L'artista in Watford

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.

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.

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.

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.

As always good food and nice atmosphere.

Lovely food however if you now want to order a delivery instead of calling the restaurant direct they have now stopped this. You have to go through uber eats and the prices for everything are so much more expensive than the restaurant menu in some cases almost double. And you can't a side of parmesan or amend anything. So sadly I won't be ordering from here again unless they go back to their own deliveries. Same items from fratellis on deliveroo are half the price and just as delicious. I'm sure you will have lost a lot of loyal customers over this decision.

Fantastic pizza, bread, and pasta. The food here is Top 2 for my favorite places in the world. Been to many countries, and this definitely up there. Authentic, great staff. Will dine here again next time I come to the UK.

Always busy and great food. Love the hustle and bustle of this restaurant. Great variety of food on the menu, something for everyones taste buds.

We went here for a friends birthday, 1st time for me but some friends with us had been before and I must say what a great atmosphere there was, very popular for birthdays it would seem, celebrations were left, right and centre... everyone gets involved, accompanying music and cakes all round! The staff are very friendly and the food was nice, I'd definitely go back for another special occasion.

Great food, great service and reasonable prices! Certainly recommend and will return.

If people are prepared to sit outside in February to eat, that says all you need to know.

Buzzing atmosphere but not suitable for a quiet get together. Risotto & Tagliatelle Marinara were very flavourful and large portions. Pizza got a joint 2nd best from my young son - includes Italy. We'll be back.

Very good food but a little bit expensive

Lovely food. Friendly staff and excellent service. Would recommend this place to anyone.

Lovely atmosphere, good food and the staff couldn't do enough for us

Simply the best family run Italian restaurant locally. Been going over 25 years and the food never tiers. Affordable big portions great tasting. Do not pass this by. Half portions for kids.

Very good all staff attentive and fast

By chance, I happened to be in this area and noticed this restaurant what Drew me in with a smell of fresh pizza. Very good amount of items on menu good range somewhat regret not ordering pastor of my companion was not hungry and it will be too much for me to handle anyway as far as pizzas goes it's on the level of Pizza Express but with a lot more topping, normal prices, but one thing I will say that disappointed me was their expresso I was expecting a great coffee as this is a Italian restaurant.

Gem of a restaurant if you're a lover of authentic Italian cuisine. We're lifelong vegetarians and eat here comfortably. Great atmosphere, friendly staff, reasonably priced and the best pizza and pasta in Watford. Highly recommend!

Not for vegitarian lovers. Others may love specially pasta lovers.

Came here on spur of the moment food little expensive but you get a lot for your money when I saw my partners plate I said she wouldn’t eat it all but she loved it and ate it all would come here again

Always fantastic food and service. I have been coming here for a long as I can remember and I have always enjoyed it!

Amazing! Good food, great staff, amazing for birthdays! Huge portion size too!

Brilliant Italian, huge menu, tasted great and sensible prices. It was recommended to me by some locals, for good reason!

Visited boxing day,booked ahead ,food was excellent again (pasta with Italian sausage and tomato sauce) large portion,prices very reasonable. Excellent place ,we turned up without a reservation but they fitted us in ,the food was excellent, equally the best Italian I have had,the portions are large too and not swimming in sauce ,the staff were excellent as well.The place has a great atmosphere and the prices reasonable

Me and my wife both had different king prawn pasta dishes,and a pizza,Can't fault it,10/10

Fantastic experience from the time we entered the restaurant. Friendly staff who really understand what the customer experience is about. The food was excellent too and I highly recommend this restaurant.

Cannot comment because I have not entered the premises.only walked past it. But it looks and smells a nice italian joint if you like pizzas and pastas

Excellent food. Excellent service. Lots restaurant but still enjoyable.

Great place for an Italian lunch. Service is quick, servers polite and never had any issues. Recommend the Lobster spaghetti!

Great authentic Italian food and great atmosphere. Nice to see the place decked out for Christmas. Big portions of pasta and huge pizza's. Me and my wife had pasta, with garlic bread with a tomato base for a starter. I saw the humongous pizza's being served up, so next time, I'll be definitely on it like a car bonnet! The desserts are tasty with a whole variety to choose from. Very reasonably priced as well. We're almost life long vegetarians and there's a good variety for to us chose from. We'll definitely be back!

We visited again after a couple of months and enjoyed the food. The portions are huge for one persons. The service was quick considering it was a busy Saturday lunch time. We love coming back for authentic Italian food.

Visited with grandchildren after pantomime. No proper childrens menu and half portions are still too large for them. Food, as always, though, is excellent.

Terrible! Serive was so bad! Ask for recommendations and they just looked at me with a stern attitude. Food is from frozen and very very bland. No homemade sauces. No character. What a waste of time and money. They probably have high volume custom so they don’t really care if you return. I’ve had better meals from a frozen supermarket ready meal.

Happy that I found this lovely local Italian restaurant. Nice food and great price, would defo come visit again!

Great food at reasonable prices can be noisy when busy

Every time I have the chance I come to this restaurant for dinner. There is always a good atmosphere. The food is amazing, super tasty, good price and big portions. The service is very good too. Zazu the manager is the best! Always very attentive. I would 100% recommend this place!

