Valentinos Bistro in Colchester

I ordered a Fiorentina pizza for collection. It was ready on arrival and piping hot. The base was well cooked: some depth but not too thick, with a lovely crisp crust. The egg, spinach and slight saltiness from the olives were a lovely combination. Very tasty!

Fantastic little restaurant. The best italian in the area. Booking in advance is a must. The house wine is just the best value of any restaurants around the area.

We visited here last Saturday on our way home. We don't usually leave bad reviews - we just pay the bill and never come back. However the meals we had here were shocking given the price point. Son (25) had the pizza which was tiny, ready made and undercooked. The only beer on offer was small bottles of Peroni. My partner had stuffed mushrooms which were greasy and lasagna which was just a slop on the plate. It tasted of nothing. I had the tomato bread which was a single crusty roll with two slices of tomato on it??? This too was undercooked. For main i had the Gorgonzola chicken which was without doubt the worst meal i have been served. A poor quality breast which looked like it had been boiled. It came with a salad and the "sauce" was poured over the whole thing - yes you read that right - hot gorgonzola "sauce" over salad. Absolutely bizarre. Needless to say we didnt stay for dessert or coffee. We didnt eat our meals either. Please do not waste you money coming here - you have been warned!!!! Oh and there are cobwebs and spiders everywhere. A deep clean wouldn't go amiss. Really surprised at the 5 star food hygiene rating.

Very disappointing visit. Was a treat for a friend’s birthday and the food was awful. Two of us had what was called lasagne. It was like a tomato soup with two meatballs in it smothered in tomato purée. The spaghetti bolognaise was similar, swimming in tomato soup and very little meat. We didn’t have a dessert but asked for coffee and told we couldn’t have any as the machine was broken. Not even offered an instant. Won’t be going back. The table we had was so squashed up to the neighbouring one that we could hardly breathe. Awful.

Amazing amazing amazing. Have been here numerous times and food is outstanding. Please don’t listen to the negative reviews, no idea what they are talking about! Garlic bread is to die for. So much choice and lovely friendly people. We even travel 40 minutes to come here it’s that good.

Lovely little Italian restaurant in the heart of wivenhoe Lovely garlic bread with mozzarella and tomato

Lovely food. Lovely atmosphere and good value. Very nice house wine too! Good for families as well as grwn ups.

Without a doubt the worst food we have ever had sadly, we prayed this would be good, love Italian but sadly this was a complete let down , to begin garlic bread, scone with raw garlic , mains arribiatta , tomato soup with pasta honestly worst Italian ever.

This was a lovely restaurant with great food and great staff. We had contacted ahead and they could not have been more helpful. The food was delicious and the choice great. Highly recommend

The managed to fit me in at the last minute, and glad they did. We both had a fantastic meal, with great staff. Will be going back, for sure

The staff are so friendly and the place has a lovely atmosphere. But sadly the food is just not good. All sauces were too thin, and flavours were too diluted. The meat was not great quality or correctly cooked which, considering the price, it really should have been. Sorry to give one star, but future customers should be prepared.

Great restaurant, amazing food and friendly staff

Fabulous Italian with THE BEST garlic bread in the world!!!@

Delicious food with lovely service. Our new local Italian!

Good small place with nice decor. The food is good, highly recommend the bread. Portion sizes are big, a little too big. Maybe get a started portion.

Very good food and fantastic service but the place little bit tense.

Lovely restaurant in a lovely old building not far from the river in Wivenhoe. Staff are very welcoming and friendly. The menu is extensive and the food is cooked to perfection. The Garlic bread is a must try and big enough to share between 2. All the main courses are very generous in size but can be ordered as a starter size which I prefer. All in all a great place to eat.

The most amazing authentic homemade Italian . Would highly recommended over any chain Italian. Located in a beautiful creek village . Reasonable priced and will definitely be going back on a regular basis . Services was extremely friendly & attentive

We forgot that we were in UK ! We did not have brooking as we were tourists in the area so we’re not hopeful however lovely lady at reception accommodated us Customer service was excellent Food was top Though we had a great dinner with the toddler -I felt place is best suited romantic dinner ! Fully recommend a visit Freshly baked bread is must eat Lots of choices for vegetarians Thank you for having us

Disappointing. The £13 lasagne was sloppy and comprised 90 per cent sauce and almost no pasta or meat. Very overpriced.

