The best restaurants serving Italian food in East of England

My first reaction on entering Paolo's is that it looked like a diner with quite cramped booths down one side of the restaurant. On a cold winter's evening it was quite cold inside the restaurant. The menu is quite varied, including fish, pizza and pasta. My wife had soup which was good but, given the price, we would have expected it to be served with some bread. I started with bruschetta which was also good but again, given the price, I would have expected more than the 3 small pieces I received. For main course my wife had ravioli which was very tasty but quite a small portion. I had sea bass which was excellent, nicely presented, tasty and a good sized portion. One of our friends had pizza which had very thick crusts - more of an American pizza than an Italian one. Service was good. Prices were high given the modest size of the portions of some of the dishes.

Unexpected Saturday Lunch. Delicious as normal. Booked last minute and didn't disappoint. Pizza and Lasagne for main and a caramelised onion and mozzarella garlic is a must. THANK YOU

Lovely, relaxing place to have a drink while waiting on our delayed flight. Livingstone was serving us and was absolutely great; very professional while friendly and welcoming at the same time. We’ll definitely return again

What a super little find, very friendly staff, lovely food, great prices, brilliant choices in menu, free parking in town, and lots of lovely Italian goodies to purchase, highly recommend

Pre-theatre dinner in a lovely restaurant. The place was very busy at 8pm when we arrived. Told staff we needed to be be gone by half nine and they were happy to accommodate this request. Portions are very generous and the prices are very reasonable. The food was delicious and everyone was happy at our table. Also the complimentary limoncello at the end was a nice touch. We will definitely be back to enjoy the food at a more leisurely pace.

I really want to like this place but feel the service is letting it down - although looking at other reviews, we might be an anomaly. We had reserved a table and ours was the last table free - a good sign. But after we had been seated, it took over 20 minutes for anyone to come to take our order, and even then it was only after we attracted attention. Obviously we could see that the restaurant was full, but the staff didn't seem like they were rushed or short-staffed, and were being very attentive to other tables around us. When we were placing our orders, we asked if the house wine - listed on the menu by the glass only - was available as a bottle, to which we were told it was. But when we asked for a bottle of the house red, the waitress said, 'Oh no, only rose or white.' Bit confusing and frustrating, but we were still able to order 2 glasses. After that service did speed up a bit and the food came out at a reasonable interval, beautifully presented and delicious. We decided we wanted to order a dessert, but once again we had to flag someone down to request a menu. I'm not sure if we were in a blind spot, or if there was a mix up over who was meant to be serving us, or that we booked for a bad time, but the service did mar the experience for us. The staff were all polite enough, but we felt forgotten and like we'd inconvenienced them when we drew their attention. It's a shame because the food is so good and the chef is so friendly, and clearly loves his work. I'm not going to say I'll never be back but I have been put off.

I booked in the entire space for my husband’s 40th surprise party and I can’t tell you how happy I am with how everything went! I had been looking for a venue for a while and when I saw Paisá it was perfect! Lorenzo and his staff were so helpful in helping me to plan the evening! The food and drinks were spectacular and I couldn’t recommend this place more! They were super accommodating on the day as well and everything went to plan and all executed smoothly. I highly highly highly recommend and would definitely rebook for future events!!

A hidden gem tucked away near the high street. Fantastic food and great friendly service. Can’t wait to return to try the rest of the menu.

We visited as a family for my dad’s 80th birthday celebrations for Sunday lunch. We had a fantastic table for 12 of us in a separate room but still felt very much part of the restaurant. The decor was lovely and the ambience and music made the day really special. The service was spot on, and the staff were really friendly. We all thoroughly enjoyed our food, starters were really nice and the Sunday roast was delicious. This is our second visit, and we will definitely be back. Would highly recommend.

Brilliant deli - reminded me of the Italian delis in London's Soho from my childhood. Great spaghetti and Guanciale which we just happened to need for a recipe. And in Dunstable of all places

This is a village country traditional pub retaining all of its original features which still offers the opportunity locals to prop up the bar with your dog for just a chat and pint but there are three eating areas with the menu being 100% Italian. Outside to the front there are benches and tables and the pub offers parking too. The menu prices are very reasonable and food is very good. The service was good with helpful friendly staff.

1st time of going to this venue, very impressive, decor was beautifully done. Had a light lunch and the food was delicious. Our waitress was very friendly and helpful. The surrounding area is scruffy as it’s on an industrial area, but once inside it’s lovely, the outside seating area looks great, will definitely return in the summer.

A great little café/restaurant in Tring. Whenever we are here we make a point of visiting. This time we were here for four days and we visited twice because we love it so much. The atmosphere is great, the food is delicious as is the coffee and the staff are so helpful and friendly it's almost embarrassing. This time we purchased a special Christmas hamper and there was an item in it that we didn't like so the girl said we could substitute it for another product. She was very happy to help and insisted it was no problem at all. They have a very good little delicatessen section if you just want something to take away. It's also licensed with a good selection of wine, beer and spirits. If ever you are in the area make a point of dropping in. You won't regret it, I can promise!

El café es muy bueno, y el pistacho tiramisú también es un buen regalo. Sin embargo, el servicio fue extremadamente grosero. Después de solo 15 minutos en mi mesa con un expreso y tiramisú —y mientras usaba mi computadora portátil— el miembro del personal se acercó con una actitud hostil, diciéndome que no podía permanecer más de 30 minutos. Le recordé que solo había estado allí durante 15 minutos! Esta misma persona fue antipática en cuanto entré en la cafetería porque tenía un equipaje de mano, ya que estaba de camino de la estación de tren a mi hotel. Si bien el café es bueno, el ambiente desagradable hace que sea difícil de disfrutar. Cambridge tiene un montón de buenos cafés, por lo que una actitud más amigable ayudaría mucho a mantener a la gente regresando. Definitivamente no volveré y no lo recomiendo ya que un buen café va con un ambiente agradable