Il Rustico in Dover

We have visited Dover many, many times and have never been to this restaurant before and really cannot understand why not!We had a table for four and experienced clear covid guidelines, but offered with fantastic, friendly and fun customer service.Service was prompt and efficient, food for our table of four was great, we all really enjoyed our starters and mains, particularly the king prawns in garlic for starters, so tasty.We had the special of monk fish in tomato and basil for main, veal escalopes and sirloin steaks, all of which were seriously great. Food was fresh and tasty and couldl not fault a thing.Staff engaged with us really well and we had an extremely fun filled evening with great food and an atmosphere to match.We will definately return on our next trip to Dover.

This restaurant was the nicest one we went to on our trip in Dover. The location is perfectly placed, right in the town and the staff was very friendly and nice. The food was fantastic, best pasta dish I’ve had for a while. Would highly recommend going here.

It's an authentic Italian restaurant. The food was nice, kind of average Italian food. Friendly staff but none of them was wearing masks/face coverings (I know it's not compulsory but it would be nice if they would as my husband and I could not relax the whole evening).

Absolutely beautiful meal highly recommended lovely staff and service. Very reasonably priced for quality of food

As we are not comfortable about eating out yet, we decided to treat ourselves to a 3 course takeaway. We were not disappointed at all. The food was excellent and every bit as good as eating in the restaurant. It was packaged very well and steaming hot. Good sized portions too. Would recommend.

Food was standard Italian, not something you would get in an independant Italian restaurant in London or Italy itself.Wish the Chef were Italian, the food had no taste saltless and bland. The Caprese salad i would advise more on San Marziano tomatoes or just cherry tomatoes the ones i had literally were water and mozzerella was the normal one not Buffala (buffala is top). I kept adding salt to my pasta to give it more flavour. The wine was good but hoped for a more flavour-some meal. 3 stars

Lovely meal, service amazing! Carbonara was gorgeous, lasagna was nice however a little bit sloppy would be better if was crispy!!

I knew the restaurant had had some personnel changes since we were last there a couple of years ago, but I wasn't prepared for what an improvement there has been in that time. The staff are younger and well trained, and the food is so much flavoursome. The menu is still not as interesting as it could be, but luckily this was backed up by 5 or 6 specials that made picking what to eat on the night a lot easier. We had a veal stuffed cannelloni (special) and 4 cheese mushroom starter - both delicious, with some garlic bread, followed by Lasagne, Fruiti De Mare and Sea Bass fillet in a lemon and cream sauce (special). All food was very good, although the fruiti de mare was a bit gritty. It's a shame that there's no fish running through this meal, which is purely shellfish, although to be fair we were aware of that before it was chosen, Service was good on a busy Saturday night, we only had to chase up the staff once when there was too much of a delay, and overall I thoroughly recommend the place. Will look forward to returning in the future.

We spent 4 nights in Dover and this was the last, and by far the most best restaurant we ate in. The proprietor was lovely and actually recommended a wine not on the wine list when we asked his advice, it was very reasonably priced as well. My husband and mushrooms in a four cheese sauce, which were excellent, and I had olives which were among the best I’ve had in England. We then both had veal escalopes with seasonal vegetables, which actually were, and I came close to licking my plate. Puddings were a little disappointing but we then had excellent coffee and a liqueur. He had Strega, which I had forgotten it’s so long since I came across it, and it was better than I remembered and rounded off an excellent evening. Not the smartest or largest place but please don’t ignore it

Tasty food. I’ve been to this restaurant a few times and find that the food is great. Staff is lovely and attentive.

Like many of the restaurants here is Dover the high rating isn't so much that the food is great, but that there is not a lot of competition. This would be an average place in London, but here it is near the top on TripAdvisor. If you want a fairly well cooked Italian dinner, then this is the place. It was busy when we got there, so service was a bit slow..

We have been eating here for a number of years and would consider ourselves regular customers. The food is exquisite with a large and varied menu when bringing the family there really is something for everybody. Last night we dined Again and the food was lovely as ever, I had the lamb in red wine sauce which really did blow my mind. Everything is clearly home-made which is obvious for a restaurant of the standard but they take a lot of time to get it right particularly when it comes to there sources and individual style of cooking. We would just like to say another massive thank you to Franco and the team who always make us feel welcome, bend over backwards and really do cater to our every need.

Very warm welcoming restaurant Owner was knowledgeable, friendly and happy to make suggestions of dishes Food was lovely, generous portions and served well Will definitely return

Last time we were in Dover we could not get in to this restaurant. Now I know why. The food was really excellent. We had the ravioli special, the carbonara tagliatelle and a calzone pizza . The staff were friendly and helpful. We’ll definitely book a table when we are next town.

