Il Girasole in Huntingdonshire

Saturday night dinner for 2. Starters were lovely, lasagne was nice but pizza not appetising at all. We did not eat pizza & the staff were aware but it still appeared on the bill. The manager took it off the bill at our request but his customer service advice was next time you come, don’t order the pizza. Next time ……?!!

Great Italian Highly recommend the steak Cooked to perfection

Very disappointed, food not consistent, sometimes very good and sometimes very bad . On this occasion my salmon penne was lacking a creamy sauce and had little salmon to speak of . I was informed my sauce had melted and the management was not concerned. I will not be returning 😩

The food was excellent and the service was great. Really recommend

This was our first experience at Il Girasole and honestly, for a traditional Italian restaurant (not a generic chain restaurant) the food was a little disappointing. I was expecting better considering all the great reviews I'd seen. To be fair, the Arancini starters were delicious and very filling, so they were excellent (we were a table of 4 and 3 of us had the Arancini) and my Dad had the duck main course and said that was good, but everything else was just OK and nothing we would rush back for. I ordered the lobster & prawn linguine which was expensive because of the lobster (I'm guessing) and it came with a tomato & chilli sauce and the sauce was very generic, barely taste the tomato and the sauce overpowered the delicate prawns and the from the texture of the lobster pieces they seemed to be defrosted from frozen so they were soggy & no flavour (they king prawns were the best thing in the dish). I can't remember what my husband & mum ordered, but they were similarly a bit underwhelmed with their pasta choices. I ordered a scoop of strawberry gelato & lemon sorbet for dessert and as a palate cleanser after my main course, and the gelato was certainly nice but the sorbet was incredibly hard (like a rock) - like it had been stuck at the bottom of the freezer or something, very odd and I've never had that experience with sorbet before. The staff were friendly & polite but if we come again we'll definitely request a table at the front of the restaurant as it was incredibly noisy in the rear - of course being a Friday evening with many groups out it was probably inevitable - in spite of the sound dampening features they've clearly added, with draped fabric on the ceiling. Anyway, we won't be rushing back.

The food didn’t match what the menu said, no smiles from the waitress’, they all looked bored and fed up.

This is possibly one of my all time favourite Italian restaurants I've visited in the last few years and I've visited a lot of them (I can be very picky!). The prices are exceptionally fair, the portion sizes beyond generous and the food unquestionably delicious and tasty. The service staff are kind, friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating and dinner service was reasonably prompt (I've never been left waiting too long and everyones food always comes out together which is appreciated). The atmosphere is professional and fancy without feeling rigid and uptight. The restaurant is also very large (but clean!) so you're rarely wedged up beside someone else which is appreciated, especially as a larger group. I honestly have nothing bad to say other than that the salad served with the lasagne is a little silly and could use extra care and attention or withdrawn all together. I'd also like to see calorie and nutritional information on the menu so that people who require it can make an informed decision about what they're eating. Other than that though, do keep up the excellent work.

Superb Italian restaurant, friendly welcoming team and great atmosphere. The food is always excellent, our go to every time.

Such a lovely restaurant. We were in St Neot's for a short and decided to come here for my birthday meal. As soon as you walk in, there is such a lovely family orientated atmosphere such that I felt I had been going there for years! The food, staff and ambience was lovely! I am vegan and I liked that they were so knowledgeable on vegan food! When we visit St Neot's again, we will definitely be back!!

I'm not a huge fan of Italian cuisine, but this place is great, the menu gets me salivating while I try to choose. Great venue, great staff and great food. That's four greats in one post....oh and the cheese used is grate

First visit and what a nice restaurant, pizzas were huge too . Will return

Very good food and service been there 3 or 4 times love it always get a good welcome form Graham

Dropped in for a mid week dinner . Had pizza at £18 which was nice but the base was wafer thin and toppings very stingy. Over £7 for 600ml Moretti rather steep.

