Il Basilico in Bedford

Buzzy vibey trendy place with yummy food.

Always a great evening. Great food and attentive service.

The staff are lovely. When they herd it was me and my girlfriend's anniversary, they bought out a Tiramisu with 'Happy Anniversary' written in chocolate. Sure, it's not particularly unique but it really made our evening. When I settled the bill and went to the bar afterwards, the owner offered us a drink to celebrate. The food is incredible. You just need to look at other reviews to echo this. I quite like that it's a bit out of the way. Makes you feel you've stumbled on a gem. Absolutely worth going. Couldn't recommend it highly enough.

I have had such a lovely time today at Il Basilico.We've came in to find such an amazing food, great atmosphere, experienced bartender and staff and we left with full and happy bellies without spending too much. We will definitely come back soon as there are so many more dishes I want to try. Well done Il Basilico.

Starters were amazing, main courses were OK. Very warm service and great atmosphere, will come back again.

Excellent. We were in a rush and they made sure that food was served quickly. Food was delicious and staff were polite.

We arrived late due to travelling and they were very understanding. Absolutely gorgeous atmosphere and food. Service was 10/10 and a lemoncello on the house! Will return when in the area! Beautiful!!

Valentines eve, my third time here and never disappointing ! The food service and ambience is excellent ! I will return Thankyou !!! X

I've been recommended to come to il Basilico for ages and heard so many great reviews. Today my friend and I went for lunch and we were thrilled. Such a beautiful restaurant, food was delicious and the staff were incredible. A little gem of a place in the centre of Bedford. Can't wait to come back for dinner !

The BEST restaurant!!! What an absolutely lovely gem of a place!! Incredible food (!!!!), wonderful relaxing intimate atmosphere (love the music!!), Very well priced. We had a lovely time and both agreed it was the nicest restaurant we’ve ever been to!! The service was top notch- very attentive, welcoming and friendly. I wish we had found this place sooner! We will certainly be back. The complimentary limoncello was lovely! We were pleased to leave a tip which was much deserved.

What's not to love. Beautifully decorated, amazing cocktails, awesome food and impeccable service. This was one of the nicest Italian meals I've had in a really long time. Myself and the others at my table thoroughly enjoyed our meals which included Pizza, Carbonara and a Spaghetti Bolognese.

Very very nice, in every way!! 🤩👌🏼

Amazing meal and service as always, highly recommended and can’t wait to return…

Food was so tasty. Great atmosphere. Lovely inside.

Me and my miss had a very nice time over there, atmosphere is great, music too,and the food is delicious. One day we will be back there.

Another visit toIl Basilico and as before the food and service were both perfect, thank you to Alex and the team for a wonderful evening!

Amazing food, place and team. Special thank you to Niko our waiter, you were outstanding

We was on our first date , just wanted to say how lovely the staff were , and the food was absolutely delicious

Food was not very nice, My pizza was sent back as it smelt very funny and had peppers put on last minute so they were raw. Restaurant was beautiful very lovely setting. Very romantic. I hope this was an off day.

What a gem! Wonderful food and atmosphere to celebrate a birthday, lovely menu choices and very accommodating for a gluten free and cheese free customer. Can't wait to return (waitress I think her name was lilly was brilliant!!)

Lovely food, really nice atmosphere and friendly staff. We will definitely be coming back. So much flavour in all dishes

Food is below mediocre, defined not authentic Italian. *updated with pictures as the owner can’t take an authentic feedback as he is remembering all his customers by their google account.

It was our first time dining here and it definitely won’t be our last! We got starters, mains and desserts. The food was absolutely delicious and the portion sizes are really generous. Every one of us were continuously commenting throughout the meal how tasty the food was, we couldn’t help ourselves. The service was also excellent, everything arrived timely and the staff are so friendly. Couldn’t recommend this place enough!

We ate here for the first time at the weekend and I wouldn’t say it was the best pizza in Bedford, I’d say it was the best pizza I’ve ever eaten! Honestly it was perfection. The setting is lovely as well, softly lit, comfy seating, nice music. We will definitely be returning, just gutted I’ve not been here before now.

Lovely ambience and meal. Nick was a great waiter. We will be back.

