Il Gusto in Oxford

Food was lovely, brilliant deserts/starters, although service was disappointing. Waitresses seemed preoccupied and forgot about requests. We were charged for drinks that they never brought out and when requested to have this drink removed we did not receive an apology and was instead met with attitude. It was also a pain to use a voucher we had received as a gift. Having finished our meal, we were surprised to find out that the voucher was single use, which was not mentioned at all. We were told we had to use it or lose it, despite there being a significant amount left on the voucher- which is obviously not ideal. The food was nice but the experience was tainted by the poor quality of service. If you are looking for an Italian in Oxford head to Gusto on the high street.

Food is amazing ! Staff very professional and polite ! Definitely recommended !!

Super amazing food and cocktails ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Amazing place, the food delicious!!

Very expensive and proper italian. Carbonara with cream despite not has is mentioned in the menu.

I loved this place. Good food, very good service and very clean. The truth is that they make you feel like family.

Visited last night for the first time, and I will definitely be going again! The service was exceptional, all of the staff were very kind and welcoming. We were served by the lovely waitress Giorgia, but also personally greeted by the Chef who talked to us about our dishes and was open to answering our questions and guiding us through the menu. Prices are reasonable and the food is delicious. Highly recommend for authentic Italian food in Oxford.

Super amazing food,brilliant service!!

I've been here more than once and the atmosphere is incredible. The lit candles offer a very vintage and authentic feel.The service is on point and they make sure you are looked after.The food was delicious and authentic, definitely shows the Italian roots !

Actually the best experience since i came in oxford.. very good staff and the food was delicious… I highly recommend this place, don’t miss it! I will definitely go again !

I have eaten a few times at this restaurant and I really like the food. Even my italian friends loved it!! The staff was really nice. Thank you guys! I will come back for sure!

Really good food and service! The lasagna is one of my favourite plates!

Went for dinner yesterday and was very disappointed. I saw the good reviews but I was sceptical, as the place only opened up a couple of months ago! The food was really disappointing - the carbonara was all separated, not made properly and ended up so oily while eating that it made my partner feel sick! I had the gnocchi and it was shop bought - I recognised it as processed stuff that I’ve bought from the shops recently. Very poor as if you’re going to charge these prices, you should at least make things well/by hand. Just felt cheaply made and highly marked up. This is not a place to go if you want genuine authentic Italian food at a good price - for that I’d recommend other spots on Cowley Road 🙂

amazing service , definetley will be back soon😁

The quality of the food was strangely poor for an Italian restaurant.

Era la primera vez que íbamos a este restaurante de Oxford de Cowley Road, ahora conocido como Fresco, y estábamos muy impresionados. La decoración es discreta pero elegante y los asientos cómodos con un montón de espacio. Compartimos los calamares fritos con ensalada de limón y salsa tártara para empezar, que era ligero, sabroso y amplio para dos. Para la red teníamos Branzino Fresco - filetes de lubina, gambas y mejillones servidos con chile, ajo en una salsa de tomate ligera que era excelente: gambas frescas cocidas y amplia lubina - apenas pude terminarlo (pero lo hice! ). También el Linguine ai frutti di mare que era igualmente delicioso. Todo estaba muy bien cocinado. La carta de vinos dio un montón de opciones e incluía sidras y cervezas que aprecio. El servicio era excelente - amable, informado y eficiente, pero nunca se apresuró. La factura era muy razonable para el estándar de cocina y restaurante. Sin duda recomendaría y volvería.

Amazing food served here Great atmosphere Friendly staff

We were seated against the front window and strong drafts blew on us the entire meal. As for the kitchen, nothing to complain about. The dishes were generous and tasty. Unfortunately, the service was not as good as the food. When we asked for a bottle of wine, the waitress came and placed it like a flower pot. We didn't even have a wine glass! In addition, half of the glasses from our aperitif were still on the table when we paid although we had starter and main course. Half because we got up at one point to place a few empty glasses on the bar ourselves. In short, the food is good but that's the only positive aspect we remember.

Excellent service and good quality food

Outstanding place. Amazing food.

Excellent service! The food was delicious. The best Tiramisu I've had! They were very thoughtful to remember my sons birthday! I'd definitely recommend a visit.

Nuestra segunda visita a Il Gusto fue tan buena como la primera. La comida está muy bien preparada, ; el servicio excelente y el ambiente lo mejor para una celebración de cumpleaños

Service is slow but the food is worth the wait.

Excelente ambiente y la comida deliciosa! Un acierto! Pedimos el pollo al limón con verduras grilladas y salsa romesco maravilloso! Además de una hamburguesa con patatas fritas de ensueño! Lo recomiendo para reponer fuerzas y disfrutar la buena cocina italiana.

