The best restaurants serving Italian food in East of England

Waited an hour and a half for main meal. Pizza is supposed to be ‘fast food’ They were too busy doing takeaways which they were prioritising. Kids were starving! Won’t be going back anytime soon.

Picked up for collection soon as it notified me - the pizza was cold and dry - absolutely disgusting for what they charge

Wonderful family business. Great food! Sadly I’m a coeliac, but a jacket potato is a good alternative.

Really superb takeaway. Highly recommend.

The pizza was super delicious. The taste is incredible. Loved it.

A nice cosy place, lovely coffee and cakes (cannoli pistachio), tasty sandwiches and salads, great service. Thanks 😊👍

We went all over town in search of the best chips to take away and found them on the next street. Friendly, quick service

Ordered a delivery at 6:10pm. First part arrived at 7:45pm. They forgot a pizza. The pizza finally arrived at 8:50pm.

Visited 12th October 8pm, place was nearly empty, there was a group of eight of us and we were shown to table. The waitress was extremely polite, friendly the whole time, very good at her job. Food I would say was ..poor for establishment like that, haven’t been for a long time , but I remember it for being a lot better, for price I wouldn’t rate it, it just didn’t look well presented and small portions. The atmosphere was poor , for the last 10 minutes we were there 3 children were running up an down the isle then eventually round the restaurant, mother should of stopped them, but manager also should of intervened. Would I go back… myself and wife agreed…..No

We had a quick late lunch here - the buffet arrangement lends itself to a good meal that you can eat relatively quickly. It has a good range of different dishes that are well cooked and prepared. The staff are all very friendly and they make you feel welcome. The dining area is very big and can accommodate a lot of people, but it is also very clean. The staff clearly take care of the place, even the toilets. Full marks! Finding a parking spot may seem tricky; there is a Private Eye car park next door to the restaurant building, but the entrance to it is round the back down the next side road. The car park isn't expensive. All in all, you should enjoy a good meal here whatever the occasion.

Uncleared tables are just the norm in this cafe and very annoying. Most times you have to clear a table to sit down in the nice area with casual sits. It was so at 3pm on Friday. The coffee is good but the ambiance is dire.

Just wanna give some credit where it’s due. I haven’t tried EVERY pizza place in Cambridge. But from what I have tried, and to my tastes, this is probably the best. This is maybe my third time trying pizza 1889? It’s simple, thin enough, not too doughy, baked well with a crispy bottom and crispy crust, it doesn’t flop everywhere! And it tastes good. It’s not trying too hard like some other places, (no disrespect). It’s a surprising conclusion, since a shipping container outside the light cinema isn't what you’d expect to be the best, but it’s true. Dave wouldn’t go crazy with the score, but I think it’d be respectable. We are in Cambridge after all haha. For context I always get takeaway here, my review does not reflect dining at the container itself, (the prospect of which I’m not particularly attracted by).

We love this restaurant especially Paul the head chief who accommodated my dietary requirements and even remembered my dietary needs a year on! I was very impressed. Despite a limited menu, when you talk to the staff they are very supportive to dietary needs. Paul was absolutely lovely and checked if everything was ok during the meal, plus all of our 13 meals came out very quickly.

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

Rude pretending like they wasn’t rude unprofessional and didn’t deliver even tho I wait 1 hour my kids starving just wanted a nice pizza