Va Pensiero in South Bucks

Tuesday evening dinner with a friend. Very quiet night. Pizza was good.

Absolutely wonderful. A sheer delight to enjoy an evening out at this excellent restaurent. Most amazing staff, with incredibly tasty food.

Been here a few times now, had various items and I must just say how wonderful every experience has been. Really great food and the service is impeccable. Highly recommend

A bit disappointed, I have had better at Va Pensiero.

Delicious chocolate cake paired with great tasting ice cream.

Very disappointing, I love Italian food for me it was very poor. I will not eat here again. Calamari was awful and very rubbery. Main course portion was of putting far to much on my plate. For me quality not quantity.

My friends enjoyed their meals, I however, did not. I ordered an Antipasto Misto and, honestly, it was very poor. I suspect it was not freshly cooked that day, it tasted like it was several days old and heated in a microwave. My starter would have been nice if it wasn't so smothered in balsamic vinegar sauce that I couldn't taste anything else. It's a shame, the menu looked very exciting, but I don't think I would go back.

Amazing food, as recommended by friends, but the restaurant is way too noisy for this value - needs to be quieter!! Service could have been better, too. A little more attentive, and aware, instead of chatting by the cash till.

Simply the best authentic Italian food, in the heart of Radlette. From the starters right the way through to the pizzas, heartily food, served in classic Italian style.

A cosy Italian restaurant located in a residential area. It serves average Italian food however the service I received from the lady serving the food was phenomenal. She was bubbly, polite and helpful. Would recommend visiting as a one-off.

Always a pleasure to dine at Va Pensiero Thank you 😊

Delicious food, quick service and very well priced. A must go to if you love Italian!

We had a family party here on a Saturday lunch time. We provided the pre- orders for food. All the food was delicious & everybody had a lovely time.

Great food, friendly staff even during busy times

I haven't been to Va Pensiero for a while so I am not sure exactly what's caused the change. With that being said I wasn't very impressed this time round. Although the staff were friendly and polite it did feel like they were super busy although the restaurant it self wasn't very full. The food also came out in the same fashion. 2 of the starters were not hot and considering they were pretty basic mozzarella dishes this was disappointing. One was sent back, and quickly replaced however I was o hungry I just ate mine. The rest of the food was okay, not the normal quality we are used to from the restaurant but overall it was alright. I don't think this will be the last time but hopefully next time is a bit better.

Love this place for everything perfect, especially with grandchildren. The food, the service, the atmosphere, the location for us, the prices are average

Food was really delicious especially Sea bass !! Kudos to the chef and all other Colleagues!! Rosie was very Helpful!!! I totally recommend this place to my friends !!!

Visited for the 1st time and will definitely will come back. Food was superb and service excellent. Our waitress was Rosie . We enjoyed our evening. Atmosphere just great 😊

Nice Italian restaurant. Very nice pasta. Just a bit hi on price but good quality food.

We ordered a large variety of dishes for starters and main, the only one that was decent is bruschetta. Pizza was like having toppings on a slice of bread!

Good selection of Italian dishes. I had the Pollo last crema. Tasty

The food was excellent. The service was great. I love the decor of the restaurant. Priced very well. We will return.

Discussing and when I complained I was wrong starters 👌main course was discussing litterly boss was rude when I said I did not like I will not be coming back 💯

have been going there for the last 5 years and and never been disappointed . Like to thank the team for there great service specially for my wife's BD service. Highly recommend for BD parties

This is the last time I will come to eat here, my family have been coming to this restaurant for over 15 years and in that time I have witnessed the slow decline of the food quality. We came for a family celebration a table of 12 people... 3 of us ordered steak 2 rare and 1 medium rare... Every time I order a steak here it comes out badly cooked... I've ordered a lot of steak from this restaurant. Because of dietary requirements my choice of food is very limited. In the last 7 years only once has a steak come out properly cooked and tonight was no exception.. all 3 steaks were raw the 2 rare steaks were so raw that to call them served blue is an overstatement. And the medium rare steak was blue.. It makes me so angry, the cut of meat, a 1 inch ribeye is of great quality but is absolutely butchered by the cookery.. I don't know if the chef either doesn't know how to cook a steak properly or just doesn't care but either way they need to practice or GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN.... How hard is to stick a meat thermometer in a piece of meat to make sure it is cooked properly? Quite a few of our group had tiramisu for desert, the only way to describe it is a great clod of mascapone on a biscuit. There was no flavour what happened to the coffee? Where was the masala? Honestly when you pay £26 for a steak with no sides and £7.50 for a desert at least prepare and cook the damn food properly!... If the head chef takes that little pride in making sure the quality of the food is maintained it really does make me worry about the state of the food storage and kitchen cleanliness. On a more positive note the waiting staff are fairly quick and attentive without being interfering or intrusive. That said they do seem to gather together around the bar or dumbwaiter and ignore the customers which makes it difficult for guests to get their attention. Twice during the meal I had to get up and find a member of staff at which point I found 4 of them having a nice little chat. Speaking of the atmosphere in the restaurant it would be great if you are young when it gets busier. The background din reaches a point where you have to shout across the table to speak to someone 4 feet away, which if you were young would seem I guess, hip and happening but for our table of 12 became a horrific burden that added to the ruination of the evening. I complained to the manager who firstly asked why did I eat half the steak if I was going to complain about it. I told him I do eat blue steak. I did not ask for any money back and told him so, I just told him that his kitchen staff need to stick a meat thermometer in their steaks if they can't cook them properly. The manager took the price of 1 steak off the menu. Which is something I guess, but no one asked for it. 6 of us have decided to never come here again which means our family of 12 will find another place to fairly regularly dump £400 - £600 into... Well done va pensiero... If you are going to win at anything you certainly have won at making a loss! One last point to leave you with... I hate having to go to a restaurant to pay for overpriced food that I can cook infinitely better at home. At least the filter coffee was okay..

