La Caverna in West Dorset

The venue is underwhelming, it's underground and quite musty. The food can be really good, when they try.

On arrival two of the quests arrived 10 minutes late and was greeted by the chief outside and were not made to feel welcome. He told them to go through what looked like a lounge and left and down stairs. No welcome! Service was very slow with all guests getting a drink. We were still getting our drinks when the last guest arrived, who ironically got served her drinking before two of the other guests. We pre ordered starters and mains prior to arrival. One main did not arrive until 20 minutes (although the side of spinach had arrived so this had to be sent back to be re-heated) after everyone else’s as it had been forgotten. Chips were steak chips which were just warm and tasteless. Desserts took over an hour to arrive. Four of us choose the same dessert and were given half portions as not enough. It was delicious but just no enough and very expensive for what we had. The Bill took a long time to be generated as the waitress reported that it was a big bill to calculate. A member of our party who runs a public house helped her with it to speed it up. We asked to pay separately as some members of the party were not drinking and only had one course rather than three. This was met with ‘well this will take another one hour to sort out’. We all sorted out our totals and added 10% as this was requested upon booking. The chief was very rude as we were leaving and told us that we were not on time for the booking and one person had arrived much later than everyone else. This was awful to experience and was highly unprofessional. The restaurant was very grubby and one that would not be recommended and in my opinion should be avoided.

The whole experience was different and special . On booking I was asked if we could order out starters and mains over the phone . My group of four had no problem with this request . On arriving we were taken down a set of stairs into the main restaurant to our table . Wine drinks were ordered and our starters arrived . They were absolutely lovely . But the best was yet to come the mains all cooked to perfection looked fantastic and tasted like angels dancing on your tongue . I would highly recommend this little family restaurant and will be returning on our next visit to Dorsey

Back for the 1st time since the pandemic. A lovely meal in a restaurant that is a bit special. Good service. Authentic Sicilian food. Great!

La Caverna is a special restaurant that ticks all the right boxes. We thoroughly enjoyed our meals here and are looking forward to returning.

Best true italian food and service we have gotten all week.The owner and server were very friendly and the place was beautiful. 10/10 would recommend!

We were recommended this place by friends but our experience was not pleasant which was a shame. The older woman - who I’m assuming is one of the owners was incredibly rude. I left a voicemail to book a table of two, she then left a voicemail asking a name and what area of the restaurant we wanted to sit in. I called her back , gave her my name , she told me we were in the cellar and she’ll see me later . I then get a voicemail an hour and a half before our booked time asking for our starter and main order. Confused as they’re a restaurant of 7 tables and we were a table of 2 and there is no mention of preordering on their website, I tried to call back to clarify, 3 times but no answer. We then showed up at our booked time , the lady said “we thought you weren’t coming , you didn’t give us your order”. I explained I wasn’t aware we had to , she then practically called me a liar and said “you must have missed that part of the conversation” “we’ve been doing it since covid “ I’m already irritated as she has called me a liar , I state it’s I’ve never heard of having to preorder for 2 people , she then said “have you ever worked in catering ?!”… I have worked in catering and for years and I’ve never experienced someone that rude before . The rudeness might be forgiven if the food was fantastic , but this was not the case. We reluctantly stayed to have dinner; the same woman took our order . For one starter , we ordered shell on prawns which wasn’t cheap. When it arrived , we were told the chef couldn’t get shell on prawns so we were served basic prawns you can buy from a shop and still charged the same price. Having worked in catering , this is something you tell the customer at the time of ordering. I will not be returning and I won’t be recommending it further and that is mainly due to the poor service of the older woman.

This place is absolutely great , the food was lovely & staff friendly and brilliant. We went downstairs into a cavern, what an experience, it’s stunning, it has a real quirky atmosphere with a family feel to it , will definitely be returning. Due to our taxi being 30 minutes late we were late getting to the restaurant, the owner was fantastic. Loved the food, loved the place .

I lovely little Italian restaurant, well worth booking a table, as they don't have many tables and you will probably not get in if you just turn up. The menu is slightly limited but there is more than enough to choose from and it is all really tasty. The Bruschetta starter of toasted bread with garlic, fresh tomatoes, basil and parmesan cheese, and the Cannoli Siciliani for afters are both a must have.

We have been to La Caverna a few times and the food is always amazing, there is always a great selection of fresh fish and sitting in the cellar is cosy. I am always left wondering how Franco cooked the meals as they are delicious, a very experienced and experimental chef. We will return again soon for sure.

