Favoloso in Colchester

Dreadful meal and no idea where on earth the high scores are coming from. Embarassing - family left all of it. Seafood pasta (£30 something) contained prawns best suited in a Prawn cocktail, a very obviously cryogenically frozen mushy King prawn and clams which didn't taste fresh (and I wouldn't swallow). Didnt bother trying the rest. Tomato base sauce watery and bland. Meatballs watery and flavourless (caveat garlic), Penne pasta was same. Carbonara was marginally better. Scallops to start were OK. Service was friendly, but language barrier with servers felt a bit awkward. Worst of all, just shy of £135. Don't mind paying for a good meal and regulary eat out in Colchester / London. However l, wouldn't have paid £50 all in for what we had as it would have remained uneaten.

Nice restaurant that does very good Italian food. The portions are large and also very rich. There is a great choice of fish on the specials board. Service was very friendly but they made a few errors, took probably 15 minutes to clear our plates after finishing starters and the same with the main course. Would go back again though.

Lovely food so will return. Asked for 1 piece of bread to soak up juice on starter and charged £2.95 so won't be doing that again. Tables too close together so go early before they fill up.

Best tomato sauce in Colchester ...!

Best place in Colchester for seafood!

Another wonderful meal at our favourite Italian restaurant! This time for a special family celebration, the food was absolutely delicious and the warm welcome a delight. Heartily recommended!

Delicious food, great hospitality

One of, if not the best Italian restaurant in Colchester. The service is superb, and the food outstanding. The ambience is relaxed yet holds a certain energy. They specialise in seafood. Book them now.

I cannot find any faults with the restaurant. Great service, the meal was tasty and cooked to perfection. One of the best restaurants I have ever visited, and I have been too many. Will definitely be back. An absolute gem.

Good food but check your bill as they tried to charge our group for an extra main course - most items are charged as "specials" which makes it hard to tell. When we queried the extra charge the manager tried to justify the extra main. Eventually got him to realise that 7 of us didn't order 8 mains and he took it off the bill. Food and service were okay other than that.

Nice restaurant with good food. There are lots of quality fish options as well as other options.

Delicious. Full stop delicious. It’s a relaxed colchester institution of freshly cooked Italian food. If you want fresh fish it’s also the place to go. An almost subterranean restaurant you’ll find decent wine and unassuming service. I’d certainly go for a meat dish too; pan fried chicken with Brie was just perfect. Vegetables cooked to perfection. Two courses, beers, wine between 3 was under £50 each including a tip. Highly recommended and I won’t leave it 8 years until my next visit.

Funny place; tables crammed in - I struggled to leave as despite only three tables being in use, we had all been put next to each other. I imagine they struggle to get a rhythm to custom, given it's so seldom open. The website says: - DINNER WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY: 6pm - 10pm (last orders) - DINNER FRIDAY AND SATURDAY: 5:30pm - 9:30pm (last orders) so I guess we were lucky it was open! As they say on tv, the sauce with steak "could have done with a little more seasoning" - but it was a generous sized fillet, like the other dishes, cooked to order. There is a fantastic selection of sea food on the wall - we had scallops & mussels. By the glass wines were remarkably good, and the whole wine list reasonably priced. Definitely worth another visit, especially as so close to the Mercury.

First visit here despite living in Colchester for many years. In short: very high-quality food at reasonable prices, in nice surroundings; sullied by the extremely unfriendly, unwelcoming and curt service. Starting at the front desk, with the manager (owner?) sighing and huffing at two diners turning up in an empty restaurant without a prior booking, to being showed our table without a word being said, to being presented the bill without a word of thanks or "hope you visit again".

Have visited a couple of times now, after dining with friends under their recommendation. Very genuine, authentic restaurant serving brilliant fish dishes

I think this is an excellent place for dinner. First class food. They were very busy.

Food was fantastic and presented very nicely, good atmosphere, if a little busy

Never been before but.. we will be back!!!! Oh yes. The atmosphere was totally relaxing and welcoming and the service was A1. We were able to choose the portion size of the main course. The food was totally yummy. Beautifully cooked and presented. Lovely staff, and an open kitchen which was really good to see. Mary and Joe Connor :-D :-D

Food took over an hour to arrive was gravely disappointed with the results. Starters were overpriced and measly portions. Bad crayfish in main meal, sent plate back and was met with defensiveness from staff. Still got charged the full amount even though none of the meal was eaten. Will not be returning again. 0/10.

