L'artista in Watford

Worth the price. Food is ok, slightly more affordable than the other 2 similar restaurant nearby. Service is good!

I have just read a few of the recent reviews and can’t believe I’ve just eaten in the same restaurant . I was told this was family run and had been for the last twenty years ? Maybe Pizza is their signature dish We were a party of six Starters were dishes in sauce - garlic bread to eat with these dishes arrived about 20 minutes later. Prawn and advocado starter was like something out of the 1970s Advocado served in skin ? No seasoning - bland !! Two of our party ordered the same vegetarian dish ( pasta with aubergine and courgettes ) one had a huge steaming pile of veggies on top other Nothing . Server could not see the problem - said there is a piece of courgette under that piece of pasta 🤷‍♀️ We asked for additional veg topper asap and not after the pasta was eaten . A huge vegetable soup consistency arrived after all mains had been eaten . Chicken with mushroom , peppers and onion was the same vegetable topping and bland and unseasoned . No sides with this dish all to be ordered separately . I could go on and one but I won’t Last but not least we asked for a cow milk alternative as we had a lactose intolerant in Our party ordered- they stock no alternative But can serve the cows milk on the side ???

Very friendly staff and excellent food plus good portions. Never had a poor meal here

The food tasted really good and were big portions. The service was good. The atmosphere was really busy.

Food was nice. Think pasta portions could be reduced from a business wastage point of view. Atmosphere was brilliant, busy with music playing in the background. Service was good, staff were very efficient but I would say it would be nice to see them smile. At moments it felt like there was a problem. SMOKING - Please make sure those who wish to smoke move under umbrellas and the front door is closed. The experience was slightly ruined as the smell of cigarettes filled the restaurant.

My and my husband's favourite restaurant.

Great food, very large portions, friendly staff.

Not the best food, absolutely terrible service and their toilet was disgusting

The food was amazing not a bad price for the portion size which is great. Even though it was busy and every table full from the minuite we arrived to leaving it did make it very noisy as it isn't a large place. The wine was amazing see picture with this post as I recommend. I helped the server by passing plates to her when finished and she was was greatful and even said "thankyou for helping" (I use to work in customer service and knows how it feels) food was full of flavour and such a wide range on the menu from pizza, pasta and other options the puddings looked great but I had no room 🤣 highly recommend this place to eat we didn't book and it was super busy but they managed to still fit us in. 😀

Absolutely delicious we normally go in person but we couldn’t tonight. THEY DID NOT DISAPPOINT!! Massive portion sizes once again we accidentally ordered too much (we don’t mind lunch for tomorrow is sorted). I hope they never change you can’t get this much value for money anywhere else. 100% recommend if you’re debating what to order tonight. 😍😍😍😍

I went with my partner and a few of our friends, really lovely, authentic place! Food was delicious and fresh, very wuick service! Staff were really great and catered for our mates baby, we will diffently be back again!

I've been to eat here other times, but something has definitely changed. An insult to Italian cuisine, I've never eaten so badly, terrible quality and totally disinterested staff who clear away barely touched dishes and don't bother to understand if there's something wrong. A real shame

My favourite Italian EVER. The staff are all lovely and friendly and the atmosphere is always buzzing. The pasta is second to none and the portions are HUGE. Love it!

Delicious food from starter to desert and great service even when they were extremely busy. Price also reasonable . Definitely will be back .

A wonderful Italian restaurant with warm, friendly service that makes you feel like part of the family. The garlic bread pizza was a standout – light, fluffy dough paired with a rich, garlicky marinara sauce. The vegetarian pizza was equally impressive, generously topped and full of flavour. For dessert, the melt-in-the-middle pudding was sweet but left a slightly powdery texture, while the cookie cake was silky smooth and the perfect way to end the meal. Portion sizes were very generous, offering excellent value for money. Highly recommended!

Great food and service as usual

Considering how busy it was ...excellent service and meal was delicious.

It is with a great honour to say Thank You to SVETA for going that extra mile , a smile that could melt any heart . I have to say she is a complete asset to the Restaurant. I suggest pay rise 🇺🇦 🩷

This is a fantastic Italian restaurant. I would highly recommend the food is excellent cannot fault it. The service us good could be a lot better due to it being busy. The staff just need to be a little more vigilant, especially if you're trying to get their attention. Gets better every time we visit.