Good food, exceptional service from Jesús and balanced price.

Really enjoyed the food. Lovely interior décor as well.

La comida era excelente y sabrosa. Hay una amplia variedad de platos. El interior era acogedor y todo estaba limpio. El personal era amable.

I was been at IL Gusto more than 5 times Wonderful place Good Service But delicious Food i Will come againg Defenitly

A lovely female waiter, very speedy and attentive and offered to take a picture of us. Such amazing food and would definitely come back again.

My wife and I visited our daughter who lives in Oxford from Essex and we spent a lovely Sunday afternoon at Il Gusto. The service and food were both excellent and this restaurant is highly recommended. We shared a tasty pizza as a starter and then we all ordered different pasta dishes with a large mixed salad. I was the only one who could handle a sweet and chose the chocolate fondant with ice cream, fantastic. If you are in the Oxford area and looking for a top Italian restaurant to eat at this is the one.

Very chilled atmosphere, dinner was delicious and had good portion sizes. Staff were friendly and happy to give recommendations when asked.

One of the best if not the best Italian restaurant in UK.

uno de Los mejores restaurantes en Los que hemos estado. Nos han atendido súper bien, vessi súper majo. La comido espectacular. Italian 100%

We love Italian food, so when we saw the reviews for this place we decided to give a chance. From start to end it was a really nice experience. The staff were really kind and helpful. The food was delicious. I had pizza and it was okay, not the best. However the appetiser, pasta and desert were really nice. We had booking for inside but the staff recommended to us to sit outside as it was warm evening. Overall it was good experience and we would come back again.

Really tasty food and reasonably priced. Would definitely recommend

Very nice restaurant. Good Food. Good value for money. Nice owner

In a long time I haven't taste better food, I been to Italy and Mediterranean countries very often, but here is a different level, amazing service great atmosphere, It was recommended to us, i travelled from West London to try it and I'm definitely coming back often, I highly recommend. I have new favourite restaurant in Uk now.

It was great, great food i had a pizza, a nice interieur and the service was also good.

We had an amazing birthday dinner at Il gusto.The staff were fantastic, warm and welcoming. The food was delicious, very fresh and very well presented.Amazing atmosphere and inviting. We will certainly be back to celebrate with them again!

Nice Italian restaurant located on busy Crowley road. Had a choice of Moroccan or Italian, not sure if I made the right choice. Veg Cannolini was not up to scratch, had too much Ricotta and not much spinach or tomato sauce. Choice of pizza and pasta is good though.

The best Italian restaurant in UK so far!

Lovely birthday celebration last night. Food was fabulous. Would highly recommend.

Acabo de tener una comida encantadora aquí. La comida estaba caliente y llena de sabor, absolutamente delicioso. Terminé con la tarta de queso que estaba muy sabrosa. El restaurante estaba bien presentado y el personal era amable y conocedor.

Absolutely phenomenal experience at Il Gusto! From the moment we walked in, the warm, inviting atmosphere set the tone for a fantastic evening. The decor creates a cozy yet elegant dining environment. The food was nothing short of spectacular. Each dish, from the fresh, hand-made pasta to the perfectly seasoned seafood, was bursting with authentic Italian flavors. What truly set this restaurant apart was the impeccable service. The staff were incredibly attentive, knowledgeable, and passionate about the menu. They made excellent recommendations and ensured that our dining experience was flawless from start to finish. If you're looking for an Italian restaurant that delivers on all fronts—delicious food, wonderful ambiance, and top-notch service—look no further. Highly recommended!

Great service, even better food and drink, lovely place for a couples meal or a family gathering

A fantastic place, atmosphere, food unbelievable service was great a place we would highly recommend. Clean and well presented great menu catering for everyone.

Great place to visit if you find yourself in Cowley. The decor, the service and especially the food were outstanding. Food was fresh and full of flavour. The home-baked cheesecake was a great way to finish a beautiful meal. Cannot recommend it enough. We will definitely be visiting again!!

My husband and I ate here during our Oxford stay and were very impressed with Gusto. The service was excellent and the wait staff were very attentive to my food allergies. Our meals were absolutely delicious. I had rigatoni and prawns and my husband had a steak. Desert was another glass of sangiovese. Wonderful meal and restaurant.

I opted for a mushroom overloaded menu this time and didn't regret it at all, everything was cooked so well. Never a bad meal here and yesterday was no exception. I think this is the best Italian in Oxford!

This was way beyond our expectations, both in terms of the quality of the food and the friendly owner and staff. I highly recommend it and will definitely be going back.