Met with friends, delicious food, friendly staff. Will definitely go again.

Booking advised though drop in and you might get lucky. Lovely environment to sit in, smaller space outside. Yummy pizza reasonable price...

Visited with a couple of friends last night for a birthday and had a really lovely time. The food was all fresh, delicious and served in good time, the portion sizes are very generous, I opted for a pasta dish and chose the starter size as I could see the size of other diner's plates and the main size was huge! The garlic bread was amazing! Service was friendly and attentive and I will definitely be returning. Thank you Valentinos :)

We had a thoroughly enjoyable night with friends. Food was good, tasty and reasonably priced. The lady that served us was lovely, would definitely return and would recommend.

Awful food. Had better ready meals. Son had pizza which was raw dough. Lasagne was mush, and other pasta dishes swimming in tasteless sauce.

Don’t be fooled by the pictures on the reviews they aren’t real pictures, had a meal recently, at Valentino’s, was like eating spaghetti soup, the pizza was RAW, the garlic bread was a bit of ciabatta with garlic cloves in the middle. One choice of lager, one choice of wine, If you like deep fried greasy stuff you’ll love the calamari. Not Italian not even a patch on an Iceland ready meal.

It was nothing short of rubbish. The pizza was thick not thin and the dough was raw. The cheese on the pizza was horrible. Not enough selection of wine or beers. All the food was boiling hot probably out of the microwave, well tasted like it anyway. The deserts were ok. Not a big selection, also my sticky toffee pudding was like a river of sauce, too sickly.

Don’t be fooled by the pictures on the reviews they aren’t real pictures, had a meal recently, at Valentino’s, was like eating spaghetti soup, the pizza was RAW, the garlic bread was a bit of ciabatta with garlic cloves in the middle. One choice of lager, one choice of wine, If you like deep fried greasy stuff you’ll love the calamari. Not Italian not even a patch on an Iceland ready meal. Will not visit again !!!

Been here 3 times and it never fails to disappoint. The calzone I had in October was so big my friend had to finish it for me! Delicious and great ambience. Highly recommended.

Valentino’s was recommended to us and we had a delicious meal. We started with the garlic bread, which definitely feeds two, best garlic bread ever! Two of us had pizza and two had pasta mains all were delicious. Desserts were very good too, lots of different ice cream flavours and homemade puddings, we had three ice creams and a sticky toffee pudding. Wine is served in amazing carafe’s. Service was excellent and we will definitely return.

Beautiful little gem of a restaurant nestled in a picturesque fishing village near the river. Delicious, authentic, homemade, Italian food - with huge portions and very reasonable prices! Lovely house wine served in their famous chicken jugs, and all the greats, such as Limoncello and Grappa are available. Staff are friendly and can't do enough for you. The decor is charming, and the atmosphere is warming. Can't fault this place, and can't praise it enough. If you haven't been, then take a visit, if you have been, then visit again - we have been 3 or 4 times and we will be coming back for sure!

Excellent meal and a very friendly atmosphere. Would go back anytime. Thank you for a great night !!!!

I found the food ok, but below the usual standard of pretty much any Italian restaurant I have eaten in - it’s ok, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here again.

Lovely place bad food. If you are British you probably will love it. If you’re used to Italian way of eat, well better you will be prepared…

Best Italian food locally. Such a lovely quaint little place to eat with incredible service. Huge portions, good quality and the most rustic garlic bread you can find! Brilliant.

I have always loved this little Italian. First visited in 1997 when Angela had it & I was a regular. Have been back a couple of times since the chef took it over, and it has gone down hill considerably. I have tried to over...

Food fantastic x service fantastic. Would recommend this resturant to everybody. Very friendly staff excellent food. Can't wait to go back again x

Excellent meal served by Debbie & Stephen. Left too full, as usual. Thanks, we will be back soon & will try to save room for dessert!

Pizza was good but the tables were very close together, felt more like a cafe than a restaurant.