I booked a meal for my parents' 80th. The staff were really accommodating and did everything they could to facilitate getting everything sorted for the meal. I wasn't actually there (my parents are leaving a meal-based review) but I can say that they said they had a fantastic time, totally enjoyed the food and are soon coming back with other family members.

Service was slow and the food was ice cold when it came out. This place used to be decent, but it’s clearly gone down hill. Wouldn’t bother, you should just go elsewhere… unless you like freezing meatballs, of course!

Very special place for a special occasion!

An absolute find! We just wanted an early meal before a show at the Mercury and we hit lucky. Really delicious subtly flavoured dishes. Friendly service - family run. We were first in at about 5:45 but would be wise to book at dinner. Really enjoyed - will return!

Worse restaurant experience. Made to wait over 40 mins for our prebooked table. Would have walked out but was a Saturday night and doubted we'd get another booking. Manager didn't even apologise. No drinks offered when we sat down. Starter was incorrect. Food in general was tasteless. Only restaurant which didn't offer some reduction in the bill due to the appalling service. Two members of staff were apologetic and polite other than that, awful, disappointing experience.

Disappointed, not made to feel welcome, left for ages before being asked if we would like a drink, and no it wasn't overly busy 7pm sitting. Food was OK but service was lacking. Won't be recommending or go again.

Quite simply, great food but service slow and the boss needs to learn to smile!

One of the best Italian restaurants in town. The food is delicious, the staff is extremely kind, and the atmosphere is beautiful.

Food was okay, but not special. Overpriced for what it is. Service okay. Not my cup of tea really, although I will say that there is nothing really wrong with it. Try and see for yourself.

Absolutely gorgeous gem of a restaurant. If you're even considering going, go. Waitress was amazing. Food was superb (I haven't had scallops cooked that well in many years). And it's got brilliant vibes.

The best restaurant in Colchester for fish dishes. Lovely family run business. Hidden gem

One of the best restaurants in Colchester if you like seafood and Italian food.

Just had an amazing meal here, lots of choice, authentic friendly vibes, great value, will definitely be back, 5***** 👏👏👏

What a find! Right near the Mercury Theatre and ideal for a pre-show meal. We all had seafood and it was fabulous, scallops, king prawns, sea bass, prawns & crayfish and lobster, so tasty. We will definitely return to try out the pasta dishes next time.

Nice little restaurant...liked the service and the food

We had a really nice evening for Dads 80th. The food as usual absolutely brilliant, thank you Carlo and your super wife !

Lovely restaurant food is awesome service good and not crazy prices would definitely recommend look forward to going back again soon.

Absolutely amazingly fresh seafood!! * Highly recommended****

Favoloso it was!!! A party of 14 of us decided to try this little jewel hidden in the middle of Colchester last Saturday evening and we were not disappointed. Being a large party we had pre-ordered our food which was served up hot, tasty and very well presented. All the waiters/waitresses worked very hard all night and were very polite and helpful. The Chef came out to chat to all her customers to see if we enjoyed the food to which I thought was a lovely touch. It was nice to see a restaurant doing really well. This is a must try!!

Fantastic food lovely service a, lovely restaurant for couples and large groups 😊

Best place in Colchester for Italian food, hands down! Great family run atmosphere, will go again and again.

Excellent food and service...every time we go.. our favourite restaurant...

Wow, this place is absolutely excellent! The service was a little slow, but it seemed some of the staff were new, and it was a busy Saturday night so this can be forgiven. The range of fish specials was great, alongside traditional pizza/pasta, and the lobster & scallops dish I had was better than those I’ve enjoyed in high end restaurants - at a more reasonable cost too! Highly recommended, a hidden gem.

Loved this place for dinner. Had a nice chilled vibe while we were there. It was a midweek evening meal and probably about half full. Great service from friendly staff and the food was great. Definitely recommend getting some good wine here too all for a very reasonable price. This was my first time here but I'll definitely be back now if found it.