Excellent Italian with good friendly service, good food and fair prices. Ate here on a Sunday evening as a couple - shared anti pasti platter and crab ravioli, followed by seafood linguini and veal. All very good and loads of seafood in the linguini. With a bottle of red the bill was £58 exc. service, which was good value. Staff were very friendly & helpful. Would definitely return if in Dover.

Excellent food, lovely, friendly staff and clean. Having walked all round Dover looking for somewhere good to eat this was the perfect choice. We will definitely go back here next time we are in Dover.

Snelle bediening en lekker gegeten. Via deze app op dit restaurant gekomen en ik moet zeggen dat we ons niet bedrogen voelde. We komen hier zeker nog eens

Lovely restaurant house red was very nice I had octopus special followed by veal and tiramisu to finish all brilliant and a reasonable price will be returning

Great location just off the sea front as you come out of the underpass towards the town.. Great food and staff all very helpful. Proper family run restaurant which make the chain restaurants look like amatures. Would recomend booking as gets very busy. Price was less than we expected for 3 course meal with bottle wine.

I ordered a pizza out while staying at the best western. 5 minute quick walk to one of the best pizza's of the trip- young kids loved it! The price was incredibly reasonable. Just sad I didn't get to taste the pasta.

Tucked away just off the Dover Seafront lies this magnificent Italian Restaurant. A classical Italian “ home cooked” menu offers a feast of perfectly prepared dishes to suit all tastes. The service and customer care is excellent and the food tastes even better!!!! There is also a good range of wines on offer. Overall Il Rústico offerers very good value for money.

Wife and I have been here several times. We've also been to Italy fairly recently to explore the food. IL Rustico is the real deal, proper traditional Italian fayre cooked really well! Way better food than the tourist trap restaurants in Sorrento. The Owner might appear a little disinterested at first, but engage him with conversation about his origins and Italian cuisine and he'll talk to you for ages, he's a lovely fellow!

Enjoyed my visit to this lovely Italian restaurant and pizzeria in Dover. Started with the minestrone soup, which was really good but not great. The Vesuvio pizza however was magnificent! Excellent authentic Napoli pizza base, good quality mozzarella, pepperoni and seasoning with a nice kick from the chilli flakes. The service was excellent, friendly and efficient. Definitely worth a return visit.

Super family run restaurant on the edge of town, do book as it gets busy. Good menu choice with some great Italian specialties, good wines too.

We visited on 31 July 2019. The place was large and cavernous. This wouldn't normally be a problem, but it was our Wedding Anniversary and despite advising the waiter, he sat us next to a table of women who were out to get drunk. We would have preferred a quieter area of the restaurant where we could have talked without having to shout. It was a busy time i.e. the 7.30pm sitting so the restaurant was busy and being the tourist season it was frantic. The starter was okay I had the Mozzarella and tomato with vine leaves. The main course was the Parmigiana which was quite nice although a part of the chicken didn't feel like it had been cooked so I didn't eat all of it. The dessert was the cheesecake which was slightly disappointing as it hadn't set properly, but at least you knew it was home-made. I had a small bottle of Prosecco. I think overall if it hadn't been so busy it all wouldn't felt very rushed. Not sure if I could recommend it, would need to go back. My husband said that his Swordfish meal was incredibly salty. We didn't have any wines, so at £60 it was quite expensive for what it was.

We often come here as the staff are friendly and the food excellent. Not expensive but genuine with specials. A good atmosphere.

We were a table of 4. We were shown to a bare table and given the menus. 5 mins later a very young waitress came to the table and asked what we wanted to eat. I said I would like a drink first, she replied OK but what do you want to eat. As we were ready to order we gave the our choice and again asked if we could have a drink first. She took the drinks order and left. She arrived back shortly with a handful of knives and forks and placed them in front of us on the table. There was not a napkin in site and before we knew it our food had been placed on the table, still no drinks. Again I asked if we could have our drinks and the waitress apologised and went off to get them. I waited for a good few minutes but still not drinks and now my food was getting cold. We ended up eating our starters before our drinks arrived!!!!!!!

Wir suchten ein Restaurant wo gutes, frisches und nicht schweres Essen serviert wird in Dover. Wir haben dies im Il Rustico gefunden. Der Service war sehr gut, die Kellner sehr nett und aufmerksam und das Essen hat uns ausgezeichnet geschmeckt. Das Preis/Leistungsverhältnis ist sehr gut. Italienisches Essen in Dover = Il Rustico.