Omg make sure you starve before eating here the portions are massive as well as delicious I wanted to try calzone it was huge and I wouldn’t have again as it was too much but that means I wouldn’t have a calzone ever again anywhere I wish I had tried the pasta it looked Amazing and my family said it was the prawns were big everything great very reasonable price wise I would definite recommend a visit

Our favourite restaurant in Watford!

We are always coming for the amazing food and the professional service .Davide highly recommended senior waiter.Always taking of us and quick service .The best Italian restaurant in the Watford our favourite 🤩

For me this place is the standard bearer of good food in Watford. Been coming here for well over 20yrs now, and many of the staff are the same now as then. Always great food, great service and great atmosphere.

Was very busy as it was Saturday evening. We had to wait a bit to be seen for drinks. Food was delicious cannot fault. Overall very lovely evening

Amazing food and incredible service, busy authentic Italian love it would highly recommend but you really need to book 😋

Took my son and two of his friends for a Boys night out prior to a sleepover. The Garlic pizza bread is always a hit, as is the TRENETTE ai GAMBERI. Huge portions, super friendly staff!! Thanks for making tonight special for the boys!

Visited last night at around 07:45pm. L’Artista is probably one of my favourite Italian restaurants in the UK. The images I have posted is the hot starter - PEPATA di COZZE (mussels cooked in garlic, wine and tomato sauce) which cost around £6.90, along with the Ravioli Lucania. Which was around £12. On top of these I had a portion of fries and a drink of Moretti. The bill worked out around £32 with the service charge. Really recommend this restaurant, the service is also exceptional. 👏

Excellent restaurant. The staff is incredible and super coordinated. The manager knows his stuff. Delicious and fresh food whether schnitzel, lasagna, salad etc… To recommend without hesitation

Very nice serving, the food isvery very good,

Wonderful service. We use it to get a light meal when we are out, so are quite cheap when we go there and have 1 pizza to share between 2 adults and a child. We eat for little over £10 but they treat us with the same respect they show people who order big meals and drinks. The food we have tasted is great,

The pizza was nice but I'd ordered through Deliverooo and it was stone cold when it arrived. Have done this before and it turned up warm. Maybe the restaurant should look into how they do their deliveries . BTW I've had food delivered from other places and its been fine.

A good choice of food and absolutely delicious. Very good service and staff nice and friendly. However, found it a bit noisy, but still enjoyed the whole experience, and will go back again.

Food was okay okay apart of that environment was great.

Worst excuse for an italian. The food is grim and taste like it comes from out of a packet. 10 years ago, it was amazing. Now it's over crowded and even more so over rated.

Fav Italian restaurant in Watford.

Terrible Italian food, ordered suprse chicken AKA chicken Kiev, the waiter said it will take 25 min because they make it fresh, what a lie , it took 25 min because they needed to defrost it in the microwave, it was Terrible Terrible Terrible like chewing rubber I did not eat it but was still charged .

Excellent Italian food, impeccable service, the pizza chef and the manager are the cornerstones of the place......highly recommended.

Lovely food, friendly swift service.

I just order (carbonara) and in the middle of the food came a very small piece of iron that hurt my tooth. I informed the attendant who just said "sorry".

If you’re an American from the suburbs like me, you will likely be disappointed with the service at this restaurant. Here’s why: • Poor Service from the Start: I was seated, and nobody spoke to me or even offered water for ten minutes. It felt like I was invisible. • Difficult to Get Attention: I had to fight to get someone to take my order. It was frustrating and completely unprofessional. • Unhelpful Management: The waiter, who was also the manager, refused to give me any suggestions on what to order. It’s baffling when a restaurant can’t recommend a dish. • Inconvenient Payment Process: After finishing my meal, I was left waiting to pay my bill. No one came to take my payment, and I had to get up and go to the front to settle it myself. • Mandatory Service Charge: On top of everything, there’s a 10% mandatory service charge, which felt completely unjustified given the poor service. The Good? The food was good, halal, and reasonably priced. But the service left much to be desired. This experience just might be how European culture is, but it’s definitely not how restaurants operate in the U.S. I won’t be returning.

Amazing, great atmosphere, staff and food. I've spent 7 months in Italy with work and this is a genuine experience...

Great italian food! Always good food and loud atmosphere. We always go back whenever we can.

Very enjoyable evening at L’Artista. I’m vegetarian and spoiled for choice on the menu. Very generous portions delivered in a timely manner and absolutely delicious!. Service was impeccable, Franco and his team really look after you. We’ll be back again soon.