WONDERFUL GEM ! Delicious food we booked here for a 35th wedding anniversary meal for 8 . We were NOT disappointed at anything. The food was amazing! excellent quality and wonderful flavours ! The calzone was exceptional as was the tiramisu and the panacotta. The beef steak and roast potatoes were perfect I was informed that the desserts were homemade you could tell! This is a family run restaurant and the service was brilliant. Friendly efficient helpful . Will def be returning well done ll Gusto

Excelent attentive staff, warm welcoming atmosphere and the food is out of this world. Absolutely astounding. If you go, have the burratta cheese, pear and honey starter….. it’s a game changer! This is my new favourite place to eat and the 3hour drive from Barnsley is the only reason I won’t eat here every week!

Had a superb lunch, excellent food, well cooked and presented. Friendly, knowledgeable service. Definitely going again Spinaci starter was simple but beautifully cooked and very tasty. Carbonara was excellent The dough on the pizza and garlic bread was lovely

Poor service, we waiting for 15 minutes before asked what our orders were. Then 40 minutes passed and our starters came which wasn’t great. Then a further 45 minutes passed before we received our main course ( 2 pizzas). The food was tasteless and service was poor. Wouldn’t recommend.

Super nice food, pleasant atmosphere and we'll be back for sure

The food is very fresh, especially the seafood. Good service, very friendly serving. Risotto and pasta very authentic

Just WOW. The food, the friendly staff and the ambience of the resturant far exceeded expectations. Will have to go again what a meal.

Just WOW. The food, the friendly staff and the ambience of the resturant far exceeded expectations. Will have to go again what a meal.

Even when the restaurant is packed,the staff still manages to serve up fantastic food and cocktails and provide excellent service.What’s even more impressive is that the staff remains friendly and attentive,making sure everyone feels taken care of.Would highly recommend!!

True Italian family restaurant. Ambience good, service outstanding,great value for money. Bessi and Claud made us feel at home. Definitely will be back to try the pasta!

Every mouthful of food was a taste sensation! The presentation was beautiful. Wine delicious and the restaurant ambience perfect. Best Italian food I have eaten in the UK

Best service for disability people ,well look after ,very quality food love did, thank you will come again . From Leicester ,thank you.

First visit today and will definitely be going again. Delicious risotto freshly prepared and other guests all thoroughly enjoyed their lunches.

Quick service, friendly honest bar staff . Lovely venue, great menu. I would definitely return

Food was lovely, pizza very tasty and nice cocktails, service was terrible though. Must have been an off night but took us half an hour to get our drinks (there were just 2 of us) and had to remind them 3 times that we would like water on our table.

Beautiful place with a relaxed atmosphere. The service was very friendly and professional. The food is very reasonably priced with high quality ingredients and absolutely delicious, highly recommend.

Went the first Saturday in January for a birthday dinner with my husband and grown up children and partners. The welcome was warm and friendly as was the service all evening. The food was delicious - we had starters, mains and dessert - everyone thoroughly enjoyed their food. The wine was delicious too. I felt completely spoiled. Will definitely go back and highly recommend. Thank you to the two lovely guys who looked after us.

Me and my friend came there, it was another 2 tables in total. Very quiet evening. We had to waited and Waited for someone to take our drinks order. At the end we started keep looking around for someone rather then catching up with my friend. I ordered calamari fritti and pepperoni pizza, calmari was chewy and pizza was spicy had chilli flakes on it. My friends pizza ham and mushroom also had chilli flakes on it. When we just commented that why was spicy when it should not, waiter got with us into arguing voice and even ran to grab menu to prove us that it’s because of peperoni, when my friends pizza didn’t had peperoni. To sum up I didn’t enjoyed service I did not enjoyed food. Prices are good but I’d rather pay more and have nicer experience.

Great restaurant.The service was great and the staff was very attentive.Would recommend.

Wonderful little restaurant with delicious, good value food, great cocktails and lovely atmosphere. We will be back!

Popped in for lunch with the family, the staff are very friendly and we had a really nice meal. It was just a bit quiet at lunch time I suspect it's more of an evening restaurant. Parking nearby is quite challenging, there is some limited road parking available.

Welcoming, v friendly and helpful staff. Great place to have a meal - good variety of meals and what we had was excellent. Lovely to have a family run restaurant on the Cowley Road. DO NOT confuse it with a similarly named restaurant, a chain, in the centre of Oxford.

We arrived at the restaurant we had booked and it was closed! Il Gusto was close by and looked inviting so we went in. We were warmly welcomed, the service was great and the food was delicious - all cooked to order, piping, hot and looked and tasted great. This is a wonderful addition to our local restaurants and we look forward to returning soon.

Hi guys! Thank you very much for the wonderful lunch! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I visited Il Gusto for a third time, now and as usual we had excellent service , food is amazing and its definitely one of the best restaurants in Oxford.