My friends and I decided to change things up and try a different restaurant in Dorchester. It’s safe to say we made the right choice. La Caverna has a beautiful restaurant and amazing food, coupled with impeccable service. The owners were more than happy to cater towards my friend’s allergies and even allowed us to put in a pre order to make the whole experience smoother. I would absolutely recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a great dining experience in Dorchester.

Absolutely loved everything about this place! The food was absolutely stunning, service was wonderful and the whole atmosphere was just perfect. Would highly recommend to anyone wanting a really nice reasonably priced meal. I don’t have a bad word to say. We will definitely be back! Table 9 is ours from now on!!

I was looking forwards to returning to La Caverna with friends. You have to order in advance, not my preference. However, from the moment we entered the restaurant the normal expectations quickly diminished. Greeted by a rather frosty 'I'm busy dealing with this customer' was a surprising start to what can only be explained as a frustrating evening with poor service. - it took 40 mins for first round of drinks to be served. - starters pleasant enough - mains severed before we were ready with 3 guests also missing from table - we weren't offered desert or coffee - we ordered more drinks which didn't turn up - over 30 mins to get the bill - I asked for my remaining pizza to be put into a box. No box could be located...so my pizza sat on another table until....I reminded the young staff member I was still waiting! A box was eventually found some 20 mins later....even though they do takeaway pizza! In the end we went back upstairs to pay. We wanted to pay for what we had not split the bill. The member of staff was rude, sarcastic about thus saying 'well I can do the math but this will take time - luckily I'm not running around like a headless chicken'. There was only 5 of us! We had 2 courses each and a few drinks...hardly lots to work out! Had we had the bill at the table some 30 mins before when requested....we would have done this. On paying....the same staff member asks me in front if my friends, customers and staff "are you leaving a tip". To which my angry response was a firm and snappy 'no'. Who does that? Later that evening.....I felt unwell and no less than an hour after leaving the restaurant I was physically sick. I brought up everything I had eaten in this restaurant. I threw the remaining pizza (and its box) away. I will never return to this restaurant. I chose to spend my money with you. You treated us poorly as a group, the sarcasm and poor service we received was unacceptable.

A hidden gem. Stunningly good food, good wine selection and extremely hospitable hosts. Great value for money but high quality at the same time. Great ambience in this cellar level restaurant- if you can get a table there it won’t disappoint

Fantastic restaurant, would highly recommend. Food was delicious, staff were friendly and very accommodating, really good atmosphere looking forward to returning.

An excellent evening in the cool cellar of La Caverna, Dorchester. One very experienced Chef,his wife and small team catered for 15 of us with ease. The olives and anchovies on the table were so tasty and the house red and white were lovely and...

We had a family 50th here and I can honestly say was the best food, chef and staff I’ve come across for ages. The food was simple and incredibly delicious, the service was excellent and friendly… even the young granddaughter and the chef helped serve...

Excellent, quirky restaurant. Lovely food - great chef and staff. Would recommend but don’t expect a chain vibe - it’s like eating at someone’s home. We loved it - will definitely return.

Visited early mid week. We rang and booked as there are only 3 tables and they fitted us in early. We sent our order through the day before which worked well as the menu is clearly laid out on the web site. The restaurant is...

Look no further. Franco's food is to die for. Ali is the perfect hostess. All weird dietary requirements fully catered for. We all cleared our plates and everyone was highly complimentary about the food. Can't recommend La Caverna highly enough!

La caverna is certainly a quirky experience. The food was faultless, it almost felt like we had stumbled across a little back street restaurant in Italy. I think the back restaurant is currently closed so its just the front open. which was lets say quirky...

We cannot recall previously dining in as small a restaurant as one with just three tables. We were asked to email 24 hours before our visit our choices from the menu, but our choices proved easy and the process not troublesome. Gamberoni allla'aglio came butterflied,...

I can’t recommend high enough this restaurant. The location was lovely very intimate and cosy but relaxed and friendly. The food was just stunning Beautifully prepared and perfect portion size The taste and quality was to a very high standard The service and staff was...

This is a quaint restaurant and with covid restrictions has only three tables which meant we had to pre-order our food so we were not sure what to expect. The lady owner/ waitress was charming and the food was really excellent. Delicious italian food cooked...

Food was very authentic and perfectly cooked. We all enjoyed our meals. Highly recommend this place if you're in the area.

