La Fortezza in Wakefield

Great food at a reasonable price. Fabulous service for a dinner of over 15.

On recommendation my wife and I visited 6.30 on a Friday We ate in the new conservatory and were looked after well despite every table being taken Baby ribs...so tender and meaty to start then the the Spaghetti de la Fortezza for 2 Honestly the best pasta dish I have had in ages...highly recommended! Proseccos and cold beer and very good coffee and we went home happy Keeping this standard up is the key to success We will be back and soon! Congratulations!

I had this restaurant recommended to me, and it did not disappoint! From when we first set foot in the establishment i was amazed. The staff were polite and friendly, and the atmosphere was thriving. The menu provided a variety of options, catering very well with allergies. I would recommend La Fortezza to everyone. Continue the good work!

It was alright, everything we had was fine but it was alright. The menu read really well but the ensuing dish didn't quite fit the description. Please believe me, there was nothing wrong here but a little bit underwhelming.

Loved this place been wanting to visit for a while.

Understand why the extension was built but it used to be far more romantic when it was smaller , dining under the inside tree

Delicious food, decent prices and good service. Would definitely recommend and will certainly be back.

Great service and food Serving staff were attentive and lovely Huge portion and a very happy family Quick service and lovely food.

A wonderful experience - the food was delicious! The only issue is parking at Newmillerdam is quite limited when it's busy

We dined here to celebrate our Ruby Wedding anniversary. Everything about the restaurant was perfect - the ambience, the staff, the food. Excellent service and very friendly staff. The setting is ideal overlooking the lake. Definitely a place for a special occasion.

we visited la fortezza last night with family we have enjoyed the time and the food was very nice the service was very fantastic. the staff was very friendly also the pizza very very nice and delicious we will definitely come back again thanks from everyone .

we went here for are our evening meal , it's a lovely friendly atmosphere. food was amazing especially the pizza. All staff are really friendly. we would definitely go again .

I can't say enough good things about Lafortezza. It is our go to place when we want Italian food. The service and food are the best around.

Gave this place another chance as a year and half ago we had a bad experience with staff rushing about and ruining a relaxed meal. Arrived for dinner. The staff we’re friendly enough and my friend was happy with his chicken dish. My garlic mushrooms were missing the garlic and the pizza was a bit rubbery. Come 9. 15pm the staff were walking past us in their coats. Subtle. We carried on talking and then the music was turned off. Not acceptable. Why take bookings when you want to close early? Would have thought they’d be trying to please given that the new Capri will be opening up opposite soon

Came with my wife to dinner, the staff were so friendly and the food was delicious. This restaurant will be always our dinner stop when we visit wakefield. We are already planning to visit again in our anniversary.

We booked a table for saturday evening, we dine at many italian restaurants so i have always wanted to try this one. On arrival no welcolme and no smiles, there was over 6 members of staff serving and not one had any customer service skills and not one looked like they enjoyed working there. I ordered a chicken dish and it was a piece of chicken on my plate, no vegetables included, everything was extra, i would rate our meal a 4 out of ten. We wont be going back and wont be recommending. The setting is lovely but parking is a issue.

What a fabulous restaurant La Fortezza is. Took my fiancée out for a birthday meal.. Very tasty food indeed and cooked fresh with a convivial atmosphere. Staff where polite the price reasonable and the restaurant sits at our favourite spot Newmillerdam. A wonderful evening would visit again no question about it.

We had previously never visited La Fortezza despite living not too far away in Mapplewell. We first visited for Valentine’s Day with our 2 year old. The decor and ambiance gave a real ‘fine dining’ feel to the restaurant. The staff were friendly and happy to help us. We enjoyed the experience so much we returned for an anniversary meal a week later. The manager Aram made our experience extra special and the food, as per the first occasion, was delicious. All food was well presented, timely, piping hot and tasty! All at an affordable price too! We will definitely be returning again and again!

Lovely food. Garlic mushrooms delicious. Staff were excellent and gave great recommendations. Service was perfect. Will definitely go again. Considering there are a few negative reviews, I am glad I didn't let them put me off going.