Really good food. Well organised and efficient staff with friendly attitude. Comfortable seating and atmosphere. Would love to return when covid permits.

Excellent food and service. Were very accommodating of our party.

Restaurant was nicely presented and we had high hope for a similar nice meal, however we were very disappointed. We were a group of four and were underwhelmed with our meals, the two pasta dishes ordered and the pizza were over cooked and the mixed...

Food was excellent and good portion but one meal was heavily cooked an balsamic and it overpowered the meal. Otherwise good. Would go there again but not that particular dish.

Excellent food and brilliant service. The main courses are very good but be sure to leave room for their incredible desserts too!

What a little gem! Me and my partner booked a last minute table and they managed to squeeze us. The owner was really lovely, the food was superb. I had the starter size main and there was more than enough. I was so full I could not manage desert but they popped it in a take away tub for me.

Lovely atmosphere great food friendly staff warm welcome - absolute gem of a find - will be visiting again - lucky to get in after a cancellation!!

After being a bit disappointed by what was on offer in Wivenhoe this little Italian really came up trump's. Friendly efficient service and very tasty food. I would definitely recommend it.

Went there twice whilst staying in the area. Lovely food and polite friendly staff. Would definitely recommend .

Had a lovely evening in Valentinos yesterday, first time there.Ambience lovely, service very attentive and good, and food was delicious. Will definitely go back again.

Great to go back and visit this place again with our local friends. It was very busy so service was a bit slow which we understood. The food was nice but some of us were a little disappointed about the salad replacing vegetables with our...

In Wivenhoe this evening. Lovely town. Saw this was open at 6. Wandered up. Couple walking away talking about rudeness. Door open. Table across it. Could see a lady in further room putting up birthday banners. Called out to her. She looked, clearly saw us....

A small traditional style Italian with hearty pasta and tasty pizza. Leave room for the gorgeous home made ice cream in a huge variety of flavours.

Food not cooked from fresh but priced as it was. Very disappointed

Yet again an unforgetable evening after a long absense. As always introduced friends to this superb, effervescent and lively restaurant. Like us they could not believe the size of the portions. The home made bread swallowed up in garlic butter is pure luxury. To sum...

My wife and I visited Valentinos on 22/7/2021. We each had the same main meal but different starters. I was perfectly okay but my wife within 1 and a half hours of eating was violently ill. Three hours she was expelling food from both ends...

Lovely food and friendly service

Valentinos is always value for money, fantastic food and friendly great service. This is always my Italian of choice and I'm even luckier to have it on my doorstep. If you get a chance the garlic bread is an absolute must!

So I felt the pizza was to small but I’ll take that hit, but if you look at the pictures I don’t no how this passes for lasagna zero pasta just a mess. Iv been here before great food eating in. We got take out...

Always have a great time when we visit Valentinos. So lucky to have it within walking distance. Really good food, fab service & the best chicken jug of 🍷

Small, bland & overpriced pizzas. Pasta might be nicer but didn't try it. The set-up and restaurant was nice but pizzas just not up to scratch!

Very friendly staff but food was quite uninspired. Pizza was very doughy and covered in parsley for some reason.

Visited last night & had a fantastic meal ad usual. Felt very safe- face masks worn by all staff & lso clients when moving from table.In view of the new tier Essex has entered we must support this local fantastic bistro by either dining in...

I went there tonight with a few friends for a birthday meal and was really disappointed. I ordered the chicken with Gorgonzola cheese which sounded amazing. Well. It was ghastly . I had to send it back as it was a tiny piece of chicken...

Customers walking in without face masks, lack of track and trace, don't have the app on my phone but not asked for any details, does not prove a comfortable environment. Food was awful, sloppy and tasteless. Staff didn't care that it wasn't nice. Would not...

Great food and a lovely cosy atmosphere ... as always. High recommended.

Just had a takeaway from Valentino's, it was great, just as good as eating in the restaurant.

Lovely birthday meal. Gentle homely feel with a simple but varied Italian home cooking menu. The home made ice cream was gorgeous.