Lovely restuarant, small but friendly. Lovely atmosphere and really nice staff. Very attentive. Food was a little disappointing.

Fantastic meal - food was really flavoursome, great portion sizes and they didn’t scrimp on the seafood/chicken in our pastas. The bruschetta was amazing and garlicky! Lovely atmosphere and service. Also had some great cocktails.

Such a lovely restaurant! Food was incredible and very generous portions. We shared a variety of starters including mussels, prawns and calamari, all were lovely. Great service and atmosphere too.

This was our first experience at this restaurant and it was fabulous. The food was lovely, staff were polite and helpful. I would highly recommend that you go to this place and eat their delicious food. I'm looking at my diary and planning another visit soon.

Truly amazing food and very friendly staff, highly reccomended!

Wonderful food and service at a very reasonable price ..highly eeconnend

Went there to celebrate of knowing each other 18yrs...nct group meeting, loved the place, atmosphere was great, ambiance was sweet, waiter, waitress was accommodating, patiently waited as we were last to leave. Food was fantastic ❤️ we will be back. Thank you.

Fantastic food, great service. Highly recommended

Absolutely bloody fantastic place, food was 10 out 10 atmosphere was awesome and staff were fantastic, really lovely place to come out and eat in a very nice calm and relaxing place. Will definitely 💯 be back Thank you to all

A special place with a warm atmosphere and delicious Italian food, with great service.

Really lovely meal on Mother's Day. Very accommodating of our 3yo (including the largest and tastiest children's pizza I've ever ordered!) Yours truly got very lucky that the special opening on Sunday lunchtime was slightly under-advertised so we could get in!

very tasty food, very kind waiters, we are very satisfied

Lovely little Italian restaurant. Looked this up on trip advisor, we weren't disappointed. Service was good, not pushy, not rushed. Foof freshly cooked. Will be returning next time we are up in Bedford.

Grwat meal and really friendly, knowledgeable staff. Super helpful when it came to my coeliac disease and gluten free options - they were cautions which I appreciated. A lovely meal and atmosphere.

Amazing evening with my sisters and nephews. Everyone cleared their plates. Staff amazing, food fresh. Best pizza and pasta I've had in a long time. Will be returning soon.

Food was really good, the place and staff were nice and was pleasantly surprised by the bill, very good value, will be back.

Seriously impressed! The staff were attentive and polite, I love the decor and the food was perfectly seasoned. We will definitely make this one of our regular restaurants to visit.

Food was really delicious and very good portions. The staff make this hidden gem even more special. They were really welcome and accommodating to us all for our birthday visit. Will hopefully get a chance to visit again some day but will always recommend to anyone looking for Italian food done right.

Lovely meal, staff were very attentive.

11 of us went for dinner, the food was all really lovely, piping hot and served promptly. We were really pleased. I had a mushroom and spinach pizza with tomato salad and it was perfect. Thank you for having us.

My favourite Italian restaurant in town! The best pizza and pasta in Bedford.

Little Italian restaurant in Bedford. The service is quite good with pleasant and helpful waiters. Food portion is also really great with decent pricing although food taste left something to be desired.

This was our first visit and it won't be the last. Ambience and staff first class, and so was the food. Piping hot, tasty and generous portions.

First time dining at this Italian restaurant and it was amazing. The place , modern nice touches and really gives a welcoming vibe. Food 10/10 - a menu with a number of choices from starters, mains , pizza, pasta and desserts. We ordered pizza, pasta and desserts of which were amazing! All freshly cooked and came out perfecto. Best pizza in Bedford for sure. Staff were very polite and attentive. We look forward to joining them soon again!

This was our second visit to Il Basilico and again it did not disappoint. The food was amazing, starters, mains and desserts all absolutely delicious, beautifully presented and generous portions. The service is excellent and the place has a lovely ambience. Thoroughly enjoy our night, thank you!

Fantastic food and a great atmosphere. Friendly staff and great quality fresh food.

Great food and amazing tiramissu

First time at Il Basilico but we will be back. Lovely ambience, perfect food and great service.

Food was delicious, great cocktails. Brilliant service

Amazing food big portions atmosphere lovely

Nice atmosphere. The people who work there were very polite, friendly and helpful. And the food was delicious. Definitely recommend if you are up for an Italian cuisine.

