Il Vino Bar and Cafe in East Hertfordshire

A LOT of people are reviewing the wrong establishment here. If you think you dined here in the evening - you did not. You went to Il Vino's RESTAURANT on St Andrew's Street towards Hertford North Station. This is a café that closes at 5pmon Fore Street in the town centre Been here numerous times, nice spot for lunch after a stroll round Folly Island and Hartham Common Park, they do excellent medium size pizzas (amongst many other things), and the prices are reasonable. Good service, piping hot food, tables outside for the vapers and smokers, and a room at the back for additional space.

It was a wet Saturday. We popped in for coffee/teas and cake. Double Espresso was cold. And the facilities were dirty. The bathrooms are an important part of any establishment.

Quick service and great food, best cafe in Hertford

The busiest place in town so I had to try, it was like being back in Italy. Food was nice and the coffee was huge. Great value for money. Will be returning.

Such a nice, tiny little corner café. Bit like Italy. They have very nice biscuits.

Great food, staff, only downside is there is no WiFi if you like to work and eat. Now has WiFi!

A Friday Night meal out with friends, we decided to try somewhere new, All from an Italian background we know what good Italian food is. We asked the lovely waitress about the food and that we are hungry and ready for a good meal, We already knew we were having multiple courses and the restaurant and servers seemed intrigued by our requests, We ordered some garlic breads to share and some olives as an antipasto which arrived swiftly and were very tasty. We all ordered a pasta dish as a starter, we did ask whether it would be a smaller starter portion than the main course portion, waitress told us the pastas are one size which we were fine with, I had the Penne Arrabiatta which was excellent, perfect al dente pasta and an excellent sauce which as a first was the perfect heat level to go with the name, my friends both had the Fettuccine alla Livornese, which they both said was flavourful and a real treat with the fresh pasta. Attentive wait staff made sure that we had no problems throughout, Main courses the pizzas were top notch and good quality ingredients, one order of chicken Milanese with a request for potatoes instead of pasta which was no problem for the staff, Dinner was finished with dessert two tiramisu’s and a panna cotta, really tasty and just like you would get a home. We were greeted by the owner of the restaurant who asked how everything was which we had no faults, Overall Il Vino surpassed our expectations, the restaurant is cosy and comfortable just what you would expect from a Italian trattoria, An excellent first visit and a return visit will definitely happen

Came here for a snack and coffee with friends, was really nice. Food was really good and good serving size for the price. Coffee was very good , service was friendly and fast.

Great food, well priced, great service!

Really nice and inexpensive cafe in the centre of Hertford - 10" pizza, just right for lunch.

How did this place go from serving the best bowl of pasta to the worst? When they decided it was ok to reheat already cooked pasta in a microwave so it was overcooked. Really disappointed with this, penne pasta was soggy, sauce was OK, coffee was excellent. No parmesan was offered with the bolognaise sauce.

Loved the panini and coffee here.

What has happened to this café? Had a panini in there today. Very tight filling, cheese was barely melted and wasn't hot enough and the bread was very dry and clearly bordering on stale. I left more than half of it but nothing was said when rable was cleared. Food used to be very good. Lucky the coffee is still OK, hence the 2 stars. Won't be returning for food. My sister thought the same.

2nd time I’ve been here with my lady prices fair and food lovely. Best cappuccino I think I’ve tested in years. My girl loves the oat milk cappuccino. Well worth a visit. See you soon

Consistently delicious! Perfetto Meatball Rustica panini with chilli olive oil is the one!

This is the place to go for the best pasta in Hertford and the tastiest ragu. The pizza’s are wonderful with the best pizza base I have tasted. All handmade and served within a family friendly cafe. The soft music complements Il Vino making it feel like a true Italian cafe. Tried the pasta once and have never looked back.

Wish I could put one star!! This was the most disappointing unauthentic resturant I have been to in my entire life. The food was bland and tastes like it’s from Costco. I would prefer IKEA meatballs over the crap they serve. The manager man was very rude too and I overheard him being very aggressive towards the waitresses. Will not be coming back.

