La Cosa Nostra in St Albans

Been here many times over the years I've lived in St Albans. Every time I've been the food has never dissappointed, from the pizza to the pasta to the meat dishes they have all been extremely tasty and satisfying with littler to no complaints from anyone. The reason I can't give it a full 5 start is primarily down to the service which I can only describe as a bit chaotic. This is for two main reasons, they've crammed too many tables / chairs into the restaurant and they perrhaps need an extra person or two on busy nights to provide better more attentive service. However, hats off to them for managing in the tough environment they have! I can't say I've ever had any bad experiences on the service front but it's not 10/10. I would still absolutely recommend this place, mainly for the quality home-style food this establishment provides. For example, I had the canneloni last night and it was so delicous and tasty that I couldn't help but scrape every last bit from the dish! Price wise, it's pretty good value. Some nibbles to start, mains and two bottles of wine between 5 of us came to around £150 including service charge so £30 each, pretty good for what you get in my opinion.

Good food, reasonable prices but their card machine was broken. So we had to go get cash.

We have been there twice, always well received, excellent value for money. Very good and the staff are really friendly. Thanks to all the team.

Lovely food as always. Cannot fault the place.

Surreal if the staff is friendly when serving you and insulting you when you overhear them while visiting the toilet. Pushed me out of the restaurant eventually when I confronted them about that.

Beautiful authentic Italian restaurant -very cosy with a unique menu and friendly service. Recommend you book ahead to secure a table as a small venue and very popular. Be prepared to be spoilt for choice and go home completely stuffed! The food was just beautiful and plenty of it. We were well looked after too. We will be returning!

La Cosa Nostra the best restaurant at Saint Albans City , delicious food, excellent service and brilliant atmosphere, the guys is so friendly respect for Leonardo🙌🏻

Super, local restaurant. Excellent food and great service. Love this place

Beautiful absolutely fantastic.

Food was so delicious! So happy we went here :)

1st time trying this place and have to say it was amazing . Service was outstanding and the food was so tasty. Definitely our new Italian restaurant to go to from now on in St Albans

Very friendly and authentic Italian restaurant with great food and atmosphere

A wonderful local restaurant. The food was excellent and the place was already full by 18.30. The service was good and the staff friendly and considerate. We had a great time and will go there whenever we are in St Albans.

Lovely unpretentious place for lunch

So happy here! What is it with great Italian run eateries, they are friendly, professional, delicious.

Lovely home cooked food. Packed at lunchtime. Glad we booked. Will return soon.

It’s the best Italian restaurant around here.

Nice Italian food, I’ll recommend to try the pizza - very nice dough, Italian style. Pasta is also nice, but I think they could work a little bit on presentation and maybe make some changes inside and outside the restaurant( could be more cozy ) Very good prices of food and wine too!

Small family run Sicilian/Italian restaurant. Best Italian meal I've had in a while. Staff are excellent 😃

Go to place with the (not so small) kids. Tend to go mid week so can usually book on day or day before. Always nice and busy which gives a good atmosphere (even on a Tuesday). Although it's a pizza place, the pasta is very good as well!. Highly recommend the Accolazione Pizza

Food was excellent and the staff were very friendly. Nice atmosphere.

I had a pizza, perfect thin base, expertly freshly made. Then the topping, perfect. I'll be back. Arnold

Very excellent, I recommend it 👍

I had my daughters b-day yesterday and it was amazing.The service was fast,the food delicious and prices very reasonable . I was first time there but not last.

The food was just ok, maybe a bit greasy if look at the oil stains on my boots from what leaked out of the pizza box. The prices on the website are wrong and I was just given a generic excuse. They demanded to be paid in cash (and no discount for take away or a cash payment). Expensive for what it was - £55 for three pizzas and some basic pasta. We ordered by telephone, and were told it'd be ready in 15 minutes. Arriving 23 minutes later they hadn't even started preparing it. I was ordered to wait outside.

Love this place, delicious authentic Italian food with an intimate atmosphere

Great little restaurant a 5 min walk from the city center. The service was a little slow but the food made up for that and a great value lunch menu, pasta or pizza and a soft drink for £8.50. Will definitely be visiting again.