Took the for are first time and was very impressed with the place and the kids loved it will be back at some point definitely

Arrived and seated promptly. Drinks orders taken, cocktails not very good - Mojito for example, glass not even filled with crushed ice, very minty but no lime taste. Food was better than the service. The place wasn’t full and took ages to take plates and empty drinks away. Asked for a break inbetween starter and main of about 20 mins and it came after 7. Steak didn’t look like a steak! It tasted ok but looked anemic it looked like chicken from the outside! But food was ok generally. Didn’t do desserts. Price fairly average. All in all a bit disappointed and I think there’s nicer Italians locally.

First visit to this Italian restaurant. Nice surroundings ,nice and clean. Good food really enjoyed the experience would recommend to anyone who likes Italian food. Prices not too expensive. Only letdown was having to park in public car park, having to pay for parking.

Amazing garlic bread for sure. Ragu pasta was a bit of a let down, no real flavour. Ribs as starter also same. Insalata Caprese came with a tropical rain forest of salad which detracted from a simple dish.

We ordered a mix of starters, mains and desserts, all were served in a timely manner and were delicious. We sat in the old part of the building (at the front) which doesn't have as much of a lively atmosphere as the extension at the back, but it didn't spoil our evening. Drinks are pricey but the meals are reasonably priced for the location. Excellent parking in the main Newmillerdam car park, with a number of pubs in walking distance for afterwards.

First time here & from my first experience loved it! Me & my partner both got the fillet steak with fries & peppercorn sauce & it was amazing! Great atmosphere & really nice inside & out. Only thing I could say is the heating must of been on high as I was really uncomfortable as it was very warm inside. Staff was friendly & polite. Will definitely be coming back again.

Had a lovely valentines meal at La Fortezza. We visited years ago before the extension and it was just as tasty as we remembered. Fab service and great food.

We went on Sunday evening and had a table booked for 6.30. The app said we had our table for 2 hours. The food was good. And well worth the price. The issue is we felt rushed we were seated right in front of the bar and we were constantly being pestered as.soon as the Last piece of food entered our mouths they tried to clear our plate and move on with the meal. Basically 4 starters and mains with drinks and out by 7.40 not.a pleasant experience

Really good service. Enjoyed the food. Will definitely be going back

5* food, service and atmosphere. Not been since the refurb years ago and it was a lovely experience. Plenty of staff so great service. Food came quickly but you were never rushed and such a good vibe in there. Would recommend!

Excellent venue, food and staff. Highly recommended.

Honestly couldn't fault this place at all. First time I've been, the food was fantastic, service on point and overall a lovely place to have a meal. Much cheaper than I expected too which was obviously a bonus! Will be visiting again soon.

Went for my cousin's 30th birthday and it was excellent. We were a massive table of about 15 people and everything was perfect, not an order wrong, all served ay same time, food hot and beautiful. Cannot fault it. I haven't been for 18 years and was pleasantly surprised, it has changed massively but still as amazing. Cannot fault it

We hada table for our 5th anniversary . For starter we ordered cheesy garlic bread and strogaoff and lasagne for main , absolutely gorgious . Really like lafortez.

Our waiter was very friendly and attentive.

Beautiful surroundings, however food disappointing. Starters Arancini and garlic bread were lovely but the main had no flavour. Chicken risotto and stroganoff tagliatelle very bland. Service was great and staff very accommodating but wouldn’t return.

Food okay, Calzone a little undercooked but tasty. The dough was a little raw. Service was terrible, the gentleman who served us seemed frustrated we shared our starters. Then when taking our dessert order, walked off half way through and another waiter came over had to take the order.

Came here for my birthday, and had a fantastic meal! The food was amazing, and the service from all the staff members was fantastic as well! Great place for a meal if you want good food, a cosy and friendly environment and good quality service!

We just had two pizzas and couple of drinks.peperoni and carana mist pizza , absloutly georgeous and nice view aswell. Will book a table and try other dishes.

Nice one. we really enjoyed it... nice food and real italian drinks... service a bit slow but it worth it.

