The best restaurants serving Italian food in County Durham North East

Had fabulous food with friends! Staff very welcoming & all of our meals were excellent. We were deciding what we might have on our next visit 😊

The owner is very pleasant and attentive.. the meal was superb.. cracking little restaurant..definetly worth a visit.

My wife and I had the £10 meal deal, starter, main course (pasta or pizza) with tea/coffee to finish. Everything was perfectly cooked and served piping hot. Amazing value, service and meal. We will be back.

We visited on a Friday evening, had some very nice cocktails especially Wallington dream their signature cocktail. After coming back from holiday this place made us feel likke we are still celebrating on holidays. Love the calzone and the seafood linguine very fresh and tasty. We'll done to the owner and the team they turned this place to a proper Restaurant

Heard alot about Charltons so decided to give it a try. Best breakfast butty i've had in a long time! Beautiful food & great service 👌

We have ordered take away from Grande many times and it has never disappointed, hot, tasty and very filling. It's hard to describe how good it is! The restaurant part itself is small and is restricted to only a handful of tables so I would recommend booking beforehand but size doesn't matter when you are serving food of this quality. You will not be disappointed! Reasonably priced and serves throughout the day . I'm yet to try the breakfast menu but what from what I've seen of it, it looks delicious. If you've never tried the food, it's a must! If I could get away with it, everyday would be a Grande day.

My sister and I visited for lunch today to help them celebrate their first birthday in business. Food and service were just fantastic. We love coming up from Chester-le-Street for lunch. We’ve never been disappointed right from the word go. The food is brilliant but it’s not just that it’s the staff and the atmosphere too. And today was just tremendous. The steaks were absolutely perfect. Ariano’s is a real community asset and we look forward to many more visits. In fact I’m coming with another group of friends later next week. You just can’t keep me away. Well done to everyone. ❤️❤️❤️

Went for a family meal for my mam’s birthday. Service was fantastic from Laura and other staff. I know Paul from years ago and was great to see him and the restaurant again. Paul played a birthday song for my mam and put a sparkler in the ice cream which was very much appreciated. The food was fantastic. All of us enjoyed it including my two nephews. Brilliant night. Thank you

Great experience. Thoughtful and engaging staff. Excellent Italian food. Highly recommended.

We arrived with two kids and two hungry parents. Staff were friendly and helpful, joking with the kids. Children's menu available, nice food for the parents, quick service. A nice meal, thanks!

Fuimos para el almuerzo del domingo excelente relación calidad-precio para una comida de su curso, tanto la carne de res y el panza de cerdo era excelente y la tarta de queso casera es muy bueno

Friendly staff, good food and fast service. Was very busy on a Saturday night so book a table!

Antico es increíble para una comida magnífica. Mi familia y yo estuvimos allí para el almuerzo del domingo y fue increíble 😍 Fue una experiencia increíble y yo y la familia lo pasamos de maravilla. La comida es deliciosa y el personal atiende cada petición. . gracias Antico por un almuerzo increíble... volveremos ❤️

The food is very low quality and did not justify the price. Agreeably, it wasn’t hugely expensive, but the food was awful. The worst food I’ve had in a long time. The staff were slow and the music very loud. It’s just not a nice experience if you enjoy “good” food. The waitress didn’t ask how I found the food and it was so loud and slow that I felt it best to just leave. Steak was also cooked poorly and lacked flavour. I don’t believe it was rib eye either. Local pizza establishments do a far better pizza and the pasta was overly creamed and over cooked. Don’t come here if you have any standards for good food.

We were let down for boxing day, but Sals managed to fit 14 of us in at a busy time of year. Everything was lovely, from the table to the food, to the service. Such friendly accommodating staff. The whole experience was fab and would highly recommend, also save a fortune on drinks, as it is Bring your own😃