Ristorante gestito da italiani. Buoni i primi piatti di pasta. Parmigiano, olive, olio come a casa. Prezzi nella media. Se volete mangiare italiano fermatevi qui.

Sunday saw nearly all restaurants closed so was really surprised to find this open and very glad, the young man who was our waiter was refreshingly pleasant and amusing. The food could have been better but it was tasty and a generous serving.9

In a town that’s trying to rebuild itself this restaurant delivers an amazing evening meal. The food is excellent and the service attentive. It’s Friday so it’s busy and still we were looked after. I can’t recommend enough if you are in town for a night come to this restaurant for supper.

My wife and I came here with two other family members and I hosted what turned out to be an excellent dinner which did not disappoint in any way.My starter and steak were tasty. Despite the fact that the restaurant was busy service was swift and efficient. I think this might have been our third visit wherever the past few years and the standard has been consistently good.

What can I say. A table for 8 on a busy night made available last minute. True Italian hospitality from the very beginning.

We enjoyed a lovely meal at this friendly and well priced Italian restaurant. The food was delicious and the service excellent, with a good selection of wines. Thoroughly recommended, a refreshing change from the usual formulaic chains.

We sat in a window seat overlooked by the beautiful castle watching the world go by The server was very young but did a great job and our food was delicious. A wonderful evening celebrating some very happy memories.

Beh...cosa vuoi aggiungere quando t senti a casa!

Superb friendly restaurant,service fantastic and always with a smile. Food is awesome and perfect size portions. Plenty of Wine to choose from and excellent,great for the family,friends or just as a couple.

To get back to the Netherlands with the ferry, luckily we arrived in time for a pleasant lunch. Great place with nice wines (also per glass). Lasagne was good and sag Special of veal Cannelloni was magnificent. Will go again if we’re back in Dover!

Great welcome by Gianni :) very good atmosphere and ambience. Excellent service and food, good variety to suit all the family. Very reasonably price and some enjoyable wines!

Went with 3 friends, quite busy and got ignored for long periods. Had to ask for bread, meals were ok but not great and took ages to arrive, would not go back

Went to the restaurant Saturday night. The meal was great and the service very good. ThanK you I'll Rustico.

Lovely cooked pizza and steak. Very tasty and well cooked food served by friendly staff. good sized menu choices. Middle priced restaurant. Can recomend and worth a visit

We both had an excellent meal served by I expect the owner. The menu choice was very typical family Italian. We would eat here again

I ordered an Insalata Caprese and the brought me 3 pieces of tomato with 3 pieces of “mozzarella cheese”, (the worst mozarrela I ever tried), and they put PAPRIKA on top of the cheese, paprika in the insalata caprese? Is an insult for the Italian gastronomy.

This small family run restaurant is at the end of a shabby shopping area, but it is worth making a special visit, if you enjoy real Italian food. It is close to the harbour, Dover Museum and shops.

We often go here it’s smart, the foods excellent and the welcome friendly. I like the fact that the menu changes regularly and the chef has specials.

went there last year and never left no review . very good dinner and top service .my daughter did arrange a surmised birthday party and not many place to try locally on the monday ,glad i went .

I did a last minute search for an authentic Italian restaurant in Dover and found this gem. I went with my husband and daughter, we all thought our meals were perfect in every way. The owner was very friendly and attentive. The menu is extensive with daily specials. Our food came quickly, was delicious and was very good value.

In Dover 28th Dec prior to popping over to France, dropped in, no booking, will put il Rustico on my itinerary next time, family all had pizza, which was excellent. I had veal, don’t normally eat this but it was amazing, so good I ate it without taking a photo, this is a really decent honest Italian restaurant, service is friendly and fast, good value too.

A friend invited me to Il Rustico as a thank you for a few little jobs. Well what a thank you.

The staff were very attentive so we were not left waiting for anything, the food was to die for, I had mushrooms in a three cheese source, followed by Veal in a tomato sauce with assorted vegetables, and a bottle of Pino Grigio, and the prices were very reasonable.

Third time we’ve visited, I can’t re o end it enough. Small but good wine list, menu has something for everyone, I had the polo milanaise, very good, just enough.

Dined here with my wife on a Friday evening in December. Good pumpkin soup and really excellent pizza based garlic bread with mozzarella. Pasta dishes very tasty and well cooked, all at about £10 for a main course so price/ quality ratio spot on.

Visited il rustico yesterday with family. Had a wonderful meal. The garlic mushrooms starter was excellent. And pizzas and calzones were devoured by all.