I went in the evening and whilst I was there they turned the lights down so far i thought there had been a power cut it was ridiculous. I couldn’t see the menu or my family around me. Was happy about it when the food came out so I couldn’t see the lazy presentation. A joke of a resturant. I attached an image of my menu below

Poor value and poor food. Had breakfast here once and didn't enjoy it, but always worth a second chance, so that's what I did. Breakfast for nearly 9 pounds, derisory portions at the cost, and we aren't sitting in a plush or funky place. It all looks a bit uncared for. Overcooked eggs and Halloumi. 3 small mushrooms, 2 small slivers of halloumi, a spoonful of beans and tired bacon. All this and no table service? Even if you want a second coffee you have to get up, queue again and pay again? Factor in the cultural appropriation, there are no Italians connected to this business! They try and give the impression there is some italian connection, but Albania isnt Italy, which wouldn't bother me if the quality was there but it's not...

Great food, great coffee and very friendly

Busy cafe, ok for a quick bite.

Lovely service, very friendly, welcoming and helpful. Great menu and reasonable prices (£27 for 3 panini and 3 coffee). Could have done with a bit more pesto on panini filling but otherwise perfect.

The staff was lovely and the service was really good and attentive. I ordered the pizza Romana (great pizza) and a latte and I enjoyed it :)) totally recommend it

Centre of town Italian coffee house. Although the centre of daytine attraction has moved to Salisbury Square this is still the best for me.

Wow very expensive coffee that was flavourless, let's just say water has more taste. The cakes had flys all over them along with the panini's

Mmmm not the best. Panini was cold and empty! Not very good value and very poorly presented. When I asked for it to be warmer it was gone begrudging

Tasty breakfast, lovely soft poached eggs. Superb coffee as always.

Had a nice lunch here, just a panini and a coffee. Good central Hertford location near to parking. Would come back again.

As a regular customer last week i brought my scrambled egg with sourdough toast, which i do most mornings before i start work. When i was eating it i realised the toast had mould on which shocked me as this has never happened before so i put it to one side and once i had finished. I went back to the resturant to let them know and show them just so it was not served to anyone else so they wouldnt get anymore complaints. My 1 star review today ( which is being nice) is because i went back this morning to get it again as it was a one off before so it hadn't put me off going back, but to my shock and embarrassment to make me feel like an unvalued customer i was refused to be served as i had made them aware of the issue of moldy bread infront of customers last week. To say im upset and angry is an understatement. I WILL NOT BE returning or recommending again to any of our clients in hertford or surrounding areas.

Love the pizzas in here… sitting and listening to traditional Italian music… good vibes, good food! Thanks team.

Great coffee, you won't get better

Nice local cafe serving homely Italian panini's, pizza and pasta dishes. Well priced!

A regular visitor due to the delicious food, great coffee and service.

Wonderful service, food, extremely reasonably priced, dog friendly (!! Big plus). We absolutely love it here!!!

Visited here for breakfast a couple of days ago. Food was bland, poached eggs were rubbery and tasteless, menu should be updated. Place needs updating, feels very dated.

Good food, from cakes and buns through pizzas and traditional Italian fare Friendly service, nice coffee.

Excellent. The service was outstanding. This has become one of the best in Hertford where every other shop seems to be a cafe!

Good coffee and pastries, services was prompt and polite.

Excellent coffee and really good pizza. Stumbled across it after pizza express was full - think this place is tastier and half the price. Has highchairs and a baby changing table in the toilet.

Authentic Italian food served with warmth in a cosy and friendly cafe. Delicious panini and good quality coffee tea. Try it.

Great coffee, great food and great staff. Love it here, the food is gorgeous and the pizzas are absolutely banging.

almost £6 for a Panini, when I opened it there was half a thin slice of mushroom, 1 small slice of pepper and the tiniest piece of mozzarella, you could hardly see it, I know prices have gone up, utility bills ect, but I feel quite cheated tbh. Wont be going back there.

Great breakfast. Dog friendly. What more could you want?

Good service, great coffee and hot chocolate drinks. In addition the food options are great

Lovely coffee and breakfasts! Speedy and friendly service.

Bit expensive, but great fun!!!

Prompt service and polite staff

Friendly, happy staff. Tasty homemade food. Very popular.

Popped in for a coffee, awesome flat white

A basic but tasty pizza for a great price, can’t complain.

The little guy behind the counter wanted to charge me £2 to fill my bottle with tap water, avoid.

Very good coffee. However, they had multiple signs up for ice cream, but no ice cream/ gelato available at all. They said they won't be serving it until next year; so why not take the signs down Il Vino? No prices on the front counter either, asking prices is awkward enough without having to wait in line, so perhaps they could just display pricing for the cakes and pastries to prevent time wasted on both sides, where customers are having to queue up just to ask a price... Having said that, I will probably be back for the fantastic coffee!