Great food service and prices Fantastic Ice cream

Came here for 20th Wedding Anniversary with my wife. Nice and cosy atmosphere, well presented food, good customer service. Everything went well. Loved the prawn dishes, can't remember the names now. If you come to Colchester, you must visit Ristorante F. Will be coming back.

Superb food. Good selection of fish dishes although meat dishes are also available in their menu.

I'm very surprised at all the excellent reviews which makes me think perhaps we went on a bad day. My husband booked this restaurant for our anniversary and we were looking forward to trying somewhere different. From the outside, the restaurant looks run down but the inside was much nicer. We were surprised to see that it was virtually empty at 7.30 on a Saturday evening but the staff sat us right next to a large table. As the tables were cramped together, it was difficult to get out to use the bathroom. The waitresses looked bored and didn't smile once in the whole time we were there. The starters were OK, nothing spectacular I ordered the seafood risotto which tastes like rice, tinned tomatoes and seafood. Not very exciting at all. My husband ordered a rare steak which was overcooked. The whole meal, including paying the bill took 45 minutes as there was no time to pause between courses, as soon as our cutlery was down, the next course arrived. The bill came to over £100 which we thought was steep given the good was OK at best and the staff were not particularly attentive. Overall, a disappointing evening and will not be returning again.

Loved this restaurant, lots to choose from and will be returning to try other dishes

A lovely Italian restaurant,, friendly and polite staff and food to die for ...I would recommend the prawn and crayfish risotto ,full of flavour ,

A wonderful family based authentic and original style Italian restaurant. Always receive incredible service, high quality food and great value as well :)

Our favourite italian in East Anglia

Wonderful spontaneous dinner, big portions great friendly staff.

Amazing food and amazing atmosphere ⭐️ The food was incredible and traditional Italian, the service was lovely the 2 servers were very friendly and the atmosphere was very comfortable.

Had a birthday meal here and it was absolutely fantastic. Food was some of the best Italian I have had and the service was fantastic. The chef even came out to see if all was ok with the meal. Great work and highly recommend

Good Italian fish restaurant. Limited menu for non fish eaters. Menu blackboards a bit tricky to get the hang of, but the meal was good and a real change to the usual Italian. We had courgette fritters, mussels, fresh scallops and tagliatelle with smoked salmon. All good. Busy perhaps for these post pandemic times, but a real find in the centre of Colchester.

We were excited to visit this restaurant after reading the great reviews. Unfortunately it didn't live up to expectations! Left waiting without menus or an offer of a drink for some time. Customer service wasn't overly friendly and not only my starter but also my main course was almost taken away before I had even finished! Felt very rushed. Food was ok but nothing special considering the price. Wouldn't go back.

We arrived here with my dad who is disabled wasn’t a problem was ok to gain access staff were very helpful and friendly service was amazing and the seafood platter lobster mussels scallops whitebait and calamari and the crab was amazing it was all cooked to perfection the flavours combined with the seafood where perfect not to overpowering they were matched perfectly We will be returning again would highly recommend

This is a lovely Italian Restaurant in the heart of Colchester. Great value for money. The dishes we had were very well prepared and of decent portion size. The staff were also very friendly and helpful. Unfortunately for them as this was on one of the England semi final night apart from us they were empty. I'm sure they will be full soon though

I have eaten here many times and in my opinion, it is the best restaurant in Colchester. The quality of the food and the friendliness of the owner/ staff make for a great atmosphere and enjoyable meal.

Wonderful resturant, friendly welcoming atmosphere. Impeccable service and fantastic food. We had the best steaks we have ever had. Was so good did not want to finish. Accompanied by excellent wine and finished with beautiful dessert and lemonchello Cannot recommend highly enough

Cannot ever complain about this place. Amazed every time I visit. Food was delicious, timing was perfect. I had the calamari starter and seafood spaghetti (changed to linguine as I’m a messy eater that can’t be trusted with thin spaghetti) this wasn’t a bother at all to them. My partner had the carbonara for starter and Turbot for main. He said this was also gorgeous. One thing that made our visit extra nice was the fact the chef come out to speak with the customers. A nice touch :-)

Picked this place from trip advisor when visiting Colchester. What a find! Lovely staff, very attentive without being over the top. We are fish lovers so we had calamari and baked crab in ginger and garlic to start. Main course turbot with scallops in saffron sauce, husband had giant prawns in garlic ( and they were giants) dessert of white chocolate cheesecake with caramel and pannacotta with Icecream. 1 pint of peroni 1 g and t and a bottle of pecorino white wine, total bill £115, excellent value for money in our opinion. You can eat for less if you like pasta. It was lovely to have food cooked from scratch, proper cloth napkins and good old fashioned proper service, the chef came out to talk to each table, they obviously care about their customers. Definitely recommend this place, and would have no hesitation returning.

