Pesto at the Axe And Compass in Rugby

Must visit place. Recommended 🍻

Beautiful evening celebrating with friends. Everything excellent. Nothing to much trouble.

Food was great as always. Highlight was Elena’s warm impeccable service, made our 30 minute commute to the place absolutely worth it!

We go here regularly, no complaints about food, however, for the first time we were shocked by the attitude of the waiter when paying the bill. We left a tip some of us paid by card he was mumbling about loosing 60% of it he was visibly not happy and walked off at the end not a thank you or a goodbye. So rude and we have never experienced this before. We were all taken aback!

It was lovely visiting Pesto after several months of not being able to due to availability. Food was good, service spot on. Cozy atmosphere, price and portion was good too. I will visit again. I gave 4 🌟 because there’s always room for improvement.

It was a very interesting meal, choosing different options to try . Well worth a visit. I would like to go again.

Completely recommend this restaurant from the moment you walk in to the food and service was absolutely fabulous 🥰🙂

Lovely food, great service and a nice atmosphere. Well set up for big groups too.

Turned up without reservation, took a few minutes but staff figured it out. Great table waiter, really nice gentleman. Food is outstanding here, great value for money. Went big for six courses and it was enormous but worth it and great value. A must visit!!!

No milk alternatives for people who don’t have it ,wasn’t happy and girl serving was abit rude about it ,a lot off people don’t have milk so you would think a big company like this would !

Delicious food and service is great.

Fast, efficient staff. Excellent service. No matter how busy it is, it's always busy. The food is delicious. The best cocktails, too.

We found this restaurant online as we were visiting the area. We booked a table for 7pm and were glad we did as it was very busy. Service was great, fast and friendly. The food was excellent, with hood sized portions. Highly recommended. Just a shame that Pesto have no branches further south than Hinckley

Omg the food is amazing. Will be going next week as well, taking 93 years old, mother. Prices are great small bowls where everyone can try everything.

I have dined here on lots of occasions and love it every single time. They have never let me down. Last night we were served by Alyssa and we have been served by Alyssa a few times before and she is a delight and credit to the staff. Always ready with a smile and nothing is too much trouble. The only issue is the menu change and a few favourites of mine have been removed for example the Pesce Fritto! These need to be brought back!

I love the food here. Never had a bad meal. I find it to loud unless you sit in the bar area though. Service is hot and miss, they do get very busy though so book in advance to avoid disappointment. Avoid the sharing platter though. It’s quite a disappointment!

Love this place. Can't recommend enough.

Beautiful place and the food was amazing. We were well looked after especially by Nick a proper Italian gentleman. I had never been before but will definitely go back.

Love this restaurant, food is amazing, loads of choice. Staff are great.

Nice very small portions Italian food.

Very friendly service and really delicious dishes. A great lunchtime meal spot due to the tapas style which gives some light meal options. Thank you Pesto - we will definitely come back soon!

We visited on a Monday early evening and there was more staff than customers although you wouldn't have known it as the service was lacking the table wasn't even cleared after our starters, which meant a lack of table space when our main dishes were served. Also we paid for a sharing platter which was missing several components and made up with extra bread. We were extremely disappointed and in future will stick to the Pesto in Sutton Coldfield which has been packed on the few occasions we have been and the staff there still manage to be attentive and the items stated on the menu is actually what you get and they clear the table in between courses.

This was our first visit to the Axe and Compass although we have eaten at Pesto at Desford. The food was excellent, all 3 of us had something different and we were all pleased with what we received. I especially enjoyed the tomato and mozerella salad. The service was excellent too and our waiter was very helpful. On this occasion we all ordered deserts which were reasonably priced and tasted wonderful. I would highly recommend eating here.

Booking is essential as always busy. Online booking is simple. Food and service are excellent. One of my favourite places to eat.

Omg the food was out of this World, me and the Wife both really enjoyed the food beyond word , mouth orgasms best way we could, every dish we had was woow

Very busy but service and food was 1st class

GREAT food and service at a respectable price

First time visiting. The menu for lunch has 3 set menu prices to choose from where you can choose 3 items from your menu choice. Dishes were generous in portion sizes and absolutely delicious. Service impeccable and a great atmosphere. Was recommended by a few that had eaten there and can honestly say very impressive. Will definitely be back.

overall great food and experience. some dishes better than others. eg chicken on skewers was dry and bruschetta soggy bread in middle but other dishes like lasagne and ribs enjoyed

Brilliant staff, friendly, helpful, polite. Choice of foods from tapas style menu and normal menu - just great !

