El Castello in Hart

Very pleased with the food and service and a traditional Mediterranean restaurant atmosphere too. Will return and try other dishes on the menu, can recommend the chicken and mushroom risotto and seafood pasta dishes

Waited 40 minutes for our food. People who came in after us were given their food so I had to ask where ours was. No apology and my pasta was hard and dry. Won’t return

Good atmosphere and the decor is interesting and fun. Delicious food Good service. Wine is pricey, but otherwise, all good

Start by saying one of my favourite restaurants in Fleet but both visits in January left me disappointed. No problem with service but prices seem to have gone up and portion sizes down. To put in context I had a lasagne that was about £15 and could have eaten 2 easily. 6 months ago definately better quality. Anyway my point is that in a competitive high street I’m surprised so will now give others a go .

Good pizza's , friendly staff, nice atmosphere and all in the face of competition from all the big chains. Glad we went

It was cold all evening despite us being a large group

I visited this restaurant early Saturday evening with my sister. She had been for a meal the previous evening and loved it so much that we returned the next day! The atmosphere is so authentic. Selina gave amazing ..personalised service. So professional but with warmth and care. We ordered a bottle of the house red wine which was served in gorgeous wine glasses. The food is of a high standard and freshly cooked. I definitely felt it was important to the staff that you had the best experience possible. And we did! In my opinion it's a traditional Italian restaurant which provides the best experience! Would definitely recommend and will be returning very soon!

12 of us ate dinner at El Castello on Friday night for dinner. When the first members of our party arrived it was quiet, but it soon got very busy. By the time the rest of us arrived & wanted to order drinks & food, it was clear that the staff were rushed off their feet & were struggling to keep up with demand. We ordered many bottles of wine & lots of food. None of the vegetarian dishes were labelled - only the vegan dishes.. I asked our waiter which of the dishes were vegetarian & he pointed to a few dishes that clearly were not (contained Parmesan cheese). The restaurant was so busy that the owner? / Manager? Had to step in & do some cooking too…it all seemed very chaotic & very noisy. The sound system kicked in occasionally & was very loud & crackly… think they were Xmas songs.. I had the stuffed portobello mushroom without the Parmesan. The pasta dishes looked nice, as did the pizza. One of the pasta dishes we ordered was supposed to be wild boar(wild board on the menu..) but was actually chicken.. there was much discussion about this. Food took a long long time to arrive.,, All in all it was not a relaxing meal, too chaotic with too many people rushing about & shouting. Such a shame as my family & I used to love family meals at El Castello. I wouldn’t recommend & sadly won’t return. Used to be the best place in town. A shame.

Always WAS the best restaurant in Fleet. We haven't been for a while, as we knew the menu backwards and had been trying other places. Decided to make a booking as wanted the quality and comforting feel of familiarity. We were welcomed. The atmosphere and surroundings were pleasant and always felt like being somewhere on holiday. We were presented with menus, which had changed since our last visit. A few errors on the menu with spellings, but not that would have been picked up on a spell check, but physically reading through would have spotted them, like 'wild board' rather than wild boar for example. The prices had increased, especially on the starters, but with the cost of living and price rises everywhere, this could be the reason. The menu was reduced in size, but again, enough to choose from. My friend and I always love Calamari, and the El Castello calamari was always beautiful, succulent, and perfect in rustic shapes. The battered rings we were served on this visit were dry and chewy. They had flavour, but I was disappointed compared to previous visits. Especially at nearly £10 per serving. The main menu had some changes, and we noticed a seasonal item, and both opted for the Ravioli with pumpkin and sage. The presentation was good, and the pasta itself was good, but despite the added parmesan and black pepper, the whole dish tasted like eating a dessert, as it was so sweet. Yes, pumpkin is naturally sweet, but the sage was not evident, and no other seasoning seemed to have been added either. There was nothing to cut through the sweetness. We moved onto dessert, a banoffee pie, and a salted caramel cheesecake. The presentation again was good. The cheesecake was OK and inoffensive. More caramel and sweet than salty, but pleasant enough. The Banoffee pie was not nice. Same texture from top to bottom, no base to break through, not crumbly or biscuity or anything. Stodgy and creamy from top to bottom. There was no obvious banana in either pieces or layer and just unpleasant texture. This was left after one mouthful as not nice enough to eat. The service was varied. One waitress was very pleasant, attentive, and had a lovely natural manner. The others came across as just doing their job and going through the motions. Not unpleasant, but not personal and warming. When the dessert was discussed, we were offered an apology and asked if we would like an alternative. The dessert did not appear on the bill, and we were given two complimentary limoncello shots at the end. 10% service charge is included on the bill automatically. We were disappointed with what was our favourite Italian restaurant and won't be returning. Initial impressions still look good, and the presentation of food was good, but the quality and attention to detail were lacking. The redecorated ladies toilet, now including disabled hand rail and baby change table, shows a lack of attention to detail. Firstly, the layout has changed, presumably for space for the before mentioned facilites, as there are no separate cubicles within this door, just one big space with a toilet, sink etc, and the kitchen staff could be heard talking from within, so it didn't have the feeling of privacy from the point of the customer. The paint on the upper part of the walls was on the lower tiles, and had clearly not been masked off, and there were paint splashes on the toilet roll holder and in places on the lower walls. Sadly, what was a top-quality restaurant in Fleet has changed, and though it still had some good points, it is a big loss. I am guessing a change of management and the old El Castello is no more.

