L'Italiana in Hertsmere

Very expensive for very average food. Over £80 a couple for 2 courses with no alcoholic drink for Sunday lunch, left us feeling very upset. My chiefs special of Beef Stroganoff was tough and uninspiring, not as good as Sainsbury's ready meal. My friends Lobster ravioli meagre and filled with muscles. We will not return.

We went for dinner on a Saturday night with friends having booked a long time in advance. We were kept waiting over 30 mins left standing with no apology. Finally we sat down I had a bowl of mussels to start half of them closed and the garlic sauce was weak and watery. I followed this with a sirloin steak. It was the most tasteless and under seasoned piece of steak I have ever been served. My side portion of spinach was watery and tasteless. The people I went with said their food was average at best. No one offered a drink to us as we were waiting so long. No one asked if we were satisfied with the meal which we were not. We will never return.

Went with a group of friends. Very disappointing food. A chicken schnitzel was coated in rancid breadcrumbs , I mentioned it to the waiter who argued with me. Eventually brought a very average mushroom risotto to replace it. Service was bad , when we arrived they said no booking, the restaurant was empty Saturday lunchtime. Would not return.

The food was an indulgent, delightful spark of enrichment for my tastebuds. The Pollo millanese particularly pleased my tastebuds. A fantastic culture of food combined with great service really brings life to the experience. Five stars

Went for the first time today with a friend for lunch. Not impressed at all. My starter of deep fried brie was supposed to come with a berry coulis except it was aa tomato sauce and garnished with wilting rocket that I would throw out of my fridge. The brie had more coating than brie and I left most of it. The waitress on retrieving the plates did not even bother to ask me why I had left it The main course was tagliatelle with roasted aubergine, yellow peppers and courgettes in a tomato sauce which tasted like the one with the brie. The aubergines were tough and thr courgettes undercooked. The peppers were fine. Again I left half of it and when the waitress came to take away plates, she mumbled "everything alright" and I said no by which time she was gone without listening to my reply. Suffice to say I won't be returning.

Have been visiting this restaurant on occasion. This visit was hugely underwhelming. Had to ask for tap water 2-3 times - and still didn’t get delivered to the table. Ended up having to get up and ask the bar staff to send it to our table. Pathetic. And then upon removing the optional 12.5% service charge, I received attitude from the manager/waitress - as if they are entitled to it. Won’t be returning to this place.

Lovely friendly restaurant. Have become a regular visitor as i Love their spaghetti vongole....followed by a delicious brownie

Hands down THE best food ever !! The lasagne is off the chart xx I've been to Italy 🇮🇹 and never tasted anything like this , sooo good 👍 😋 xx

I’ve gone here a number of times.. However how can you serve unripened avocado.. I mentioned it discreetly.. they gave me another sliced avocado again hard as rocks.. the salad welll just chucked on a plate tomatoes like rock chunks.. so disappointing.. Finally the young man .. waiter.. ??? Well he needs a crash course in service.. However that said my wife and mother’s meals good. My soup good deserts fine..

Went with friends for a nice Sunday night meal and whilst the location and ambiance was nice, the food was disappointing, very small portion (apart from the pizza) service was attentive and professional. Unlikely to return as value was poor for what was served. What a shame as would to support a local business.

Service was great and quick. Food was so tasty and amazing and staff were lovely as always! Will be going back, always love it :)

We have been to this restaurant multiple times and had a great experience. We most recently dined as a group of 14, and they catered for us with absolutely no problems. It is wheelchair accessible.

L'Italiana has a warm friendly atmosphere, the service is efficient but not rushed and the staff friendly. There is a extensive menu plus a specials board and the food tasty & good value. Overall, enjoyed a pleasant lunch with friends. The only small negative is the car park is tiny so you may have to look for on street parking nearby.

I rang to ask about suitability of the restaurant for disabled access and the restaurant was very helpful. They gave us a seat by the back exit near a ramp and did everything to help. Food was love and well presented. Really tasty. Service was top notch as was the food

We both ordered the specials. I had the clam and lobster ravioli my partner have prawn & chilli linguine. The food was amazing. The sauce in the dishes were great. I will definitely be coming back !!

Had a fantastic meal and service was superb special thanks to Chris for looking after us will definitely be back soon

Fantastic wide choice, food was excellent, service brilliant,ambiance great, superb location. I’d definitely be returning.

Food is simply excellent. Portions were huge for price you pay. Staff excellent, genuine and seemed happy in their job. I was happy to pay the tip. I’m not a huge Italian food fan but I was impressed by the variety on the menu and could have chosen a dozen dishes. We will be going back. Only observation is the internal decor. Very hard surfaces so noisy and interior design did not represent the quality of the food well. I was concerned when we entered but as per the above, left a happy customer.

