The Higgins Pantry in Bedford

Pizza was fantastic, my partner got gluten free and it was by far the best gluten free pizza base she’s ever had, the texture of the base was spot on, it was almost identical to my regular pizza. Will definitely be going back. Really good price, £23 for two pizzas

Excellent family meal for 11 on Sunday, great friendly service and delicious food

as always, the best food from the best restaurant in the country!

Really lovely meal, reasonable prices and super friendly staff. We really enjoyed our evening

Great food and service. Very noisy on a Friday night though, so not easy to chat

Not only were the staff very welcoming and friendly, the food was delicious. I would highly recommend you visit. You won't be disappointed.

It was so great to find a place my friends and I could all eat. We're all vegan, but 2 of our party are also celiac, and one can't have garlic or onions. The chef was very professional and understanding, and we all enjoyed our meals.

order took over an order, and times kept changing. when food did arrive it was not hot and undercooked. very disappointed

On my visit to Luton, my brother in law and sister booked us into this awesome restaurant. The table was booked earlier, but as we was late the table was able to be moved back. On our arrival the table wasn't ready so we decided to go for a quick drink to another venue. On our return the table wasn't still ready so we was taken to another table at the front of the restaurant and was given complimentary glasses of Prosecco. Nice touch as we wasn't in no rush! I must say the sharing tapas starters were amazing, along with our mains. The best part of the whole evening was Tatiana. She was 10/10, bringing a bit of light humour to our evening. Highly recommend this fantastic restaurant. 10/10 on all aspects of you would expect from a great place to eat.

Absolutely best food I’ve had in so so long.. I was one of 13 and everyone agrees with the quality, the speed of service, the portion size was beyond expectation.. I’m already planning my next time here asap

Went on a Thursday eve and service really friendly and food excellent 🙌🙌🙌

Really good, homely Italian food. Good sized portions and nice and hot (for some reason spaghetti never seems to come hot?)

Lovely food, really tasty and great portion sizes. Would strongly recommend, really really nice.

Delicious, truly Italian, honestly made, with heart. I'm picky and I liked everything here. very nice staff, fantastic cook. I will come back there for sure.

Came here for a birthday, as it was a large booking it was set menu. We explained how I was gluten free and they couldn’t be more understanding and and gave me a separate starter and pasta to the sharers that was put on the table to others. Food was really nice and portion size was defo worth the money. Could not fault. Service was very polite by all staff, would definitely go back.

As a family I have lost count how many times and how much money we have spent here - yes the atmosphere is like a cafe instead of a restaurant but there has always been a warm welcome and great food - not today. Ironically they weren’t even busy !!! The staff were border line rude apart from Bethan - ok there was a mix up with the menu we had booked for our party which they sort of sorted but what was presented was cheap and tasteless. I am embarrassed to think they could even charge the sort of money they did for what they served - watery pasta bolognaise and plain pizza. This is basic cooking and any true Italian chef should know better. Whilst I know it doesn’t really matter but they will not be getting another penny from me - if you can’t cope perhaps it’s time you stepped aside.

Some of the best Italian food I ever had. Excellent service!

Lovely Vegan dish served yesterday by a great host! Cannellini bean pasta! Large portion size too. Highly recommended.

Great food which was all still hot, delivered with a smile and a great deal of care.

I'm Italian, I've eaten here several times and it's been a blast!! I highly recommend that you let the chef do it and he won't disappoint you

I love this place. The foods are sooo nice and delicious. Staffs are very friendly. I recommend this restaurant a lot.

Omg what an amazing little gem this place is the food is absolutely amazing the flavours are unreal staff are amazing couldn't do enough for you highly recommend and highly recommend the lobster ravioli it's to die for

Absolutely delicious food. Can’t wait to return. Thank you.

Seafood from here is always delicious. So much to choose from on the menu!

Three of us ate. Two very good pasta dishes, I had very well presented bass on broccoli cream puree, delicious. Lovely atmosphere, all tables chatting and enjoying. Delightful staff help set the scene.

Starters were bland and big. Bruschetta needed seasoning. Calamari was huge but no sauce. Had to send the cannelloni back as the cheese wasn’t melted. They did take this off the bill along with the bruschetta. The other main was prawns and calamari again no sauce/dip just a lot of fried food. The wine was also poor. Will not go back. A very disappointing meal. There are plenty of Italian restaurants in Bedford. Don’t go to this one.

