Il Vesuvio in Tunbridge Wells

First to arrive for an early pre-concert meal, so lacked atmosphere until other diners arrived. Didn't look open so needs work on lighting, but the food is outstanding. The Chef/patron took our order and then cooked it to our exact requirements, quite happy to substitute items in the Carbonara--mushrooms and courgette for Pancetta-, and gluten-free pasta for my wife. Substantial portions with surprisingly generous amounts of prawns and monkfish in the linguine. Just needs a little tweak with the presentation and the decor.as the food is very good indeed.

Very friendly and lovely staff. Would definitely recommend trying here at least!

Went with the family and we all loved the food and the service so nice to try proper Italian food

Food was delicious 😋, staff very friendly and nice music .

Had a lovely meal here with a group of friends on Friday night. It's a lovely little independent Italian. The food was delicious, portions were generous, service was attentive and the atmosphere was buzzy, I'll definitely go back.

Had a very lovely meal here. The food was very tasty and the service was good. I’d not been since the change of ownership but was pleasantly surprised.

This is a really nice, well decorated restaurant serving good quality food at prices that are more than reasonable. The staff are very friendly and unlike many Italian restaurants they still offer a complimentary limoncello at the end of the meal. I also have to say that their macchiato is probably the best I have had for many years.

Very good food,Not too expensive,Well worth a visit. .Having to write more is ridulous I've said what I needed to.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Great atmosphere, friendly staff and the food was amazing. Would definitely come again!

Went here for my birthday. It was absolutely outstanding. Food service atmosphere everything was perfect. Food was delicious and would strongly recommend to anyone. Lovely friendly people made me feel very welcome. Thank you

Impressive service and excellent food! Everyone there is friendly and the food was great, definitely recommend for couples and/or large groups

Never been before! This was a special birthday celebration for 15 of us. To be quite honest the food was good but took ages to be served and cleared away. The food had been ordered in advance so the restaurant was aware of the food order. It spoilt the whole evening with such a slow service. Not enough staff for the occasion. If they couldn't cope they should not have taken the booking. They tried but not good enough for a 50th birthday celebration. You can't get that back. !

Lola was absolutely amazing, she was fantastically polite and service was swift and delicious: thank you having us x

Very simple atmosphere, however the food was extremely tasty, service was also nice. Highly recommended for Italian

I've not been here in years, but it's still a lovely spot. I had fish and tiramisu and both were great. My wife had a fillet steak and it wasn't the best, chewy and sinuous which was unfortunate. Atmosphere was nice and front of house very welcoming and attentive.

Quite sad to be writing this review actually, we’ve been visiting this restaurant for YEARS. I’m aware it’s recently been taken over by new owners, it’s had a renovation and new menu… It’s all quite disappointing. The restaurant itself has no atmosphere, it’s not welcoming and very cold. Previously you felt like you were in Naples, and now it’s a cafeteria. Staff are certainly not as engaging, friendly or welcoming either. You seem to have to wait a while for service even at off peak times, a lot of time passes between sitting, ordering drinks, ordering food, food arriving etc… previously you didn’t mind the time, because you knew and could tell the food was fresh. The food is still good however, but the portions, flavours and quality is no longer there. The new menu is mediocre in comparison to the previous, and some questionable dishes. Even dishes missing you would expect on an Italian menu. Upon receiving the bill they automatically add gratuity - extremely cheeky. We always tip for good service, good food etc… However to assume I find quite offensive actually, especially for what the new restaurant is. Sorry to say, we’ll no longer be returning.

Tried this place twice but both times the food was lovely but a shame the service was so slow and only us and one other table.

Really nice food for reasonable prices. Loved the seafood Linguine.

I ordered pasta alla carbonara and i couldn't spot any egg yolk in the creamy cheese sauce . What happened to them 😆😂

lovely stuff ere, really is, great munch and lovely staff, overall top notch night, would recommend for yall!

Walked in without reservation before the Saturday evening rush, and was made very welcome by the young team. Our pasta dishes were excellent and served quickly. Deserts were tasty and very good value at less than £5 each. We'll be going back to Il Vesuvio again

The best italian spaghetti and risotto dishes we've ever tasted, here or in Italy itself. And the service was friendly and efficient. Cannot recommend highly enough. Superb!