Loved the food small dishes loads of choices 😋

My pals liked it so did I but change the menu and missed my favourite dish

Amazing food and professional staff

Great food quick and polite service

Beautiful food fabulous service can not fault it. Highly recommend for any occasion.

Lovely restaurant Really nice food I would certainly go back xx

The waitress who served me and my friends paid great attention as to whever we needed help with anything or if we were finished etc

Absolutely fantastic for a chain restaurant. WIDE variety of food.

Love the food at this place, always hard to narrow down your selections into the few plates you want to try but have never been disappointed. Always very busy when I have been so the service can be a little slow sometimes (understandably) but dont let that put you off from trying the great food.

First time in there but definitely not the last one! Lovely staff and the food was amazing! For three different types of food the price was wow not expensive at all! 10 Stars from 5

You can see why this place is so popular! The food is tasty, the service excellent, and it’s an Amazingly regimented process as they turn around tables so quickly. On top of this the price is very good value. Five of us had three plates each - which were served incredibly fast and all tasted good and our head waiter was helpful and friendly. The one criticism is that it can be almost too quick - you can be done and dusted in under an hour. But if you have a pud and another drink it’s all good. You can see why there were so many large parties in - it’s ideal. Goes to show that if you get the price point right - you can keep a place swinging even in tough times. Great place.

Our favourite place! Sadly we can only afford to come once a year but the food and service are always incredible.

Dined with 9 people, lots of food and great prices. All the dishes were fantastic

Excellent food and portion sizes and plenty of choice. Good service.

Had to remind the waiter about drinks orders. Also seems they changed shift at 3pm and didn’t bother to assign us a new waiter.

I can't recommend this place enough. The food is just amazing. The service is great and it is always busy. We went on a Monday lunch time for my daughter's 30th and it was busy. They are doing something very right as many pubs and restaurants are struggling. It is such good value for for money and so worth it. It is my second visit but my daughter and her husband have been on quite a few occasions and you definitely have to book. Will be going again. It is italian tapas and it is just delicious 😋.

I actually can't think of anything to fault Pesto. My whole experience exceeded expectations. We were greeted and seated immediately. Drinks orders were taken and fulfilled quickly along with our food choices. Food was delivered promptly and portion sizes were bigger than expected. Food quality was impeccable. Slightly slow on serving dessert, but that's really no complaint. Overall, exceptional experience and one that will be repeated

Excellent food. Very very friendly staff members. We really enjoyed our first visit here. One of the best places around.

Had a lovely dinner at Pesto! The food was of a high quality, tasted fresh and well prepared. The meats were really tender and full of flavour. The spices were well balanced in each of the dishes I tried. Our favourite would be the pork belly slices in a tomato sauce. The atmosphere was relaxed and we enjoyed that we could hear the music quite well. We were served by Emily and we received a great customer service! This place is a hidden gem and it will definitely go on the list of my top food places in this area. Thank you for the delicious dinner! ☺️

The restaurant was cold when we arrived. The food was nothing special to write about. The food arrived at the table in dribs and drabs and eventually my fish arrived after a good while after the other meals, the waitress said you won't have to pay for it as you waited so long and yes the cost was deducted from the bill, but by the time the fish arrived the rest of my lunch was cold. Every one else enjoyed their meals and our friends had dined there before. Restaurant wasn't full so I don't think it was the waitresses fault and there were plenty standing around. I did notice that when we were served coffee the cups were brought to the table one at a time instead of on a tray. This is not a complaint as such but a polite warning to others.

Went today to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary and had a lovely time due to the wonderful food and were looked after by the super staff.

The food was delicious, we were a big party on a Friday evening so it was very busy, but all the food came out correct and at a good speed, the staff were very friendly and super helpful with the menus and making sure everyone got what they wanted. Food portions are a very good size so 2-3 portions per person was plenty for us and they were very easy to share between people

Visited on little ones birthday. Child friendly place. Food is to die for, completely delicious and authentic - we felt like we were dining in Italy again! The menu is extensive with wonderful options to choose from. The gentleman who waited our table was very knowledgeable on all dishes and provided recommendations and descriptions of the dishes we were considering, and what was really lovely was the fact that regardless of how busy the place was, he was patient and took the time to do this along with wishing our little one happy birthday. The food came quickly and is large tapas style perfect for sharing or for those wanting a smaller portion. The price is amazing for the quality, quantity and service received. We love it there. This is a really lovely place with a warm atmosphere.