Had such a lovely meal here last night the food was incredible and portion sizes were amazing especially for very reasonable prices. We had a lovely waitress sadly can’t remember her name though! They were just starting to have live music as we left but even before the vibes were lovely. Only thing is you can’t go for a long meal you only have the table for just over an hour due to lots of bookings and not many tables. We did have to finish up so the next people could have our table but they were pleasant about it and apologetic. Also LOVED they bring you a pot of Parmesan so there’s no awkward tell me when to stop!

We came because it was recommended. Restaurant inside the museum, very clean, small but welcoming. The food was really great, we ate some fish which was delicious. The meatballs tasted like the meatballs my grandmother made. Prices were average for a seafood menu. Recommended for those who want to feel like they are in Italy for a few hours.

5 star service and beautiful authentic Italian food cooked and served by real life Italian people just what you want if you're looking for a proper taste of Italy 🇮🇹❤️

What a hidden gem! We love the pantry! The Italian food is to die for! The staff are so friendly. Always a great meal.

We had delicious salads, once was a cannellini bean and broccoli and the other was roasted pepper and goat cheese. We were served by such kind and helpful people, including the (very) young daughter of the woman in charge. The atmosphere was very welcoming- clearly people coming in for all reasons, a nice lunch for two, family gathering or just a cup of coffee. We would definitely go back.

Great work lunch for pre Christmas meal.

Delicious food lovely people went there for a Christmas dinner and everything was delicious 😋 from staff to food 🍱 through singing and dancing I really enjoyed myself

Big group of us booked on a busy Saturday night with Xmas menu and entertainment, what a fantastic evening, food excellent, staff are great and restaurant has good atmosphere, highly recommend.

Best Christmas Party Ever! We had all a fantastic evening! Everything was perfect, the singer was really good and very entertaining, the food was amazing and the chef went the extra mile to make us happy. Thank you for the pasta “aglio e olio” surprise , that was the real bonus. Can’t wait to be back!

Delicious food, great service. Would deffinately go again.

Fabulous food, all served with a big heart and welcoming smile

Great food. One of our kids' favourite meals.

One of the hidden gems of Bedford. Well worth a visit. Some of the best pizza I've eaten.

A hidden gem in Bedford. The pizzas are some of best I've eaten. The tapas are also very good. Menu is not overly extensive but each item is quality.

The restaurant called me said my food has been sitting around waiting for a driver Our food was stone cold

Simply the best meal I’ve ever had at any museum cafe. Delicious Italian food and great service.

We had my Dad's 90th family lunch here, the staff were so accommodating, the food was freshly cooked and delicious and the service warm, friendly and relaxed. I would recommend the Higgins pantry to anyone.

We were looking for a place to eat after visiting the Panacea Museum and walked into this family run Italian Restaurant. The four of us all ate very different choices from the very extensive menu; my wife rated the pizza highly; my lasagna was lovely too. The desserts were nice - I recommend the tiramisu. It was very reasonably priced, service was excellent and we will be back. Well done to all the staff.

Best food I could get at an Italian restaurant. Keep up the good work!

Great food,service had a fantastic night there was a small party of Italians celebrating a birthday ,and insisted we shared there spaghetti aloi and birthday cake great atmosphere along with the music will return soon

The food was delicious as always but arrived less than warm which was disappointing

Great food, came out quickly and looked amazing, good value for money! but the place was so loud you couldn't hear the other people on the table. The music and with other tables practically shouting all evening we felt a little put off

Lovely understated place with fresh and tasty food and great, friendly service. Even a lovely sweet treat at the end. Grazie Mille.

Delicious food and delivered at promised time - thank you 😊

Went here with the family and in-laws to celebrate our marriage, before the big ceremony. We all had a fantastic evening and were pleased with the staff and how welcoming they all were. The food was delicious, well priced and you get a decent portion, couldn't recommend this place enough!

