Il Tartufo Briaho in Cheltenham

We so hope this delightful couple survive in the very competitive sphere of Cheltenham eateries. They more than deserve their place in the list of "must go to" restaurants. It's not a see and be seen place, but if you love good Italian cooking, you will be happy to find this place.

Not only is this the best Italian restaurant in Cheltenham, it's by far the best Italian restaurant in Cheltenham. This opened in January 2022 near the Wine Bar in Montpellier. The owners are a couple from Florence. Everything here is authentic Italian. The owners make fresh bread every morning at 7.30am. They also make the cakes and the pasta fresh. They bring in shipments of fresh black and white truffles from Italy every few weeks. Also local artisan cheeses, prosciutto and salami flown in from Italy. The wines are chosen from small producers in Italy and flown in. The quality of the food here is exceptional. The only reason this place is not higher up the rankings is nobody knows it is there. In fact, on any given night there are the same locals from the Montpellier area inside eating. It's like a canteen for those in the know. There aren't many tables, and so it won't be long before it is impossible to get one. Book ahead. Recommendations: fresh truffle tagliatelle, home made gnocchi with fresh pesto, fresh pecorino cheese with pear marmalade, and honey and truffle bruschetta. Given the quality of the wines and the ingredients, the prices are incredibly reasonable. With that said, if you normally go to Franco Manca for dinner, this is not for you. If you have happy memories of finding a little trattoria in Italy and wish you could eat as well here, now you can. Be warned though, in the same way that the little place in Florence where the locals eat doesn't look that much from the outside, the same is true here. It's not flash and won't look too impressive to a first date. Unless she's Italian.

We had a super lunch with delightful food and excellent service. Ate outside in the sunshine. The chianti was great as was the Italian beer- both good value. Will definitely return.

Really excellent Italian restaurant. Totally authentic, with a warm welcome from the Tuscan owner Eleanora. The fresh pasta dishes, one with ragu and one with truffle, were just right. Excellent gnocchi, delicious salamis and cheeses, and very good steak. Bravo to the chef. A delightful touch of Italy right here in Montpellier.

Atmosphere is very relaxed, food and wine are excellent, the owner Eleonora is very knowledgeable. The truffles are delicious, all the food is homemade and authentic. Eleonora flies to Italy to buy all of her ingredients.