It's been a while since we returned to Tunbridge Wells and we were looking forward to another visit to this restaurant which had become our favourite. But everything about it is has no relation to anything Italian. O.K they are playing Italian music in the background, on a loop! But, that's where it ends... The atmosphere that the previous owners had created had gone; with none of that friendly welcoming family feel. Now it feels more like a...... "get the customer in and feed them as cheaply as possible place with inferior food" (at prices that are similar to much better restaurants in the area). We waited 20 minutes for our drinks order and 45 minutes for our food. Other people, who were obviously friends of the new owners and who arrived well after us were served drinks and food before we even got our drinks. The food was o.k and edible, but very small portions at an exorbitant price and more like something you would get in a cheap cafe. It wasn't a pleasant and enjoyable evening compared to when the other people were owners. Suffice to say, we won't be returning. We waited 20 minutes for our drinks order and another

Food is amazing, presentation is really mouth watering, the staff is really friendly, The whole experience was overwhelming.. I went with my friends ordered Bruschetta and Affettati as starters . I ordered spaghetti carbonara it was really delicious 😋😋 and crème brulee as a dessert and I absolutely loved it 💓💓💓😍😍😍 will definitely come back for more 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼

Wow. Wow. Wow. I have absolutely nothing but praises to sing about Il Vesuvio. We came for my dad's birthday meal on a Friday night. I had the cozze Italia (mussels in a garlic and white wine sauce) and it was possibly one of the best meals I've ever eaten. The sauce was perfectly salted, garlicky and creamy without being cloying. For mains I had spaghetti carbonate and it was exactly what I was craving! Proper thick diced ham/bacon in it and the portion size was more than substantial. If I hadn't been so greedy, I would have taken half home to enjoy later. The waiters were both fantastic, filled with delightful conversation and light banter. They finished with a complimentary round of lemoncello. I have a new favourite restaurant and I will be back! Grazi mille!

Firstly I would like to say that this restaurant has just been refurbished, and it didn’t feel like an Italian restaurant, more like a cafe at the beach somewhere! It felt very sparse and most Italian restaurants I e been to have proper tablecloths on the table but these were plastic and I noticed one table it was tapped up underneath, in my opinion it needs to be made more warmly and have more of a family feel. The food was really nice,although I would advise anyone to make sure they double check their order as I chose chicken in a sauce ( really nice ) which came with vegetables but I also asked for a separate portion of potatoes, when it arrived I just had chicken with a few cut up potatoes and a very very small garnish of salad ! I mentioned this to the waitress who had taken our order and she said I know but the chef had given you extra salad !! Sorry but salad is not vegetables , it clearly said on the menu it came with vegetables. Having said about the above issue, the meals we all had were nice and the staff gave us a very warm welcome and because of the blip they said we could have a free pudding…..not sure if we all did or it was just mine but I never see the bill as we were treated to this. To finish the evening off we were given a lovely limoncello shot. We would definitely go back. Thankyou for a lovely evening in your restaurant 😊

Great food and impressed with the service on the day. Been once before and will go again. Cheers

Great menu. Good food. Good wine menu.

Taken there for father's day. Felt sorry for the young waiter who was working alone (i assume someone had let them down) but remained composed and polite. Everyone really enjoyed their meal, i had the linguini al rospo (with monkfish and king prawns) which was absolutely divine

I was taken there for father's day with 2 of my kids, son-in-law, wife and grandchildren. Felt sorry for the young waiter who was working alone (i assume someone had let them down) but remained composed and polite. Everyone really enjoyed their meal, i had the linguine al rospo (linguine with monkfish and king prawns in a white wine sauce) which was absolutely divine. Highly recommended

Couldn't rate this place highly enough. The waiters were absolutely brilliant, polite yet great sense of humour which was needed when dealing with our crazy family! The food was absolutely delicious, really authentic. Big complements to the chef who apparently is also the owner. Best ravioli I've had possibly ever, and everyone else in our party felt the same about the food. Honestly couldn't fault it. I don't usually write reviews but had to recommend this place. Will be back (if they'll have us)!

Lovely restaurant, always has been. Recently under new management, manager was waiting on tables on this occasion and couldn't have been more friendly and accommodating. We were given complementary drinks and nibbles, then got to meet the talented chef before we left - who was equally pleasant. Food was brilliant, would recommend!

The five of us all had different starters and mains and every one of them was just superb. We all agreed that it was the best meal we have had in ages. The service was extremely good as well and the young gentleman who served us was very polite and helpful when it came to explaining the different courses. We even got to thank the chef before we left. The prices are good as well, and we all came away happy and full up!! We highly recommend this restaurant in the quieter part of town.

Amazing experience and customer service. A great memory!