The most amazing food in Bedford

Food arrived well cooked and still hot, while being arrived fast and early! Love ordering from this place, never dissapointed :)

This was definitely a mixed experience in terms of the quality of the food. We attended on a Saturday lunchtime and all ordered starters. The starters were all very nice and we all commented on the quality. I had ordered a veggie pizza for main which arrived three or four minutes before the other three main courses. I sat waiting for a couple of minutes before my friends suggested that I start eating before the pizza got cold. Unfortunately the pizza dough was what I would describe as undercooked. This may be my personal interpretation of what I would expect from an authentic Italian pizza but I informed the waitress and requested that I was cooked for a further 5 minutes or so. My friends’ main courses arrived which were also really tasty and enjoyable. My pizza was returned (which did appear to be a completely new one). Once again, it was soggy and appeared (to me) to be undercooked - to the point that I attempted to eat some of the topping but had to leave the dough. I made reference ti this when the plates were cleared. We declined desserts and ordered a coffee and two cocktails. A young waiter attempted to pass a cocktail over the shoulder of one of my friends, resulting in the cocktail being spilled down her trousers and top. One of the owners / managers appeared and offered a muted apology and we finished our drinks. I was surprised when the bill arrived to see that the pizza was still included on the total and I had clearly advised them of my dissatisfaction. Should I have advised that I would not be paying for it? I would suggest that this should have been subtracted from the total as an acknowledgment by the management team. There are also no acknowledgement of the spillage, which of course was an accident but will involve cleaning costs being incurred by my friend. Disappointed in this experience having been here before and enjoyed the food service. The staff were very pleasant and engaging but the little details make a big difference. This review could have been significant better with a different approach from the management team / owners.

Situated on the site of the higgings museam, nice place to have a coffee or a meal while visiting the museam

Great food, the cakes are amazing. Highly recommended.

Came for lunch with my parents. Delicious food, attentive staff. Will definitely be back!

Great food as always - a lovely treat after a long journey home from holiday!

Just awful unfortunately my son was vomiting after eating here . Terrible service too especially for the price .

Absolutely delicious! So fresh, so tasty and what a great service. Delivery was fast as lightning. Highly recommend! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

An amazing Italian little gem in bedford! What can I say! Extremely helpful staff and exceptional quality food. Wow, this has to be hands down one of the best Italian restaurants by a country mile! For those that read my reviews when I say something is amazing, it is amazing! Try this place out and you won’t regret! They cater for kids and our little daughter loved her food! Warm, family vibe restaurant, a must for foodie lovers!

Nice Italian restaurant! Good portions, the arrabbiata was very nice. Service also very nice and friendly.

Fabulously delicious as always - thanks to the Higgins Team😁

Very quick delivery, food as delicious as when we've eaten in at the restaurant.

Polite and friendly, food was amazing and beautiful

Lovely place, great food and friendly staff

This is a wonderful place to eat in the pretty castle area of Bedford. The food is excellent and the staff are very friendly and efficient. We chose to celebrate our Golden Wedding Anniversary there with family and everyone intends to return. We were able to sit in the courtyard and were lucky enough to listen to Sergio singing and it really made our evening very special. Rosa and Vincenzo have worked really hard to make their restaurant one of the best eating places in Bedford. Well done to you all.

Love this place. Come here a lot. Always good food and friendly atmosphere. Staff are happy and can't do enough for you.

Lovely food but should say what’s on the pizza as the vegatarian one has goats cheese on and we don’t like goats cheese !

Brilliant food and delivery service - thank you!

Great restaurant, great food and great atmosphere!

Perfect this is the best on just eat, thanks !

I went to the Higgins Pantry with a friend for lunch. I had the smoke salmon and avocado sour dough bread and it was very good. What made it a perfect trip was their tiramisu which I have never tried before and it is home made. This was beyond doubt the best dessert I have ever had in my life and a welcome surprise I was not expecting. I hope to return there in the future for a bigger meal. I am happy to recommend the Higgins Pantry to one and all.

My second time here and will definitely be back! Fantastic atmosphere with Sergio singing. We regularly attended the Italian Nights he performed at the Icon Hotel in Luton before COVID forced its closure and we're so glad that Higgins Pantry have him to provide such great entertainment occasionally. We had the set menu and, as before, the food was excellent! Can't believe how much food we had at such great quality and taste for £20 a head. We spent more on our drinks! 😊 Can't wait to return with other friends and family to share a fabulous night with them 👍

The best gluten free pizza I have ever eaten. Soft base ( not the usual gf thin, hard base) and very generous, tasty toppings. Service very helpful and friendly. Very pleasant restaurant.

Superb meal - definitely order from here again!

Still a fab atmosphere, great food and easy on the pocket. Friendliest staff, Great Italian cuisine. Love it. Simply the best.