Always WAS the best restaurant in Fleet. We haven't been for a while, as we knew the menu backwards and had been trying other places. Decided to make a booking as wanted the quality and comforting feel of familiarity. We were welcomed. The atmosphere and surroundings were pleasant and always felt like being somewhere on holiday. We were presented with menus, which had changed since our last visit. A few errors on the menu with spellings, but not that would have been picked up on a spell check, but physically reading through would have spotted them, like 'wild board' rather than wild boar for example. The prices had increased, especially on the starters, but with the cost of living and price rises everywhere, this could be the reason. The menu was reduced in size, but again, enough to choose from. My friend and I always love Calamari, and the El Castello calamari was always beautiful, succulent, and perfect in rustic shapes. The battered rings we were served on this visit were dry and chewy. They had flavour, but I was disappointed compared to previous visits. Especially at nearly £10 per serving. The main menu had some changes, and we noticed a seasonal item, and both opted for the Ravioli with pumpkin and sage. The presentation was good, and the pasta itself was good, but despite the added parmesan and black pepper, the whole dish tasted like eating a dessert, as it was so sweet. Yes, pumpkin is naturally sweet, but the sage was not evident, and no other seasoning seemed to have been added either. There was nothing to cut through the sweetness. We moved onto dessert, a banoffee pie, and a salted caramel cheesecake. The presentation again was good. The cheesecake was OK and inoffensive. More caramel and sweet than salty, but pleasant enough. The Banoffee pie was not nice. Same texture from top to bottom, no base to break through, not crumbly or biscuity or anything. Stodgy and creamy from top to bottom. There was no obvious banana in either pieces or layer and just unpleasant texture. This was left after one mouthful as not nice enough to eat. The service was varied. One waitress was very pleasant, attentive, and had a lovely natural manner. The others came across as just doing their job and going through the motions. Not unpleasant, but not personal and warming. When the dessert was discussed, we were offered an apology and asked if we would like an alternative. The dessert did not appear on the bill, and we were given two complimentary limoncello shots at the end. 10% service charge is included on the bill automatically. We were disappointed with what was our favourite Italian restaurant and won't be returning. Initial impressions still look good, and the presentation of food was good, but the quality and attention to detail were lacking. The redecorated ladies toilet, now including disabled hand rail and baby change table, shows a lack of attention to detail. Firstly, the layout has changed, presumably for space for the before mentioned facilites, as there are no separate cubicles within this door, just one big space with a toilet, sink etc, and the kitchen staff could be heard talking from within, so it didn't have the feeling of privacy from the point of the customer. The paint on the upper part of the walls was on the lower tiles, and had clearly not been masked off, and there were paint splashes on the toilet roll holder and in places on the lower walls. Sadly, what was a top-quality restaurant in Fleet has changed, and though it still had some good points, it is a big loss. I am guessing a change of management and the old El Castello is no more.

We were taken aback by the abruptness & discourteousness of the person answering phone & serving. This is definitely not a true Italian but then again they do mention Mediterranean in their cuisine. If u want a pizza or pasta, its hard for it to go wrong but If u want lamb cutlets, be prepared for rubbery pieces of stewed lamb et al swimming in a thick sauce/soup & despite being on the menu, nobody in the kitchen or front of house knew what a lamb cutlet looked like, not to mention the anaemic steamed or microwaved sword fish. Only positive was the barolo wine. God help anyone with dietary restrictions/preferences/allergies or anyone who is used to good quality food - paying £7 for veg & £6 for potato are extortionate extras. No Wonder all the authentic Italian family restaurants are few & far between.