This was by far the best Italian food we have had in UK. Everything from service, starters, main, desserts, was perfect! Thank you for making our night! Definitely would recommend for those who enjoy fine dining and fast food ☺️

This place is awesome. Like every business they’ve had to change what they do due to the pandemic and would seem they now predominately offer takeaway, but they do still have a couple of tables and we feel lucky we got one. Service was perfectly...

Very small place, so booking is essential, but lovely food cooked by an Italian man married to the British front-of-house lady, who is the perfect host.

Nice food and a delicious Montepulciano (the cheaper one on the menu!). We ordered in advance, by request, and they were happy to adjust one of the dishes to omit the olives, which not all restaurants would have done.

Amazing food! Great staff who could not have been more accommodating. Franco is the best chef 👨‍🍳 I have multiple food allergies & he checked with me in person at every course despite having talked my choices through twice face to face with one of...

Visited on a hot Saturday evening in June. Due to the temperature and staff having to negotiate the steep stairs while wearing masks the tables had been set on the ground floor rather than in the basement, which meant we had a fantastic little table...

We ordered a selection of starters and mains, and it was absolutely delicious food all round. I enjoyed proper calmari (whole tiny squid complete with tentacles) and delicious aioli as a starter - a generous plateful in itself, before I'd even started on the Farfalle...

I went to La Caverna recently for a meal with my partner and our friends. I had never visited but have heard great things. We were asked to pre order due to COVID restrictions and it was made clear to us that our table had...

This was the first time for us and it was the best restaurant experience we have had for years. The host’s, Alison & Franco, made the whole experience outstanding. The food was excellent and the value for money was good to. This venue is definitely...

Visited during covid restrictions so very limited tables but we booked and the food was excellent, the menu is slightly limited other than pasta and pizzas. We had pasta starter and pizzas which were all great. We didn't mind having to order in advance, but...

5 of us dined at La Caverna and we were spoilt for choice by the delicious options available. Very welcoming and charming hosts that attended our every need. We tried Seafood, Meat, Pasta, Vegetable Dishes and of course Wine which were all so authentic and...

Really lovely family-run restaurant. Only had takeaway due to lockdown but stunning food. So authentic, fresh, and delicious! Really loved the Panzerotti, truffle mushrooms are always a winner.

We were staying in Dorchester and wanted somewhere to celebrate my birthday. After lots of searching we stumbled across La Caverna and after looking online, we spotted that although they were primarily takeaway only for the moment, they had one table available to pre-book for...

Fantastic take-away pizzas - no comparison with those from the regular chains. A full and varied menu of other beautiful Italian dishes.

We had a very enjoyable meal, under extreme circumstances for any small restaurant. Sometimes you need to be considerate and try and understand how hard it is for small businesses to keep going when no one is going out!

Excellent Food and a good Atmosphere, true Italian food, a place to check out you will not be disappointed

We love this little bistro type restaurant, tucked out of the way, just big enough to be atmospheric,

As a lone diner, I was very pleased to find this little gem. I was welcomed and looked after very well. The printed menu has a great range, but I chose my meal from the specials board and was delighted with the quality. I hope...

La Caverna is one of Dorchester’s hidden secrets: not on the main drag but it is easy to find when you know it is there (just along the road to the Dinosaur Museum). When I went to book I found it was full so I booked a table for a week or so later. It’s a cosy restaurant. Food was good. Staff were very attentive: impressive given that there was a party of something like 16 people there too, and all the other tables seemed full from where we sat. We had a very enjoyable meal and will go back again. My tip - book ahead.

family run restaurant with great food cooked to order, including the now very hard to find desert - zabaglione

I haven’t been for a while so went with friends. Fantastic meal for all four of us. I know the pizzas are great but we decided to all eat steaks / fish / specials. Every single meal was delicious. Wine was lovely as well. I...

My wife and I had a very enjoyable evening down in the cavern which, although small, does not feel too crammed. Our welcome and subsequent service from Alison and Rachel was really friendly and we enjoyed chatting to them and also, on leaving, to Franco who works miracles in a tiny kitchen to create such a range of dishes. The already quite wide-ranging menu is supplemented by interesting specials. I thoroughly enjoyed my aubergine and tomato starter and the calves liver main was delicious - perfectly cooked! My wife had a generous helping of whitebait followed by a pasta dish from the specials list which was the one down point of the meal - it was rather bland. Desserts were the Sicilian cannoli for me and affogato for my wife. The cannoli (with caramelised orange sauce) were good but I found the ricotta filling a bit rich - would have preferred custard!! We enjoyed a great bottle of organic Siciian Nero d’Avola and a glass of passito dessert wine with the puds. The bill came to just over £100 without a gratuity, which we gladly left for such a nice evening.