Lovely meal, everything was cooked to perfection. We all went for the scallop and lobster Thermidor for main course and we were not disappointed. We definitely need to go back soon to try all of the other things that we almost ordered.

Visited here tonight for my boyfriend's birthday....it was absolutely fantastic. We had never actually realised the restaurant was there and it needs a lot more publicity to show it's worth... lovely staff and amazing food, (we honestly said it got better with every course and we felt we were in safe hands as soon as they handed us the warm bread! Everyone should give this place a chance - although it's tucked away it is very worth the visit and we hope they stay open during these testing times. Thank you!!

Husband and I had an absolutely delicious meal - seafood pasta and steak. Really high quality food and tasty wine! Felt very safe and staff all following Covid requirements. Great service and lovely atmosphere. Highly recommend!

Amazing food. Amazing staff Cannot fault them. As for the previous review - cannot understand, felt completely safe and boyond. All staff-wearing and distancing very good - we were literally 4 meters from others. Food outstanding and doesn’t compare to anywhere else in town 🖤

As per title. Seeing is believing. The worst place I’ve been since Covid. By law, we are required to wear masks when walking to table, from table to toilet, and from table when exiting - they did not enforce this at all. Nothing has changed in the restaurant - tables tightly squeezed together, was impossible to get out of restaurant without literally squeezing between 2 tables. Makes you feel sorry for the restaurants trying to do it properly, by restricting number of customers to allow social distancing.Fantastic food. Very poor service. Potential breeding ground for Coronavirus. Will not be returning until after all this is eventually over.

We've been coming here for the last 10 years and always enjoyed the food and the service.The food was generally okay (ish) but the portion size definitely shrunk with the price tag remaining the same.The desert was a letdown,tasted like it's spent too long at the back of their fridge.

I visited the restaurant yesterday(7th Aug 2020). The place was quiet and calming which was very good given the current stresses around covid. The staff were so so attentive and the chef is an absolute credit to this place. Very clean and traditional seafood Italian. My partner and I shared some bread to start (freshly baked-impressed-& was piping hot) very delicious. We then had a starter each, I had the calamari and aioli - so yummy and the presentation was outstanding! The aioli was served on a shell(I liked this touch as I assumed they reuse the shells for serving dishes etc-nice touch) my partner had the crab and the presentation just as well presented as mine. Both tasted delicious! For main I had the seafood pasta and it was HUGE, I was SO happy. There was an enormous amount of seafood on the plate so I think it was such a bargain for the price I paid. I had to take half home because I really just didn’t want to waste such gorgeous food. My partner had the veal and he was equally just as happy. This come with fresh veggies (cooked to perfection) Couldn’t fault this place at all. Clean. Delicious. Attentive and calm. A completely hidden gem!

Probably the best meal we have had in a long time! Scallops cooked to perfection both in the starter for him and the main course with lobster for me.The sauces that accompanied the dishes were perfect if only these could be bottled week day cooking cooking would be easy

My son took me for a lovely 70th birthday meal with my daughter-in-law and two lovely grandchildren. We had never been here before and my son had been recommended the restaurant for a special event by a friend.He had booked a table for 5 and we were shown to our table, it was very quiet at 18.15 but got very busy quite quickly, when we left it was full. The service was good and there was a large menu, mainly fish and pasta, but I chose fillet steak with melted Stilton on top served with a rich red wine sauce. There were fresh vegetables and all delicious.I had the steak rare and it was cooked to perfection. I chose baileys cheese cake with baileys and cream. My son had a lobster main course which he really enjoyed. The rest of my family had different pasta dishes.