We popped in here after the Fleet Fireworks. Glad we did. A very warm welcome, like being at home really, great service and really tasty. The decor is really interesting and reflects the owner’s eclectic taste. We will be back soon!

Very warm and ambient surroundings lovely food and very warm and friendly staff.I would recommend this resteraunt to anyone visiting fleet

Loved it! They were even able to make us Chicken Milanese which isn't even on the menu!

An amazing Italian restaurant with a great atmosphere and delicious food, will definitely be returning very shortly

What can I say , everything great especially the staff looked after my grandson brilliantly. Many thanks

Delicious meal & dessert served by a lovely lady Selina who ensured we had all we need. A lovely romantic atmosphere. We had wine & beer too. Highly recommended.

Without a word of doubt, I would say one of the best, if not THE best restaurant in Fleet. Building itself is a real sight to behold and an essential part of the rustic Italian atmosphere inside. Food is absolutely brilliant and hearty in portion sizes. Service is also great. Price is mid range to high, but you get what you pay for, which is the finest quality here. I honestly can’t fault the place in any way 🌟

Enjoyed a lovely meal here last week, the food was delicious as always. The only downside was the service, the restaurant was very busy, and the servers were running from table to table trying to keep up, which affected the atmosphere of the night. We had to chase things a few times for our table, and I felt sorry for the staff as there definitely weren't enough for the number of people dining.

Was our favourite Italian. Now under new ownership and has sadly gone down hill. New less appealing menu, not particularly welcoming and slow service. Hopefully they’ll find their feet and things improve.

Was our favourite Italian, but now under new ownership and food, menu and service all gone down hill. Hopefully things will improve.

Hadn’t planned dinner out, but were shopping in Fleet late, so decided to look for dinner. Popped into this place, and the lovely lady behind the bar welcomed us and showed us straight to a table. Service was warm and efficient and we soon had drinks, including a good wine she recommended. Fabulous garlic bread as an appetiser, then we both had great main courses. Sorry we didn’t get to thank the lady who started serving us as she must have clocked off at 6pm, but the 2nd server was good too. Very fair bill too 😊 We’ll definitely be eating here now when we’re in Fleet.

Local Italian for 21 years, great service and food was perfect tonight!! Awesome El Castello 😁😁

A lovely find. Great, well priced food, and a fanatastic team to look after you. We will go back (but were told to book Friday and Saturday nights) which probably say more than this review :)

Awful experience. The menu limited and service terrible. To make it worse the bill added 12.5% service charge despite no mention on the menu. The bill had printed no service charge but had been manually rubbed out with a pen. Will not be going back there again !!!!

12,5% mandatory service charge for no olive oil, no parmesano, not even English

I loved being there for dinner on my birthday.

Waited 40 minutes to get the wrong starter and ended up not getting my starter, had to call over a member of staff and we never got them. Main Food was nice, after an hour and a half of waiting. Overall it was okay, just slow service and the atmosphere was very confined.

Food and service were 👌 fabulous

Amazing food and service. House white wine is beautiful ….

Average to poor quality food for top dollar prices. Ingredients in the menu missing from my chosen dish and bland, avoid seafood Risotti ! Poor.

The waiter's service was extremely poor and the seafood pasta dish I ordered had very little seafood.

Great little Italian restaurant

This used to be our favourite place to eat. Some of our order was left under the hot lights for too long and dry and burnt. The place still has great atmosphere

Always cold in here, need to put the heating on

Nice staff, really lovely food. Been twice and very popular amongst friends

Busy, so fairly slow service but the food was very good and the atmosphere was cosy, relaxed but had a bit of life and energy.

Excellent food, stays open all day and now with table clothes adding that extra touch of class.

Lovely food for a great price. Staff are great and very accommodating. The service was rather slow the two times I have been however worth the wait when the food does come out fresh. Good variety on the menu for all needs. Would highly recommend the steak and the garlic bread!

We visited on a Saturday night and the restaurant was very busy. It was our first visit in a couple of years. The atmosphere was good with a mix of diners from families to even a hen do. Despite the restaurant being busy the service was attentive. More importantly the food was excellent - we had the arancini and calamari to start followed by a pizza and a chicken dish. We won’t leave it so long to return next time.

The food is always great here? The service is usually OK but the high ceilings make it very difficult to hear your dining companions if the restaurant is full

This is the best Italian Restaurant by far, the food is incredible, and the service is second to none, lovely warm friendly atmosphere, and the staff are great. Do not by pass an opportunity to visit this restaurant, you wont be disappointed .