Had a wonderful night. The food was amazing, the service impeccable and good value for money. Will definately return. Big thank you to George, Chris and Camila for making it such a wonderful evening. Best place in the area.

We were lucky to get a table without booking. Lunch was delicious. We had food from both specials and traditional menu. The wine was excellent as was desserts. Staff were all friendly and professional. Highly recommend this restaurant!

Very good meal at L'Italiana in Shenley. Everything was clean and tidy, the food was excellent. The starter of Mussels was excellent, home made lobster ravioli for main course from the specials board was also good. Service was also very good.

What a fabulous restaurant. 5 star service and food. Sea bass was incredible. All 3 courses were great and presentation was out of this world

Amazing food. Amazing service. Highly recommend! Love it here! Great garlic pizza bread and espresso martinis!

Fabulous evening celebrating a friend’s birthday. The food was delicious, as a group we had a mix of pizza, pasta and meat dishes from the specials. The services was impeccable, staff were super friendly and very knowledgeable. Highly recommend.

What a lovely place to be . Had a search with my friends to find little gems in the area , as an alternative to our usual spots . Food, service and wines did not disappoint. We were lucky to be sat outside on a sunny day . I still cannot get over that liver , which was out of this world. Pizzas and pastas that my friends ordered were looking soooo good that I will be definitely returning for them, as well as their ABSOLUTE tiramisu

Wonderful restaurant, Vlad and all the staff are welcoming and attentive. The location is a sunspot outside and cosy and authentic inside. The lunchtime special is amazing value at £8.90 I can personally recommend the seafood pasta and Trebbiano wine to accompany it .

We had a table for 4 and what a great restaurant. First and foremost fabulous foodalong with friendly and efficient service from all the staff. Really good portion sizes and the whole evening was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Can't wait to go back.....

Delicious huge pizzas with a warm atmosphere and the server Chris is very nice and generous. Dealt with my daughters nut allergy thoroughly and very quick to serve.

We went to the Shenley restaurant on 13/8/23. Delicious food and friendly service 😀 Bright and airy restaurant, and nice sun terrace, if we ever have any sun !!!

Excellent restaurant serving delicious well priced food. Good service, friendly staff. The best mushroom risotto! A truly enjoyable experience

Have been here quite a few times and i’ve never been disappointed. The food fresh and home made and tastes absolutely amazing. The staff are very helpful and friendly. Couldn’t recommend this place enough.

If you want Italian food then go to a supermarket and buy/make it yourself because the Shenley branch is beyond awful for food a service. If you want a nice restaurant experience then avoid this restaurant

A fabulous restaurant with outstanding food! The seafood risotto is unreal!! The staff are so friendly and obliging especially Kamila the manageress who is always so kind- we love her!! If you haven’t already been it’s a must!!!

Found the older lady think manageress bit overbearing young guy very friendly. Ravioli a bit hard which we told her about Clams a bit gritty. Get the St Albans restaurant we find was much better food wise .

Our table was spacious and we were seated promptly. The Menu is extensive and the ‘Specials’ tempting. My main course was a Dry Aged Ribeye Steak cooked over a Flame Grill and met my ‘Rare Flared’ instructions to the Chef perfectly. The steak itself was...

We go to L’Italiana all the time and every time the food and service are excellent! We always go as a family, my parents live abroad and the day they arrive at Heathrow we go to L’Italiana for lunch or dinner! It’s our favourite place...

Terrific food -I had the Lasagne, my friend had pizza. Absolutely spot on! 👌 Service attentive and friendly - again excellent. We'll be back!

Lovely food and fantastic service. It was an excellent choice for a family meal to celebrate my mother’s 90th birthday. The restaurant is light and spacious and the menu has something for everyone.

Great place so clean and spacious. My wife and I had the liver which was plentiful and delicious. I was looking at the pizzas and they looked perfect along with other dishes being served up. Service excellent and will definitely be back. We both thoroughly...

We came across this place quite by chance. I ate the best pasta dish I have ever eaten - either here or in Italy. It was on the 'Specials Board' & was tagliatelle with strips of perfectly tender fillet steak, porcini mushrooms & fresh red...

Went to L’Italiana with friends for lunch, and the service and food was impeccable. The selection of dishes was excellent and the food was really tasty. A special mention for Camilla who waited on our table, she made sure we had the perfect lunch. We...

Very good food, with very good service. People who work there are polite and helpful also very courteous. Would come back again.

Amazing restaurant, the food is amazing and so is the customer service. I have been going to lunch at this restaurant for the last year and I have never left disappointed.