This was our second visit, this time to celebrate a friend's 60th birthday, we had previously visited last year at around the same time while we were staying near Dorchester. We thoroughly enjoyed the first visit so we keen to try again. We all agreed that the service and the food was excellent, and whilst not the cheapest we were happy with the quality for the price we paid. It is a gem in Dorchester and a good change from the 'chain' restaurants around Brewery Square. Hopefully we will be back again next year.

I've been going to La Caverna for over 20 years but this since moving abroad some 12 years ago this was the first time back and it was brilliant to see Franco and Alison have not only maintained the high standards of service and food but upped the ante even more. The cellar setting is cosy and intimate and the menu is extensive and complete: a great range of starters and then delicious choice of homemade pastas, pizzas alongside a selection of steaks, fish and other meats. Two of our party were vegans, and they were delighted by the option of vegan mozzarella and parmesan to go with their dishes. In summary, in a world of anodyne, chain restaurants in Dorchester it is refreshing, heartening and fortunate that we can still choose to have a fine dining experience at an independently run eatery and at a reasonable price. If you haven't already, give it a try you won't be disappointed (but suggest you make reservations!)

Went for supper in a group of seven. Everyone was delighted with their meals. Friendly service, lovely atmosphere and great cooking.

What a lovely meal we all had for my sons birthday. Every dish was excellent quality with the star being the Mediterranean prawns in Marsala sauce. Give it a go.

Love the food here and the ambiance. The little imperfections make it even more jolly. Good humoured staff. The chef is seriously Scicilian and charmingly good at his job. Thanks to the people who bother to run places like this.

Really welcoming restaurant beautiful atmosphere good menue - very pleasant waitresses- food served piping hot

This was our second visit to this great restaurant. The food is always fantastic, wonderful service and ambience too. The chef is Sicilian and his commitment to producing food with such great flavour is why we will be returning again and again. Thank you to all the staff at La Caverna for such an enjoyable evening

Quite a big range of dishes plus wines, speciality beers and soft drinks. Takeaway available upstairs, restaurant is downstairs in the cellar/crypt. Best to book (we did). Attentive staff.

What a shame... that this restaurant isn’t closer to where I live! Because it’s excellent. Food and wine are wonderful, and they have a very good menu choice. The setting is quite original, as other reviewers have mentioned, being downstairs from a quite ordinary shop front into a cellar. The service is attentive and on point! If ever I return to Dorchester, this restaurant will be my first choice. You should book if you go, because there is a limited number of tables.

It’s a really good idea to book, as there are a limited amount of covers, and they fill up quite quickly. Why? Because the food is really good. And so is the service.

Been here twice in last month and can't speak highly enough of the food and service. Before that it was probably 15 years ago we last are here.

Lovely intimate restaurant, in the old grain store, below the ground floor in this Italian restaurant tucked away just off High Street. Fine evening meal and good atmosphere.

A classic example of how it's done. A very unique setting (under ground) not too big and not too small, classic style menu with a large selection of dishes. the food as full of character as the building. Served by a smashing young lady, i'm sorry i cant remember her name. Very smiley service and the food superb. Home cooked and delicious. I enjoyed some wonderful pasta and the wife was delighted to find several fish dishes available. Will definitely return if we are in Dorset again.

This Italian restaurant is a little gem. The service was friendly, the place has real character and the food was really excellent. And good prices too. Very highly recommended.

A short distance from the town centre close to the dinosaur museum this restaurant is a gem privately run taking you away from the well known high street eateries.

I ask the proprietor of my B&B; for a recommendation for a nice restaurant as whilst I’ve been in and around force there a few times was the first time actually in the town centre. He said the place just up the street, la caverna, looks a bit ramshackle but beyond that facade is a super place. Off I head out and greeted by an old fashion metal veil over the doorway I venture in. Well from the greeting to the descent into the undercroft style seating area to the food, service and ambience I give it 10 out of 10. Food was lovely very reasonably priced steak rossini was a real treat. Seating was separate enough but to feel overcrowded which can happen in small establishments I am so. Dry glad I looked beyond the veil.