Lovely Fiorentina Pizza. Nice atmosphere sitting out, seeing the hustle and bustle of high street.

Consistently excellent food! Family friendly!

L'Artista is a little slice of Italy right in the heart of town! I recently visited with my family, and we opted to sit outside under their charming umbrellas. The atmosphere was absolutely lovely, and with the staff being authentically Italian, the whole experience felt like a quick trip to Italy. We started with the Bruschetta Classica, Antipasto Primavera (featuring goat’s cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and rocket), and Melanzane, Zucchine & Prosciutto (a delightful mix of aubergines, courgettes, mozzarella, and parma ham). Every bite was bursting with fresh, vibrant flavors—so much so that I almost forgot I wasn’t actually in Italy! For the main course, we indulged in the Spaghetti Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino and the Capricciosa pizza, loaded with mozzarella, tomato, ham, peppers, anchovies, egg, and olives. The food was absolutely to die for, perfectly capturing the essence of authentic Italian cuisine. Our server was the cherry on top—attentive, charming, and always checking to make sure we had everything we needed. We felt thoroughly looked after. Unfortunately, we were too full to try the desserts (next time, for sure!), but we did enjoy some lively white wine that paired beautifully with our meal. L'Artista is a must-visit for anyone craving an authentic Italian experience. I can’t wait to return and try more of their incredible dishes!

This reminds me of Bar O Sole Mio that serves the workers at the Docks at Le​Spezia Italy 🇮🇹 that I go to when on work. Very similar set up with real Italian 🇮🇹 pizza and pasta. Just be aware that the portions are massive! Even when it comes to the starters and can get very loud and rowdy in the evenings. It's a very budget friendly restaurant with true Italian 🇮🇹 food 😋😋😋🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Food was really tasty. First Italian restaurant I have tried on high street. And I think I will go there again. And portions were also in good quantity.

Visited last week with a friend, where we both ordered pizzas (margarita and calzone). The food arrived quickly, and was quite good but lacked unfortunately details such as basil or olive oil. The most outrageous was asking both of us to pay for a shabby service. The waiter never asked if everything was fine with the food and as well we needed to go to the counter to pay as the waiter didn’t pay any attention. 10% service charges is ridiculous!

Delicious pizza, good drinks selection, great service. Will be back!

Vile food, pasta dish arrived with no pasta. Tried charging extra when we queried it. They forgot the starters and then kicked up a fuss when we said we didn’t wanna pay service charge.

Always a great experience eating here with the family. Good food and great service

Kids-friendly restaurant with huge portions of food in good value. Great choice for families after visiting Harry Potter Studio.

Excellent option for Italian food. Really surprised me on how authentic the food and service is . Filled with Italians too which a good sign. Excellent service and ample space and huge portions .. highly recomended

Terrible service will not be returning .

Great place. Good food. Good service. Always busy. Spaghetti Vongole, superb.

Came in to eat for my birthday. Restaurant is clean and really nicely laid out. Every single member of staff is smiley and welcoming. Food was just amazing and portions are MASSIVE. Best of all we took what we couldn't finish home. Gonna be our new go to restaurant from now on. Well done L'artista, probably the best food I've had in a very long time! By the way - try the salted caramel ice-cream it's incredible!

Dog food at best . The staff were pushy and moody

Staff was not interested that we was there.. I asked for a child's pizza ... the relpy was we can't do them.. It was clear my child has Down's (downsyndrome). And has food issues... So, all that was left to eat was chips... Shame really

We went to Liz to celebrate my sister getting a new job. As always, the staff are phenomenal, and the food impeccable with very generous portions! I have to say I was surprised that even at 4 o’clock on a Sunday the place was very busy but extremely well run. While we were there, they were three birthday celebrations which only goes to say how much L’artista is a place for special events (and everyday events too!) It’s my son’s favourite place to eat!!

Still one of the best Italian restaurants I know. Been visiting for years and never ever disappoints. Always a friendly welcome.

Lovely as always! Made my son's birthday very special.