Great food, decent portions, nice people - highly recommended

Two friends, my partner and I ventured out for our first meal out since the pandemic. The tables were well spaced out and we felt extremely happy. I have had countless meals there and last evening did not disappoint. We had garlic bread, shared between 2 which was just the right amount for our appetites as starters (superb as ever) and we all chose something different as a main course, all beautifully presented and thoroughly enjoyable. Debbie's ice creams were, as usual, delicious and I can thoroughly reccomend a visit, especially if you are a bit nervous of eating out after such a long time away from restaurants. Heartfelt thanks Debbie and Steohen, your hard work has not gone unnoticed.

Takeaway. School canteen pasta, very poor prawns, small pizza.

Lovely food and such a friendly local restaurant.

It's a really friendly little place. The garlic bread is truly very good. I would recommend the cassoulet, a sausage and bean delight. Very good service and a lovely welcome. I thoroughly recommend it.

Excellent authentic homemade Italian food with a real charm to the place

Never disappointed in this fab restaurant. Staff wonderful and food always high standard. Hoping to return soon Thanks Debbie and Steven Beverley and Chris

Excellent service and food.... would be nice though to have some Italian music played in the background as opposed to rock

Great place. Friendly staff, intimate atmosphere and 1st class food. Cant wait to go back again soon

Excellent on every way, service good and menu are so good. A good menu for young and old alike. We all had a different choice and they were all served together,

Good high quality ingredients cooked well

Great food /great atmosphere & great staff/owners

Had a very pleasant evening in this lovely authentice Italian restaurant, food all home cooked and delicious. The restaurant is quite small so I would recommend booking well ahead.

Sub-par Italian food, I cannot recommend. Basic dishes which were not fresh. The restaurant also had a strange smell.

Having been to Valentino's before we chose to go there for a special birthday celebration. Disappointed on this occasion - lasagne arrived with no real structure, mainly a fairly raw tasting tomato sauce around a sunken lasagne containing hardly any pasta or meat and no sign of texture or gratinated cheese on top. I discretely approached the gentleman in charge and politely explained that I was not happy with the lasagne, rather than graciously accepting that perhaps in this occasion the portion provided may have been the runt if the batch, he came to the table where my family were sitting and became all defensive and a little confrontation, providing an explanation of how "it should have been a massive portion, all portions are large, he makes it fresh and then blast freezes it, he doesn't understand why it should be an issue". I had to then say that I didn't dispute the standard portion size but that given the clear evidence in front of me (which everyone around the table was in full agreement and surprised by), the lasagne I had been given was not up to standard. He begrudgingly offered to give me "another portion" which I accepted. This arrived with more excuses and dialogue which was unnecessary and made me feel guilty for speaking up. Restaurants in this country have come along way since the days that customers were scared to complain, like our European counterparts who will not accept sub-standard food for the good money they are paying, us Brits should be providing constructive feedback to restauranteurs so that they are aware of when they have not got things quite right. I was happy to keep things discreet and to give them another chance and that should have been straight forward with minimal fuss, but the response was rude, unnecessarily defensive and done in front of everyone else present which made things very uncomfortable. The replacement lasagne turned out to be something more recognisable with some structure and a nice crust on the top, but it wasn't great and for an Italian restaurant I would expect something better than I prepare myself at home, they need to look at their standards and ask themselves whether they've let them slip and put a bit more love into their preparation and customer service.

Having been to Valentino's before we chose to go there for a special birthday celebration. Disappointed on this occasion - lasagne arrived with no real structure, mainly a fairly raw tasting tomato sauce around a sunken lasagne containing hardly any pasta or meat and no sign of texture or gratinated cheese on top. I discretely approached the gentleman in charge and politely explained that I was not happy with the lasagne, rather than graciously accepting that perhaps in this occasion the portion provided may have been the runt if the batch, he came to the table where my family were sitting and became all defensive and a little confrontation, providing an explanation of how "it should have been a massive portion, all portions are large, he makes it fresh and then blast freezes it, he doesn't understand why it should be an issue". I had to then say that I didn't dispute the standard portion size but that given the clear evidence in front of me (which everyone around the table was in full agreement and surprised by), the lasagne I had been given was not up to standard. He begrudgingly offered to give me "another portion" which I accepted. This arrived with more excuses and dialogue which was unnecessary and made me feel guilty for speaking up. Restaurants in this country have come along way since the days that customers were scared to complain, like our European counterparts who will not accept sub-standard food for the good money they are paying, us Brits should be providing constructive feedback to restauranteurs so that they are aware of when they have not got things quite right. I was happy to keep things discreet and to give them another chance and that should have been straight forward with minimal fuss, but the response was rude, unnecessarily defensive and done in front of everyone else present which made things very uncomfortable. The replacement lasagne turned out to be something more recognisable with some structure and a nice crust on the top, but it wasn't great and for an Italian restaurant I would expect something better than I prepare myself at home, they need to look at their standards and ask themselves whether they've let them slip and put a bit more love into their preparation and customer service.