We went here on a weekday, restaurant was not full. Welcomed by an older lady who guided us to the basement. Interesting atmosphere with Michelangelo wall paintings combined with yellow/red/blue lightning . Popular background music, not Italian unfortunately. Extensive menu. The avocado with prawns starter was disappointing. Very small prawns (probably shrimps) as well as overloaded with cocktail sauce which doesn’t do good to the avocado nor the shrimps. The scallops on the other side of the table were excellent. The mains tasted very good. What made the evening less enjoyable for us was the tension between the two ladies serving us. The young lady did her best but obviously had to deal with the older lady who licked her fingers while serving plates and was unable to deliver hot drinks without spilling. Our advise: let the young girl run the restaurant and keep the old woman behind the bar.

Judging by the outside, I wasn’t at all interested, but my husband encouraged me to go in and see what they had to offer. I am so glad he did! The restaurant is downstairs in the cellar - it was like being transported to Italy!

Do not be put off by the frontage. This is an outstanding Italian restaurant. The tables are all in the cellar. This has the feel of a family run restaurant. Great homemade food served with care and a smile.

The food is spectacular! We had pizza, steak and pasta, and it was all really good. The wine was also very nice.

We visited here for an evening out with some friends - overall the service was very good. Friendly, fun staff and great food. My only criticism is that my scallops were a little under cooked. They weren't raw but they were very soft with no caramel colored glaze.

Discovered this amazing little restaurant via reviews when staying at the B&B; around the corner and can say it was possibly the best meal of our 2 week UK holiday. We would definitely advise to call ahead for a reservation as they book quickly (and for good reason!). Family owned and everything is cooked to order with everything fresh so don’t expect any sort of “Italian chain” experience...it takes a bit of time (excellent opportunity to enjoy a bottle of wine and good conversation) and when they run out of something, they are out (remember everything is fresh and there are plenty of tasty options on the menu). Can not recommend them enough!!!

Found this restaurant whilst out walking. Tight inside and staff not overly welcoming. Food standard. Had lasagne which was luke warm & a little disappointing. Tables in noisy cellar setting and when a member of staff runs up the stairs you keep hearing their loud thumping footsteps whilst eating and trying to talk. Pleasant enough but wouldn't recommend.

We were staying in a hotel in Dorchester which didn’t serve evening meals. They recommended La Caverna and booked us a table. We loved it. It’s small,has lots of atmosphere and wonderful food. The staff were brilliant. We booked again for the following evening. Really enjoyable.

We were staying at a hotel in Evershot and were recommended this restaurant; what a treat it turned out to be, as the family-run enterprise provided great food, courteous, prompt and polite service at very fair prices.

great staff , great value and home cooked food of a very high standard.......pasta with smoke salmon flakes in a rich sauce....washed down with montipulciano de bruzzo......oh my poor waistline !!

What a great find this was. Immediately made welcome and taken down to the basement restaurant. Lovely atmousphere and unusual surroundings. Great food and excellent service. Unfortunately only in Dorchester for a couple of days and unable to go back.

Haven’t visited for a while and have always enjoyed our visits here. Cannot fault the food as pizzas that we had were great, tasty and very large! However the service was incredibly slow. We had preordered our first course that did arrive promptly but we were not asked if we wanted more drinks (or even more water) and we would have bought more drinks too. They were very slow with the dessert order, so much so that 4 of the party actually left rather than wait. (They were also thirsty!!) the remainder of the party waited a considerable time for their dessert ordered and even longer for one of the coffee. We did get an apology and we did pay the service charge on the bill but more because we were too embarrassed not to pay it. We think the issues were due to us being a larger party , the smaller parties seemed to have quicker service. Or maybe they were just having a bad night. Bit disappointed really as we did enjoy the excellent food.

We were staying in Brewery Square but didn’t fancy the typical chain restaurants in that area. So we ventured off into town and found this fabulous little Italian!

We went here on the first night of our Dorset Easter break. The food was fine but it’s the setting in an old cellar that is special. Good fairly plain Italian food and good house wine.

The wife decided that we were going to this restaurant tonight even though I'd never heard of it! And what a find! It is only a small place, perhaps 35-40 covers. The service is very attentive and friendly. The menu is quite extensive with a few specials. I didn't read the wine menu so I can't comment but I did see a lot of wine being served. The food was brilliant, not over complicated, very well cooked and presented. Very well priced, in fact in my view it was very good value for money! We will return!

Having visited the restaurant and finding it ok, we decided to book for a second evening. The contrast could hardly have been greater. Based on our experience tonight, I would not recommend this restaurant.

Booked by telephone a table for two for Friday evening.