Friendly and professional, could do with a few more vegan options but the chef kindly made me a delicious panini.

Popped in for a bit of lunch, as I have done quite often, only this time I left, without eating and requesting my money back. The problem was time...I ordered our meals, the young man at the till said it will be about 10 minutes,as its quite busy. No problem, I paid and we waited. 20 minutes passed and no food, I asked how much longer, he said 5 minutes...we waited 35 minutes, until we finally gave up. Cancelled the order and requested a refund, which he obliged with no hassle. It is a nice friendly place, but on this occasion it let me down.

Stopped off for Sunday morning breakfast. Worst cheese omelette of my life. It was cold but more importantly it was not freshly cooked. It was like rubber! Absolutely shocking! It was definitely a microwave omelette. Truly awful. I don’t eat food cooked in a microwave at home let alone when you pay good money for it. Absolutely avoid!!

Lovely cafe, great food & service

Been to the Hertford IL vino cafe many times. I absolutely love it. Everytime I ordered I always got quality service and food. The pizza is soo good and the English breakfast all for a reasonable price too. I highly recommend this cafe !!!

Straightforward and nice friendly service, they allowed us to bring our dog inside. Great coffee and muffins! Thanks!

Absolutley lovely place and staff. I needed somewhere to do notes before my next client and I stumbled on this little Italian place. The service was lovely. I had a lovely cappuccino and a tuna and cheese melt with red onion in a hom made panini...possibly the best one I've had. Would definitely reccomend. 😁

Cute authentic Italian cafe. Nice range of options for food although not much vegan items at all. Coffee was really nice with milk alternatives available for 30p extra. Service was friendly and a lot of seating. Chicken pollo milanese panini was a bit plain and dry however was good value (£5.95) and filling. Also came with a mini side of salted crisps.

Nice place to eat, sweet decor, cozy. Friendly staff, lovely food

Great food and atmosphere. We had the full English breakfast and Garden breakfast. All delicious.

Sunday breakfast. To be fair, we were warned that they were very busy and a cooked breakfast would be a 20 minutes wait when we ordered. As we were not in a rush we ordered tea and sat down to wait. After ordering another cup of tea and having waited 40 minutes by now we were dismayed to see two cooked breakfasts being delivered to a table who had ordered after we had been seated for at least 10 minutes. At this point I went to the counter to enquire whether we had been forgotten - this is when I started to feel quite annoyed as I was told 'breakfasts are freshly cooked so you need to be patient', I said I appreciate that but you are serving people breakfast who arrived after us, 'they probably had paninins' was the response' . I decided not to take it any furrther as the guy I was speaking to seemed quite agressive. I sat down and we were considering asking for our money back and leaving, when we saw 2 more breakfasts coming out - these were takien to 2 other tables before my husband waved at the waiter and he came to our table. Which one order scrambled egg ? (we had both ordered poached) , twice we said it's not what we ordered but the waiter just stood there holding the plates so in the end we just took the breakfasts as we were pretty hungry by now and didn't want to start again somewhere else. I would love to say it was worth the wait for these 'freshly cooked' breakfasts,but the bacon was cremated, the poached eggs were over cooked with hard yokes, the tomato was cold, no butter for the toast. Not good value for money, even forgiving the wait.

Came across this little gem of a coffee shop today with the girlfriend and what a lovely place it is. The coffee is amazing as is the food and service. Well worth a visit

Enjoyed coffee with a friend. Staff are nice and welcoming. Quite noisy though as most cafes seem to be these days

Excellent coffee and ambiance. Smells wonderful. Could do with some less carb. based food options

Overpriced. Took ages to receive two breakfasts. One of them was halloumi, eggs, baked beans and mushrooms. 3 tiny mushrooms, two tiny slices of overcooked halloumi and cobbled eggs like bullets. Poor

Had a light lunch here of a panini and also a pizza. The pizza was a Fiorentina and a nice light single size portion for £6.95. Overall good and nice service. Would go back again. Seating is good, inside and outside and not too crowded.

A clean and tidy place, neatly run with a nice variety of pastries, sandwiches or cooked breakfasts on offer. Lovely coffee too. Very much enjoyed the Italian eggs, with avocado on sourdough.