A lovely little Italian restaurant With warm and welcoming staff You've two different sides to the restaurant one was really busy and the other was quite, we went for the quite side The food was lovely and well presented Cheesecake is my favourite and this was delicious Loads of different options on the manu to choose from, Two draft lagers Heineken and moretti with the option of peroni in bottles Will be a place I'll visit again

We were seated in the front part of the restaurant as the main part was really busy, we walked in there and it was absolutely freezing. A lady in there was sat in her big winter coat, my friend and i sat shivering. Someone came out to put the heating on but it made 0 difference. The food came, it was delicious however my friends food came out 5 minutes before mine and then we had to ask for our chips. Our food was cold within 5 minutes because of how cold the room was. It has really put me off going back to be honest. No staff really hanging around to ask if you would like another drink, feels like the front part is just forgotten about to be honest. I had high expectations but disappointingly, they were not met. We didnt stay for dessert because it was far too cold.

great service, delicious pasta&pizza with reasonable prices. Cocktails was beautiful and fresh... Highly recommended😊😋

Went for daughters 16th birthday meal and was excellent food and service

lovely Italian ristorante . Nice service ... friendly staffs and tasty dishes. was the first time but I am sure we visit again and again .

I normally do not set my standards too high, but when it comes to Italian cuisine - I am very strict. So... I just feel disappointed. The restaurant is tiny and it gets very busy. It is not relaxing at all, as you feel like you sitting next to a stranger. I have an impression that the staff needs to squeeze in between the tables. When it comes to service - the staff seems to be "ok", but it just feels like they are not very keen on their profession. When I think about Italian food and culture, I imagine passionate, cheerful and involved people. Could not feel this Italian spark in there. Food is so average and tastes like it needs more seasoning. Maybe use of garlic will help out in this? The food tasted bland. I would not put it into the bin, but also I didn't feel in love with it. I think the most important ingredient is missing there - passion for cooking. Furthermore, we ordered 2 glasses of wine and we never got them. And guess what - they showed up on our bill! The waiter apologised and admitted he forgot about it. Mistakes happen, I understand it, but for me it was the first and last time in this place.

Dined this evening for an 8.30pm practically pushed out by 9.30pm - last diners in first out. Just didn’t feel welcome at all :/. Food definitely not fresh and could see waiting staff making packet desserts from the fridges in the main restaurant, very disappointing.

Have been a number of times. Positive comments: lovely restaurant in terms of decor, lighting , glassware and crockery. Food is well cooked and tasty. Service is attentive to a point. Comments to consider: every time I’ve been the younger waiting staff spend too much time talking to each other or walking around aimlessly trying to look busy. Spend more time with your customers. There’s more to the role than taking orders and delivering food and asking ‘is everything ok with your food’. Fried zucchini- served in a bowl on top of a heap of lettuce feels like you are trying to reduce the amount of courgette used. Maybe use a smaller bowl and cut the lettuce. Please find some other garnish for all dishes other than a handful of rocket or lettuce. It’s quite a lazy way to add colour and no one eats it as it doesn’t go with hot garlic mushrooms or pollo fortezza (which was lovely) And cut out the straws with every drink and save yourself some money.

Fabulous meal at a wonderful setting just on the lakeside at newmillerdam. The wall to wall glass provides an amazing backdrop to incredible freshly cooked food. The restaurant is quite small so booking is a must!

Arrived and ordered promptly, an hour later still no starters. Questioned staff and received a vague response only to be told our order had been missed. 20 minutes later still no food. Had to go to bar ourselves for drinks. Food on arrival was nice, not great but okay. Restaurant was not overly busy therefore no reason other than lack of training/ poor customer service skills for the poor service. Was told our starters would be free due to error, however only deducted £20 from bill (rather than £35). Such a shame as it was a lovely setting and atmosphere but some of the staff where almost rude and it was obvious they didn’t want to be there. On their phones or gossiping in the corner as we went to bar to get our own drinks. So disappointed as we’d been looking forward to visiting for a while. We won’t be visiting again.

We went go my birthday meal and we were not disappointed. The service was good and the food was delicious. Would definitely recommend and be back.

The most beautiful location and even more beautiful food! Went as a special occasion before leaving home and was a perfect night! The service was efficient and friendly and the food (sirloin steak and spaghetti la fortezza) certainly was worth it, couldn’t recommend any more!

Great food, good pizza on wood fire oven.

Me and my friend went to eat there on a Friday night. Firstly, the staff were so friendly and accommodating! We ordered, garlic mushroom and ribs and starters and they were delicious. Then we ordered a spaghetti La fortezza and a serloin steak (which was cooked perfectly). The atmosphere was so friendly and welcoming. Will definitely be going back again! :)

Great little place by New Miller Dam, lovely food.