Hi, we have just come back from France and we’re stopping off in Dover and decided to eat here which was a great decision.

This is one of Dover's secret delights. I lovely Italian restaurant - well known and very popular with the local community here in Dover.

We spent a weekend in Dover and stopped by il Rustico one night as we were craving for some good pasta. The owner and the chef are both Italian which should ensure the quality of the food. We ordered a lasagna al forno and rigatoni alla siciliana. The first one was very good, whilst the rigatoni were not “al dente” and definitely not great. We had a second course which was the day’s speciality but didn’t taste Special at all. Was just ok. Although, Wine was great and a very fair price. We got a red wine from Brindisi and got it served in proper red wine glasses which were fancy.

We picked this restaurant at random for a Monday night with a number of the competitors shut. It was excellent food, nìcely served. Quiet and unfussy. Our chicken pasta just very tasty. Rich and tasty sweets (amaretto cheesecake and a chocolate mousse) were just scrumptious. Definitely worth a visit. Would highly recommend.

Il Rustico was busy on the Friday evening when we visited and the staff were rushing about, but we were well looked after and the food was good - Lasagna and Pasta carbonara

Il Rustico is a small Italian restaurant in Dover which punches far above its weight. The food is absolutely excellent, the service good and the restaurant itself first class. Highly recommended and a real surprise - well worth a visit.

Restaurant wasn't too busy, so we were promptly seated. Food came quickly and wasn't too expensive, me and my partner both had a pasta dish that we found to be tasty. The ameretto cheese cake dessert was the best I've had in a long time.

Firstly i would like to say, the food is and always has been really good each time I've visited. I'm solely leaving a poor review based on customer service. We had a gift voucher for the restaurant and called ahead to make sure we could use it on our chosen date, we was told we could. We headed to the restaurant with a party of 7. On arrival we again asked if the voucher was valid and we was told it was. We then had a lovely meal and a great time was had. The bill comes and we hand the £100 voucher over to be knocked off our £250 bill. We're then told the voucher is only valid at their sister restaurant. If we hadn't checked prior, fair enough, but we was told twice the voucher was good. Terrible customer service.

Great food good sized portions. Staff were lovely and the atmosphere was good. The restaurant was clean and conveniently located.

We arrived in Dover in a Saturday evening but surprisingly many places were closed. We found this little gem and were quite happy. I had margherita pizza and my husband has mussels that he really enjoyed. Service was good and they were nice enough to store our bags while we ate.

Very good food and good service. Served a dish we wanted that was not even at the menu. Great evening

In town to swim the channel and needing a great meal. Dined here in 2017. Loved their superb pizzas. Still as amazing in 2018. Wait staff are superb and knowledgeable. Menu is diverse with a great wine list as well. Hubbie has the lasagna which was served piping hot. I had the pizza with ham . It was amazing. Fresh ingredients and full flavor. Atmosphere is relaxed. Cost is great! Location is just off the harbor once you cross under the roadway into town. Simply perfection ! Well done

Ate here this evening and I have to say the food was excellent

Me and my Girlfriend escaped London for few days and we ended up in Dover.

This is a simply beautiful Italian Restaurant in Dover . A hidden gem , we had a beautiful meal there and the staff are just so friendly, we loved it . We are happy to recommend this restaurant to anyone , in fact it is a must if your going to stay in Dover

Très bon restaurant au centre ville. Très bon accueil. À faire en famille. Décor rustique comme son nom l indique!

Pizza ottima! Proprietario italiano molto cordiale e gentile. Abbiamo preso tre pizze con bevande e speso 37 euro, mi sembra più che onesto considerando la bontà della pizza. Consiglio di andarci senza alcun dubbio. Complimenti!!

Nice little restaurant. Service was quick and efficient. Food was very tasty. We had the olives and then the sausage pasta and the arabiatta.

We’ve been going here for many years. Revisited last night. Very good service and food exceptional. Prosecco was very good. All in all a very pleasant evening at a reasonable price. Difficult to find fault.

Staying at the Travelodge, we were looking for a nice place for dinner and discovered this place!

Staff were superb. Lovely friendly authentic restaurant. Food fresh and delicious. Excellent value for money.

When you first enter this restaurant you feel, um doesn't look so good and a bit basic, but I guess that's the Italian way. A chair is to sit on the the table is to eat from so it doesn't have to be elaborate.

Faux Italian, if you want bulk and don't care about flavour this is the place for you. Depressingly boring.