What a great find. Just off the high street in st Neots near the market square. Quite busy for a Wednesday evening so glad we booked. Lovely warm and friendly welcome and seated straight away. Restaurant is quite large and set back. Relaxed atmosphere. Part open kitchen so you can see pizzas etc being made. Everything fresh and cooked to order. Had meatballs and calamari to start with a side of garlic bread. Garlic bread is huge. More than enough for two, good for 4 really. Starters were hot and tasty. Followed this with penne arriabiata and chicken and the salmon penne too. Again really good food. Couldn’t fault it. Couple of desserts, few beers and a coffee later, what a great night out. Friendly servers and nice to have a chat regarding the restaurant with the hostess. Will definitely come back and would highly recommend. Enjoy

Really cute! Good service. Excellent pizza. Amazing desert. The salt grinders were clogged and the cracks in the wooden pizza serving plates isn't very hygienic. Would have loved some parmesan on the table for the pizza.

It's our go to restaurant in St Neots, food is always great, staff attentive but not in your face every 5 minutes asking if food is OK we've been going there on and off for 8 years as good now as year 1. Graham and his team get it just right

Pizzas are massive but also quite expensive. I would recommend sharing one between 2 people and add a side or a starter to share.

Had a lovely meal with friends at his small friendly restaurant. The food was excellent, we all had different orders but everyone was pleased with their choices. I had the ravioli for my main which was especially tasty! Nice wine too. The staff were helpful and friendly.

This restaurant blew us away, I can't remember a better Italian meal. Let me start with the staff, from the lady who met us, through the waitresses to the chef, everyone was exemplary. If you want to know how to treat customers, just sit and watch a while. I have to make a special mention of Mark, working on the pizza oven, while waiting for our meal I was transfixed watching him. To see a young man take so much time and care over each and every order was special. I don't eat cheese, but love the concept of a pizza, so 30 years ago when I discovered calzone, it made my life whole. Last night I had the best calzone of my life, thank you Mark. And don't think you have to stick to the menu, I swapped ingredients from those on offer. My wife had a mixed seafood dish which she said was excellent and the quantity of seafood impressed her. It does lead us to two comments which we hope are constructive and not in any way a criticism. The metal dish my wife had her dish served in was so hot she could barely touch it and by the end of the meal the last prawn was slightly over from still cooking. My wife mentioned to the waitress that her first glass of wine was not cold, so maybe look at the fridge temperature. The second glass was excellent, so maybe from further back in the fridge. To summarise, we live over 100 miles away and here for the weekend, to meet friends. We would happily do the journey again to visit this restaurant.

Fantastic and delicious Italian food, in large well sized portions. With nice staff and a cozy interior, it's a great place to have a meal

Food variety and taste are really good. They have many gluten-free options in pizzas and very tasty pizzas. Salad and little starter plates are also very tasty. Polite and helpful staff and fast service, I have been there twice and recommend

We had a lovely evening, the food quality was good, but the portion size was quite varied. The person who explicitly said he did not need a big portion got exactly that. Comparatively, I was very hungry, and my portion was just about adequate but roughly half the size. Prices have also increased a lot since I was there last, the drinks seem especially expensive. Overall, it was a nice evening, but the bill will stop us from rushing back.

Delicious food, very friendly service, and a wonderful atmosphere. Highly recommended.

Cosy Italian restaurant with a lovely atmosphere, lovely friendly staff and the most delicious Italian food! We will definitely return!

The food was very tasty and the service was very fast. Staff were friendly and welcoming and the atmosphere felt very authentic.

Amazing food with a really good atmosphere! The waitresses were lovely too! The food is reasonably priced and comes out very fast… I would highly recommend spaghetti bolognese

We were looking for a good Italian restaurant and we were recommended Il Girasole.by some colleagues. We had some starters tomato based (melanzana alla patmiggiana and shrimps in you’ve tomato): the tomato was very acid - so not cooked long enough and not seasoned. The melanzana alla prmisggiana, could not been alla parmigiana as there was no test of or is a cheese. More likely a restless cheese. The pizza base were hard and dry. The 4 formaggi pizza had strange cheeses and not the one stated in the menu. The marinara pizza was very salty - probably the cheap tuna. Marinara pizza in served with fish. Marinara pizza is made of pizza base, tomato sauce, oregano, olive oil and basil leaves. Never heard of marinara pizza with fish. I doubt the owner or chef are Italian or have Italian origins. I do. 25 April - Italian liberation from the German in 1943. No flags in the restaurant to celebrate that important day for the freedom of Italy and democracy. Domino pizza (a chain of resta) is better quality.