We booked in with Il Vesuvio with a party of 11 for an engagement celebration meal on Saturday evening. We booked via email and went back and forth a couple of times to ensure our food was booked in ahead of time. The venue has character and is a great little independent restaurant. The menu has plenty to choose from and so there was plenty of variety for our party. Everyone remarked how flavoursome their food was and there was not much left at all by the end! The waiters were attentive to our needs and did everything with a smile on their face and made us all feel at ease. We will definitely be back to enjoy this restaurant in the future.

We booked in with Il Vesuvio with a party of 11 for an engagement celebration meal on Saturday evening. We booked via email and went back and forth a couple of times to ensure our food was booked in ahead of time. The venue has character and is a great little independent restaurant. The menu has plenty to choose from and so there was plenty of variety for our party. Everyone remarked how flavoursome their food was and there was not much left at all by the end! The waiters were attentive to our needs and did everything with a smile on their face and made us all feel at ease. We will definitely be back to enjoy this restaurant in the future.

Excellent meal can't wait to go again

After many visits - this restaurant has become our favourite - witness their inventive pasta dishes and the best pizza for miles. Their wine list is also a gem.

The food was very good, but small portions

This was our first time here and we're pleasantly surprised. It has a nice atmosphere, tasty food and friendly staff. Very accommodating. Feels like being in Italy. Thank you

We'd had our eye on this place for some time, as my husband proposed to me on top of Versuvius, so it seemed an appropriate place to go, and traditional Italian restaurants can be wonderful. Not this one. The decor is tired and unattractive, The vinyl bench I was seated on hd a piece of loose vinyl presumably covering a hole, and the background music was a hackneyed selection of Italian romantic songs of the "Arrivaderci Roma" style. But on to the food. One dish, the black linguini, was truly wonderful. but the calamari starter was woefully tough and overcooked, and the veal looked - and tasted - like cardboard. Strange place. We won't be back.

Completely delicious food. So good I could eat it all again. Lovely timely and genuinely friendly service. Thank you. Very memorable on such a horrendous rainy evening. BW the Daykin family.

thanks for having us. Really nice server and lovely food. did wait quite a while for our food but it was worth it.

Nice food and varied menu but really let down by the service. We received our mains after being at the restaurant for 1.5 hours (it’s as 10pm at this point and we were starving)! The restaurant was not even busy and the waiters did not...

Lovely food and good service xx

Good music selection that added to the ambience! Yummy and reasonably priced food in a great location

We had an incredible family meal at Versuvio for a birthday celebration and the food was delicious! Staff were very friendly and attentive! We will definitely be back again!!! Thank you for the Limoncello 😁 5 stars well deserved! Well done everyone x

We haven’t been to il Vesuvio for a while.. we were a little concerned as it has new owners since our last visit.. But it was wonderful.. the food was delicious all home made including the desserts 🍮.. we had to wait a while for our food as they were very busy.. but it was worth the Wait .. all 6 of us chose different things & all the meals were delicious.. excellent Chef .. we will definitely be going again 😄

Lovely authentic Italian restaurant, food was fresh and delicious, this was our first time and we will return. The staff were family and very attentive.

Just as the stars say it: great food, excellent service and nice music in the background. We had a wonderful evening. One looking forward to repeat soon.

We went here for work back in September and had a delicious meal. So much so that we took a big group of 20 people in for a meal last week. Since our initial visit, the whole place has been refurbished and the menu completely changed. Despite our large group size, we were one of only two tables in the place. The service was glacial and it took three hours to have starters and mains - though some had chosen from the three course menu, we abandoned all hope of dessert at 10pm. The food was to a generally good standard, but it wasn’t worth the wait, I’m afraid to say. The pizza was also not as good as before - the base was tougher and the selection was narrower. After we hyped it up to our colleagues, it was a bit of a disappointment - I hope the team get their pace up and see some more custom come their way.

A bit run down interior and exterior, but great kitchen and kind and personal service.

Me and all my business friends were truly astonished by the delectibable selection of meals and cusinies. On our next trip, we will definitely be returning and having some lemon chellos. 5 stars out of 5. Fab

I used to visit this place regularly and always had excellent food. Tonight I went with my wife and the food was abysmal. The hot starter of baked brie was cold, my main of chicken/Parma ham was disgusting..... My wife's starter was good, however her main was horrific to the point we both called it a night and asked for the bill. They had a set menu on for valentines as well, so the chef should have nailed this as only 6 mains were available. Has this place changed hands? It used to have a welcoming and warm atmosphere with Maria personally welcoming every table. If this has changed hands the owners should at least change the name as Maria has built up an excellent reputation and it's wrong to trade on this. Unfortunately I won't be visiting again.