Lovely dinner here last night after popping in on the off chance of a table. Very friendly and cheery staff and delicious food. It was quite busy but everything came quickly but not rushed. The portions were very generous and could easily be shared. Nice to see half bottles of wine on offer as my friend drinks red and I drink white! Overall very enjoyable experience!

second meal in a row very disappointed which is unusual for this place last time the lasagne was watery and when asked he said it was fine and the meat one as thought it was the vegitarian option, this time the chicken Kiev was bone dry inside no garlic at all which my wife was not happy but still had most of it and hse would not complain as she said they will say its fine, got to say the coated lamb chips were average and chips well over done

Delicious food. It comes out in good time. I ordered the salmon and they advised a slightly longer wait as cooked fresh, was nice to be informed of this. Food is delicious. Waiter staff are fantastic and polite, nothing is too much to ask. Great atmosphere too.

The food is excellent and very reasonably priced. Service is prompt. Very popular restaurant with outdoor seating.

Amazing Italian, great variety on menu. Lovely to sit outside on sunny evenings!

We got a delivery and the food was given to us upside down and it had gone everywhere. The delivery guy decided to go to the wrong road and call us to meet him over there. We had gotten lasagna and some pizza for dinner my partner has now been sitting up all night throwing up from food poisoning. I found the restaurant had much nicer food than this and I am extremely disappointed

Had a great calzone - the portion size was massive but it was delicious. Staff were friendly and service was very quick. The venue was really nice, clean and felt welcoming. Pricing was pretty good. Would definitely return here!

Amazing food and amazing people. For seafood lovers, you got to try pepata din cozze. Looking forward to go back 💖💖💖

Wow. What a brilliant meal. The restaurant had an amazing friendly vibe. It was busy but the staff kept everything running smoothly. So friendly to everyone..families and couples through to huge party tables. The atmosphere was amazing. The fillet steak was cooked to perfection. Best steak I have eaten in Watford. I chose broccoli, sauted potatoes and zucchini for sides. All hot and tasty. Good wine choices to..so good that I chose the house red. It did not disappoint. The dessert was also stunning and beautifully presented. My husband and I had such a good time . We spoke with the manager on duty Franco. We told him how impressive his restaurant is and how lovely both he and his staff are. It was so busy but the staff were working in sinc and happy and smiling. A truly lovely experience. We shall be back soon.

Went here for lunch on a weekend and was so disappointed. Had an aubergine parmigiana to start, which wasn't very good, nor was it fresh. My sense was it had been in the microwave. Then ravioli came in a weird sauce that just didn't go with it. And the ravioli itself was very thick. Service was decent and it was quite busy. But I've had far better food and ambience at one of the other Italian places nearby.

Great service! Always a warm welcome from Franco and the team. A great variety of delicious food at a great price. Have to give props for the fact that even the house wines are fantastic! And who doesn’t like authentic Italian deserts??? And limoncello!

Fantastic food, great ambiance and the staff go the extra mile. I have to say that whenever we have guests, something to celebrate, or just want to eat a delicious meal we head to L’artista. There are so many favourite dishes to discover and the portions are HUGE! I even found my 6 year old son (who’s been coming here for a couple of years, is willing to be more adventurous and has himself discovered new foods. L’Artista is also great value for money. Seriously, with great food which doesn’t break the bank, great ambiance at any time of the day, and Franco, the manager… this is a definitely worth many many visits! Franco is the best!

Outside sitting in the sun provides a good time. The food tastes amazing!

My daughter was asking me to remove the ‚sauce‘ from the pizza, not knowing it was oil. The pizza was drenched in Oil and it was impossible to hold a pizza slice in one hand as the dough had the consistency of wet paper. Miles away from Italian food. Big portions and Probably 60 dishes on the menu, means cheap ingredients. There was no freshness about the enormous seafood salad (starter), just covered in oil again. The waitress took the order and never came back, extra tissues or pepper/ salt I had to find myself. The interior inside was dark and we decided to sit outside instead. No table decoration or anything set up, just a table and chairs.

Beautiful food.....great atmosphere.... large portions.... It's not the place for a romantic dinner.... but a great place to go with friends and enjoy a good meal

Title: Disappointing Experience At L’artista I recently had a disappointing experience and felt compelled to share my review. My family and I were walking by the restaurant late at night when my young daughter suddenly felt hungry. The restaurant was empty, with hardly one or two tables occupied. Considering the late hour and the fact that we were passing by, we decided to stop and ordered just a Garlic Pizza Bread for my daughter. To my surprise, the Manager (who was Drunk while talking me) expressed his displeasure while we were paying our bill and informed me that they would not allow such orders in the future if they were busy. I found this response quite unwelcoming and disheartening. As a customer, I believe it is our right to order according to our needs, regardless of the time or the number of dishes. While I understand that restaurants may have certain policies in place, it is important to treat all customers with respect and not make them feel unwelcome for their choices. The incident left a sour taste in my mouth and made me question the customer service standards at L’artista. I hope this review serves as constructive feedback to reconsider their approach towards customer service and make necessary improvements.