Absolute top favourite Italian in Oxford! Always great service and fantastic food, the Parma ham starter is amazing value too

Staff is amazing, always very caring and generous, the food is great! Definitely the best place to eat Italian food.

staff it is very attentive and the food is amazing

My favorite place in Oxford, the staff is SOOO nice, and the food is also amazing

Very good food! nice place to eat in, amazing service

I recently came to the restaurant for a work night out and had a lovely time! We were a large party of around 15 and the food was brought out all together, all orders were correct and it was all very hot! The food was delicious and we had a very pleasant evening. The waiters were very attentive and pleasant, thank you il gusto :)

We had a fantastic Christmas party here. The food was hot and delicious and the staff were attentive and friendly. Will definitely return and will also recommend to my family and friends.

Perfect venue for a party! Friendly staff, a menu to suit everyone and quick service. Excellent value for money. If you’re looking for a great night out with friends for tasty food, good wine and excellent service, I highly recommend Il Gusto. Will definitely be back.

I have eaten here multiple times with friends and family, every time I have had such great service, the servers and bartenders are so lovely and always chat to us. 10/10 recommend!

Absolutely exceptional service, the food was amazing by far one of the best carbonara I have had. Will definitely be back! Angus

A newish restaurant not be confused with similar named one in centre of Oxford. We stopped off on the way the theatre, easy to park, great food....tasty sea bass and superb mushroom risotto followed by an amazing home made chocolate tart, crisp on the edge...gooey in the middle, fabulous. Nicely furnished restaurant with very friendly staff, a great find.

FANTASTICO!!! Had an amazing evening here. Food (and drinks) is high quality and tasty, staff very friendly and kind and the location is stunning. Definitely worth going!

Always a pleasure to be there, very welcoming staff, the food is delicious and the choices of house wines are excellent.

Second visit for a family gathering. A warm reception and lovely service. Dishes well explained. Food and atmosphere great. Obvious the asparagus and mushrooms in the sauce for my chicken were fresh. Very nice.

Food: 5/5 Value for money: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Very tasty food, would certainly recommend! Watching the chef from the little window opening into the kitchen is fantastic.

Tried Frittura Mista, 6 stars seabass fillets, very fresh just the right spice level on the Seafood. Very good taste Tiramisu, not very sweet! Highly recommend.

The Food is amazing and full in flavours . I mean i tasted italian food in Oxford but only in this restaurant i could feel the proper taste of Italy !! Quantity 5 stars & very decent prices ! Very amable staff as well and professional ! I would recommend to everyone that love good quality and quantity food !

Absolutely fabulous! Beautifully set out restaurant with attention to detail in all aspects. Super friendly and attentive staff and gorgeously presented and tasty food. Superb beetroot carpaccio and one of the best main meals I have ever had-succulent chicken breast on a bed of chargrilled vegetables with a delicious smoked coulis sauce. For dessert, bomboloni to die for! Definitely worth a second and third visit! Highly recommended.

One on my favourite restaurant in Oxford! Authentic Italian cuisine and great customer service! I was treated like a queen 👸😍🤩 Thank you very much for the amazing experience! 🫶🏻

A fantastic find, had an amazing meal. Beautiful decor, great staff, great service and food was outstanding. Will definitely be returning....thanks guys we had a lovely evening.

Visited today with my Dad. We had a lovely meal and the host was great. The decor in Gusto is really pleasant and well done. Great place for lunch, can’t wait to go back for dinner. Just under £60 for 2 starters and mains and...

Very disappointed. Firstly the food took over 1 hour 20 mins to come. One hour into this wait the waitress came over and said part of what we had ordered was finished in the kitchen and to order something else. But the most disappointing was that I called TWICE to request a dessert with candle as a surprise at the end of our dinner as we were celebrating a birthday and come to dinner especially for it. I even told the restaurant which restaurant i would like to order on the phone beforehand And it was all agreed upon. However after waiting over 1 hour before the food came, when we were done one of the waiters just came over and handed over the bill as it was closing time at 10, although I had booked the table for 8:30 and arrived perfectly on time and the food. So they did not bring over the dessert as I organised with them and requested. Very disappointed experience will not be coming again. I must add this was also on a Wednesday! There were a coupon of groups bookings and they were clearly prioritised. Never coming back and do not recommend especially if you’d like to bring someone for an occasion.

I enjoyed having a good italian meal. The portions were good as like the service and the price was good for the menu. Nice dinner out

Lovely atmosphere. Quality food.Serving staff could not do enough for us and were more than happy to help. Will be returning

Absolutely Superb. Never felt more welcome in a restaurant. The food was immaculate as well as the excellent service. Will be back again!