Really pleased to find this place having read the reviews before our visit, we found it walking around the town in the afternoon and saw it opened at 6pm we arrived just before and found people already seated and it wasn’t that long before it was filling up, creating a nice atmosphere. The fresh salmon and pasta was delicious and the portion size perfect, so often I find the portions of pasta too large and over facing. A really enjoyable meal, food and wine reasonably priced.

The minute we walked in, we were charmed as only a well run Italian restaurant can be charming. The boss-man reminded us of many patroni we have encountered and his staff were efficient and friendly. The seafood linguini was excellent, lots of mussels and clams and not too much pasta, the sauce was light and well seasoned. The hand made desserts were heavenly and just the right portion size. It was busy for a Sunday night, which speaks volumes.

We had visitors and returned to Il Rustico for another excellent meal. Service was great, and the food was delicious. Highly recommended!

If your reading this then you've probably looked at the reviews for "La Scala" in Dover.

We have struggled in the past to find a decent restaurant in Dover but Il Rutico is really rather good. It is clean and smart and the food was good traditional Italian.

Charming Italian restaurant, with authentic Italian food and service, great quality and good value. We will be back when we are next in town!

Good food, relaxed mood, charming service, a lovely night out. The only real drawback was a bit of noise - I couldn't hear my guests well at all as the evening went on. Not the music, the general chatter! Not sure how that could be changed! But recommended for a comfortable and relaxed meal in comfortable surroundings.

Very good and excellent service. Owner very good as well. Caprese was very authentic. Recommended 😊

Loved the food here - perfect pasta ! Agata ( Spanish ) service with a smile. I'll be back in July & August . Good value for money .

Second visit here. Attentive service. Very reasonable prices. Favorites were the lasagna and the cheese garlic bread. A table near the front windows offers great people watching. Will definitely return.

I had the Salmon Pasta meal it was absolutely delicious. Beautiful sauce and fresh Salmon. Compliments to the Chef!!

Looking fir somewhere yo have dinner and we came across this restaurant. I had the Pollo Milanaise, wonderful, sister pork medallions great. We shared a bottle of Trebbiano , a good find. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this restaurant, good value for money.

We visited last night with my 3 year old son and parents as we were staying locally by the marina. When we arrived we were advised would be a wait for the food as had a large party in. No problem for us. The staff were all friendly and helpful. My son was a little particular with his food and they assisted without any questions in such a wonderful manor. The food was honestly the best Italian food I’ve had in about 20 years. If only we lived closer. If your in the area do not hesitate was amazing.

My husband, daughter, grandson and I visited this restaurant tonight for a meal. We are only in Dover for one night and thought we would try this place.

Respekt an den Pizzabäcker! Ich hatte eine Pizza Quattro Stagioni und die hat tatsächlich nach NICHTS (!!!!) geschmeckt! Also, das muss man erst einmal hinbekommen!!!! Die Pizza war heiß, die Pizza war knusprig, aber Tomatensoße, Schinken, Pilze, Artischocke, sogar die Oliven waren geschmacksneutral! Wie das geht?? ... keine Ahnung!!! Vielleicht war das ein Wunder, eine Pizza Miracoli ;-)

We came last week for the first time and we came back at the next opportunity today!

A warm welcome. The food was great and reasonably priced. Several different groups were all having fun and I guess it was that sense of everyone having a pleasant time that made it for us.

Nice little restaurant, decent wine list and good service. Worth a visit if you're in Dover for dinner

The place was busy and looks short of staff. We did understand and we came back after 30min. The staff were very friendly and capable to manage the situation, as Italian I would say overall I had a nice impact(Italians playlist too!). Food was honest(price worth), maybe they should use more salt(but they always ask if you want to add some black pepper). We went back the day after.

Fantastic welcoming! The local from outside looks really nice and you can distinguish the Italian allure from the rest of city. Inside the restaurant is simple, nice and clean. The staff is proactive and friendly, the manu is good even if there are lots of traditional Italian plates condensed in one. The food is DELICIOUS!! We really really really recommend this place, and the dessert especially!

Although I arrived at lunchtime without a booking (and other establishments in the area were all booked out), I arrived at an almost empty restaurant. This restaurant is very close to the Dover Museum, the high street and the shorefront.

We dined last night ( 4 of us). The meals and drinks we we ordered were excellent as was the service. As a new resident near Dover we were pleased that we had found a gem of a restaurant. We shall be going back as often as possible. Finally the cost for what we had was very reasonable.

We were made so welcome by Gianni and Ricardo! The ambience was great and service prompt! Our food was delicious, Whitebait, Lasagna and Salad. Veal with mushrooms and cream sauce, with nicely cooked selection of veg. Great Pino Grigio and a very good red! Prices...