Il Gusto 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

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.

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

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

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

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

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 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 :)

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.

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 !

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.

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.

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.

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...

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

Banging Bolognese, will be back for more 👍

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

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

We had a great meal here. We especially enjoyed the burrata and Gorgonzola Gnocchi. The atmosphere was cosy and the staff were all friendly and helpful. Prices were all very reasonable too. Bit of a hidden gem being this far down Cowley road so it’s...

Amazing food!! And the best staff

Very friendly staff. Helpful. The food was delicious.

Loved the ambience and the service was absolutely magnificient. The bartender by the name Giulia was very polite and helpful in helping us with the menu.

il cibo era davvero incredibile. Really enjoyed the ambience and vibe. Service was really satisfying. Bartender giulia was incrediblely sweet and kind.

OMG, what a find. I absolutely love it here, and can't wait to find a reason to visit again. Everyone is so friendly and the food is freshly made, oh do tasty.

We ate seafood risotto and chicken risotto with green vegetables, including mozzarella salad, tomatoes and watercress. The three dishes were successful.

Looks like a standard Italian from the outside, but the food is next level! Had a marvellous burrata, served with slivers of pear, crumbs of walnut & honey drizzled toast (plus a honey dressed salad garnish with strawberries & orange) with the burrata the perfect...

Amazing… the atmosphere is very romantic The restaurant it’s very clean Service perfect Food you better come and try …in italian they say buonissimo (very good ) Super recommend definitely i will come back

Popped in for dessert as we ate elsewhere and they were closing, but we were in the area and knew there was panna cotta on the menu (a favourite). Ordered the crème brûlée as well. Both very good, I ate all the crème brûlée though...

One of my favourite place to eat. Amazing food,nice atmosphere and nice staff. Big portion on food,restaurant very welcome and clean

food is nice and tasty service was fast and good atmosphere was quite friendly environment happy

Very good service and nice food

The food here was delicious everything that we ordered was wonderful, presented well very generous portions and great flavours. There was nothing that we could complain about it was perfect including the service.

What a great find the food was amazing with rich bold sauces and wonderful flavours the service was also great just a pleasure to eat there.

Waist of money you can do way too much better at home or even by buying a ready meal from grocery stores! They have said their chef wasn’t there and that’s why they have brought garbages to our table!!!! Seriously?! Then they are famous for for unique dishes and have five star?! One star is enough for them! The boy who works there was polite and tried to fix things but what can he do when the chef is not around?! Don’t go there with high expectations as a five star go there to find a non star food!

The pasta with chicken, asparagus and mushrooms was very good. Thanks for the dinner!

Lovely restaurant food was fantastic, atmosphere was lovely. The only issue was service only one waiter on to start with which was an issue but he did his best

We were the only people in the place all evening consequently atmosphere was non existent. Waiter very pleasant but knew nothing about the food and never even bought our starters. Main courses good but a little lacking in flavour. Price very reasonable but regrettably won’t...

very good service and amazing food

Good quality and quantity, but the service was a terrible experience. My advise overall is; KEEP AWAY!

Initially, it was a nice restaurant with few customers, and everything seemed fine. However, as the place filled up, the team appeared to be overwhelmed. After ordering starters, main courses, and receiving the starters, the waitress asked twice if we wanted dessert, despite informing her that we were still waiting for our mains. The food looked great on the plate, but it lacked seasoning and tasted bland. We didn't receive the cheese with our pasta, which other guests received in their package. Moreover, no one bothered to check if we needed more drinks, even though I was eager to try your cocktails from the menu. The lack of attention from the staff was noticeable. No one asked if we enjoyed the meal or if everything was alright, showing little concern for the customers spending their money. If there had been more attentiveness, I assure you, I would have happily spent much more than £80, ordering desserts and several drinks. I give 3 stars as an encouragement for improvement. For a new restaurant in Oxford, addressing these issues can lead to a change in my rating. Good luck!

We had the perfect post-graduation dinner at Il Gusto. It is a small family-run restaurant, where everyone pitches in on all the front-of-house work. Food was amazing, service too. I highly recommend.

Lovely restaurant.The service was very quick which was surprising as there was one waitress for around 8 tables. Serving sizes were large but not too large. Will definitely be coming back.

