. Absolutely outstanding, will definitely be ordering again, or possibly dining in.

Excellent lunchtime special. Best pizza I have had in a long time. Lovely staff. All 7 of us enjoyed it.

Good food , reasonable prices. Great service, and they allow dogs.

Haven’t been, ordered from Uber eats, chips were way overdone and soggy…not a good taste. Cheese burger was a decent size but was smothered on the bottom with garlic sauce which wasn’t advertised under the food description. Kinda dangerous to do this considering a lot of people have allergies and dietary issues these days but whatever. It made the burger gross and my friend didn’t eat it. The bun was SOAKING and soggy to the degree it was as if it had been in water because of the sauce 🤢 Go to sin city if you want a good burger. Pizzas were…ok but I’m not going to lie Tias which is a Mexican restaurant has tastier ones. Crusts were burnt as well on the ones we ordered from here, and they just weren’t that tasty if I’m honest. No herbs or seasoning…just… 🥱 blergh. I’ve had tastier frozen ones and that’s not a lie. Hot dog was advertised as coming with ketchup, mustard and onions but the restaurant was clearly so desperate to rush the order out to us it arrived without onions…or sauce…it was a sausage in a dry bun…absolutely embarrassing for the restaurant that it came this way 👎🏻…go to Heidi’s wurst for your hot dogs. Pate? Haven’t tried it. But it looks like store bought pate…bright pink and awfully square. Over all I won’t be ordering from here again I’ll stick to Bistro Italiano for my Italian dining. £48 for meals that were less than…meh…😪. Waste of money. 2/10 …one star each for the pizzas they attempted 👎🏻

Visited with my daughter & Grandchildren 01.04.24. I had the specials lamb with pea puree & roasted veg. Outstanding meal & fabulous value for money. Grandson had spicy beef wrap and again he loved it. Daughter had chicken Alfredo loved it and grandaughters tomato pasta. Lovely food, great atmosphere & really friendly staff. Thank you Little Sicilly Durham.

Went for Sunday dinner today soup for starter ..lamb dinner. Then cheesecake . All food was fabulous and fantastic price of £14 for a 3 corse will definitely be back ..they also do 3 corse for £9.95 'mid week until 5pm . Fantastic value for money x

Food excellent. Sorted my gluten free diet needs. Staff friendly and professional. Would be a regular restaurant if we lived nearer.

Absolutely loved it. Amazing food and atmosphere, a nice pint aswell

The calamari was fresh & one of the best I've had considering I'm from London, so I've had my fair share. The penne arrabiata was well seasoned, was delicious & fresh. Keep up the great work. It was impressive

Mainly pizza and pasta menu items. Good. Size portion of pasta. Staff are friendly and helpful.

Went because we were at the Travelodge next door A good find. Food and service great and not too pricey would recommend

3 courses for £6.95. Potato skins to start for 3 of us (only pictured one), Napoli pasta, vegetable pasta and bolognese pizza for mains. Followed by strawberry ice cream for dessert. Lovely place to eat out and not too expensive neither 😋

Starter of king prawns and steak was absolutely tasteless and cost £12…penne amatriciano was not good and had fatty bits of bacon in it ..then noticed the chefs appeared to be going out for a ciggy…….won’t be returning!!

Amazing food, service and atmosphere. Great value we will be back - thank you !!!

Amazing food, amazing service, amazing atmosphere! Will be a regular! Thank you for a lovely evening :)

We will be coming back!! The service here is fantastic, the portions are very generous, with just a general friendly vibe from entry :) Not to mention complimentary drinks to finish! Amazing restaurant you need to give a chance.

Just had the Maramanti with tagliatelle, would definitely recommend it, the prawns were so tender and the flavours were amazing. Staff are so attentive and friendly. Great experience!

Great little restaurant. At first glance it's a bit dated. However, the service is great - all of the staff are friendly and attentive. The food is fantastic if you choose the Italian options. We tried the BBQ wings as a starter and wouldn't recommend them but the Italian mains are wonderful. The sauces are all delicious and piping hot. The whole meal and two drinks for 2 people came in at under £50. Definitely would go again. It's just next to the Travel Lodge so you needn't walk all the way into town. Thanks so much.

Really good food at a very reasonable price. I would definitely recommend. I had the past Arabata that might not look like much on the plate but tastes very good. The pizza was good with nice base to it and my son enjoyed his hamburger. The service was great and the venue is good. We've been 7 years ago on a previous visit to Durham and enjoyed and also a few years ago when there were different owners to now, and on that previous visit it was mediocre but the current owners have sorted out any short comings and now it's well with a visit.

Nice place to go for cheap food, and sometimes it's really nice it can be a bit hitty, missy. Last time I believe my food was heated from frozen as it was beyond hot when it was served to me! Seems to change ownership quite often too.

Great food, service and atmosphere. Gets the seal of approval from our Daughter who said it was the best pizza she had ever had! Will be back.

We were looking for a pace for a team lunch and Little Sicily. We were not disappointed. The food was excellent and so was the staff.

Excellent food, brilliant service and great entertainment. value for money. Highly Recommended.