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Cosa Nostra in St Albans, and it was truly a delightful experience. The highlight of our meal was undoubtedly the trio of thin crust pizzas we ordered: Pepperoni, Napolitana, and Fungi e Prosciutto. Each pizza was a masterpiece of flavors, with the thin crust providing the perfect canvas for the fresh and mouthwatering toppings. To complement our meal, we enjoyed a bottle of Prosecco, which added a touch of effervescence and celebration to the evening. The crisp and bubbly Prosecco paired wonderfully with the pizzas, enhancing the overall dining experience. Beyond the fantastic food, I must mention the exceptional hospitality we received from Francesco, who made us feel right at home. His warmth and attentiveness contributed to the inviting and welcoming ambiance of the restaurant. Cosa Nostra in St Albans is a true gem that offers a delightful culinary journey. From the delectable pizzas to the gracious service, every aspect of our visit was top-notch. If you're in search of a memorable dining experience with an authentic Italian touch, look no further than Cosa Nostra. I can't wait to return and explore more of their enticing menu.

nice food, nice staff, nice place

Very good meal and great atmosphere. Service very good. Only spoilt by the fact that after we ordered, we were told the card machine wasn't working and cash only which we didn't have and to go to local cash machine that charged!

The staff was awesome and the food was amazing.

Cannot knock their lunchtime deal. Always good food. Diavoli pizza a favourite.

Small Italian bistro in St. Albans. Fab food but very noisy & no parking

Had lunch here on Father's day. Ordered seafood pasta, carbonara, rissoto and pizza. Food was amazing, will definitely go back again. Highly recommended.

Love the authentic food and atmosphere. Great value and best Italian for miles!

Pyszności, 😁 Do zobaczenia kolejnym razem.

Little quaint place. Very basic. OK food. Very rich in sauce. First visit.

Great little Italian, amazing value lunch menu - £12.50 for two courses! Will be back soon.

One of the best italian places in St. Albans. I defo will come back.

Excellent as always. Great service, good food, friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

An improvised dinner and we were lucky to find a tiny table for 3 outside. Excellent food, friendly staff and clean restaurant

Didn’t book just turned up. Lovely bright restaurant with outside dining to front too.Ordered lunch special pasta with olives, chilli and anchovies. Delicious. Comes with a drink for £6.95. Another order of linguini marinara also. Little disappointed that the lady serving didn’t seem very enthusiastic or happy. Would have made a difference to the experience.

I was visiting friends in St Albans and they booked a night out for us in their local Italian restaurant La Coza Nostra . I always have been big fun of Italian food but this little , buzzing place convinced me even more . The food was amazing , I had grilled aubergines as starter , full of flavours and extremely tasty , for my main I chosen linguini marinara , seafood pasta , mega taste , garlicky with tomato sauce , OMG that was like haven in my mouth . I have been recommended Homemade Tiramisu for desert and I wasn’t disappointed, that was the best tiramisu I ever tried , the fact that the desert was prepared by the restaurant’s chef added the cherry on the top . We had amazing night , the food was delicious, the service was very friendly and two smiley and attentive waitresses were trying to do their best to make our experience unforgettable. We were also sharing the restaurant room Grant Shapps , the minister of transport. I must admit , he must know , how best Italian food taste like . That was my first visit in this amazing , buzzing and friendly restaurant and definitely, not the last one . I could highly recommend, so if you passing by St Albans , pop in and try their extremely tasty , homemade food !

One of the best quattro formaggi pizza I ever had and the tiramisu is excellent! Definitely worth to visit this restaurant.