Welcoming team, when we went it was very quiet. But foo was great i would say the portions are massive so would definitely share next time we go. You can takeaway any left overs away with you which is good. Fairly priced. Would love to see iton a busy evening.

Fantastic lunch, great service.

Lovely lunch meet up with friends

Lovely atmosphere and tasty Italian dishes.

Really lovley food and great services. Carbona was lovley the chips are sooo good a must try and the olives where the best I've ever had anywhere. My husbands pasta dish was also really lovley. We went to lapergola tonight which is supposed to be the best Italian around. We went to compare to decide which to go back to for our anniversary next month and I can hands down say that II Girasole wins for us! Food and service much better. We have only been once and we were one of only 3 tables so atmosphere wise it could have been abit livelier but may have just been the day/time we went. Looking forward to coming back next month :)

First visit with friends on Saturday and what a pleasant surprise. Good service and good food too. We all opted for various pizza and everyone enjoyed it. Will definitely return.

Lovely dinner and drinks, only shame was desert. The chocolate brownie was like a bag of sand. Luckily it was easily washed down with the extensive range of cocktails

Me and my fiancé went here for our 2 year anniversary on Saturday and it was INCREDIBLE the pizza is literally the best pizza I have ever and staff where really friendly and helpful. Deserts where delicious especially the ice cream. I would 100% recommend and will be returning, just for the pizza alone Thank you

Very friendly. Great food and you get plenty of bang for your buck. Will definitely be visiting this place regularly

The best Italian food we have had in a long time. It was amazing. Thoroughly enjoyed every course, highly recommend!

Have been here many times and have always had amazing food. Good prices. Brilliant staff. Great choice of food.

This was my second time eating at Il Girasole, can’t think of a better place for a lovely night out, atmosphere was nice and calm and the host was very kind and warming to me and my partner, service was great and the food can’t be faulted. Would highly recommend

This has been my favourite place to go out for a nice meal throughout the years. Food is always excellent with the pizzas tasting authentic, service is also very good. 10/10 would highly recommend.

This has been my favourite place to go out for a nice meal throughout the years. Food is always excellent with the pizzas tasting authentic, service is also very good. 10/10 would highly recommend.

I normally make pizza at home but we decided to have a change, and try Il Girasole as it always looked cozy and welcoming every time I walked past. So I went with my family and everyone from the restaurant was very friendly, kind and smiley. The atmosphere was nice. So all started well. We ordered some arancini aragosta still cold in the middle, then calzone and a pizza. I think their dough doesn't rise enough and the calzone was filled with big chunks of vegetables still raw, with tomato passata on top of course raw. Perhaps other things on the menu are better and I'll give them another try before drawing a final conclusion but I am afraid I got some hesitation. Definitely not pizza again.

Amazing place. Got turned away from pizza express so googled pizza places. Didn’t book but welcomed in. Amazing huge pizza oven. Amazing food.

They have a wide ranging Italian menu; the premises are well decorated and (on a bitterly cold night) were well heated -- not every restaurant around manages that. Business was quiet and there was no management presence -- always a red flag. The service was a little sloppy -- we arrived with thick outer clothing. "Is there somewhere to put this coat?" I said, expecting the server to take our coats. Instead I was told that there was an area in the lobby where I could go and put my coat away myself. When the food came, there was a lot of reaching across under my nose to put the plates down to the person next to me. I had pollo cremoso which is served "on a bed of sauteed new potatoes and broccoli". Hmmm. The spuds were hard and undercooked, and the whole caboodle was adequately crafted, but no more. The "grilled Mediterranean vegetables" (£5.55 extra) were unappetising, and I left most of them. The price per head was a little more than we pay at a very well run establishment on the other side of the market square.