Always excellent. Very welcoming and good atmosphere. Went there for a birthday meal. Had deep fried brie as a starter and the sirloin steak with great vegetables. Would recommend anyone who appreciates good food well prepared.

Took my family last night had an absolutely fantastic meal we will definitely be returning!!! All the food was beautifully presented and cooked to perfection so glad we finally went there.

Hidden down a tiny lane is a fabulous italian restaurant, serving mouthwatering fish dishes worthy of many 'top' venues. It was my wifes birthday so she indulged herself with a fabulous juicy steak fillet and king prawn main. I chose the turbot and scallops which were cooked to perfection. The service was discrete but attentive with nothing too much trouble. We spoke with the chef, a self-taught lady who really knows her food and were very impressed that many of the ingredients came from her allotment. The panacotta desserts sealed the end of a wonderful visit. Definitely worth a return.

Good night with my two sons, great food, wine and conversation. Mussels, lobster, skate, all great fresh seafood.

I visited on a Saturday evening with my partner, I had seafood to start and a piece of beef and king prawn for main. The food was delectable. It was beautifully presented, nice size portions and very fresh. My partner had seafood risotto to start followed by turbot for main course - he thoroughly enjoyed it. After we had finished our mains, the restaurant owner and chef even came over to check we were enjoying the experience which I thought was a really nice touch. The restaurant has an authentic Italian feel, the food is carefully sourced and cooked perfectly. This is one of my favourite places to eat in Colchester, I hope to come back soon.

Went here for the wife’s birthday. Attracted by the fresh fish on offer. Plenty of choice on the menu, attentive staff, chief came out to speak to customers and food was well presented and tasty. We will back again!

Tucked away on a little side street off North Hill road, it joins other great eateries in the area. It's spacious and airy inside.Food was good, fresh seafood well cooked, although my pasta dish was lacking in calamari. Portions were otherwise generous. We went early evening when it was quiet so service was speedy. Large number of specials, based on the days catch so you know it's fresh. Fish is not cheap these days but reasonable prices comparable with other good italian restuarants.

We had a delicious meal at Favoloso for a friend's birthday. The restaurant is welcoming and authentic. Staff were friendly and greeted us warmly when we arrived. We were spoilt for choice from the menu, and have said we will have to go back again soon to try something different as it all sounded so good. We had mussels and smoked salmon to start, then lasagne, tageliette and the seafood spaghetti for mains. We even managed to fit in desserts (although we have no idea how) which were delicious. All the food was fresh, colourful and didn't disappoint. We went on a Saturday evening and the restaurant was busy. I have no idea how I've never been to this lovely restaurant before... But will definitely come back. We appreciated the chef coming out to chat to us at the end of the meal - such a small touch but so personal. Thanks to all the staff for a lovely evening!

I never need the menu, simply look at the specials board or go downstairs to the open kitchen and ask the brilliant Geraldine for her recommendation.... You will not be disappointed if you are a fish lover. I visit once a month and on special family occasions, the quality is so consistent and I have never been disappointed.... My only observation is that the wine list could be slightly more extensive and offer a classy Amarone or similar.

We found this restaurant by chance as my partner was looking for somewhere to get mussels, we ended up having one of the best meals we have ever had!! We had scallops, mussels, crab, lobster and lamb as well as chocolate brownie and sticky toffee pudding and everything was presented beautifully and tasted fantastic, the chef here is too notch. Friendly staff and lovely atmosphere...we will definitely be back!

We Took our grandson for a special 21st pre birthday meal. The service the meal the atmosphere was outstanding..

Authentic decor. Good prices, food was nice just some of it was a bit bland. Toffee pudding for desert was wonderful. Very busy on a saturday night and had a wait for service but not too bad. Only thing i would say is a few members of staff could be a bit happier, didn't see them smile! Nice touch that the chef spoke to customers.

Beautiful Italian food and great service. Huge portions. Loads of choice on the menu with seafood being a specialty. I had the whitebait to start which was cooked perfectly, nice and crisp and not at all greasy. We both went for the seafood spaghetti which was loaded with mussels clams prawns squid in a really tasty tomato sauce. Definitely no room for dessert. The chef came out to ask diners if they had enjoyed their food which was nice of her. We certainly had. This place is a real gem. We would definitely come again if we stay in Colchester.