Great authentic Italian cuisine, lovely cosy atmosphere and great staff.

Great pizza and panini, friendly service. Definitely check it out, especially the cyclists!

Lovely authentic Italian food. Friendly staff. Probably the best cafe in Hertford. Would definitely visit again. Like being back in Italy!

We called in for lunch on the spur of the moment whilst passing on a rainy day. We weren’t disappointed. The staff were so friendly, there was a good choice of food (the panini looked amazing) and our pizzas were cooked to order. They were delicious and very good value. If we’re in Hertford again, we’ll definitely be back.

Great service, quick Italian food, great view of Hertford high street.

Fabulous coffee and panini was really fresh and excellent taste. Nice service also ..seating outside

Absolutely fabulous pizza! Saw a table outside so stopped for a bite to eat. Service was friendly and helpful, pizza outstanding, totally delicious and authentic - like you’d get in Italy. Will definitely be back soon!

Nice and simple in a good way. Hot Panini and a cup of coffee made my day 🥰

Great food and the best coffee in Hertford

Lovely cafe, great proper Italian food and coffee. A freshing change from high street chains. Prices are reasonable. I recommend the lasagne!

We are regulars. Small, friendly, great for our family. The children love the pasta dishes.

Small outside under cover seating area. Spaced out seating inside front and rear. Friendly staff. Good snacky food selection.

Delicious eggs Benedict with smoked salmon, good coffee and hot chocolate and very nice omelette, good hand made canolli and nice Italian gelato. Friendly atmosphere, very nice place to stop off for lunch or just a coffee, have good menu of panini's and hot food.

Very good coffee. Also warm and dry, unlike the weather outside.

Amazing service and fantastic coffee - they have oat milk, too!!! ♥️

4 of us booked to eat at Il Vino early last Tuesday evening. The service was efficient, pleasant and unobtrusive and a table check was carried out to confirm all was well. Il Vino is a very pleasant place to eat and their food is delicious. All 4 of us consider Italian food to be our favourite and we were thoroughly pleased.

Great place to enjoy a fine breakfast.

Had a hot chocolate and a slice of carrot cake. Belissimo

Visited earlier today, nice cosy little cafe. We had the house breakfast, the bacon was really nice with perfect scrambled eggs. Staff were really friendly. We would recommend and we'd visit again.

Fabulous food, was very impressed.

The food was nice/good, but the wait for it was unacceptable. I went on a Tuesday night, so not at all busy, and waited over an hour for the starters & main to be served. No communication from staff, no offer of water, or whether we wanted any other drinks, simply left alone waiting. Maybe the food tastes good because you've been waiting so long you're just grateful for it!

Late decision to book at table and the restaurant was able to accommodate us so long as we finished before 8.15, very clear and suited our plans. Arrived and got a delightful seat in window able to watch the passers by in the rain- sea bass and chicken mushroom meals ordered and served to perfection with a bottled beer and a coke. We had asked to be reminded to order a pizza to go (for someone at home), and this arrived perfectly as we left after cappuccinos. The staff here are always attentive and buzzing before around the room which was busy but not overcrowded - perfect. We’ve been 12 times or so now and are always impressed with the ambience, staff and food. This is becoming a nice habit. £60 with the take out pizza was reasonable- back soon I’m sure

Lovely little café, good food, staff are great.

Have been twice now, this cafe is very nice and authentic. It is so cheap too! I went on my own this time and had chicken and mushroom funghi was very nice definitely going back

Draga.small portions.es.minoseg.se.jo.

Lovely coffee with nice snacks and pleasant atmosphere

Just turned up early on a Friday evening. Staff were very accommodating and friendly. Food and service was top notch, despite them being busy, thoroughly recommend the cheesecake. Will definitely return.

We popped in here for coffee and decided to have lunch at the menu looked really good and very reasonably priced! The coffee was good quality, much better than costa et al. and food was superb, I had the lasagne which was one of the best I've had, proper home cooked and only £5.95 and my other half had a panini which was equally good. If anything the service was a bit slow but it was a Saturday lunchtime so all is forgiven

Had a lovely meal here, great food, service and atmosphere even though it was quiet! Enjoyed the complimentary coffee too! Thoroughly recommended 👍

The people are very friendly and the food I had was good. Nice place to sit and eat a good bite. Pleasant ambiance and decor

Relaxed, friendly, calm and quiet café open early with a great selection of food at good prices.