Lovely place and service is good, but the food is totally overpriced. Mine wasn't very hot and not that special. If bread or olives would be included that would be fine, but they charge extra for that at, yes, top prices.

I really love Girasole but this evening it really struck me just how polite and attentive the staff are. They do a fantastic job. Food is always exceptional. How lucky are we to have such a fine Italian restaurant here in St Neots. The only thing that would make it even better for me is if they started doing gluten free pizzas 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Stopped in for a family meal to celebrate our anniversary. We used to come here regularly as teenagers, it’d been many years since our last visit and we thought it’d be nice to return with our children to a place we used to eat at in our youth! The food was excellent. Plenty of choice on the menu and many more dishes I’d like to try in the future. It was quiet when we ate (early evening) and we received very attentive service from the waitresses. Almost a bit keen at times but very friendly. A lovely meal and we’ll definitely return much sooner.

Horrific! Served raw food, when we complained their owner came to the table and shouted at us! Disgusting attitude, terrible restaurant.

I went here for lunch with my girlfriend and the staff were all lovely and the food quality was amazing aswell as the portions, the host took care of us and made sure we always had a drink if we wanted it, overall an amazing experience would highly recommend

Phenomenal food and great service! Dining area a bit loud at the time we went (7pm on a Wednesday) but that's not the venue's fault. 5 stars!!

Love this little restaurant. Great food, service, atmosphere, and friendly team.

A lovely evening was spent at this restaurant. Friendly and efficient service. Food was tasty. Not sure if the lasagne dish my friend had was microwaved as it was extremely hot.

Always a great place for dinner, absolutely wonderful food, great atmosphere.

Dinner date with friends, the menu was good and offers a range of foods. I had gnocchi with gorgonzolla. Was delicious, served with some fresh bread.

Such great food and cocktails. Lovely window table to watch the world go by.

Very attentive staff always happy. Amazing menu have eaten here many times and always been fantastic.

We visited this evening whilst on a weekend away with no kids so I’ll write this before we go home and I forget 🤣 We were staying around 10 minutes away and like Italian. This was definitely a good choice. We had garlic bread to share as a starter which was much larger than we imagined. I had meatballs for a main and my husband had a calzone. Both excellent and delicious as well as being well presented. We would have loved a dessert but unfortunately were slightly full from the mains. Staff were very friendly. It was busy but there was no delay with anything. If we were in the area again we would definitely visit.

I have never had a risotto like it. Opted for the risotto al frutti di mare as I normally love seafood risotto. It was stodgy, gritty and peppery. I was disappointed. The service and atmosphere were spot on though.

I travel to visit my friend who lives in St neots and I always ask to eat at your restaurant! Last night I decided to treat myself to the prawn and lobster linguine main (the lobster arancini starter was lovely) But...at £26 it was very expensive for a pasta dish (especially compared to my friends beautiful duck breast meal at £23) I had high expectations....it tasted beautiful but only contained two pieces of lobster and 4 prawns...I realise that the amount of "meat" can be luck but I did expect more at this price so on this occasion came away disappointed I have still scored you as "very good" because overall it was a nice meal and your staff are great...In addition I know what your standards are...but please review how you deliver this dish

First dinner out visiting the UK, friends brought me here. I ordered the penne salmone as a main and the tiramisu for dessert. Both were very lovely! The tiramisu really took it for me. Best I've had (:

We had a lovely night out for a date night with my wife. The food was very good. Cheese cake was tremendous! Service was very good and the prices were reasonable.

