The best restaurants serving Italian food in East of England

It started with a guy doing balloons in the car outside and ended with a drug deal in the middle of the road as we were pulling away. Not the restaurants fault to be fair but it gives you the idea of what a sh*t hole the area is. Now the food. Carbonara was bland , beef rags over cooked and dry and pizza was average but a bit light on toppings. 1 st impressions was to leave wish we had. It was recommended by a guy I play football with. DC thanks mate it’s a carsey ! Never give me a recommendation again please.

Fantastic food and service. We all enjoyed our meals and will definitely return. The staff were so friendly and welcoming.

If you want warm white wine and lots on the menu that’s unavailable, then this is the place for you. We arrived at 6pm and the restaurant was empty but the girl pointed at a table we could have, when we could have sat anywhere! We were served white wine un-chilled / limited menu/ no chilli oil/ had to ask for cutlery and pepper, and this looked to be a hassle. The girl behind the bar seemed fed up and I asked for chilli oil 3 times and eventually she said they did not have any without telling me this. Felt bad for the boy waiter as he was apologising for all the failures that had occurred. We were also told the restaurant was busy dealing with the tables outside (there were only two covers). Can’t believe the pizzeria doesn't open until 5pm and they don’t have basic ingredients to fill the menu and the wine is not chilled. Call me old fashioned, but the customer is the customer and we are all paying a bill at the end of the night and expect good service and a smile. Food was actually nice but not an enjoyable experience. Lucy did not make us feel welcome. :-(

Well this place closed up last year 2021, so there is no food, no drinks, No menu, no phone, its been sold off and long gone, so better to go somewhere else as you can't go here

Great selection of wines and high quality food! The bill can add up fast here but in my opinion it's worth it. Stand out red wine - Ameroni Stand out food - Aubergine Parmigiana, Arancini, Truffle tagliatelle, Sharing Tiramisu (definitely could have eaten this on my own)

We came across this place by accident whilst visiting the area. The staff are absolutely amazing - so friendly and welcoming. The food ( Ratatouille pizza, bruschetta and rocket salad) were great. Possibly the best bruschetta I’ve ever had. Thank you. You must go there!

I'm Italian and quite fussy and often feel underwhelmed when eating in Italian restaurants. Not this time. I visited with my partner, we had a nice whitebait starter and then two plates of pasta, both were delicious. I had the linguine mussels, prawns and chillies and my partner had the linguine with cream of courgettes and prawns. The pasta was cooked to perfection and both sauces were to die for. We even asked for some bread to mop up the sauces (la scarpetta) as they were just too delicious to leave. We had a lovely Campari spritz as an aperitif and a very nice glass of house white. Angela who served us was very welcoming. A really nice experience and I'll definitely return when I'm in the Thorpe Bay area. I highly recommend.

Have been a few times when in the city. Superb Pizza, and tremendous Pasta. Great authentic Italian Food. Small and informal dining.

Bought a voucher for someone. They had a lovely meal and there was £15 left for a tip. They were told they couldn’t use it as a tip. They were not offered anything else for the £15 so lost it. They then had to leave a tip. We used to go regular but not going anymore 😞

Visited for the first time with a group of friends. It was absolutely lovely and so reminded me of places we’d been to in Italy. It looks like a cafe but the food is amazing. We ordered wine by the carafe and ordered various pasta dishes which we all said were delicious. Simple, relaxed, friendly, unhurried, just what eating out should be. We will definitely go back again soon.

INCREDIBLE party pizzas. Adults and children alike were so impressed with the quality of the party pizzas. They arrived hot and on time, and were well worth the money. I would highly recommend!

Woman’s attitude on phone was horrendous and then a man came and called a c*** on the phone. Don’t recommend

We liked this place and would have made it a more regular haunt until we were turned away because they already had a table of four and a table of five to serve! So ??? We are just two, were in no rush, would have been happy to wait a while and have a drink at the bar. Owner handled the occasion badly, poor attitude and we have not been back since. Shame, as food is good.

Came across this place and noticed they sold grounded coffee and purchased it. 5 minutes later after walking away I realised that they sold me coffee beans, so went back and politely asked if this could be exchanged- which the staff said even though they advertise it they didnt sell it and only sell the beans-so requested a refund. At this point they couldn’t see my transaction on the till and asked if I even paid for it? The guy who served me was there but didn’t mention he served me at that time- I was then asked to check my internet banking to check the transaction has gone through and for them to see this also???? Because if it didn’t go through then no refund is required????(Could have asked the staff member who served me?????) Eventually they found my purchase- said it’s been refunded- but still hasn’t. So keep the £6… not worth the re visit.

Went last night for the first time to celebrate a family birthday. The food was fantastic, staff could not have been friendlier or helpful. Reasonable prices too for Shenfield.. will definitely revisit !