Been a client in Cosa Nostra over 10 years.I was very happy with the pizza chef and their levels of standards hygiene in the past.For personal reasons I do not eat pork or any meat. Jet I could simply be vegetarian/vegan or suffer food allergies. Food contamination is a big issue for me.I’ve always enjoyed the vegetarian selection of pizzas they make. The pizza chef has always made sure that the counter was clean from previous preparations and my pizza was cut with a clean blade.Today the pizza chef was changed and I was explaining politely to the new chef that I did not eat meat and asked do not pre-cut my pizza.The waitress interfered in an extremely rude manner replying to me that they are not obliged to clean the counter or knife blade whilst serving my pizza.I was completely shocked to be spoken in this manner by her. As a regular customer and a business owner myself I found the waitress manners completely unacceptable and unreasonable.Cash only asking on the booking no card taking money wash......!?Surely I will not going back.No recommend to anyone.

We visited La Cosa Nostra on a weekday lunchtime to use their £6.95 pizza/pasta and soft drinks deal. Our order was taken in no time, drinks arrived within minutes and the pizza’s not long afterward.I can genuinely say these were the best pizzas we have had in a while.

good reviews so gave it a go;ordered linguini marinara.asked to leave out the squid alarm bells rang when told this was possible as this invariably means that at least some of the ingredients are bought in frozen and i think that this was the case. sadly this is another restaurant that thinks that 25ml is a measure for a martini,but charge what i would normally pay for a correct measure of 50ml,do they really not know?'i use three other italian restaurants in st albans all of which are excellent,so no repeat performance

Had lunch here yesterday. At 12.30 pm only our table outside was occupied but within 15 min both inside and outside spaces were filled up - a good sign. Food was excellent. Waitress very helpful in explaining explaining menu. Prompt service.

Really friendly staff and the food is amazing!! So fresh and tasty! Defo in my top 3 of best Italians I’ve been to! Their lunch deal is fab too! £6 odd for a drink and a pizza or pasta! I’ve paid more for a crappy sandwich before! This is now our fav lunchtime spot!

Visited with family. 6 of us. The service was excellent. I had the Linguine Alfredo and it was fantastic. They had run out of Primitivo so we just had an extra bottle of Montepulciano D’Abruzzo. Two favourite wines. The bill for us 6 including 2 bottles of wine, 4 beers, main courses and sweets and service was £180 - excellent value. Hadn’t been before but had always meant to. Definitely will return soon.

Visited for lunch with a work friend on their recommendation and had a lovely meal. Very good value lunch deal. Gorgeous food, friendly staff. Service charge was automatically added on though.

We went every week for Lunch at La Cosa Nostra during October.Food Great, staff and service wonderful. We would not go to a Restaurant regularly unless we felt it was 5 Star. Prices are excellent such a shame we cannot visit until, we hope, December. They are still offering Takeaway Pizzas. A great shame when Restaurants obey Covid Rules and are still forced to close.

We visited La Cosa Nostra because of recommendation. The pizza (for starters) was delicious. Nice and crispy, great flavor and not too thick. ( we like Roman style pizzas) We also are veal cooked in breadcrumbs (Milanese) and ravioli con spinach I. Both meals were excellent and better than expected. Shall definitely be returning .

For Lunch or Evening meal The Food and service is always excellent. They have reduced the number of tables to comply with the Covid restrictions and have hand sanitizing as you walk in. Have never been disappointed with the food or fault the service.

Fantastic restaurant - been a few times and haven’t yet been let down. Tonight the service was exceptional, lovely calamari to start, our two pizzas were very good and my Veal Milanese was excellent. Friendly and attentive staff - couldn’t fault it.

We've eaten there several times, and have always found the food and the wine selection to be excellent. Obviously created with good ingredients, and the price is very reasonable. The service is personal and friendly, and they maintain good social distancing and safety. Pasta dishes and pizza of high quality.

Our first time here and we loved it! The food was so good. Our kids loved it. I just wanted to leave a review and recommend going.

Perfect place for Sunday's lunch! Nice and welcoming place, good staff and one of the best tiramisu I have ever tried!

Had a great experience there ... highly recommend... staff members are extraordinary .. I really enjoyed time with my family there

Ventured out to visit one of my favourite restaurants last week and was not disappointed. I was a bit hesitant about eating out, but I’m glad I did! The place was clean and sanitised regularly and the staff all had masks on! Beata served me and was following what seemed like strict sanitising procedures. More than happy to visit again soon!