The food was OK, pizza was served just with standard knife... so hard to cut. No chilli olive offered. The decor reminds me of the hospital or dentist practise. Mix of yellow light and blue walls is not the best. Music from Turkish disco... nothing...

lovely and quick service and food as amazing too! the cocktails were also really enjoyable would highly recommend

The service was great, food was delicious and the workers were very polite and attentive, i will definitely be returning!

A group of us went for a friends birthday dinner, the restaurant was not busy for a Friday evening. Food was ok, pizzas very average, but service was really really poor, we had to ask for drinks, ask to order, the 2 Young waiters spent...

It was a nice meal with a good service and great food. The interior was a bit empty but else it was nice!

This restaurant is full of passionate staff and it shows in both the food and service. We've come here several times and they are equally attentive to smaller and larger groups. The wine selection is very good but not so big as to be overwhelming,...

We popped in for Sunday lunch and had a fabulous sharing starters and a delicious meal and great service, we def will be coming back

The examination began through my entry to the restaurant. As soon as a I had entered, I were greeted by a polite young woman who guided me to my comfortable and spacious table. After reviewing the menu, I had settled on ordered a Pepperoni Pizza in which the Waiter had recommended. One thing that still bugged me, is that on the menu, a lot of the food is in Italian terms, which would never be a problem for an Italian restaurant if they had considered putting a picture next to each pizza, some people can mistake a Calzone for a generic Pizza which is a common mistake I see nowadays. Or the waiter can at least confirm with the customer, what a Calzone is before they order to ensure they are aware what they are buying is what they are expecting. After 20-30 minutes of waiting, presented before me was an undercooked pizza consisting of cold pepperoni and stale bread base, I ask for the future that the chef’s consider cooking the pizza before actually serving their customers. Despite this, service was great and the restaurant had a nice, but slightly cold atmosphere.

We have just had the most delicious meal at Vesuvio restaurant 😋 The staff were so welcoming and attentive we couldn't help but feel very relaxed and cared for. If we lived in this area we would be regular visitors to this quaint restaurant.

Lovely food (and lots of choice!), very reasonable prices and great service! Would very much recommend and will be coming back!

We love it here! This is our 5th visit and the food and service is excellent. Would recommend the steaks for main. Delicious!

Traditionally decorated Italian restaurant run by a friendly family who were very accomodating and provided us with a table of our choice. Great selection of dishes and starters including freshly baked focaccia bread. Main meals included Vegetarian Calzone and Pollo ai Funghetti topped off with...

Food and staff were very nice. Went out for a special meal for my husband's and mine first wedding anniversary. Unfortunately the woman sat at the next table and very close to us was loud and dramatic, and I couldn't really hear my husband talk. As we were leaving another diner even came up and commented to her politely asking her to quieten down. It's quite a drive from us so even thought it's quite nice food, I wouldn't drive back as there are places just as nice near to us. Also I would note their menu is different in the restaurant than online, there are less items and they aren't able to always to the online menu items, which is a bit off maybe it should be updated.

I had the sea bass with seafood and vegetables. It was delicious! My only critique was that the calamari was over cooked and the green salad I ordered wasn’t as per the menu although it was still very nice. My husband had the calzone. He...

We were very early so not much atmos

We used to visit Il Vesuvio in 2015. It was a family run restaurant and was very authentic. We have recently returned to the area and didn’t realise the Restaurant had changed hands. Serving staff were good but the wait for the food was slow....

UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP! We were returning customers, however no longer! We have just come home after a very disappointing visit, firstly there is “NO”ambience, we were squeezed into a corner table even though the other half of the restaurant was empty and remained unused for...

Went here with high hopes for a nice New Years meal with my parents who had been many times before… with the previous owners… As soon as we walked in we noticed it had been redecorated (hospital style) unlike the authentic Italian style you may...

Popped in for lunch last week as M&S cafe was closed due to the ongoing water shortage problem in T wells. I haven't been in to Vesuvio for a few years and my previous visited have all been 5 star. My daughter and I were...

Alessandro was a superb host, he guided us on all food options and drink options in a professional and an informative way. Cannot fault the food or the service in any way. 100% recommend!

A group of 10 of us prebooked our meals, many off the set Christmas menu. No one even attended to us for about half an hour after we sat down and then it was ages until we got our starter. We were also a glass...

Other than the food itself, which was perfectly acceptable, everything else about this visit was something of a disaster. The service was insanely slow; my risotto had got cold before I was given cutlery, but I still managed to finish it before my wife’s had...