We visited last night as we were staying with friends who had moved to Poundbury a couple of years ago. This restaurant was suggested to them so we booked for a Thursday evening. We were made most welcome by the lady owner (?) and given a choice of tables in the cellar. We spent a very pleasant couple of hours there. The ambience and layout was very comfortable and all four of us said our dishes were excellent, all helped along by a great house wine. The owner really clinched the evening by being most attentive and chatty.

We thoroughly enjoyed our first visit - attentive & friendly service, beautifully cooked pasta & good wine in an immaculate cellar setting. Highly recommended

I phoned the restaurant on Thur 31st January to make a booking for two. A or very young girl answered the phone, I asked her if I could make a booking and she seemed very off or stressed and said I didn’t need to make a booking and before I could say ok thanks the phone went down. I didn’t think anything of it really. So I turned up Sat night and asked for a table for two, and was asked if I had booked i said no and went through what I was told over the phone, then an oldish women butted in and basically called me a lier and said well of course you need a booking to eat here everyone knows that and went on to be so rude. Well I won’t be making a booking there in future or not will I be going anywhere near the place. I can’t get over the attitude of the women.

We had a really good dinner here. The restaurant is downstairs in a "cellar" (the clue's in the name), which is nicely decorated and very cosy. The staff were friendly and keen to ensure we were enjoying our meal. The food's the most important thing for us, though, and La Caverna didn't disappoint. The menu is authentically Italian and there is plenty of choice, including some dishes you don't necessarily find outside Italy. The dishes we chose were very well prepared, and each course was just the right size to enable us to enjoy a 3-course meal without feeling stuffed afterwards. The nibbles offered free of charge at the beginning of the meal were a nice touch too. Highly recommended.

The food and atmosphere here is absolutely amazing!

We have been here on a few occasions now and the food is consistently good. The service is excellent and staff knowledgeable about the food they are serving. Very popular so you need to book.

We like this place because the food and excellent service. Going for many years best in town. We recommend to everyone

The food was lovely, staff friendly and loved being down in the cellar and no phone signal so brilliant. Will certainly return. Thank you for a great evening

Hidden round the backstreets of Dorchester I did not now this restaurant existed - but I do now!!!!

Genuine Sicilian food produced by the charismatic and genuine Sicilian Franco. Always a specials board to keep things interesting and fantastic Nero D’Avela to accompany the high quality food. Carluccios is ok, but this is better

Turned up late Friday afternoon to see if they had any space that evening. They said yes space for two but only at 8.30 due to the need to spread things out in the kitchen.

La Caverna was one of the two or three best restaurants of our recent trip to the Dorset Coast. The food was excellent, the service very good, and we very much liked the setting.

Having found this unknown (to us) little restaurant online, we enjoyed an absolutely delicious dinner at La Caverna last night. From the moment we stepped through the unprepossessing front door, the staff could not have been nicer or more professional. The Italian chef smiled from the kitchen and the younger members were well-trained and discreet. Downstairs was a cavern of delights from the fresh flowers on the tables to the imaginative menu. Again the staff were faultless.

Lovely Saltimbocca and Dolcetta followed by Canolli and dessert wine and excellent service. I have dined in Italian caves and it was a little taste of italy in Dorchester.

Excellent venue ( little cavern indeed). Amazing food wonderful menu. Went for one course ended up over indulging with starters mains dessert and cheese board (to share !). The food was outstanding authentic Italian. Service was also amazing we will definitely make the trip back down here and will bring friends to share this little gem of a restaurant.

We found this restaurant purely by chance and had the most amazing meal.

This is a great Italian restaurant down in the vaults giving it a good atmosphere. The staff were very efficient and very welcoming. The food is very authentic Italian with a good menu, but excellent specials. The restaurant is small and on order not to overwhelm the service they only take limited numbers each half hour. So it is important to book.

On entering, the restaurant seems nothing special, but the action is downstairs in the atmospheric vaulted basement. The specials menu looked too tempting, so I chose the capesante - scallops on lentils with rocket and crisp palma ham, a real find. I followed with the steak Rossini and a glass of the very adequate red house wine. Service was swift and obliging.

Could not fault this quirky Italian restaurant at all! Amazing service with a smile, we were well looked after. Food was very good! Considering it was a Saturday night the service was quick and efficient. Highly recommend.

We were meant to be having our wedding reception for 7 people on Friday night at La Caverna and they cancelled our booking 30 minutes before our arrival ... completely disgusting and shocking behaviour.