Excellent food, polite friendly service, delicious gnocchi in Gorgonzola sauce with pear and pistachio, really great bruschetta and goats cheese crostini

Excellent food, polite friendly service, delicious gnocchi in Gorgonzola sauce with pear and pistachio, really great bruschetta and goats cheese crostini

IL GUSTO deserves its name: this is one of the best restaurants in Oxford The chef creates refined dishes with top quality ingredients.

We came here for dinner, were sat for an hour and a half, and then they came by and asked us what we were waiting for. When we said we had ordered over an hour ago they said they had forgotten to put our order through. We were offered one free starter whilst we waited for our food to be cooked - after 1.5 hours we didn’t fancy this!! It wasn’t even at full capacity, there were empty tables. Really disappointed and still hungry after 2 hours.

Come for the Italian food, stay for the strawberry lemon drop cocktail

Wow! Do not mix this place up with the Gusto chain! This place is completely different. The service is impeccable. The food and cocktails are delicious and the price is reasonable. They also do not automatically add a service charge, but you will want to...

Food was excellent, service friendly, lively atmosphere and casual. A reservation would be wise, even during the week, after 6, or enjoy the high tops for a drink to wait. The crowd was lively and all ages. Dress was business casual to tourist casual. Appropriate...

While visiting from Canada we decided to take a stroll and see where we wanted to eat. We ended up picking Il Gusto. From the friendly greeting to the heart felt “Safe travels our experience was beyond our expectations. The calamari was perfection, reminding my husband how his mom made it. The risotto del Mar again perfection. My Margarita pizza, which was too large for one, but it was so delicious and fresh I tried. The Lemoncello a delightful way to end the meal. We highly recommend eating.

A bit of Italy in Oxford our entree mains desert were absolutely delicious friendly service reasonably priced will be back

Tried Il Gusto after seeing the very positive reviews. We had a great evening with delicious food and very attentive service. Look forward to going again.

i love the food and especially the deserts.

I recently went to a restaurant in Oxford and I must say, the food was amazing! Every dish was packed with flavor and cooked to perfection. I especially enjoyed the seafood pasta, it was absolutely delicious! The restaurant's ambiance was also very warm and inviting, and the service was top-notch. Overall, I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a great dining experience in Oxford.

i absolutley love the food, i had a pizza today and it was absolutley incredible, amazing people and customer service i suggest it for everyone to come here plus the drinks are amazing and unique.5️⃣⭐️

My favourite place on Cowley Road, wonderful food and great staff. Each time I’ve been I have taken a different person and they enjoyed it as much as me!

Italian restaurant serving a good selection of dishes. Attractive decor and friendly staff. All our meals were very tasty and we would recommend.

Very trendy bar area, warm welcome, great tasting food and portions are very generous. We had the bar and calzone. Dessert was tiramisu. Which was very good and authentic. Often this dessert can be a let down but this was well balanced, sponge was moist...

Having heard the great reviews about this place, I booked for a birthday celebration, it certainly didn’t disappoint. The choices on the menu were great, portion sizes were very generous, a big plus for our group, the steak and duck dishes were superb and cooked to perfection (chef’s kiss). Chilled relaxed atmosphere, and service was attentive and not overbearing, warm and friendly. Will definitely be paying a visit again. Thank you again Il Gusto for a great night.

I really enjoyed the food and friendly service and also the more quiet off the very busy central location of Il Gusto. Will come back next time I visit Oxford with family.

What a gem of a place this is on the Cowely Road. We took our Italian Mother here to celebrate her birthday, and it was absolutely fantastico. If you can impress her you're on to a winner! The staff went above and beyond, service was exceptional, and the food was amazing... really could not fault anything, we can't wait to go back again. Thank you for making her birthday so special 💗

Very friendly staff, good vibe, tasty food. Visited with my daughter who is studying at Oxford. First time we have visited this restaurant, but we definitely will be back. We had Caprese and Prawns to start. Both were delicious and good size starters. We followed...

Absolutely fantastic cuisine. The staff were lovely and always there for assistance. I took my wife and we both loved it. Highly recommend.

It was absolutely delicious! They were incredibly nice and welcoming! A great place for a nice dinner when touring Oxford! The bruschetta was fresh and the perfect starter before the risotto that stole the show!

It was absolutely delicious! They were incredibly nice and welcoming! A great place for a nice dinner when touring Oxford! The bruschetta was fresh and the perfect starter before the risotto that stole the show!

One of the best restaurants in town would highly recommended