Great fast service, large portion, had to take home. Lovley staff attentive but not overbearing. Would recommend.

The Little Sciilly is a bit of an unknown gem. Attached to the travellodge in Durham but not part of the hotel, this restaurant is a beautiful place to enjoy a good wholesome Italian meal. The prices are very good for your pocket and the food is delicious. The service was very fast albeit not a lot of people in at the time I was there. Then again it was very early evening. Anyway you won't go wrong in choosing this restaurant for a bite to eat and a nice drink too.

We ate here after a stay at a nearby hotel. It was early lunch time so there wasn't too many people in so we were seen to quick. The waiter and waitress were both very good and accommodating. The atmosphere was OK, music a little repetitive. However, the food was very good. Fresh, and piping hot when it was served. Good sized portions too which were filled with flavour and for the price, really well worth it. A great little venue that perhaps needs some work on its decor but of you're wanting a good serving of delicious food with great staff, you can't go wrong here and the value was fantastic.

This is about the fourth time I have visited this restaurant to host a birthday party for a teenager. Excellent value for money and lovely friendly staff and they know how to make a fuss of someone’s birthday!! Food is very nice and reasonable, something for everyone

Her er Pitza som de laver den I Italian - Tynd og sprød bund- ikke som en kage med ost på

Food excellent,service really good and very reasonably priced.

Great menu, attentive service , can't fault it

Only had drinks here. Nice atmosphere. Really cool robot-like sculpture made of kitchen utensils.

Beautiful food. Super warm and friendly staff. Great feels. Highly recommended whether dining alone (like me) or with friends or family.

We had such a great meal there. Huge portions. Food was tasty and one of the best tiramisu I have EVER had. Service was excellent. They were attentive especially Mehdi. Value for money

We were staying in the adjacent Travelodge and had lunch on our first day. It was fabulous - we got 3 starters to share between the two of us and struggled to finish as they were so generous. We had dinner on our last night - lobster ravioli and the meatballs - absolutely fantastic. Service was great and it's a lovely, relaxed atmosphere in an historic building. Oh yes, and excellent value

Very nice place! The food was very good and my family loved it.😊😊 Waiters were understanding and nice aswell, we will come back again soon!😋♡

A completely disastrous experience! The waiters are very hostile and disengaged with customers, standing chatting and drinking together. The soup tasted like canned soup. The pasta overheated and did not seem freshly made. The cultlrey unclean and had to ask them to change some of it. Will definitely not go back there.

This is a hidden gem. Friendly, helpful staff and delicious food. Great ambience in a very interesting building.

Very good food and staff very nice. Would definitely go again.

Is it a new owner or just a rebrand?

We were celebrating our little wedding today in this place and it was just a great choice. The food was very tasty and just amazing. The atmosphere is very welcoming. The guy Medi ( sorry for probably not writing it correctly) just made our day much more special. I think he should give some kind of training for other people working in hospitality how to deal with customers. He was just really great! Thank you so so so much for this great time. Highly recommend!!!❤️

Visited tonight with my family, from start to finish fantastic service. All the staff were so welcoming, we all had different starters and each one was outstanding, the mains were amazing, as everyone was pretty full we decided to have dessert to go. My daughter loved the fact you can sit and watch the chefs cooking our food. Absolutely recommend to anyone and everyone. Thank you so much for a fantastic meal and a fantastic atmosphere.💙

I am visiting Durham and me and my family ate here tonight. It was absolutely beautiful. The food was amazing and the staff are all so welcoming and very tentative. Nothing was to much trouble. The waiter was very chatty and made me and my family feel very relaxed. I would highly recommend this restaurant

It seems that this little restaurant has changed name again. The lunchtime special menu has also changed - the price has increased slightly & there is hardly anything on there that contains meat. My companion was disappointed that the risottos had been taken off the specials. However, the portions are still generous for the price & the waiter service was exceptional - the young man must have a degree in hospitality. We will definitely be returning.

Always comfortable, great food and atmosphere, friendly staff.

100% the best meal I have eaten. The people are so friendly and the building is so nicely decorated.

Brilliant food with brilliant service.

We stayed at the Travelodge next door and had planned to eat in the city centre, but found this more convenient. We were not disappointed! The food was excellent and the service very friendly. I don't think we could have done better.

Had a lovely meal here tonight staff outstanding food excellent cant ask for anything more. Would recommend eating here to anybody. Would definitely come back.

Fab food, excellent customer service. The staff were great with the kids.

Really disappointing. Got a pepperoni pizza, couldn't taste or see any base. Just cheese & only 11 pieces of pepperoni, no onion, peppers or seasoning....tasteless

Great family meal, thanks! Kids food very good

Very quiet on a Sunday evening. Food was very nice and authentic at great prices.

Had booked to go somewhere else but due to roads closed our booking was cancelled but found this place and will happily go back. Food was really nice service/management was lovely, always nice when they come talk to you and not just see you for your money! Hoping to go back soon

Wonderful atmosphere, the staff were fantastic and involved our nephews in the dining experiance, our first visit but certainly won't be our last!

Been twice recently for the special which was potato skins pizza and ice cream excellent value and good portions, today was Sunday lunch again big plates great portions and a good selection of meats of which we had belly pork and chicken,i definitely recommend and will definitely be back.