We had a lovely dinner with excellent seafood and very friendly staff. Everything you would want in an Italian restaurant.

Very impressed with the menu and we loved the food served in this restaurant. We weren't expecting it to be so good!

I’ve lived in Colchester for years, and I’ve always walked by here, on the way to a night out, thinking ‘must try that place’ and have never gotten around to it, until my friend came to Colchester. The food is absolutely divine, the service is accommodating and excellent, and it’s just a really lovely atmosphere. AND it’s family run and the prices are very reasonable. Don’t even bother with chain Italian restaurants, this place is far superior.

Not to be missed, favoloso is the finest Italian restaurant ever, we are currently in Italy trying to match the standard of food ... but alas we have decided to wait till we come home and the amazing food at favoloso, the atmosphere is welcoming, Carlos and son Gecespio are front of house while Carlos’s wife Geraldine and daughter anise prepare the most fabulous meals.

This family run restaurant is on a side street off North Hill and opposite a noisy pub which worried me at first, but once inside we couldn't hear the noise at all. The greeting we got on arrival was a little offhand and not very warm and after being seated we had to wait a little while for the menus to be brought to us. However after this initial blip, the service improved and was faultless.

Another culinary masterpiece. The fab lunchtime menu is outstanding. Ingredients so fresh and fish and seafood outstanding. Although Italian nearly every dish has a little twist to it making it unique. Just look at the sample £10.95 lunch menu on the website to get an idea of the uniqueness. My baked avocado prawn mornay starter was worth the price alone. All ingredients are first class and the coffee which is included is a real Italian blend. If this restaurant was in London or even Chelmsford there would be queues at lunchtime.

lovely food and good selection . I was impressed and I will go again . only downside was that the restaurant was completely empty lunch time and that questions the freshness of the food . the restaurant it is not very modern but overall was clean and tidy .

Favoloso never fails to deliver. We have tried most restaurants in Colchester and this is easily the best. First and foremost the quality of the food prepared by the very talented chef. Portions are always generous and beautifully presented but most importantly delicious. If you like good fresh food cooked to perfection you must try this restaurant. Favourites are the brushcetta, many fish specials, and tiramisu The atmosphere and service are warm and friendly, my only criticism would be the toilets could do with a revamp. Prices are not cheap but you get what you pay for and I would consider it to be very good value for money. Even better the lunchtime special is very reasonable and the food is prepared with the same loving care as the evening menu just smaller portions but 3 courses are perfectly adequate. Can't wait for our next visit!

First time visitor. Went because it was highest rated $ italian. We had the special(pasta with meat sauce), 4 stagioni pizza, lasagne and penne all'amatriciani. All pasta made fresh by owner Giorgio. Desserts had were lemon torte, plum torte, ice cream with fresh blueberries served in a waffle cone and of course tiramasu-all made by giorgio's wife. The red wines (italian of course) and the latte. Every dish was delish. The owner took time to visit and was as genuine as the food he prepared. This place deserves a visit. We will return next time in town

Tres bon restaurant avec je pense des produits frais. Nous avons pris des gambas très bon.

What a meal ..... and excellent service . Best Italian buy far we have experienced in recent years . The extensive special boards are wow ......the fresh fish is outstanding . The chef visiting the table and recalling what was ordered is a special touch .

Went for dinner on a Saturday evening, restaurant was very busy. Good staff very efficient. The food was good but the menu didn’t have many options for vegetarians.

Had a fabulous tasty lunch that was cooked to perfection,staff were helpful and friendly and the chef came out and spoke to us which we thought was lovely.Will definitely go back .Just glad my husband booked out the whole restaurant just for us🤣.

This was a belated birthday treat for our daughter. We were welcomed in to the restuarant and our coats were taken.

Have been meaning to try this place and it was such a treat! Gorgeous food and had the pleasure of the chef to come out and greet us. Service was attentive. I'll definitely be coming back again

This will always be our chosen place to dine out... we couldn’t recommend this fantastic place anymore. Authentic and traditional with a large variety of delicious fresh seafood/ steak dishes.. calamari and steak with a glass of wine.