Food is ok, seems to have gone downhill in recent years. Still very generous portions. The only flavour you get is garlic on most things. A lot of the food was under seasoned. Also depending on what you get can be quite expensive for the quality of food.

Had a lovely meal here with my daughter. Food was great, recommended

Always busy in this place. Must be the best Italian in Watford. Always come here. 5* yet again!

probably the best Italian restaurant in Watford, their pizza is just absolutely amazing!!! we also ordered a green salad,the portion was massively huge, and tasted yummy. While the Tiramisu could pass, it is just a sponge cake rather than Tiramisu, a bit disappointed in this.

We had an delicious Italian dinner at L'artista.Good atmosphere, friendly staff, amazing dishes.

Food and service done buy efficient and reliable people ,

sooo good. The pizza is so good, spaghetti is so good! Mild seafood flavor. 💗 highly recommended

The cheaper pizza ever I trying in UK Even Domino make 10 time better pizza

The best Italian in Hertfordshire! Walking down the high street on a Friday night, two of the three Italian restaurants are empty, one is jam packed, you can see why. Delicious food, very decent pricing and quick service!

Very delicious, large portions of food, nice waiters. 😊🌼

Unbelievably delicious food, kind service.

Good food and very generous portions. On both visits we've taken food away for later. The pizzas are good and of a manageable size. The risotto is definitely enough for two meals. The pictures are of bruschetta and a tricolore salad starter.

The pasta here … particularly the seafood pasta was one of the best pastas we had in UK so far. We stumbled upon this restaurant when visiting the Warner Bros studios, and it did not disappoint. Please consider bringing a branch to central London, standards overtake mainstream and “hyped” Italian restaurants in the city by far.

Always great food and great service for the price. Always reasonable! And always helpful x

Fresh food and cooked to order. Not slow. Good prices too April 24- large portions still the order of the day. AVE price £16 per main. Wine approx £7.50. Fresh and good food. Staff got a bit surly when we wanted to pay each bill pp...shame as mostly good service always.

Best place for pasta in this area. Food is tasty and flavourful. Staff are fun and always smiling. The atmosphere is buzzing. It's a popular restaurant, always busy.

Came here at around 4:50pm, there were 2 tables with families but other than that it was fairly quiet. Lots of staff were there mostly chatting amongst themselves, including the manager. After turning around and trying to give a little sign nobody was coming. My partner had to get up twice, once to ask for a kids menu and again to ask for sauce. I was surprised to hear they didn’t have a kids menu as it stated on google and they would just half the meal for us, but i was okay with that. Two other people came in and they sat them right next to us (the tables are very close together) so the highchair and the ladies chair were touching one another. On the other side they sat a couple down with one table between us, to which another couple joined their table. They were very rude, loud and constantly swearing and that was not nice. Although the manager cannot control what other people say it would have been nice for him to consider that there was my young child and other customers in there that do not need to hear the things coming out of their mouth. When it came around to ordering unfortunately they said it isn’t possible to do a smaller pizza as the dough would be too thick ? We ordered the calamari and garlic bread for starters, garlic bread was lovely and the calamari was inedible, in mine and my partners opinion, we got some garlic sauce for it to try and make it slightly better but was still not very nice. We ordered the Penne Arrabbiata and added some chicken. The pasta itself was nice, standard Arrabbiata. The chicken added in was dry and chewy which was disappointing, but i chose to add the chicken. Overall I wouldn’t recommend this place unless you are okay with mediocre food and lacklustre service.

fabulous italian food, made speedily even when very busy and full. pizza was a bit too wet, risotto was amazing and delicious.

A cosy venue, absolutely delicious food of huge portions. Staff were friendly and very helpful. Thank you.

Was great food and very family friendly there were lots of large groups dining with kids

Always loved it in here but lately the food quality dropped a lot, I hope this can be fixed soon!

Lively, friendly and loud Italian restaurant. Firm local favourite. Perhaps fewer "happy birthday" renditions in an evening would be nice as the volume on the prerecorded music is very loud. On the other hand nobody can miss the birthday announcement.