Fantastic Italian food, my favourite restaurant.

Good food Friendly staff Nice prices

Great place to go to. Food good, nice staff as we were celebrating my granddaughter confirmation. Brilliant

I had lunch there on a sunday and the restaurant was absolutely packed. I had difficulty getting hold of a server to inquire about a table but I flagged one down. Service was quick but rushed. I had the Calamari alla Luciana, Spaghetti Bolognese and Panna Cotta. The food was of good quality and cheap, though not spectacular. The atmosphere was not enjoyable as it was jammed with people and I could barely hear my own thoughts. Give this place a chance if you'd like, but I would give it a miss.

Sat out side as in side was full ...Still was lovely great service from a lovely young lady..food good

Never had a bad meal there. It's always busy but you never have to wait long to be served or your food.

Good food. Busy, but good service.

Quite noisy inside the store The appetizers were good, but the peperoncino The taste is a bit too monotonous and the quantity is too large. I can't recommend it at all

Great food and service. Very noisy and tables very close together which was a little uncomfortable!

We came every week for about 3 years when my son was small..15 yes later the food is still great and did not disappoint

The pizza and pasta were great and very authentic.

Always have a smashing time here! Staff are very friendly and if we've not been in for a while they're always pleased to see you. It can get a bit noisy when it's full but who likes to eat in silence?! Regularly see lots of Italians in which is a good sign too. A word of warning about the starters, they're quite large so bring a healthy appetite!

Was very busy, the staff were friendly but unorganised due to influx of diners, they forgot one of our groups meals and therefore waited an additional 20 mins before they were served at which point everyone else was close to finishing up. Quality of the food was good and came hot, but again the confusion with the food caused a stir. They did offer a free glass of wine but would have preferred the removal of service charge which they refused to do so, but they discounted the meal that was late from the bill. Overall I would come back for the food but possibly only as a collection as the dine in service has much to be desired!

An amazingly authentic Italian restaurant. Very busy on a Friday evening because it is so good. We were a group of 9 celebrating a birthday. The service was so good an ultra efficient team bringing food and clearing tables. I chose the bruschetta for my starter which was excellent and for my main course I chose the seafood linguine which was the best I’ve ever had, including in Italy. It was my first visit, but won’t be my last. I highly recommend that if you’re in Watford give this place a try, you won’t be disappointed.

Very disappointed. We been 11 people there , they said we are allowed 2 hours to stay , after 1 hour 30 minutes manager came and said we need to leave because they have other customers. I will never go there .

Busy, bustling atmosphere with very friendly staff and tasty food.

We had an excellent meal, delicious as always and noticed that the waiters were incredibly attentive. We got offered more drinks whenever our glasses emptied and had a really nice time.

Family run atmosphere , great food , lovely service , just what we needed and a good drink too ! will be back if visiting Watford .

Great food always , fab manager and lovely staff…a lovely place to spend time love it ! 🙏

Great atmosphere, really nice food, super cosy place, we came on a Saturday evening and Even though it was very busy, we were looked after by everyone like we were the only people dining in! Super friendly staff, thank you!

Always full, authentic Italian restaurant, great pizza, lovely place

Really good Italian restaurant. I used to come here, 6 years ago, with my Italian colleagues. Nothing has changed, I don't know if it is still the same cook and owner. Very good pizzas and calzone. One bad point, my daughter had tagliatelle and there were not salted ... In any case, we will come back again.

Undercooked Risotto bland chicken last time I eat in l’artistsa again

Always reliable for a great meal out in Watford. Great food, excellent service and a buzzy atmosphere.

I have a friend called Oscar and this is his dads resturant apparently

I would recommend this place to anyone. It’s beautiful, and the staff were amazing.

Arrived at 530pm Saturday it was heaving so hot inside asked for the aircon to be put on which helped alot. Bad service even tho enough waiting staff to cope. Pizza ordered watery thin dough didn't eat it and ordered veal again nothing I couldnt cook from frozen bland and dry. Added a £9 service bill which we didn't pay.. Ok for kids but to crazy for an evening out with adult friends

We came here on a recommendation from friends, we were met with a miserable waitress. We originally asked to be inside but it was so hot we opted for outside. Menus were thrown on the table and no mentions of kids menus or a welcome she just walked off. A group of ladies came in and were seated outside, attended to, table laid and drinks order taken before us. We said for 15 minutes with no one coming over, the other table received drinks and we tried to get someone’s attention with no joy so we just left. Very disappointing.

You guys restored our faith in Watfords eateries. After last night’s misadventure, we decided to try an Italian, and we were all pleasantly surprised (to say the least). Great value for money and very tasty plates of food. The lobster linguine was particularly nice. The portions are big, so go there ready to feast. The service was fast and informal and the atmosphere was perfect. Keep up the good work, many thanks

Amazing food, great portions. Will be back!

Always nice experience. Good food. Lovely personnel.

Delicious, well-priced food and friendly staff. Clearly very popular! Look forward to going back.