We have been here a few times over the years, but this is the first time in a while. The restaurant looks stunning, with it's relatively new extended dining area with views of the dam, outdoor dining and mood lighting all great, the staff are very pleasant and attentive with prompt service and friendly manner. But... The food, my wife and me love Italian food, we eat out at many restaurants, we cook it at home, we have Italian friends, we know what good flavoursome Italian food should taste like, this is not it... The starters were OK, my wife had the garlic mushrooms and I had the warm pate (that was more like potted meat) but the mains lacked any depth of flavour, my wife had the tagliatelle ragu and I had the risotto, both were lacking any herbs, spices, stock, garlic or seasoning. It feels like the chefs are dimming down the rich flavours for some reason, please don't. It's a real shame because it's a beautiful place in a great location, they just need to bring the strong flavours back.

Stunning restaurant, beautiful food. Arrived slightly early but still made welcome as seated at another table until ours was ready and rest of our group arrived. My only very small criticism was some of the staff could smile more. We will definitely be going back.

We booked for a Friday evening for a birthday meal. The member of our party that made the reservation had changed the booking from 4 to 6 people but it looks like this wasn’t communicated with the rest of the team, as we arrived and they still had the booking for 4 people. This meant we had to move from inside to outside and have a table put together last minute. It wasn’t the most ideal but we appreciated them accommodating us quickly. The food was ok - I had the arrancini for starter which was lovely and tasty. However, the pasta for main was quite bland and flat. Needed more seasoning and a bit of ‘oomph’. They had run out of tiramisu but the rest of our table had desserts. They weren’t really impressed with the desserts - two said the creme brûlée was also quite bland and just tasted eggy rather than vanilla. Service was ok - the lady who initially sat us down is a credit to the entire restaurant. Didn’t catch her name but she was blonde with tattoos? She was super helpful, chatty and smiley. The rest of the staff didn’t really interact with us and one of the gentleman was a little rude, slamming plates down on the table. The atmosphere at the start was nice, but as it fell darker it’s quite clear the outside space doesn’t work well. They need more lighting. Some of the lights weren’t working and it was quite hard to see your food in front of you. They lit some tea lights on the table but it didn’t really help. We actually used our phone light at one point to see the dessert menus. Also maybe using some citronella candles for the flies and bugs that are attracted from the dam? We paid £40 per person but we wouldn’t be in a rush to go back. There’s much nicer Italians around for the same price with tastier food.

Great food nice setting couldn't ank anymore I've been twice now on a Sunday with family, and everyone enjoyed their food

A superb restaurant, lots of natural light, delicious food, attentive staff, and a great atmosphere. Highly recommend giving this place a visit.

Excellent service and exquisite food. All food is cooked to order and the chef is happy to adapt dishes to suit any dietary requirement - vegan/vegetarian/gluten free etc. Beautiful premises, well presented. Wishing them every success.

Five of us visited here for a birthday celebration on a Saturday night, the restaurant had a lovely vibe situated by Newmillerdam. As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by friendly staff that promptly showed us to our table before assisting us to some drinks. Our table was booked for 5pm on a Saturday evening so at this point the restaurant was very quiet, only us and another few parties in there, 6pm is when the restaurant really started filling up. To eat, we ordered: a pepperoni pizza, spaghetti bolognese, calzone and a cheesy garlic bread. The pepperoni pizza was nice, it had been freshly made in a pizza oven which is visible to see from the table. The spaghetti bolognese, again, was lovely and the portion sizes were good. The calzone, however, was very dry with just a tiny bit of tomato sauce in the middle which was overpowered by the amount of cheese it had in it, which was very disappointing. For dessert we ordered the chocolate fudge cake which was beautifully presented but was unfortunately very dry and didn't have much flavour, it was ok, but not great. We also ordered the affogato al caffee (icecream with a shot of coffee). The portion of this was huge, it could've easily fed two of us, great value for money. One thing we did notice is that at the time, the menu online was different to the one in the restaurant, meaning some of the menu items online were actually cheaper than they were on the menu in the restaurant. We thought this was a little misleading, and meant the bill was more expensive than expected . Overall, I would visit here again but there are definitely a few points where the restaurant could be improved. It was a nice evening and by no means bad but I have definitely had better experiences at other Italian restaurants.