Lovely find. Food was pretty good. Someone needs to get the chef on a salad dressing course. I had to ask for olive oil and balsamic. Dressing the salads would make a big difference. We would go back. Maybe I’ll go and show the chef how to dress a salad 🤣

Visited mid week so wasn't massively busy. Starters were decent but my main (risotto) was bland and tasteless, a real disappointment, my partners main was delicious however. The garlic bread didn't really taste of garlic. Service was good and prices fair

What a gem. On a father and daughter day I was taken for a lunchtime treat Italian restaurant. Tucked away down an unassuming dead-end side street off the market square. Wasn't obvious a restaurant was there, I said are you sure we are going the right way? Led by my daughter we entered il Girasole. A lovely Italian restaurant. Pleasantly greeted we were shown to our prebooked table. We had our starters breads dipping oils and olives. Three different dipping breads, sesamee twist, tomato bread & focaccia. Which later, during our main course, we could see the breads being freshly made and baked. Our main, recommend by my daughter whom had been here a few times before, was breaded king prawn linguine with a creamy mushroom and cherry tomato sauce finished with a sprinkle of red chilli. So nice. There was banter with the owner I think, over the grating of this huge block of parmesan cheese. Interior decor is tired if not authentic, adding to the ambience. I am taken by this restaurant and will definitely be returning very soon. Highly recommend. Afterwards, ice cream in hand, we watched a few bands, musicians and artist perform on the market square. A perfect day. 🙂

Il Girasole - definitely underwhelmed for a birthday meal with friends. Couldn't decide whether waiter was hard of hearing or simply didn't understand the order of garlic bread to be brought out with the mains. That was the evening highlight. The gnocci was inedible, the spaghetti chopped up, as though for a child, and the atmosphere non existent. It was hottest day in September so the lack of atmosphere can be excused, but white wine spritzer with ice, served in 3 glasses, really? Beer £8 a pint, too. I don't like being harsh, but the place needs to up its game. I'm sure that others have had a much better experience but I felt let down.

Lovely atmosphere and food was delicious!! Air conditioning inside, very comfortable during the hot weather!

Lovely meal, attentive staff. Highly recommended.

This is a regular restaurant choice of ours! But last nights service and food was amazing! Service was super fast, food was delicious and it was just all round a great dinner out (it always is). Staff are always really friendly and the food is proper home cooked Italian cuisine. Definitely one to try if you haven’t yet :)

Lovely food, attentive service and decent portion sizes. I will be going back.

This is a lovely little restaurant with and authentic feel. The food was OK, I don't think I ordered the right dish. My partner had the Gnocchi con Pancetta which was delicious. I had the Linguine Marinara which was very disappointing. The prawn hadn't been deveined and the calamari and mussels were overcooked. Aside from that I was expecting a creamier sauce - this was my own fault since the menu said "Linguine with mussels, calamari, prawns and clams, cooked with chillies, garlic ,white wine and cherry tomatoes" Aside from the problems with the dish I think it would've been good just not for me. If I come here again I'll definitely be trying something else! P.S. The Aperol Spritz was great!

Nice little local eatery. The food is decent. A little underwhelming for the price but perfectly eatable. The pizza looked very nice. A bit more imagination in the dressing and variety in the textures of the salad items would make a world of difference. Maybe something apart from basic mixed leaves from a bistro salad bag with a bit of sweet balsamic dressing under the roasted veggies… A little cheese, a few roasted pine nuts, a little crunch from some seeds. A little fragrant walnut oil. All would help liven things up a bit. House Merlot very drinkable. Tiramisu, I would definitely give a miss and try something else on the dessert menu - then again it is Italian food, so not much call for puddings! On the super positive side, the service is absolutely first class. I was looked after brilliantly with kindness and attention without being over-fussy. Fabulous. If I came again, and I think I would just for the friendly welcome, I think I’d just stick to the pizzas and the pasta and enjoy the perfect service. Oh, and on my way out I spotted a sign saying they are breast-feeding friendly. That’s a great sign of a family restaurant in my books.

A fantastic local Italian restaurant. The food is really tasty, good portion sizes and excellent value for money. The staff work really hard to ensure everyone has a great time. Well done team.

Excellent all round. Highly recommended.

Very nice food and friendly service. Drinks are fairly pricey but the food is good value. Will definitely return again. 😋

Great food, service and atmosphere. Not cheap but worth it.