Really good Italian restaurant. The food is excellent and the staff are very friendly and accommodating. A family favourite of ours.

Best Italian restaurant, the food is spot on and all the staff are very friendly and welcoming! Highly recommend!

We had a great evening. Good ambience and super food. The staff were absolutely brilliant Really attentive but also so natural and cool

Excellent service by our waiters Kostya and Catherine. Great selection of authentic Italian dishes. Food delicious without fault. Cosy atmosphere. Highly recommended.

Very nice. Food was delicious, and portion sizes were good. Service was excellent and not intrusive. I'll be going back.

Lovely staff, great food and amazing experience if you want to stay escape a little bit from a busy London. The place was recommended to us by some close friends and booooyy we weren’t disappointed. George and his staff make this place one of a...

We live just up the road from this restaurant and I drive past it most days, been wanting to go there for ages and finally got round to it. Sadly, it was a complete letdown. There were lots of staff hovering around when we walked...

Went there for my birthday with a couple of friends. Choice of food was vast, portions large and food very tasty. Excellent service, friendly staff. Nice atmosphere. I will return.

Found ok - especially the minestrone soup. HOWEVER -stroppy unwelcoming surly staff - especially the lady . I don’t need to spend £90 a couple to be treated as a nuisance - would never return !

This is a large, popular restaurant, the food is tasty, well presented with large portions, the staff are friendly and informative. We will definitely be returning

was looking forward to going reviews were good. food was average at best and service to match will not be going back as better and cheaper options available. restaurant was clean and had a nice ambience

I had dinner in this wonderful restaurant, a very pleasant evening, the outside terrace was beautiful, we ate our starters, it was amazing. after we went with the main dish including 3 royal prawns, sorry but I don't like spicy, I only took them with...

I have been there 3 times in the last 4 weeks with friends and family for lunch always a great meal and excellent service.

First time we have been to this restaurant and I must say it won't be the last. Portions bigger than expected, absolutely delicious. Very good pizzas and fish. As a sweetahollic I would definitely recommend tiramisu. Very good service. Our waiter Carlo was amazing. Very...

My wife and I always enjoy going out to l'Italiana. We used to go to the original restaurant in St Albans. However, the Shenley restaurant is nearer; it's far, far easier to park and the ambiance is more of a ristorante rather than that of...

We really rate this small but perfectly formed Italian restaurant. Melanzana followed by schnitzel (chicken or veal) with pasta and tomato sauce or try the calves liver in a rich sauce. Fantastic food and great service. Booking essential as it is usually packed.

Gorgeous food, beautifully prepared and delicious. The service was excellent. Absolutely my new favourite place. Highly highly recommend!!

That was one of the best Italians I’ve had for a very long time so good infact im back Sunday for more ! whole experience fantastic superb food and great team there.

I have been to this restaurant several times and if you want excellent Italian food matched with fantastic service then this is the only restaurant I would recommend. Last night Saltimboca which could not be faulted. We will be back very soon!

The food was superb, the service even better and value for money great. Try the Penne Carbonara, unbeatable. The lunchtime menu is outstanding value for money.

A fine restaurant serving genuine Italian food, check out the specials board. Excellent service good food and friendly staff make this venue special for all occasions.

I went for dinner tonight with a group of girlfriends…. Usually when we’re out, there’s always a complaint…… well not here at L’italiana!! All 9 of us had delicious fresh hot food, fantastic portion sizes, served by really friendly helpful staff. Nothing was too much....

Ate here before Covid and had a great evening with wonderful food. However went recently with friends and found food very poor quality and service awful. Had to repeatedly ask for our drinks order to be delivered and these only came when we were well...

We are returning guests and the first time with our children . Everything about the restaurant is outstanding. The owner and all his staff looked after us brilliantly. The food was absolutely delicious from the avocado and prawns and the tricolora and the various main...

First time at restaurant after originally planning to go in March 2020, which had to be called off due to the first lockdown. Eventually got here and everything was excellent - service was first class and the food was exceptional. Will definitely return and we...

Went today for lunch with my grand daughter the food was wonderful and the staff very friendly and service great. So lucky to have such a nice restaurant in Shenley.

Amazing food and lovely people. So attentive and the food is so tasty you can tell it’s all cooked from fresh. This will now be our new go to family restaurant

Group of 7 vegetarians and they were all looked after. All the food I had was very fresh and very tasty. Homemade breads were just amazing.

Excellent food and venue as always. I came here for a business lunch in the second week of November. The food was absolutely fantastic. My business partner was so impressed with the restaurant that he has vowed to tell all of his friends and relations....

Went recently on a Saturday night and sat outside on the terrace. Service was very friendly and professional and the food was excellent. Will definitely return.