Small Beautiful restaurat .I believe in that Wakefield is the best plae for havig many high class italian restaurants i the UK. And Lafortezza is one of them with a fantastic view… Absolutely gorgeous .

Had a meal in lafortezza for second time. Very busy restaurant... Had a small family party for my daughter's graduation. Really enjoyed it. The lady was very helpful and friendly.

Absolutely atrocious. Overpriced low quality food, and bad service from every single member of waiting staff who just didn’t seem to care. Food took an hour to arrive and was as low rent as the . For the second time it has let us down, the first time we ordered pasta with chicken that came without the chicken. The waiter approached my girlfriend and told her to put toilet roll in the toilets “while she was going in the Absolutely shocking. Do not even consider bothering.

We were looking forward to a family meal with my parents from London as La Fortezza had been recommended to us by two local friends. A lovely lady greeted us and showed us to the table we had booked. The restaurant was buzzing and busy. On waiter seemed to be unfamiliar with the small wine list and interrupted to clear the table later when not everyone had finished. The other staff were proficient but inattentive. We ordered water (with the main drinks) and had to ask for it again. If the food had been good, all these niggles would have been forgotten. Unfortunately, the food was unseasoned and bland. The starters: prawn cocktail, ribs, rice all and minestrone soup needed more flavour . The ragu had been recommended by the lady who first greeted us. The tagliatelle was overcooked and the sauce had no wine, seasonings or flavour. I had a pizza with artichoke, olives and ham. I’ve had better from the Co-op! My dad liked his fish but there was too much of it. This meal worked out as £31 per person which is not a cheap meal - our weekly shop!. It was supposed to be a treat and turned out to be an embarrassment. We didn’t complain as no one bothered to ask us how the meal was and no one said goodbye or checked if the meal was ok as we left. We won’t be back. Should have gone to The Fox and Hounds opposite.

We were looking forward to a family meal with my parents from London as La Fortezza had been recommended to us by two local friends. A lovely lady greeted us and showed us to the table we had booked. The restaurant was buzzing and busy....

Visited 3 times and this was the first since the big renovation. The menu is very small for an Italian restaurant. There are NO specials at all wich I think is very strange. Your also creamed into a very small room, can't have a conversation...

Salad in a desert dish with just leaves from a packet and frozen tiny prawns on top..with a drizzle of sauce no dressing ...risotto chicken and mushroom ,orange in colour really dry and claggy had to leave,ate the fries(not mine) £22.40 It's not the money it's the quality of the food...and the price charged is waaaay too much for the time waited,the expectation. Never again. One toilet no loo roll..because it's near water flies and moths inside the restaurant..

Great location, for this super Italian. Friendly staff, helping to enhance the occasion. Great food, relaxed atmosphere, and totally worth what you pay. Can’t wait to return asap.

I'll keep this polite service was excellent atmosphere good food shocking.Last time we ate here 5 years ago it was very good what the hell happened apart from the extension. You need to up your game especially when capri opens on your doorstep. 150 quid badly spent in my opinion

Lovely place to eat and drink, with fast serving and polite members of the staff. We had pizzas 🍕, which was very tasty. I do recommend the location.

Beautifully situated and lovely looking restaurant. Starters were very nice. Their signature dish- Polo La Fortezza- was however extremely disappointing. The shnaps sauce looked and tasted like a sweet baby food with a few prawns, spread on a thinly cut chicken breast. The waitress asked...

Fabulous early evening meal celebrating a joint 21st and 18th. We were a large party of 15 and the staff were extremely welcoming, accommodating table decorations and 2 rather large birthday cakes! We had a great afternoon and a special thank you to our main...

Review from Granddaughter aged 9 who visited yesterday. Food was delicious, perfect, not bad coming from someone that ketchups everything at home! Service was amazing and she especially loved the smiley face in the icing sugar on her dessert. She came home and said she definitely recommended going.

We've been wanting to dine here for a while and was pleasantly surprised. The food was delicious, wine divine and service was attentive without being intrusive. I look forward to returning 🍷🍝

Small italian with great home made food

Really good food, and service was very attentive, only small gripe would be that it is a little loud, but that can’t be helped, and wouldn’t but me off going again Try the Montepulciano it’s beautiful!