My first outing to eat following lockdown. First visit to this restaurant too. Pleasantly surprised. Luckily it was good weather, as still not keen to eat inside. We were the only customers to eat outside. One other customer ate inside. Surprised not more diners eating. The waitress was friendly and chatty. We ordered olives and glasses of red wine. In hindsight would have been cheaper to order a bottle. We shared a mushroom starter. I had the cannelloni and partner had the seafood spaghetti. All very delicious. Not impressed with deli next door though. Understand about social distancing but they would not allow both of us in to shop together. Their loss.

Very disappointed that NO member of staff was wearing a face covering, and all them were happy to lean over us to put down and collect plates. Tables not well spaced. Menus not disposable and not clean either. Table sticky, not clean. Three of us put on a table for two, so had to put our belongings (insulin in a pencil case, a teddy, etc.) on the floor to make elbow room. Hand sanitiser bottle for people arriving located over our table. Food fine, but felt so very uncomfortable we left quickly. The experience ruined our 2nd wedding anniversary meal. So sad as this was one of our favourite restaurants. We’ve been to two other St A restaurants recently and they were amazing with COVID procedures.

My first restaurant meal for over 4 months so was a little apprehensive, food was as good as always, great atmosphere buzzing, tables were spaced and it felt almost a normal evening out, great to take advantage of the eat out scheme and support a small family business.

Another lovely meal here. The food is superb, great value & the staff are friendly & helpful. Felt totally safe with the staff in masks & everything clean. Will be back very soon.

Absolutely honest and true review! Pizza is absolutely my favourite food ever! Yes I’ve had Iceland cheap cr4p pizza and I’ve sat eating pizza in st marks square in Venice.... but the Africana I ordered tonight was shi1!!! I had three bites out of it hoping to find a good bit but then put the stodgy, unseasoned mess in the bin. Phoned them not to request refund but just to say UP YOU GAME. i have visited the restaurant many times and never a problem but tonight dog sh1t!!!!!!! Imagine food in front of you that you really don’t want to eat even when it’s your favourite and your really hungry. Never going back.

We love La Cosa Nostra. Always have. And since restaurants were told to close 2 days ago we hoped we could support this lovely Italian restaurant, and also other favourite independents, by buying takeaways.So, picked up our pizzas last night and they tasted just as good at home as always.Give them a call, folks!Support your local independent restaurants!

A great place for Lunch. Great Pasta dishes and Pizzas and the Calzone is the best I have ever eaten. Food great, Service fantastic very friendly and efficient. There are always special dishes available. Always have had a very tasty and delicious meal.The Coronavirus will not stop us enjoying our lunches, as long as the Restaurant stays open.

This place used to be good years ago now it’s bland tasteless food I don’t think it’s run by same people anymore. Service wasn’t great either went with work colleagues and no one enjoyed the food

I cannot fault the food. On the numerous occasions we’ve visited this quaint Italian restaurant, the food and service have always been good. However, yesterday was a most disappointing visit, made unpleasant by one of the waiters. We both opted for the lunch special. Any pizza or pasta and a drink which is great value at £6.90. I had a lemonade as my drink and my husband chose the £2 beer upgrade. I requested for the usual size lemonade which comes with the deal ( a small glass) to be poured into a bigger glass so that I could get a bit of beer from my husband’s to make a beer shandy. Firstly, our food was not served at the same time. No apologies was given when my husband’s pizza made its appearance. I had the linguine bolognaise and my husband had a pizza. I then had the delicious coffee ice cream and my husband had their homemade tiramisu - a treat! We asked for the bill and I noticed that we’d been charged £2.20 for the lemonade. I enquired why I’d been charged for a deal inclusive drink. I was told it was because it had been served in the big glass. There was no discretionary 10% service fee on this first bill. The waiter grabbed the bill from me and took the lemonade off the bill and replaced it with £2.47, 10% service charge, which the first bill didn’t reflect! I don’t remember ever having a service charge on my bill on previous occasions, although we always tip good service. There was no way I had intentions of tipping the very poor service we experienced this time. I paid, he took my card and tapped it, and he asked if I wanted the receipt. I said to him - ‘ yes I need it, you haven’t even pointed the card machine to me to see what I’m paying!’. He became rude and said that my husband had seen the bill. On checking, I’d noticed that a 10% service charge had been added, which had now made the amount higher than the first bill. I went up to the till to speak to this waiter and told him to refund the service charge as I do not tip for rudeness. He gave me the service charge back in cash and continued his rudeness by telling me he refuses to serve me on my next visit. I told him there would be no next visit and that I would contact the owner to complain about his appalling attitude.