A gem of a restaurant, excellent authentic Italian food served by friendly staff and service with a smile. The high quality of the food speaks for itself and reasonably priced. K:))

Amazing food,staff very attentive, not rushed out at end of meal,also the restaurant very clean and spotless

Great Food, Great Ambience and a great hosts. Pizzas v good. Tried St Albans several times and it’s great to have another restaurant closer to home

Had lunch here with a couple of friends. Everything we had was great quality, fresh and tasty. Nice venue and location also. Decent size external seating area which is very pleasant when weather permits. Would definitely return

Fabulous ambience with great service and food. Went initially in 2019 soon after they opened, having had a lovely experience at their St Albans branch. Our friend told us about shenely branch. We went today for lunch and have booked again for November. Can’t fault...

Such a friendly and welcoming restaurant where the staff genuinely want you to have a great time. Everyone is made to feel like a regular and they go out of their way to make you feel special. You’re made to feel like your custom is...

Definitely one of the best italian restaurants I’ve been to in a long while. The pasta dishes were all amazing. The people there were very friendly and service was great.

A friendly local Italian serving excellent Italian food. Pizza and pasta available but also really good other traditional dishes, including some excellent rose veal.

Having previously visited this place and had a lovely meal my wife rebooked for another visit scheduled for Sun July 25th. We booked a table fir 4 people over the phone speaking to an actual person and leaving all relevant and required contact details. So...

Very good service,always manage to find us a table even at the last minute,food always great,generous portions,so nice to have somewhere good to eat locally.

Had a lovely meal here this evening. Great food and atmosphere, really enjoyed it. Service was excellent. Would recommend.

Visited for the first time with friends and had a wonderful evening. The service was friendly and efficient even though like most restaurants they are struggling to find additional staff. Both couples shared starters of Bruschetta and Burrata and the mains were a mix of...

First time back since lockdown ended to this excellent Italian restaurant. The food and the staff are outstanding. We have been many times in the past and took friends for the first time and they were blown away by the standard of food. The staff...

Went for a meal and wasn’t disappointed. Good food and service was attentive. Will be back again soon. The lunchtime offering is value for money

Always wanted to try this little gem in Shenley my home town, so went to try. I have small dog, & my husband went in to ask in advance if we could sit in garden(dog can be carried that small). He was told yes of...

Really tasty Italian food - couldn’t decide what to have as there where so many things that looked great on the menu. Amazing food, great, friendly service, can’t wait to go back!

A jewel of a restaurant in Shenley. Brilliant Italian food. Great food and drinks menu. We had a fantastic meal. Pate and mussels To start followed by pollo Milanese and prawn linguini and creamed spinach. Washed down with a glass of Rose and Peroni. Although...

I went here for lunch today with a friend. Really good anti Covid measures, friendly staff and delicious food. It’s a really good atmosphere too. Only spoilt by a rude and quite offensive party at the next table. Who were giving the staff a hard...

Family run, authentic Italian restaurant, not to be missed, excellent value for money. Quality food, excellent service by lovely staff.

Fantastic lunch for 6 , staff are great headed up by a lovely blonde lady who’s name I’m not sure . First visit to shenley but have visited the sister one in St Albans many times . The restaurant has a good Covid check and...

Lovely restaurant. Service was friendly and food was excellent. Was lovely and clean although tables could have been more apart for social distancing. I pushed ours away from the group next to us. However that said, the veal dishes we both had were filling the...

Just had the most amazing takeout, my all time favourite Penne Arrabbiata! They have obviously had to adjust their business to the ongoing restrictions and they really have shone through with their amazing food, service and overall warmth in how they look after their customers....

I recently visited this restaurant with some friends. We had a lovely eve. The food was delicious and the service was excellent. Aurora and her team did a wonderful job especially Fabio who waited at the end while our taxi came!! Would highly recommend.

Went for dinner with friends last Sunday evening. Friendly staff, good choice of food on the menu. We all had starters & main courses. Food was hot and tasty. Reasonably priced. Great eating experience helped to make a lovely evening. Will definitely be returning very...

This restaurant came to our rescue when the restaurant we had already booked was shut to be upgraded with new management too. It was a belated Christmas lunch for twelve. Overall: friendly staff, fairly speedy service and we were all happy with our lunches. It...

I have been going to L’Italiana in St Albans since it opened in 2007. This is my first visit to the new sister restaurant in Shenley. Wow the restaurant is beautiful, spacious warm and cozy. A great welcome from the owner. We had a table...

I am so glad that George and Ela have come to Shenley. It is about time we had a proper Italian. I say this because it is as Italian should be. The food is so fresh and you get great portions that are delicious and...