Amazing Food and Great Service!

We love eating at il Basilico as the food is guaranteed to be delicious! The garlic bread is soft, hot and mouth watering. I always have their salmon for my mains which is perfectly cooked and the classic tiramisu is ammmazzing!! They have a great collection of wine too. Lastly the service is friendly, professionally and efficient. NT: its so popular to eat here now, you need to book.

Great food and even better service.

Really nice venue, great service and the food was fantastic at a reasonable price.

Great food, service and atmosphere. Lovely place, best Italian I've ever been to.

Absolutely amazing food and service

We ordered 2 pizzas and a few drinks and the were in the table in 15 minutes. They tasted just so good. Neapolitan style. Super fast and good service 10/10 Good quality pizzas 9/10 We’ll definitely be back to try some of the desserts as the looked delicious!

Twice we have been here. Haven't booked but they always managed to get us a table. Really like the decor, the lighting, the music. Staff are super helpful and friendly. We have had mussels, spag bol, carbonara..... not sure why I didn't finish this original review. My fiance and I was in here again tonight. Once again, the staff, service and food was amazing 👏 The white wine, cream, onion ,garlic, chilli sauce on the mussels was so good I asked for a glass to drink it. Gutted I didn't get photos. I thought I'd already reviewed this restaurant as it is our favourite Italian. We will definitely be returning and I will post lots of photos of the amazing food. !!!

Fantastic service and food. Couldn’t recommend more x

Great experience, a great birthday!

Our favourite Italian restaurant in Bedford, food and service are both amazing

Good food and large portions. Great value.

It was our last day in Bedfordshire and we wanted to try an Italian restaurant. We've got two dogs so we thought that we'd get a takeaway pizza. I called just as a terrific thunderstorm started. We got there driving through torrential rain but despite the restaurant having a problem because of the weather we were treated very well. The pizzas we're outstanding. I had a calzoni, which doesn't feature on many menus where we live. It was superb, lovely fluffy dough and big flavours with roasted vegetables and olives. Thanks so much for rounding off yet another excellent trip to your county.

OK ... Bit expensive but tasty ... Starters were huge ... Wife was a bit disappointed with her chicken tagliatelle but everyone else was happy

We love this restaurant - ideal for a celebration or just a casual date night. Food is very good and great cocktail selection.

A MUST-GO!!!!! What an incredible restaurant...the food was truly delicious, all fresh ingredients and typically Italian-tasting. The staff were charming and very hospitable and the setting of the restaurant was beautiful too. Highly recommend if you are in the area of passing by as the food is worth it. Great value for money too.

This restaurant does not disappoint in any shape or form. The food was unbelievable! Delicious, hot and quickly serviced. It was my mothers birthday and nothing was even mentioned about this when booking and they came out with a candle in a brownie with “happy birthday” written in sauce. Absolutely a lovely touch! Will 100% be returning and highly recommend! Thank you!

A superb atmospheric Restaurant- very nice food, waiting staff are super

Great place for a nice evening.

Best restaurant that I have been to in Bedford for a long time. Thanks to them for sending my glasses on when I left them behind too.

Food was excellent the staff were lovely and efficient would definitely return

Visited yesterday evening and couldn't find fault if I tried ,great staff and amazing pizza

Really well run family owned Italian restaurant. Easy booking process, friendly staff, great service and unbelievable food. Highly recommend the mushroom bruschetta and pizzas! Really bubbly atmosphere inside and I overheard the table next to me say “we didn’t try that last time” which tells you this is one of those great places you will end up going back to! Shoutout to Nico too for helping to solve a little issue we had with our food with minimal fuss!

Elegant atmosphere with beautiful music and incredibly kind staff. One of the waiters, Nico, helped me decide on a main course - spinach and mushrooms risotto - which was nothing short of exquisite. The dessert, a pistachio cake which was light, fluffy and not overly sweet, followed by a glass of limoncello, were the perfect ending to the meal. One of the most pleasant restaurant experiences I’ve had, definitely recommend :)

Cozy place for a date, good food and cocktails! Would recommend!