After a few years, I decided to go back to this small Italian restaurant. What a disappointment. I know it is normal for most restaurants to go down after a few years, but not that much. First of all, the hygiene of the place was appalling and the place was smelling something funny - anyway, I felt like having dinner inside a stinking toilet. Secondly, the food is now a disgrace: the 'Italian antipasti' was just something like a random Sirian salad with a taste of vegetable wash; the pizza was hard and salty - I would be much better off with a frozen cheap supermarket pizza; the lasagna was boring and I could tell that the cheese was moldy. Seriously, a moldy cheese in an Italian restaurant?! That's a mortal sin. Overall, it was a traumatizing experience. The lady asked if everything was ok in the end. I was so shocked that I had no words to express my disappointment at the time. To make things worse, I am Italian and for us, there is nothing worse than a badly cooked Italian food. I still cannot believe. What happened there?!

We have regularly eaten here for years, always recommending it and each time we return it’s still brilliant. 3 reasons why; 1. Authentic, really fresh and generous portions-amazing taste. 2. Lovely little place, real buzz to it. 3. Service is always good,

Always a great food and a great evening at Valentino's.

Very good. Tasty menu and choices, friendly homely service. Reasonably priced. Lamb was tasty, gorgonzola chicken nice as well.

Excellent service. Great food and wines.

Been back many of times just love it. Traditional and authentic italian restaurant

Been coming here for too many years ! Fantastic service and lovely food. As Long as Stephen and Debbie run this place, they will always have our custom

Great food friendly staff, what more could you want for your wife's birthday night out. Thank you all xxx

Service was good....can't say the same for the food. Tasteless :-(

What a lovely little place this is p food is al ways fantastic garlic bread is the best in there eaten here on numerous occasions and never had a bad meal

The food is mediocre and all main pasta dishes have vinegar in them. Nice ambiance but food is not good

I've been to this restaurant a few times & the food is a bit inconsistent. Sometimes the food has been lovely, other times a little bland. The chicken jugs that wine is served in are beautiful & add fun and character to the meal. The restaurant itself is very small & a bit hard to move around if you have mobility problems. Also, there is only one loo for all the customers! I would return again as, on a good day, the food is worth it.

Love eating here, it never fails! Fantastic food, beautiful, fresh ingredients- flavours are out of this world. Great, personal attentive service and all at a reasonable price! Highly recommend this wonderful place- Wivenhoe has a gem here!

Seating space was a bit tight. However, the atmosphere was good. The restaurant was busy when we visited, but that did not prevent us from getting the attention that we needed. The staff were friendly and professional.

When two others wanted to join myself and the two friends I had booked a table for, the friendly staff of this busy restaurant gracefully accommodated our request. The wine came out of colourful jugs, the cooking was very good indeed, and the surroundings extremely pleasant. The enduring popularity of this long-established restaurant was justified once more.

Friendly atmosphere and friendly staff. We come here on special occasions. Food is always good especially the garlic bread.

I've visited this restaurant a few times and the last time it wasn't brilliant but I thought i would give it another try. I chose a pizza which was somewhat tasteless and very wet and limp in the middle so i couldn't cut it to pick up an eat it how i like to - i had to use a knife and fork which spoilt the experience for me. My partner ordered a lasagne which frankly was just a pile of slop and not a very generous pile of slop either - more like a starter portion.