Always a favourite, Tony treats everyone like family as do all the staff. The food is good wholesome Italian dishes "like Momma's".

Recently went to this restaurant with some friends for a bite to eat. The pizza was sooo good and cooked just right. My friends had pasta which I tasted and was also delicious. We were served by Beata who was friendly and smiley. She recommended the pizza that I had and I’m happy that she did. She looked after us and offered us perfect service. I will definitely go back again!

I visited the restaurant for the first time. The food was really good and tasty. Beata the waitress has looked after my table and she was very nice nice and friendly. Will definitely be back again.

Fantastic food, great service and great value. Have visited many times at lunchtime and can't recommend highly enough.

Fabulous staff and fantastic food all for a great price! We have been here on numerous occasions and are never disappointed. Today they had 2 large bookings but still could not do enough for us! Thank you so much!!

We were a party of 16, booked in advance and the tables were ready even though some of us were a little early. Friendly staff and excellent food at reasonable prices. Prosecco at £4.90 and Peroni at £4.20 gives an idea of typical costs.

We were pleasantly surprised to find this hidden Italian gem in St Albans. Excellent food, generous portions and pleasant waiters.

This restaurant has been serving pizza, pasta and a few specials in very much the same way for more than 13 years, as far as I know myself. When you are this good, why change?

Visit every 3 months, really enjoy the excellent lunch each time. Would certainly recommend this restaurant

The best Italian Pizza in town..Family owned restaurant with very good quality food..went there for dinner and wow... The pasta is delicious, pizza is freshly cooked.. Really happy with the friendly staff.. Thank you

We been for a diner on Saturday..the restaurant was really busy..the atmosphere was lovely..the staff quickly sat us in our table..the food was out of this world..welldone to the cosa nostra team..we will be back.

We had a booking at 8pm, the restaurant had a que of people in the doorway, it was hectic, we were seated and ordered wine and food, we had finished our wine when the starters arrived , we had been sat for 1hr 50mins before our main course appeared -in which time we watched the table that came in after us eat an entire 3 course meal and leave.Nobody came to talk to us to apologise that we were waiting so long or offer us some bread or drinks and I had to go and ask where our food was, when the food arrived It looked really nice but I wasn’t hungry anymore, such a shame as the limoncello “on the house “ didn’t quite make up for our experience, it was our first visit to the restaurant and I wouldn’t go back .

We entered the restaurant and it was full. We asked if a seat was going to be available later on, and we were told it would be in half an hour. I asked if it was necessary to make an official booking, and I was told it was not necessary. We came back half an hour later. We witnessed a waiter offering the only available free table for two to two customers who just entered the restaurant 1 second before us. We were then told to come back in 10 minutes, BUT WE WILL NEVER COME BACK AGAIN.

I'm not sure why this is the first time I've been to this restaurant, but what I do know is that it will not be the last. Really excellent food in a vibrant atmosphere with superb service. This is not haute cuisine, but it is really great uncomplicated Italian food at very reasonable prices. I was really very impressed by all aspects of this restaurant.

A great place for Lunch, if you love Pasta, and Pizzas and for the Best Calzones ever. The food is always delicious with excellent service. This very Italian Restaurant also always have Specials on the menu. In the evening there is great atmosphere besides great Italian cuisine.

Visited pre cinema. Lovely welcome, great menu and specials board, excellent meal.Good value food and wine served promptly..