First experience at Pestos and OMG it did not disappoint!! Cannot wait to go back already 🤩🙌🏻 We went for dinner and ordered so much to share 🥰

Our first visit and we will be back!! We always struggle to find somewhere to eat and meet our family when we are visiting and this was a fantastic meal. Whilst it’s a different concept (and weirdly looks likes small portions as you order lots of smaller tapas style dishes) they really aren’t and it’s fantastic to be able to try so many different dishes. We had a great meal and will definitely be back!

On a very rare occasion we had a child free night together we decided to have a date night. And we both decided on trying Pesto at the Axe and Compass and what a fantastic evening the customer service was brilliant,very helpful and knowledgeable. The food was superb just the right amount for us to share on each dish. We will be going again soon with our daughter I'm looking forward to it.

Great but food not piping hot - maybe because it was busy or it was cold outside.

Been here a number of times & noticed going slightly downhill each time. On entering the restaurant it felt cold & we were sat next to a window which had quite a bit of black mould on the framework. The radiator was not turned on so we put it on & that was better. We ordered some drinks whilst we looked at the very large menu. We ordered 6 dishes between us but they looked like they had just come out of the microwave or deep fat fryer & dumped in the dishes, there was no garnish on anything. The plates were already on the table & were stone cold & you didn't know who had been touching them or coughing or sneezing over them. The 3 miniscule pieces of asparagus in the salmon pasta was sliced so thinly I originally thought it was a spring onion, the chicken skewers were dry & tough & everything was just luke warm, making it even worse on a cold plate. We ordered 2 more cocktails but were not impressed again. This place is due to be taken over so hopefully that will improve it but as is stands we won't be returning.

A first visit here on a Wednesday lunchtime following some recommendations from friends. We were not disappointed and the food arrived quickly considering it was busy. Staff were friendly and helpful. Will return soon! Best to book which is very simple online!

Good food and service but the tables are so close together and there are so many people it feels very crowded. Not helped by two different speakers playing different music.

First time at this Pesto's for years. Met up with old school mates and had a great catch up. Service was good although missed a couple of bits off the order, but quickly sorted that. Food was good and well presented. Not expensive at al l

Food was good for the price point. It all came together so by the time you ate something the rest was starting to get cold. Drinks were nice, I drank a Lucky saint and my partner had an espresso martini.

The food is always delicious and the staff are very attentive. Great place for any occasion.

Great good and service staff are excellent. Went today with friends and the 3 items for a fixed price menu is a great idea! We aren't local but when we see another Pesto restaurant we'll definitely go. Staff are friendly and it didn't take long for our food to arrive. Recommended.

If there is a few of you the tables are not quite big enough for all the food and maybe a good idea if the food ordered could be staggered as it starts to go cold

Great service! Good quality of food.

Went here for a birthday dinner. Have been a few times, always extremely busy! Make sure to book in advance. Service this time was not brilliant but the food was excellent. Servers were friendly just didn’t see a lot of them likely due to being at the back in a corner - quite tucked away. Highly recommend for a nice dinner or lunch. Amazing allergen menu that covers all main allergens :D

I haven’t been to this place in around 10 ten years but we decided to go for my birthday as it’s only round the corner. I was more than a pleasantly surprised! Food was lovely with plenty of choice of tapas. The service was very quick and friendly but above all it was really good value, 2 lots of tapas (3 plates each), 2 deserts and cocktails for just over £50. We will be returning soon, it is way better value than a lot of other local restaurants!

Amazingly delicious food, superb ambience, and gracious staff. No wonder why it attracts so much crowd.

A beautiful place to come and enjoy a lovely meal with your partner 😘 ❤️

Food always excellent at a reasonable price.

Very nice meals .have to book not cheap .

I don't know about you but sometimes in an Italian restaurant I sort of lose interest as I plough through a plate of pasta or risotto, or a pizza. Pesto have solved this for me by offering a selection of smaller dishes with the suggestion you order three different ones each. Little confusing at first, am I ordering for just me or the table and sharing. Not a problem, order what you want and share if you want as you eat. It really works, five of us had a lovely meal both sharing and having some dishes to ourselves. It's fun, it's different and it's tasty. Helpful staff and a good atmosphere, what's not to like?

Great evening at Pesto’s , great atmosphere and attentive staff made our evening very pleasant Highly recommend, massive menu and excellent quality

Absolutely lovely food, great service would definitely recommend and will be visiting again

Last night 7 of us went to eat here and unfortunately we all got food poisoning. We all ate various things. We enjoyed the food and the staff were friendly but unfortunately we’ve all been up with diarrhea and vomiting all night.