I went in the daytime, it was a quiet time of the day. Food was really good..

Very nice restaurant and good food. Service was a bit slow and it was quite noisy

Good food and good atmosphere we will go back again.

Not wishing to go in to details but if you want Good quality food thus is not the place.

Nice clean place. Lovely Italian food and good ambience. There is plenty of variety in food options, veg and non veg.

Really nice atmosphere and good food. I was well received on arrival, and the service was great throughout. I had a delicious risotto, and I would recommend it.

Never disappoints really good food as always

Really solid pasta dishes - great for a meal out or small celebration

Food was mostly average with the calves liver being one of the worst dishes I have ever been served. Badly cooked liver with a revolting sauce and undercooked onions. Generously offered a replacement dish and tried the sirloin which was average and the accompanying pepper sauce was foul. Won't be returning. The staff were nice and attentive so feel a bit guilty writing this but the truth must prevail.

We had a lovely time at Va Pensiero. Really enjoyed the food, the portions were very generous and most of the items were very tasty. Great service and we were able to find parking close by. Standout items were definitely the garlic tomato pesto bread, melanzane parmigiana and penne siciliana. Cannelloni was also nice. Would happily come back and try other items on the menu.

Just had lunch at what we hoped would be an authentic Italian .. however we were very much disappointed .. what we got was overpriced frozen food ..

We've been going to Va Pensiero for 20 years, we got engaged here and have so many happy memories here. Food is always top notch.. Penne Alla Contadina and Fettuccine Al Pollo are the stuff of dreams.

Food is rubbish, just like the staff! Manager is horrendously rude! And to top it off, its meant to be an Italian with not one Italian, absolute shambles!! Couldn't even pay me to go back!

4 of us came for a meal here this week. Hadnt been here for some time. Used to come here all the time pre Covid. Meals were OK. A couple of the dishes were a little bland but all in all we had a fairly decent meal.

I have ordered from here in the past and thought the food was nice however on this occasion the food I ordered was so unbelievably spicy that it was inedible. I called the restaurant to try and resolve it to be told tough basically as it has chilli in it. I cook with chilli and have had this in the past and it wasn't nearly as hot. Even my partner who eats hot pepper sauce said it was really spicy! Safe to say I won't be returning again as the customer service was awful and they don't seem to care about the experience people have once they have taken your money. It is not a cheap restaurant so you expect a good experience. With do many competitors on Radlett high street you think they would care a little more.

Big portions, friendly staff. Lively with kids.

Went with several colleagues after a work meeting. Very nice layout and spacious. It's always nice when not too many tables are placed too close. Service was very good, and the waitress was always on hand when needed. The food was good but didn't have the wow factor I'd wished for. It's still nice, and if in the area again, I would revisit. The atmosphere was ok, but as it was a quiet Monday evening it was expected to be a quiet night. Still had a great time with colleagues. Many thanks.

Nice food but the manager was very rude

We went for lunch here as we were in the area visiting friends and it comes highly recommended. It definitely didn't disappoint with lovely freshly cooked food and very good service. Reasonably priced, good sized portions and a pleasant atmosphere. I look forward to going back to try other things on the menu when we are in the area !

Always good food. Friendly efficient staff

This restaurant is great, such a wide variety of Italian based things to eat and brilliant customer service the owners are present and make the restaurant wholesome, the only thing that let it down a bit is the huge noisy air con unit but it could be a pro or a con depending on how hot it is outside. Very impressed with the speed that the food got to us and the quality. Hats off to the chef and the everyone working the shop floor 🎩👌

Great service, delicious food, great size portions.