Very disappointing experience. Been past the place so many times and thought it looked quite the posh place to take friends. 1 star gone as the service was shocking, it didn't seem like they were that bothered about our custom. Totally inflexible on the menu...

We went to celebrate my friend’s birthday. We decided on La Fortezza because we often walk around NewMillerDam on a Saturday morning and the place has always looked inviting. La Fortezza exceeded expectations: excellent service, delicious food, lovely atmosphere ( full at seven on a...

Good selection of drinks, starters and mains. Not so much for desserts, missing profiteroles and cannoli. But it’s personal preference! Arancini was glorious! Really nice, with right cromch 🤤 had steak for main, was done a tad over mid-rare I’ve ordered but still good quality piece of meat! Service was a little bit confused, I don’t think it’s appropriate to pickup dishes from separate tables and stack them in front of you. One last thing, steak knives could be sharper. I like things convenient and easy to use. Cutting piece of meat and struggling with it takes a little bit of pleasure out of it. In general, I would recommend, there is still room for improvement, but it really is nitpicking from me

We had a wonderful time ,food and service was amazing I definitely recommend it 😊

Just go there and enjoy your time 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Absolutely lovely! For my wife’s birthday we had a table for two by the window/veranda. Great atmosphere, setting, food, wine and service. Shared a starter, two great calzone pizzas and desserts. Probably the best calzone since Italy. Busy but we’ll looked after, we shall be...

Had the most lovely food at this restaurant went as a party of nine for sisters birthday fabulous food everyone has something different the starters were fantastic great portion size and desserts were delicious. Lovely drinks menu all in lovely surroundings. Well worth a visit...

Nice and relaxing atmosphere for my birthday meal

Beautiful location on the edge of newmillerdam, overlooking the water. Lovely atmosphere and beautiful food.

Just had the best time at la fortezza. food , service and setting was perfect. We were a very large table and la fortezza did everything they could to make the occasion special. Thank you. X

First time here, won't be the last. Hard to to criticise anything about our visit. Service, food, atmos all first class, like I said full marks all round.

We booked for my sisters 40th (30 people) all the staff were brilliant and the food was lovely in a great location

held my friends bridal shower here today! Atmosphere was great, staff were lovely and food is 5*. By the end of the day we had one very happy bride. Thank you La Fortezza!

Perfect anniversary celebration at a classy joint. The steak was cooked to perfection and the wine perfecto. We will visit again for sure. A huge thank you to all the team who work in La Fortezza. They went the extra mile to make our evening unforgettable.

A first visit and was impressed. The food was good, the staff good, the prices reasonable. Light and airy, good decor. Will come again.

About as bad as it comes. First visit, never again. Food poor at best. Service / experience where do you start. Made to feel about as welcome as a fart in a spacesuit for our booking of 8:30 on a Saturday night. Browsing menu and...

Lovely restaurant set in a nice place. Staff are very friendly and efficient. The food was really nice.

I lived in Italy for 7 years, when I was in La Fortezza I felt I was back in Italy. Across the UK I’ve been to many different Italian restaurants but none of them come close to La Fortezza regarding the service, hospitality, and meals....

Great setting, okay lasagne, very tasty and well presented ice cream. Service was good, maybe a little too keen to remove dishes and drinks before we had finished them. Overall good experience, but could have been so much better.

First time here. Nice area & setting. Ordered olives and the waiter tried to take it away before we had finished. He kept bumping into my chair too! I moved my chair but it still happened . Along came the mains, mine was delicious I...

Went with family, first time but will definatley be back. Staff lovely, food very nice and relaxed atmosphere.

Updated Review 28/05/23 My wife and I came here again, and I am still impressed with the food, service, and prices. Our next visit will be with our son and in-law. ‐------------------------------------------------------------------------- From the moment you walk in to here it feels welcoming, the staff are polite and attentive, can not fault any one of them. A lot of restaurants could learn a thing or two from the staff here! Now to the food, we have eaten here before, but it just gets better! Everything was superb, cooked to perfection, in fact I would say it is the best Italian I have ever eaten at. Thank you for a great meal and a great service, you and your staff should be proud. We will see you again.

Lovely restaurant, Been to lafortezza last Saturday with my family. Very unforgettable day. Really enjoyed it. Nice meal, Drinks and desserts . Everything perfect. Definitely visit it again…