Second to none. Great Italian family run business with traditonal Italian atmosphere. Lively staff and great food.

La Cosa Nostra in St Albans is a short walk from the main train station or the town centre. Parking nearby is an issue.

La Cosa Nostra serves a Great Lunch wide Choice of Pastas and Pizzas, Food is delicious. Service Fast and Excellent. Very busy Italian Restaurant. Highly recommended

We are finding it difficult to manage a narrow staircase into a basement but the only tables free for 6 of us, were down below. The Manager was rushed off his feet and yet he was outstandingly kind to our family and took us outside and through a private entrance with only 2 steps, so that we could have delicious pizza's, baked superbly of course.

First time in this restaurant and it did not disappoint. Delicious, homemade meal with an ice cold beer. The staff were helpful and very accommodating. 10/10 would recommend!!

We visited for a birthday meal and I must say; they really looked after us and made the experience special. The food was good and whilst I could pick holes; in general we where pleased given the cost and general experience.

I just had amazing experience in la Coza Nostra . We turned up without any reservation and somehow the staff miraculously create a table for us so we could enjoy the delicious food . I had Tagiatele Grudaiola - dish full of flavours perfectly seasoned , for desert I choose Tiramisu - heavenly tasty , I never tried such good tiramisu . The friendly waitress informed us that is homemade and believe me no one makes better tiramisu in town. The place was so busy and buzzing , the food was literally flying over our heads . We had so much fun with the stuff who was constantly entertaining us and looking after us . We already booked a table for next weekend . I would highly recommend this place with delicious food and charming staff

Great food, service and atmosphere! Helpful staff and fast service. Highly recommend for a mean feed.

We booked a table for my husband’s birthday for Sunday lunch. When we arrived the restaurant was filled with customers. We decided to go for the lunch deal - any pizza , any pasta from the main menu for £6.95 with free soft drinks . As was 16 of us the price was very adorable. The food was delicious and we have been spoiled for choices. The staff was so helpful and they even supervised my husband with a cake and candle , that was so heart warming. We left the restaurant very satisfied. I would highly recommend to everyone who is looking for tasty affordable sunday lunch !

On Tuesday 6th of August we called to book a table for 3 adults and 1 baby for 7pm. They told us nothing was available until 8pm. We accepted the 8pm booking and turned up on time. On arrival they said they were not ready for us and asked if we could come back in 15-30 minutes which we did. In that time my grandson of 4 months of age had fallen asleep in his pram. We arrived and the table they had for us was 2 tables together to seat 6, so I asked if we could move the table for 2 away to fit the pram comfortably, in which that's when everything went wrong. We were told to put the baby into a high chair which he is to young for and was asleep.. then we were told that we will have to keep moving the pram to service their regular customers??? Which i may say was 2 tables for 2 which one couple couldn't offer enough help to a single man having coffee at the end of his meal.. I can honestly say after working in hospitality myself for over 40 years and my last night in the UK with my daughter and grandson I have never been so angry with the treatment we were given. We left the restaurant within 6 minutes of our arrival with the head chef watching us and I still wonder if he was relieved or shocked because it was definitely the worst experience of my life from a "FAMILY RESTAURANT "... my advice to the restaurant would be except every individual potential customer as your next best customer..

Had the best experience, the food was excellent and the waitress was absolutely lovely, had such a good service! I would definitely recommend this place if you would like to taste authentic Italian food! They will definitely see me back there soon. Thank you for an amazing experience!

lively sociable restaurant, excellent food. Someone's birthday while we were there and the whole restaurant sang to them, nice touch. Served by delightful staff, especially Bea who looked after us very well, will definitely be back

Coza nostra is my favourite italian resturant , fantastic food , friendly service , i feel like part of italian family where food never dissapoint , thats why i keep coming back.🥰

Had not been here for many years so decided to give it a try but was terribly disappointed. Asked for recommendation of their best red - Bardolino @ £19.90 - but it was thin and quite sour.

I love this restaurant. The food is delicious. I find the staff really kind and thoughtful. It’s a great place for a family meal. Highly recommend.