Excellent quality and very good service. Surprisingly not full.

Went to Va Pensiero for the 1st time with some friends who'd been before and spoke so highly about the food. When we arrived at the restaurant, it looked really pretty from the outside, and the interior is simple yet classy. It wasn't very busy when we got there so we were able to order drinks and our food quite quickly. For starters we ordered; Brushetta - 10/10 Garlic dough balls - 10/10 Avocado & Mozarella salad - 3/10 (the avocados were inedible as they were not ripened at all) Mains we ordered; Cannelloni - 7/10 (too cheesy and not enough sauce but very tasty) Scicilian penne - 10/10 Mushroom risotto - 10/10 Off the menu tomato creamy risotto with veg; green beans, spinach & broccoli - 10/10 Dessert we ordered; Tirimisu - 10/10 Profiteroles - 10/10 As the evening went on, it became very busy, and with that also very loud, we found ourselves having to talk loudly across the table to be able to have a conversation, which wasn't the greatest. We also found that the service slowed down, and we kept having to get the waitresses' attention as they didn't appear to have enough staff. All in all, I'd highly recommend the restaurant. Location is great, plenty of parking on the street or off the main street and the bill wasn't too expensive either. Average spend per person £30 Food was amazing and I'd definitely come back.

Pizza was delicious! I love this place.

Honestly the best Italian we’ve had for years. Delicious pasta dishes and great atmosphere.

Food was good. Staff were friendly and polite. Food was tasty, fast service, and will go again.

Great food! Was served quite quickly

Really great Italian food, with decent portion sizes! We had the fried mozzarella, bruschetta, funghi pizza and the fiorentina pasta (ask for Spaghetti instead of Penne!) I didn’t think much of the pizza, but the spaghetti was delicious, and tasted very fresh with the spinach and mozzarella. Our starters and mains came very quickly - the restaurant was fairly empty as we came at a quiet time, but I anticipate that this sort of speedy service is standard! The food is slightly on the pricier side but recommend a visit. Overall, a good experience; would definitely come again.

Hi, Wen last night for the second time and I will not be returning neck. They rush you there! I emailed the restaurant first time I went and got no reply so rude!

The starter and my main course were lovely. My husbands pizza was burnt and dry should never have been served. Told the waiter and they deducted half the price of the pizza but it ruined the whole experience. The chef should have never sent that out to a table. The staff were nice and wine was lovely.

Heard this place was worth the try, but sadly did not live up to the hype. Service was mediocre. When asked for advice on dishes, it was met with no interest. Apparently new rules mean you have to order all the food at once. So you cant order starters, see how you feel after for mains, they wont allow it, which seemed silly

Lovely restaurant, attentive service, very good food.

Always pleasant atmosphere, nice food and great location! Good for a family gathering or a family celebration!

I'd love to review the food but it wasn't delivered. Maybe deliveroo to blame, but on calling the restaurant, first of all they said our order had been there for a long time waiting then a minute later insisted it had already been delivered. One of those can't be true. Not a good response. Two hungry unhappy ex customers here.

Have been a few times but this last visit the food seems to have gone down a lot. Portions are large but lack flavour. I had the salad but there was no dressing. Starters of calamari and halloumi were not very good and my partner hardly ate the lasagne. It felt over priced and disappointing. Staff were lovely though. Sadly we won't be back.

Lovely place and quite busy. Good service and tasty food. To finish off a hot cappuccino- trust me that is unusual - as they are more often lukewarm. A place to go backntoo

We had a lovely meal at Va Pensiero and it was fantastic. We had heard good things about this restaurant and they were right. Fantastic food and wonderful service. Highly recommended!

Really enjoy the ambiance, ordered penne siciliana (I believe it was called) that was nice. Their portion sizes are good too.

Had a good evening with friends, very good service, nice atmosphere.

Good but not amazing food, good portions but they have lost the plot with their pricing. They charge west end prices for a local village. Chicken Milanese at £18.50 is unjustifiable. Prices are up about 40% from pre pandemic.

Food is pleasant, service is good, prices is right, I think this is a good staple restaurant...

Quite good food - wine not so good.

Lovely food and service, but we felt cold due to the draft from window behind our table.

Fab food, great service and fab atmosphere

We had a table of 20 people. The food came in good time, no one was left waiting. It was delicious. The service was excellent, drinks arrived quickly, table was cleared promptly. Highly recommend.