Me and my husband stayed at the travelodge and enjoyed are 3 days coming here for are dinner the food was fantastic very tasty cocktails staff friendly helpful quick service they work very hard always smiling made you feel very welcome

They said they do gluten free so I ordered for my granddaughter orderd hers gluten free made her poorly

Very good food and value especially the 3 course early meal deal. The staff were lovely and service was efficient but not rushed. Update : l still regularly visit Sambuca with the family. The food is excellent ( l love the Canelloni)with good portions & the staff friendly & helpful. The early deal is fantastic value for money. My only criticism is that the booths could do with being refurbished.

Not a good place to visit heard the food was good but most days they closed early so didn't get to taste it we went in around 8pm was told no food available now won't recommend nor visit again

I really want to leave a good review but I just can't. Some of it was lovely but, the dough balls were stale and the salad was off. So was the mozzarella. And the chips seemed refried/ old. :( Garlic mushrooms were gorgeous though, and so was the pizza. Overall, wouldn't eat there again, I'm sorry.

Nice place but don't cater well for especially dietary as don,t do vegan options for pizza r coffee r ice-cream

Nice place Went here for my sisters birthday and we all enjoyed our meal

Went for my birthday and our anniversary 💕 meal and it was fantastic both starters and main meals were great and service was impeccable treated as special customers could not do enough for us will be going again thanks 😀

Cannelloni is super. Staff are very friendly and helpful. We will go back soon 🔜.

Lovely place, food was lovely drinks were refreshing very cheap.

Walked in and decided it wasn't for me. Didn't feel it going through the door.

Great value for money. Couldn't believe how cheap the food was and the quality was still good. 10 of us ate here for £75 and we all had 3 courses!! Drinks not included but such good value

Fabulous service food and drinks 🍸 we will be looking forward to coming back xx

Enjoyed a great meal yesterday evening with my husband. The delivery and presentation of food was excellent. We had a small problem which was dealt with quickly and efficiently. The staff were friendly but not overpowering. The surprise when paying was much appreciated too.

Well lastnight big family meal to say bye to my grandmother before she went back to Jerusalem only to find the place had closed and no contact was made to cancel our booking meaning we had no choice but to sit in our local clems fish shop we me and my whole family were harassed by a really loud rude man (pic of him below)

Good food and excellent service well worth a visit.

The best restaurant ever, had a great dinner as always.

Could do with a good clean, with a lot of bleach. Or fire.

Not been for long while nothing changed

I do not normally leave reviews, but this place inspired a change of habit. I popped into Sambuca to order lunch today. The 3 course special offer of £7.95 appears to be great value - but it's not! The minestrone can be described as tomato water with a couple of bits of potato and spaghetti in it. My vegetarian pizza tasted rank, was undercooked, and the sweetcorn was somehow dry? The cheese left a funny taste in the mouth and most of the veg had the textural quality of things that had just been warmed from frozen. Furthermore, I wasn't even able to take away the 3rd course of ice cream (despite paying for it) as the staff realised that they did not have any take away vessel to store it in about 10 mins after I had paid. They couldn't come up with a solution so a terrible 2 course meal it was in the end. Thoroughly disappointed. I feel bad leaving such a nasty review but honestly just quite upsetting.

The staff were good but the food was not the best dough balls tasted like dumplins in a runny garlic sauce and the mozerlla and mushroom wasn't great, the food swimming in this runny garlic sauce. Kids chicken nuggets well it wasn't a nugget it was rashioned slices of chicken fried in batter. The main was very good but who doesn't love a pizza. I feel like the starters need to be a better standard. Thanks

Excellent venue for dinner close to our accommodation, well priced, good variety, great staff, thanks folks, we'll be back.

Music was to loud, couldn't talk to rest of party.

The waiter was disinterested and came across as rude wouldn't go back !!

food wasn't up to much but still filling service was good but no atmosphere at all

Lunch time special deal , Great value and quality in a very nice venue with excellent service and attentive friendly staff.

Absolutely abysmal! Paid for drinks sent starter back. Black potato skins . Waiter tried to say they'd be ok??? Chefs no aprons, scruffy ppl on kitchen, woman changing a dressing on her finger next to food. Avoid at all costs

Service 10 /10, friendly staff, great food and warm welcome I definitely recommend 100%.

So nice lovely service food very nice and good prices! Sorry for the silly pictures haha 💜

Nice restaurant, not too crowded, ok food, good value. Garlic bread very good

Was a lovely night. Staff are just lovely

Pizza was undercooked soggy mess.

Great experience in Durham. Great food. Great price. Great people and the best service!!! Willing to come back.

Wonderful place! Fantastic and helpful staff ensured all went smoothly. Thoroughly enjoyed our meal and time at Sambuca; totally recommended

Very friendly staff, especially liked the asparagus chicken. Would definitely recommend it

Food good. Tasty "spicy beef with tagliatelle". Reasonable prices. Sat outside on a warm evening.

Nice food but toilet are dirty as is most of the places

Very varied menu with good quality meals with a friendly and professional service