One of the best Yelp foodie experiences one can have is to discover an unexpected gem and this is…read moreexactly what happened when I visited Piazza Firenze. I have to confess to a bias against Italian food in general and this view wasn't helped when I visit Italy last year with my family and we had a wonderful holiday except for the food, which was generally disappointing. I went to Piazza Firenze this week for a colleague's leaving do and sat down, expecting a an average Italian food experience and the general headings on the menu seemed to confirm my expectations with the usual headings of pizza, pasta, salad and assorted main courses. However, closer inspection revealed a kitchen trying to break the typical 'spaghetti carbonara' mould by having dishes such as chicken livers in the starter section and spahghetti al ragu being made with duck. My friends also commented that the restaurant is always full and certainly, it was busy for a Wednesday evening. I had the aforementioned spaghetti al ragu and it arrived in a generous sized bowl. Apparently, Italians say that e proper bowl of pasta shouldn't be swimming in sauce - there should be just enough sauce for flavour and to lightly coat the pasta. Well, the dish was delicious with bite sized portions of moist duck in a rich tomato based sauce enhancing the al dente pasta. I heard murmurs of approval around me from people eating dishes ranging from fresh seafood topped pizza to pasta al salmone to various salads. We had tactically skipped starters in order to indulge in some desserts. I enjoyed my Italian version of bannoffee pie but the star of the desserts was a collegue's panna cota. I could tell it was a classy panna cota from the moment the waiter put it down on the table and I saw how it wobbled. Set with minimal geletin, it literally melted in the mouth. I like the open plan kitchen and I was able to have a quick chat with the chef and compliment him on his menu and execution of the dishes. Everything is made in house. This may just be the little hidden gem that changes my view on Italian cooking.

Used to visit this restaurant frequently a few years back, always had pleasant staff and the food…read morewas always nice and reasonably priced. Having not been for a long time I was rather looking forward to another visit. Unfortunately, I think it will be my last visit. I usually go for the same staple meals in an Italian restaurant as to compare them all to each other and so thought I'd stick to this method as I hadn't been in a while. I started with the bruschetta - how could it go wrong? Well, the bread had gone soggy from sitting for too long, the cherry tomatoes weren't diced but just sliced in half and it didn't seem as though there was anything else added to flavour the dish other than a measly portion of pesto which was only enough to supply one mouth full of the dish. Edible but not what I was expecting. For main I have the chicken risotto, I have risotto at home and have to say I'm a little snobby if they're made incorrectly. When it was served to me, at first glance it looked well made and not over cooked or stodgy which was a great sign. However, where it made up for in looks it was completely lacking in flavour and I mean none what so ever, I asked for extra cheese and added about a kilo of salt which still didn't seem to improve it. Very disappointed in this. As for dessert, the majority of us around the table ordered the fudge cake with cream or ice cream; I opted for cream. When the cakes arrived there was yet again a tiny portion (of cream) it then took a good 5/10 minutes to get a waiters attention to request more double cream to them be given I pot of single cream. Not. Happy. The staff were friendly but not very attentive and difficult to get there attention. Safe to say I won't be visiting again out of my own choice and should I return I think I'll stick to pizza.

The service was great, the atmosphere was good, everything looked clean. But the food was a huge…read moredeal breaker for me.

Hmmm..... I think old age is catching up with me. I thought I had reviewed this place awhile ago…read morebut not according to Yelp! These premises has been an Italian restaurant as long as I can remember. It used to be Pizza Piazza but ever since Greg Proops, the Canadian comedian called it Pizza Disaster when he was performing at Epsom Playhouse, I always had it in my mind as Pizza Disaster! I'm not sure if Greg Proops' off the cuff comment may have contributed to the demise of Pizza Piazza but Sicily has taken over and lent an upper class air to this end of Epsom's own restaurant row. The food is classical Italian. I didn't spot anything particularly Sicilian but there is a wide range of pasta, pizzas and cooked meats and seafood. As I was going salsa dancing afterwards, I didn't want anything too heavy. Hilary, my salsa dance friend and I split one of their sharing antipasto plates, which had butterfly king prawns, deep fried squid rings, smoked salmon on toasted ciabatta topped with mascarpone, prawn cocktail, breaded crab claws served with spicy tomato dip and tartare sauce I then had a spaghetti carbonara, which was nice except for the price (£8.95). Hilary was happy with her seafood risotto, which was generous with the seafood. The service was excellent - efficient and very friendly. Sicily is now probably the best Italian restaurant in Epsom. It is pricey and will therefore sadly remain a special occasion type of place but you do get your money's worth.

So how should you judge a restaurant? Purely on the quality of the food or whether they delivered a…read moregood experience? I went to Prezzo for a colleague's leaving do tonight. Prezzo is an expanding chain of Italian restaurants, which is aiming at the slightly higher end of the market with some swanky decorations. The prices had always struck me as being on the high side - £8.95 for spaghetti carbonara - compared to other Italian chains. However, my colleague had printed out vouchers for everyone's use, which offered a starter, a main and drink for £10. There was a choice of 4 starters and about 6/7 mains. Well, the food was distinctly average and at the risk of being wrong, I suspect the food is largely pre-cooked and reheated or re-constituted on-site. The pizza bases were a bit soggy and my mozzarella in carozza looked a little too perfect to have been produced from scratch on-site. My spaghetti carbonara was nice if a little light on the pancetta. So, 3 stars really for the food. However, with the reduced price and the fact that the serving staff coped very well indeed with our big group with the food arriving quickly and together, I feel obliged to raise my review to 4 stars. Well done especially to the manageress in charge who led from the front and kept her staff well motivated by leading by example. I'm not sure I would return just for the food at full price, especially with other Italian dining options close by but the staff did work hard to make sure we were well looked after tonight.

The service that was offered by the staff was quick and helpful for us. I did witness some ladies…read moresitting near by that were waiting forever to place their food order. I ordered the lasagna for lunch. There was not much pasta, mostly sauce and cheese. It was crazy hot, be careful not to burn your mouth. The salad that I had was a little on the bitter side. Overall a reasonable place to grab a decent lunch at a respectable price. What did I learn today? The best negotiations occur during the lunch hour!

Expensive and mediocre food, horrible ambience with decor that has no soul or effort put into it,…read moreand an owner who doesn't seem to want customers! It is really expensive for the kind of fare they serve, the menu is really limited and not even imaginative, and does not at all reflect real Italian food - seems a bit corrupted to suit local tastes. Better off going to Leatherhead for more choice.

Absolutely disgusted with the service I received when I took my girlfriend here for her birthday…read more Staff were very rude and it seemed like they couldn't wait to get rid of us. I'm not sure if the older man in there was the owner, but if he was, I think he needs to remember he only owns the restaurant, not the whole of Surrey. A real disappointment and a birthday ruined.

Really good Italian restaurant that just opened up in Epsom. I had spaghetti vongole and was…read moresurprised to see that it had fresh clams! Very few places in the uk do fresh clams in their vongole. Both food and service was outstanding. This place has only been open for about 3 weeks but if anyone wants a metre long pizza this is the place to go! Highly recommend!

Ask..... ... if we…read morereally need another generic Italian chain restaurant in Epsom ... whether this site is cursed as 2 pubs based here have already closed since the old NatWest bank shut ... yourself what you're meant to be tasting in the muddled tomato-heavy dishes ... for a safe middle of the road Italian and you get Ask

Calzone was quite good, but weak coffee in a cappuccino? Quite mediocre Caprese salad. Very…read morepopular, so maybe I'm spoiled by top notch Italian food elsewhere, outside of the U. K.