We love it here. Unfortunately on our last visit I think I must have eaten something that didn't agree with me. I have coeliac disease and normally I'm fine with the gf options but this last time something got me. Not the restaurants fault as I know thet take all precautions they can. Sometimes it just happens.

Excellent lunch with friends. Lovely delicious plates of food and service was fantastic. Highly recommend

Marvellous food, prompt and courteous service.

Pesto is my absolute favourite!! The food never disappoints. I love the fact that it's an Italian tapas, it's very original. You can order larger main dishes of each option if you wish. The dishes are small but mighty and full of flavour! I introduced my half Italian fella to Pesto, and he was very impressed. I love the style of all of their restaurants. They have a rustic, authentic Italian style that feels homely and cosy, despite their restaurants being quite big. My go-to dishes are always the little diced potatoes with garlic and olives - stunning! The chicken thighs, and the brusheta in any flavour (but the mushroom is my fave) My daughter LOVES their salmon and asparagus pasta. Although you may think the portions look small, they are really filling! I always get excited and over order (normally 4 dishes), but I struggle to finish them and end up taking it home. I've recommended Pesto to so many people now.

I have visited many times and whilst I can’t fault the food at all, there is one particular waiter who has been quite rude every visit. We have noticed that he begs for tips and if you don’t tip him, he questions why, and when you do, he questions why he didn’t receive enough. In our recent visit, we gave a £6 tip without him having to ask, but after he was looking at our receipt and asked us where the rest was and saying that we hadn’t tipped enough. We have noticed him do it to several tables every visit now.

Google says 10.30pm close , walked in at 8.26pm , place half empty, asked if we could get a table for 3 , got told no, said Im happy to order straight away, went to ask manager still said no, fuming when I’m starving and wanted to give them money to feed us. This type of business mentality deserve to go under when they turn away easy money.

Service excellent and food top quality and nice and easy to get to, alysha was a great waitress asking was our food good best place around the area

Great food, busy restaurant with vibrant atmosphere.

I've been coming to Pesto's for a while now. The food is delicious and not overly priced. Service is always good, and the atmosphere is nice and relaxed. I've been here on various days at various times, and it's always busy! That tells you something! Give it a go, you won't be disappointed 🙂

Great food, quick and friendly service

I popped in tonight on my own after playing golf had the prawns lightly fried with mayonnaise slice lemon cubed fried potatoes 🥔 lovely 😍

Lovely food and excellent service as always.

Fantastic food and service can’t wait to come back

Not the best Pesto I've been to, was quite disappointed. We were greeted to leaves and food on the floor around the entrance and bar, cobwebs and bugs flying around our table (which was surprising in October). The food was ok, but nothing to brag about. Out of 6 dishes the only memorable ones were the fried chicken and garlic mushrooms. The service was just ok. I asked for the gin menu and was handed one for wines. Had to ask 3 times before I got it. Dont think we'll be going back to this Pesto again.

Me and my family always go here, lovely service, staff and food!

Always a pleasure visiting this restaurant for food! Always the best service and always a hard decision deciding what to choose to eat. Perfect for date night or a girlie catch up.

An Italian take on Tapas, and it works very well. Good food, well thought out menu, fast service and great staff

Stunning food, the choice, and quality are amazing. Tapas style food. It's worth every penny. I can see why you need to book.

Check out the brownie if you can find it on your plate

Great meal with friends, love the Axe & Compass, beautiful food, great atmosphere and really pleasant and friendly atmosphere. Lots to chose from, one of the best caprese salads outside of Italy 🇮🇹 meatballs are amazing with that spicy twist! Well worth the short trip from Hinckley or Coventry if your in the area, we travel over from Northampton it’s that good and we don’t have anything like Pesto closer! Love the flavours and six for two is well worth the experience! I always want to order more but we never leave hungry. Plenty of parking and if your stopping in the Hinckley Island it’s £6 in an Uber so you really can enjoy a taste of Italy whilst enjoying the Midlands countryside 🤣

Good choice of Italian tapas. Dishes update from time to time.

Very delicious food 😋 recommend anyone Can't wait to be back

It was our wedding anniversary, service was diabolical and we didn’t get a reasonable table. We had to go to the bar to request for a waiter to come over to our table everty time we wanted to order something. I would never come here again and would not recommend anyone to come to this particular restaurant.

Great for a lunchtime meeting with friends. Unique concept. Tasty food and good value.