The service was friendly and attentive, and the atmosphere was comfortable and casual. The food was okay, with a variety of options on the menu. The portion sizes were appropriate, and the prices were reasonable. That's all I have to say.

Loving the food and the staff .always a welcome

Slipped down to 'standard Italian' unfortunately. Food ok, service below expectations.

Early supper pre show. Selected from reviews and proximity. Good service, impeccably clean. Nice good and good choice of wine. We ordered 2 cheese plates (1 each) and good recommendation to take just 1 which was wise

Really nice evening. Nice food, great staff am not sure why I haven't been before but will certainly be back

Disappointing visit. The food came out in stages, so some of our party were eating and others were waiting. Nobody did a check back or ask if we wanted more drinks. For a 10% service charge I expect service. Food was variable with tasty salmon, juicy lamb shank, but an undercooked steak with gristle.

My wife and I were in fleet for a Christmas shopping and she recommended this Italian restaurant, she had the sea bass dish and was pleased with it and I had mussels as a stater and it was disappointing and cold and the wine sauce was just vinegary and the main was pasta Elforno which was not nice eat all The girl who served us before her shift finished at 4:30 was miserable and when she left we had two nice guys I won’t be going there again

Superb food, superb service. If I could could give you more than 5 stars I would. X

Did an impromptu visit and wasn't disappointed. Ordered Tagliatelle Salmone and Pollo Involtino for mains and Homemade Crepe and Torta Di Formaggio for dessert. Staff were attentive and polite. Lovely place to eat at just unwind. Would recommend a visit.

Great service, very friendly and professional staff, the food was very tasty 😋

The staff is nice. The restaurant is clean. The food is good.

I've being going to El Castellos for over 20 years, but have noticed a decline in the quality of their food since covid. I had calamari which was chewy (£9), and a beef casserole (£19), which was hot (chilly) enough to ruin my enjoyment of...

Fabulous venue. Great staff. Very attentive but not in your space all the time. The atmosphere was chatty but not too noisy. Had a lovely relaxing evening wirh fantastic food

Tasty food, friendly staff, fun vibe. Went here for a birthday dinner with friends. The Italian food was on point. We had a variety of pizzas, salad and pasta between our group and everyone was happy. The wine is well priced and the staff gracious...

Food is a pleasure ,the decor is a let down

Great atmosphere on a Sat. Food was excellent. Well run and prompt service. Cannot fault the evening!

Food was good but rude personnel, unfortunately.

Good Food,Good Service Reasonable price.

Great customer service, food was amazing, we'll done ✅ guy's,see you soon.

Never disappoints when I visit, the food service is always great. Highly recommended

Excellent friendly service from this restaurant which we have been going to for years. Risotto e Pollo was lovely and the starter of Funghi was the best I have tasted. Well done team.

Been here for my Boyfriends Birthday , amazing food, the rigatoni all’agnello was yummy , we felt really looked after from Our lovely Waiter ‘Jerry ‘ his knowledge about the food was spot on, couldnt fault anything. Will be back soon .

Fantastic food and service. My only recommendation is that some background music would compliment the Mediterranean atmosphere this restaurant has.

100% coming back again. Bellissimo

Booked a table for fathers day .Amazing food and outsdanding service, food came out hot and tasted fresh , we had roast beef, it was delicious we will deffinitely come back . Thanks for the experince 😊

We visited the restaurant on fathers day , we had an amazing time , drinks very reasonable prices ,food was so delicious , best authentic italian restaurant in Hampshire, freshly made food and speedy service, highly recommended.

The attitude of the staff is poor. They seem like the guests are an inconvenience and the food was bland. Out of 4 mains only one of us enjoyed the food. When mentioned to staff the waiter said that he likes the food. I guess...

Main course 'Italiano' salad was a minimal affair: three slices of fresh tomato, three tinned olives; a couple of sun-dried tomatoes, two small triangles of stale bread and a sprig of basil. Could have made the same salad at home in 1 minute flat for...

Top notch pasta!!! The rigatoni with blue cheese, chicken & pancetta was probably some of the best pasta I've had.. Amazing sauce 😍 Friendly staff who didn't rush us and really tasty brownie as well. The only suggestions we'd make is melting the goats cheese...

Lovely local italian. Came for Mothers Day lunch and it was amazing. Great authentic pastas! Regular guest here!

