The best restaurants serving Italian food in Tendring East of England

Excellent ! The best Italian food for miles around. Not pizza or pasta, but real quality Italian cuisine. Lovely environment and good service. Home-made venison pate, Lobster thermidor and wonderful desserts to mention but a few. Their Christmas menu is amazing - can't wait!

First time I’ve been there & I wasn’t disappointed. Everything was spot on For proper pizza lovers who appreciate a real thin crust doe cooked in a wood burning oven.100%🙏 Very happy & will be back

Sadly to say this is supposedly one of the best restaurants in Clacton is very misleading, my starter wasn’t available and then when my main came the veg was over cooked and the mash potato was lumpy and a horrible colour and very poorly presented, upon closer inspection around the restaurant there was lots of flys around and it is looking like it’s a little run down, when an elderly gentleman entered the restaurant the staff pounced on him and then kept sitting with him on his table before he could even order food, it made me wonder if I was eating in a “adult” venue the way they were pouncing on him

Fantastic restaurant, perfect ambience. Lovely welcoming staff , could not be more helpful. The food was absolutely outstanding and will be returning very soon .

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

The experience is second to none. The food is awesome.. and well priced... I have lived in Mistley Manningtree since 2006 and always used this beautiful venue, i have never had a bad time there, so long may that continue... When Andy Dean was manager, 6/7 years ago, he made me a VIP customer.. lol.. RIP Andy Dean 🙏🏿

Absolutely brilliant service from start to finish! Helen was great with the two kids, and the four adults loved having her attitude

Delicious pizza 🍕 as usual Thank you

The chicken wings are absolutely awful! No crispiness at all just mushy and really cheap quality. Tried to call about this and they weren't helpful at all.

Went to Pizza hut with friends. Have to say disappointed, got seated by someone in jeans and t shirt who looked like a guest, with no introduction of who he was. He mumbled something about drinks machine not working and to order at the table. We ordered the buffet on the app, it gave us the option of leaving a tip. But we chose not to just for someone to bring over glasses for us. We had to wait for pizzas to be bought out. They hadn't cooked enough for the amount of people in the restaurant. The salad bar wasn't topped up and it was 12.15 when we got there. The Nachos were stale. Very disappointed indeed. Think we'll give it a miss next time.

Alfresco’s Restaurant, Marine Parade E, Clacton-on-Sea, CO15 IPU, Essex Staying in Walton-on-Naze for a week in September was a revelation – there was the iconic Naze to the north of town to explore and those spectacular beaches both sides of the pier to enjoy. The pier itself, by contrast, was rundown and in need of some real TLC - then there was the state of the town centre. There may be a couple of new mid-size supermarkets (looking fresh, familiar and full-of-life), but the high street that once was and the line of commercial shops have … faded. Why? The place seemed stuck in the 1950s. Hadn’t anyone invested in the place since then (well, apart from Messrs. Aldi & M&S). And what has all this to do with Alfresco’s place? Well … in a roundabout way it does for Clacton when we drove over there for lunch one day was bursting with confidence, bright lights, buoyant commercial centre, pristine pier and lots of people bustling around the centre. The two towns are 13 km apart. It was this thing about contrast that came across. Sure, it’s been many (many … many) years since we were last in both places – growing up in central Essex, the coast was always within easy reach, first for those seaside holidays in the holiday camps that once were then, subsequently (amazingly), personal transport became affordable. First the motorbike/scooter then the car (and the girlfriend). What’s not to love about the NE Essex coast of those days. After parking the car in Agate Street just off Marine Parade we headed for the pier looking for a place for lunch. There was Alfesco’s place a little further down Marine Parade East and overlooking Clacton Pier; to one side of Pier Gap where the road slopes down to the pier. This is where the road-train starts/finishes its tours around the town. The restaurant was one half of a building with a ‘Food Court’ sign across the roof line; the other half was a fish&chips place. We subsequently found out that they were both owned by the same people - neatly providing for both traditional seaside foods and for those who prefer the foods that have invaded from North America and/or southern Europe in recent years. We headed into Alfresco’s Restaurant – through the outside courtyard into the snazzy-looking glass-structure that enclosed the inside dining area with the counter at the far end. Seating for around 50 inside and outside at four seat/tables and benches. We were the only people in the place and, it seemed, lunch was finished for the day and the place was about to close up. Glance at the clock - it was just after 14.30 – and mine host was amenable to a couple of jacket potatoes with side salads; ‘Easy’, he said, ‘everything is set up’. Friendly … we liked that. We were seated with our drinks and food within 10 minutes. It was, as he said: Easy. The meal was delicious too – large hot potato, cheese on the side and sufficient greens to supplement those carbohydrates. The wall above and to one side of the counter was awash with food options of all kinds – sandwiches, grills, burgers, lasagne, fish, jacket potatoes, sides, etc. – jacket potatoes were an easy (and tasty) choice for us – the second time that week. We hadn’t thought about convenience to the restaurant – it just worked out that way. Service, approach, comfortable table, good value and delicious light meal – complimenti. We paid GB£15.45 for the meal: GB£5.50 each for our meals and finishing with a pot of tea and a cappuccino. It had been a pleasant 40 minutes looking out over the surrounding courtyard and pier below – where we headed after leaving Alfresco’s for a quick tour around. The place was alive with people; the fairground activities buzzing with the vitality that only electricity can provide – light, sound, movement. Peter Steele Maldon Essex 21 October 2019