Always enjoyed L'artista for food quality, portion sizes and service. My wife ordered the half pizza, half calzone meal and the calzone part seriously lacked filling. It was supposed to contain mushroom and ham. There was no mushrooms and the ham content was laughable. When pointed out the waiter was not interested and the manager tried to convince us in his view that it was ok. I won't be returning despite rating the establishment because the handling of my complaint was abysmal.

No garlic or rosemary on pizza dough V noisy have hearing aids had to turn them off

Best Italian I've been to outside of Italy. Very authentic and family friendly.

A superb Italian restaurant in Watford high street. I went there with my wife, and we enjoy the pizza. Not only that, but also starters, mains and dessert are absolutely delicious. Price is acceptable, where you can spend less than 20£ per person for a pizza and drink. Staff is nice and polite.

Lovely Ravioli and a nice bottle of white wine

Authentic food, good service. Good Italian option :)

The food was fabulous.. The staff were really busy but very attentive and the atmosphere was brilliant.

I got 3 tomato garlic breads for lunch. My son loved them so much he wanted more for dinner. Went back to L'Artista and got 4 more. Best Tomato Garlic Bread we have ever tasted.

A great family authentic Italian restaurant. The pizza was very delicious with a thin base. Great friendly service. Excellent 👍

Always generous, always amazing service.

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,

Came as an end to a perfect day for my girls 10th birthday! The staff were very friendly, despite been full we was served fairly quick, the food was out of this world! If we do ever return to Watford We shall be returning here- i didnt get our waitresses name, but she was a lovely lady, she spoke 3 different languages fluently, id like to give a thanks to her. She was very friendly and made my daughter feel special on her birthday!

Friendly staff. BIG portion sizes and affordable prices. Good atmosphere for families, friends, couples - basically for everyone.

Very nice and friendly staff very good and tasty food

A piece of Italy in the centre of Watford. The antipasto here is just awsome.... Birra Moretti on draught, pizza, calzone,... A staff team always looking after you making sure that your time over there is not a simple visit to another Italian restaurant.

Previously loved the food at this place but went today for lunch. Ordered a carbonara. What a disappointment. Spaghetti swimming in cream and no seasoning. Seems like they just threw in a few bits of meat then poured cream over it. They used to do the best Carbonara ever. Won't be eating here again. Shame it's gone downhill.

Too much food and not enough taste

Excellent pizza buffalina. Pastas are great too, fast service despite place being very busy. Loved it, thank you!

Absolutely amazing!!!! I go all the time and they never disappoint, the best restaurant in Watford! :)

I was very ill after eating here.

It's L'Artista - simple as that.

Had dinner yesterday night. We order one starter thinking it will be a small portion. I was so wrong, the starter was like a main. We had calamari rings in tomato sauce totally delicious. As mains pasta and pizza. The pasta portion was big but it was so delicious. And the prices are greate too. The service was good, it was not busy. For sure I will come back.

I Wish I didn’t have to write this review but im very disappointed in the service we received from the management. We went for an early meal with children (most are actually teenagers) and when the waitress bought the desserts out she dropped a couple and the glass smashed everywhere… about 30 mins later one of the children notice the glass had cut them and there was lots of blood - we altered the management - who wasn’t very helpful - we asked for a first aid kit and he provided a wet tissue, he even said - ”it’s just a cut”. As we couldn’t anything we put the wet tissue on and proceeded to ask for the bill. Some one bought the bill and we immediately said we will not be paying the service (to this point no one even asked if the child was ok). The management came over and started shouting, saying it was thE children’s fault and finally agreed to take off the service charge - the whole situation was upsetting for both the adults and children alike - Im extremely disappointed that our evening was ruined and definitely would NOT recommend this restaurant.

I Wish I didn’t have to write this review but im very disappointed in the service we received from the management. We went for an early meal with children (most are actually teenagers) and when the waitress bought the desserts out she dropped a couple and the glass smashed everywhere… about 30 mins later one of the children notice the glass had cut them and there was lots of blood - we altered the management - who wasn’t very helpful - we asked for a first aid kit and he provided a wet tissue, he even said - ”it’s just a cut”. As we couldn’t anything we put the wet tissue on and proceeded to ask for the bill. Some one bought the bill and we immediately said we will not be paying the service (to this point no one even asked if the child was ok). The management came over and started shouting, saying it was thE children’s fault and finally agreed to take off the service charge - the whole situation was upsetting for both the adults and children alike - Im extremely disappointed that our evening was ruined and definitely would NOT recommend this restaurant.

We have been going here for 30 years and in that time seen so many new faces, but what has never changed is the fantastic food and atmosphere. We had another great family birthday celebration here. Every year since our children were born we have celebrated their birthdays here, as children they loved the atmosphere as adults with their own children they still feel the same and even though we ask on every birthday where would you like to go, they still always say lartista. We love all of the food, but before starters we always order a couple of large garlic pizzas and all agree their tomato garlic bread is the best we have ever had anywhere. Thank you for another great meal and birthday celebration, we will be back soon!

Very pleasant evening with top-notch Italian food.