Starter with 4 thin slices of brown inedible avocado and burnt, completely inedible garlic bread. Visited restaurant many times but quality of food extremely poor when out for delivery. Will not visit again as delivery more expensive but wuslity really bad

We came for a Mother’s Day meal and the menu had a good selection. The Interior is a nice layout, modern with a classic Italian atmosphere, the tables were nicely spaced and nothing cramped. Our first order of drinks, we all got ours with the exception of my mum, on Mother’s Day? How can they forget that.. Food was good but the steak wasn’t worth £22, however it was cooked correctly as requested. Rice balls as a starter are incredible! Deserts were average. On our 2nd order of drinks, another drink for my brother had been forgotten! Once is okay but twice just got annoying. It made us feel like they were doing it on purpose. But the main reason for the 2 stars is because it just lacked the customer service, nobody seemed interested in our table and none of the staff appeared very happy. The service is always something I look for when going to a restaurant and unfortunately here it was poor. Also they add on 10% service charge onto your bill, I normally tip very well so it’s uncommon to see it forced onto your bill. I wouldn’t return even if it was discounted. Shame but still enjoyed our Mother’s Day as a family.

The food (pasta) didn't taste like much. Could not taste the ingredients listed on the menu even when I tried to. My partner's pasta had 1cm of oil in the bottom of the bowl. The food did not seem freshly prepared. Cheesecake and banoffee pie...

Had a delicious food here at el castello , excellent quality of food and drinks , very good service , very helpful and polite staff, definitely recommend this place to friends and family and I will certainly return at some point .

Phoned ahead with only five minutes notice and were booked in, shown to a table and thoroughly enjoyed the food, drink, service and atmosphere. This is only my second visit but would return again and again.

IVE been in El Castello restaurant a few times , sadly the Bulgarian lady died some years ago. i couldnt fault it then 10 out of 10. Fantastic food. Ive not been there for a while , i have no complaints with service etc but...

Really great food and atmosphere, lovely staff. Would definitely recommend!

Lovely date night meal, cannot recommend highly enough

Pleasant evening with family. Had the pizza and pasta, freshly cooked and tasty. Side salad, bruschetta and garlic bread as well. Gin cocktails were fab. Good service

The service was efficient and friendly, the dishes arrived within the appropriate time. When I ordered I asked if they still did a dish that had been on their previous menu and they were more than happy to oblige.

No.1 in fleet for quality italian cuisine. Seafood as good as gets this far inland

Great food, great service, great atmosphere

Our food was super late and their staff were exceptionally rude when we asked. They weren't flexible and couldn't sort out close to 2 hours of delays. Their answers were irrational and full of obfuscation. We picked this place for a small party and it...

Tried this with few friends, first time. Food was late and management not at all up to the task when prompted twice about it. I would avoid, same as my friends. It never helps when the attitude to customers is (at best) patronising instead of...

Service very poor and the food was just OK, I would not repeat. Very disappointed

Superb authentic Italian……. Absolutely love this place. Nice venue, good price abs staff are fabulous x

A nice place to take the family. Service is good. Menu can be a bit hit or miss, but the pizzas and several pastas are good. Definitely a tradition if you are in the Fleet area. Beats chain restaurants any day.

Decent pizza, great atmosphere. Calamari slightly overcooked but ice cold Moretti made me forget.

Always a good evening to be enjoyed in El Castillo. Attentive staff and a good menu. Probably my favourites for a pizza and many others. A large open room can mean when it’s busy it’s pretty noisy, but lively!

I don’t usually leave reviews but I felt like I had to comment on our experience. The service & food was excellent. My daughter has an egg allergy which I mentioned when booking. As soon as I mentioned this to our waitress she said she...

Outstanding food and brilliant staff

Highly recommended by a friend who is a regular. Food was excellent. I'll definitely be coming back

The baked pasta with spinach, chilli and vegan cheese! So so good, wish I lived in fleet. Thank you for serving outstanding vegan food!

Having never been here before I was shocked by the lady who greeted us. Not at all welcoming and when I asked if we could sit at the table in the window I was informed it was booked. Fair enough I thought until the next...

Friendly atmosphere with a varied menu. Vegan menu available with fantastic vegan mozzarella. Reasonably priced. Authentic Italian cuisine. Definitely will be returning!

Great pizzas, great pasta, great service. A lovely place to eat!

Fantastic quality food with excellent service. Always a perfect evening

Loved the food. Love the look and feel. I am going back there. My new favourite place.