Once again a fantastic welcome and delicious meal. No wonder this place is always busy. The staff are genuinely nice and the food is delicious. We had starters mains dessert and drinks. Pizzas pasta’s calamari and the portions are so generous. 8 of us and it worked out to about 20 per head. Absolutely love this place. Cosy friendly atmosphere. Just can’t beat it.

Lovely staff, excellent (and unusual) foods, deliciously cooked. Very wheelchair friendly, ramps, and a disabled toilet. Great setup, family atmosphere. Will return!

Pizza was cold it didn’t look like it was in a insulated container, good ingredients and tasty when it was heated up but shouldn’t have to do that.

Lovely service, we all had the pasta which was superb. Edit: Came again and forgot I had already left a review but I must say, I’m a pizza guy but when I come to the pantry I absolutely have to order pasta, best pasta I’ve had.

Incredible value for good quality, hot and fresh food. Highly recommended and I don’t know how they do it for the price. Great service also

Food was very tasty but not warm enough so had to microwave it. Very kindly added black olives instead of onions to my salad so thank you

Nice tapas meal for mother's day. Very busy restaurant but good staff who worked hard and gave good service.

We weren't told it was an Italian night when booking so consequently very noisy especially as we were seated by the singer.. My friend & I hadn't met up for nearly 5months so were looking forward to a catchup but we couldn't even hear each other speak. Understand these occasions happen but should be pointed out when reserving.

Just had a fabulous lunch here! The decor is so mid-century modern with cozy fairy lights. The staff are so friendly and welcoming and the super cool thing is that all their sandwiches, pastas, and pizzas can be made gluten free! I had gf pasta with ragú and it was seriously as if it came from the old country. I believe the owners are Italian. The Higgins Pantry is definitely going to be one of my regular spots :)

Varied menu, great staff nice atmosphere. Italian ofcourse, we will be back. Recommended.

First time here as we were back in Bedford. Was really looking forward to it but was pretty disappointed tbh. I ordered the prawns and calamari which as bland and only assisted by some mayo. We were then forgotten about for a while as it got a bit busier and instead of waiting longer for the bill, I went up and paid as the staff were more focused on other areas. Im sure there are better Italians out there in the town.

I've made two visits and both have been very good experiences.

Great ambience and service. Nice cocktails and food

My friend and I had lunch here after visiting the museum. I had aubergine parmigiana. It was delicious. Nice cappuccino. Friendly staff and atmosphere.

Love this place food incredible..

Lovely food, and service was great. Quite an intimate setting, it was like being away in Italy! Will definitely come back.

We were sat in the marquee which we new about but were promised heating. We got one tiny ceiling heating. It was so cold none of us took our coats off for the whole evening. The staff weren’t really interested although we kept asking for extra heaters. We complained but were told nothing they could do. They didn’t even offer a complimentary drink as a softener. The starters were lovely but the sirloin steak was frying steak, 1/2 inch thick. We decided to get up and dance after the meal to try and warm up but we’re told it was finished, 11 o’clock. It was a miserable night all round. I wrote and complained but they weren’t interested and the reply was derogatory. They argued about the steak but none of us had ever had sirloin steak like that. They were very unsympathetic and brushed our complaint aside. None of us will ever frequent the place. They are obviously more interested in the money that good service

The customer service here is exceptional. I've only ever popped in for a hot chocolate when visiting the museum it's attached to but the service has still been noticeably good. I always receive the warmest of welcomes by the man who is regularly on the counter.

A fantastic place . Authentic Italian food, charming, attentive service, vibrant ambiance and great value for money, all in all, a memorable Sunday lunch.

Visited a couple of times for lunch. Does what it says on the tin - easily recognisable Italian pastas and pizza. Nice service. Some dishes stand out head and shoulders above others. Ham and mushroom tagliatelle very nice, spaghetti bolognese a bit boring. Side salad...

Visited The Pantry on a Sunday afternoon for my daughters 8th birthday. The staff were very attentive and ensured the meal was perfect. The food was delicious (especially the pasta e faggioli) and we all left happy and with full belly's Always a great visit...

What a wonderful meal. We were a party of 8 arranged to celebrate our son's birthday and the staff could not have been more friendly or helpful. The food was excellent and the portions substantial. It was a great family atmosphere on a Sunday afternoon...

Very friendly service, good sized portions of delicious Italian food