Pasta perfection! Had the Girasole ravioli and enjoyed it very much

Food is always good with great service

The food was good everyone enjoyed their meal. The staff were friendly and helpful. I would say the starters could be a little bigger. I had the seafood stew it was good but would be nicer to have a little calamari, fish and baby octopus. As it was clams muscles and prawns only. Overall I did enjoy my experience here!

Found my vegetable risotto rather bland but my friend's all really enjoyed their food.

I wish I lived closer to this place. Delicious food, lovely staff and a great atmosphere. So pleased we came!

This small Italian restaurant deserves 5☆on my first visit with my hubby and 2 family members on a Saturday about 2pm for food & service but for atmosphere only 3☆ as too empty ! So maybe we go back another time when it is busier and see ! The food was reasonably priced and so well presented and great fresh taste I could not find fault! X

We had the most delicious meal this evening at Il Girasole and saw other amazing dishes being delivered to all the tables nearby! The restaurant had a wonderful warm vibe & staff were very professional. Really deserves an outstanding (& even more so because it was for my birthday!) 😊

Really good food, just a bit disappointing that when booked for valentines that there was no sign of Valentine’s Day! I will go back for a meal, but not special occasions as they make no effort for special dates when details left are for birthday, anniversary, valentines is an obvious one.

Loved it! Popped in for a quick lunch, had a lovely service with a smile and a delicious meal.

This was the first time of me and the good lady but it came highly recommend with our other guest who is a local to the picturees town of St neots, from the warm welcome to the attentive service staff this a great restaurant it is not high dinning but it does not clame to be, but it really has that warm friendly atmosphere, the good lady is a mussel connicer and these did not disappoint so much so that she had two portions after tasting the first course, if I had one tiny tiny criticism is that the mixed starter was not dressed with any oils or balmastic but it was only a small thing. I would lie to give a big shout out to Chloe, Emilla, and the pizza barista marchlo they were all exceptional in there roles attentive but not over bearing. So in conclusion this is a great Italian restaurant and areal gem in a small x market town. Well worth a visit.

Great food. Great service and the lady who sorted the bills out is absolutely gorgeous 😍

We had a simple meal to share. The pizza was very good, the caprese and broccoli delicious, full of flavours, as it should be. Service and price excellent. When we are next in the area, we will go back.

We've come here a few times and never been disappointed. The olives are a very generous portion. They made us feel very welcome and we had a 1 year old with us. All the food is so tasty especially the "specials" and the carbonara! Good service! Look forward to our next visit.

Excellent evening for 6, service exemplary, lovely atmosphere and ambiance, the waitresses were charming. We haven't been for a while but reconnected with the whole Giralasole experience, we will be back.....soon!

Still my favourite place to eat in town!

Had a beautiful late lunch here on a Sunday, spur of the moment but so glad we did! Fantastic food, excellent service, just the right balance of attentive and leaving us to it. Will definitely be returning.

Our favourite restaurant in St Neots, never disappoints

Hit and miss. Peach bellini was very artificial - martini was great though. Starters were excellent - gnocchi and arancini. House speciality pizza was great but seafood risotto was disappointing and quite bland.

Very nice food and great service!

Really attentive staff that were fantastic with handling intolerances, double checking everything. Arrabbiata was extremely tasty and the broccoli side is deeply and sweetly garlicky. The decor is great; they've really made it feel like a courtyard restaurant but if you're facing the fire exit the view isn't as inspiring, and at times the general volume was difficult to bear or to hear over. I'd definitely go again, but try for a less busy time so it's possible to converse without shouting or repeating ourselves.

Good menu, friendly, efficient staff and comfortable interior.

Arrived at 8.15pm , food order taken at 830pm , received drinks 845pm , then waitress appeared at 9pm to advise that the starter we ordered from specials menu sold out !! When food eventually arrived was disappointed with the quality, chicken dry , pasta hard !! Not for us

The best Italian in Saint Neots !

A bit over priced. Decent food but we had high expectations after seeing the prices that weren't quite met.

Went here for the first time. The restaurant has a lovely atmosphere and friendly, attentive staff. The menu had something to suit all tastes and our food was delicious!