Great food, great service and experience. Will be visiting again. Mussels were tasty, meats / cheese sharer was generous and great value.

We had a really lovely meal here. Everything was spot on from the call taking the booking to the food and drinks. Friendly and engaging servers and well presented tasty food. Cocktails were very good (and reasonably priced too)

Wish I could give more than 5 stars , we were visiting Bedford from Bahrain - stumbled across this lovely restaurant which looked inviting . It’s a family run restaurant and they have such a passion for their food and recommended to us the best combinations and portions for the dishes . They were extremely warm and hospitable . The hostess was sweet and knowledgeable. The bartender made the best cosmopolitan that I have ever had . We will definitely be visiting again next time we are in Bedford .

Delicious food. Lovely surroundings, very good staff. X

Very enjoyable. Interior conversion from previous pub premises very nice. Pleasant atmosphere. We were early diners but the restaurant became pleasantly bustly and busy. Restaurant area spotlessly clean. Waiting team were very nice. Food very enjoyable and so good value. Convenient parking in Lurke Street multi storey - which was free ( we arrived at around 6.20 and left at 7.45). One constructively meant criticism - the decoration finish of the toilets was a bit poor as was their general cleanliness - I think this should be addressed.

Me and partner booked il basilico for a date night, we had a fantastic evening the staff couldn’t be any more welcoming and friendly, nothing was to much trouble, The food itself was amazing, highly recommended will definitely be returning

Great authentic Italian food in a lovely quiet setting. Perfect for a first date or chilled meal

RACIST STAFF!!! RUDE AND UNWELCOMING!!! AVOIDD!! I would of given it 0 but that option is not possible …. Walked in with my family of 3 for an Italian dinner the staff said they were fully booked. Looked around the place was almost empty with so many available seats, staff said we don’t have any spaces for 3! Fine understandable so we booked online straight away so many seats available so we booked a table right away walked back in. The Man was very angry that we were back as we showed our table booking complaining there is no seats for us! As he was so frustrated we just said forget the table we don’t feel welcome here and he rolled his eyes with anger. For the first time visiting here the worst service I’ve ever experienced I don’t ever right reviews but nobody should feel this uncomfortable!

Gorgeous! Starters, Main and Desserts were Delicious! I couldn’t recommend more! Excellent portion sizes! Kind Staff! And Beautiful setting. We will be back!

Great food, friendly service! Great to see an independent restaurant nice and busy!

We visited Il Basilico for the first time a few weeks ago and so glad we did ! Food is amazing, service excellent and always with a smile.....am sure this will become a regular for us.

Booked a table of 18 for my daughter's birthday. Had a lovely evening. Staff were very attentive allowing me to decorate the restaurant and get everything set up. Food was delicious as were the drinks especially the cocktails. Staff were friendly and welcoming and everyone had a great evening. Communication throughout was excellent. Thankyou so much for a great night.

Enjoyed another exquisite meal here with my husband and children. The food is incredible, and the service is always friendly. As always, thank you for a wonderful meal!

Lovely atmosphere and good food, tucked away on the high street.

Went tonight and is most likely the best Italian in Bedford, one of the best meals we have ever had too. The 2 waitress both received a £20 tip for their amazing service, so attentive, friendly and fantastic conversation, the vibe was perfect busy but not loud, from the absolute out of this world French martini, tasteful calamari and a carbonara which beats everything else! The food also comes out piping hot which we loved. We will definitely be back to try one of the delicious looking pizzas, thank you for a fantastic night all, an absolute gem in Bedford.

Amazing food, delicious risotto and the service from the Venezuelan girl Jeannette, was outstanding! Totally recommend it

Amazing service and food! They were fully booked but opened a slot for us and also were flexible on changing some ingredients to make our food vegan. Would definitely come again and recommend.

What a lovely dinner. The chef was amazing in creating various vegan dishes for me and my friends. The staff was very attentive and helpful! Definitely recommend it and we will be coming back soon for more 😊

Definitely the best Italian restaurant in Bedford, starting from the food, atmosphere and lovely staff. The price is also great and to be honest should be a lot more as never tasted anything like it! The staff feel like family from the first visit. It’s a 10/10 from me.