Food was great and didn’t have to wait around to eat Everything was going well until the manager decided to move us very rudely and stated that it was ‘Saturday night’ and he had to seat other people. We booked in advance and was not informed of a time limit of our table booking, we were then given the bill without asking and were told to pay ‘whenever we liked’. If this wasn’t bad enough we were asked to move a second time. We informed a staff member that the manager was rude to us and she said ‘he’s not rude, it’s just the impression he gives’ what’s the difference? Won’t be returning due to this reason. Manager needs to learn some manners

I came here on a quiet Tuesday afternoon where it was too late for lunch but too early for the dinner crowd. Lovely, warm service from both people who were here. The food was fantastic, flavoursome and generously portioned. The Al forno as I understand it, is not available until after 5pm but what I had was simply delicious. Very clean, lovely, flattering lighting. I only had bruschetta and spaghetti bolognaise which some may say are simple foods but my goodness, they were both packed with flavour and absolutely delicious. I don't like leaving food which is a challenge as the portions are generous but you can take them home with you to enjoy again. I'll definitely be back, thanks for a wonderful meal.

food and service great. Knocked off a star because of the acoustics. A little noisy.

Really nice place with lovely food

Authentic Italian food, one of best and now one of my favourites

Very nice venue. Staff were very friendly and service was brilliant. The food took time to come but I assume they made it fresh (one can assume?) but was very delicious. Will definitely be returning!

Food was decent, but how a restaurant cannot understand the importance of allergies is beyond me. They were just so dismissive about it as if it's not a big deal and we're just trying to be difficult. We tell the staff about the kids egg allergy when ordering, they were a bit dismissive but it's fine, they heard us. Then they offer cheese on the pasta and we ask again is there eggs in that, and we get funny looks and just a "in here? No, it's just cheese". After asking a few times we say ok to the cheese. Luckily while we were waiting for the pasta to cool down one waiter thought let me go check the packaging and then came running back to tell us there is eggs in that. Staff are definitely not welcoming and like to talk down to you like your there to make them work unnecessarily.

Lasagne is as described as best I have ever had.

Nice authentic Italian food. Would definitely go back. The service could be a little better

Fantastic food with excellent service. Went here with friends and had a wonderful time. The restaurant is large and spacious with lots of seating set over three spaces. The food was made to perfection in massive portions! Be ready to take some home! The waiter (I assume manager) he was very helpful and ordering was quick and easy. Drinks were regularly offered and the whole experience was a joy. Located on the high street there was parking nearby. Very easy. Great pricing just right! 100% recommend!

Delicious food served at speed. Attentive staff.

Manager is rude. Staff not friendly. Overpriced. Pizzas are average. The garlic pizza bread is tasty. We felt unwelcome and spoken down to from the moment we entered the restaurant. We wanted to enjoy a birthday celebration but by the way we were treated we would much prefer to give our business elsewhere.

The restaurant is spacious and very clean.Staff are friendly and attentive but not over the top.The food is really tasty and the portions are large.The kids' menu deal is a very good value for money as it is quite a big portion and comes with a soft drink and ice-cream for pudding.

Good food and service nice atmosphere highly recommend for a nice meal

Brilliant food! Went for dinner with the wife and absolutely loved it. We had a 3 course meal and wine. Bruschetta for starters, Regina Pizza and Pollo Alla Creama for Mains and chocolate profiteroles and Banoffee Pie for dessert. Amazing! Photo of dessert attached. Will certainly go again.

Always good food and service here, what more can I say

Meatballs were bit dry, sauce was nice felt fresh and vibrant. The pizza was okay sauce was a bit watery so the base was a little soggy that being said it was cooked. Also happy to have a pizza where the cheese is toasted, it rare these days. Loved the toppings. Not bad.

Would have been 5 but honestly the staff have zero house warming/customer service skills, not even a smile let alone banter or guidance on specials. I hope the owners read it...simple skills

Amazing, really tasty food for the whole family. Great service. Desserts are to die for. We loved everything we ordered. Will definitely come back!

It's a lovely place with good food. The reason I gave 4 instead kf 5 stars is because the acoustic is bad that you almost have to yell to be able to have a conversation.

Food is amazing, staff are amazing, atmosphere is amazing! Honestly always have the nicest experiences every time me and my family go, highly recommended !

Lovely spacious restaurant. Good selection of food. Attentive staff

Convinced the pizza was a frozen pizza from the supermarket. Food was pretty poor for a hefty price!

Great food, nice options and generous portion sizes! Have been a few times and would go again

lovely food and service and good value

Meal was very filling and tasted good but staff weren't attentive had to chase up things like drinks, parking is awkward being on the high street, it was very gloomy inside, a little more light would have been fine but kept that relaxed atmosphere, music was about 8 tracks on repeat, the Aircon unit we were sat under was a little distracting and had annoying rattle but over all was okay.

Great Food, Staff are friendly, Large portions. Will definitely go here again..

Great service and delious food.

Exellent food and service as normal