We have dined here many times, and always enjoyed it. Tonight we went with friends, and for the first time ever we walked out of a restaurant after waiting an hour for what were terrible starters…….and essentially only bread! Several errors initially with drinks, inexperienced...

Excellent food and service, loved it!!! The food was really delicious, the staff were friendly and we all enjoyed our experience.

Fantastic food and friendly staff. Great night. Highly recommend to anyone looking for an authentic Italian night

Excellent food and very friendly service.

Great food great service great restaurant food was fantAstic. Would recommend for good hearty Italian meal!!!!!!!!!

An Italian haven with fabulous food and great customer service. The food and ambience was outstanding.

Great place, great atmosphere. Went for a group party. Wonderful food and a fabulous service. The house cocktails were an added delight. Thoroughly recommend the Vesuvio Spritz.

TERRIBLE! Probably the worst restaurant I’ve ever been to in my life. The decor looks like a hospital. The food was totally gross. The starter - tomato and mozzarella - boring and tasteless. The main - cannelloni was so hot and over cooked it was like it has been belched out of mount Vesuvius - I burnt my tongue - tasteless. The chips were good. The desert - a chocolate sponge - straight out of the microwave. Supposed to come with Vanilla ice-cream but didn’t. It was so bad. I didn’t complain because I didn’t want to ruin my evening. The waiter staff were young, inexperienced but pleasant. I felt sorry for them bringing out plate after plate of absolute garbage. Just won’t go back and certainly don’t recommend. TERRIBLE!!!

Probably the worst restaurant I’ve ever been to in my life. The decor looks like a hospital. The food was totally gross. The starter - tomato and mozzarella - boring and tasteless. The main - cannelloni was so hot and over cooked it was like...

Incredibile service and the was incredibly wonderful and very tasty, you have a large selection of different food from fish to chicken meat to pizza and pasta. Chefs are very good really and all the members of staff were really helpful and always putting your...

The food was excellent and the service was great! The staff is very friendly and accommodating. We all loved it and will definitely go back. Highly recommended.

A gem of an Italian. My husband and I stopped for lunch. The food was beautifully fresh and tasty. The service was efficient, friendly and attentive. The house red was a delight. They know how to make a decent latte too! Would thoroughly recommend if...

Excellent Italian restaurant, I highly recommend it, well done guys.

Lovely restaurant,nice Italian food!

Good food and I've had a positive experience before. Unfortunately last time I went on Saturday it two hours from arriving to getting our main course and 1.5 hours to just get a garlic bread starter. so the family was all a bit miserable by then. Its an experienced family run restaurant so maybe this was a one off but I'd be a bit cautious about risking it again

Gone is the warm family welcome from Maria & Franco. Gone is the comprehensive homemade meals straight from the family cookbooks. Indeed, you find yourself in a run of the mill High Street Italian. The food was ok, service was a bit slow. Overall, unlikely...

Haven't been to Il Vesuvio for a while and although it has changed hands the food and service is just as excellent. Just need to improve the lighting, a bit too bright! But that will not stop us coming back soon!!

Great food, great service and very fairly priced!

Don't really like writing negative reviews for restaurants because it's a hard business to be in, but this was a pretty mediocre experience. We've visited this restaurant probably a dozen times, and really liked it's authenticity. When we arrived this time, we found out that the Italian couple who had previously owned it had retired and sold it on. The new restaurant is honestly far inferior - the menu is much smaller and far less authentic, the service slow and the ambience has really declined after the refurb. We wouldn't return and to be honest, it's a bit cheeky still calling it by the old name. Disappointed.

Don't really like writing negative reviews for restaurants because it's a hard business to be in, but this was a pretty mediocre experience. We've visited this restaurant probably a dozen times, and really liked it's authenticity. When we arrived this time, we found out that...

Food was full of flavour , unfortunately a very long wait for food 1 .5 hrs . They had forgotten our order , friendly staff though not as good as this plaice used to be

Our visit was on Saturday 1st Oct. We have dined here many, many times over the last 10 years, even having Maria & Franco cater for my 50th Birthday celebration. Friends still speak fondly of ‘That night’ lol It has been our favourite true Italian...

Took my family . As usual good service and delicious food. One member of our group is hard to please and said it was the best food she’d eaten and another was still talking about it the next day! You need to eat "Filetto ai...

What a surprise! This place has gained incredibly from the new ownership (originating from Torino, Italy) and has been neatly renovated - much brighter than previously - everything is spic and span, and well lit. The service is always available at the flick of a...