The views are what set this restaurant apart from any other Bella Italia. We were lucky enough to…read morebe seated by the window which directly overlooks the river, it's an absolutely beautiful view. I had the 'special' pizza duck with hoi sin sauce and spring onions which was very good. I usually can't finish a whole pizza, but this one went down very easily! Only tiny fault was the slow service.

Renovations to top entrance means that you must use alternative entrance is down the alley (or…read morechare, lol) running next to the restaurant. The door isn't labelled well, but I'm a trailblazing type and wasn't hampered. The outdoor seating, which is really close to the river and bridge and was where I really wanted to sit, is closed at this time of year. It was a gorgeous day; however, they gave a good reason, May flies. The waitress I had was polite, and she was quick to bring me a drink, served with a lemon. I ordered garlic grossini(?) and a lasagna. To really test an Italiano Ristorante, you should always order the lasagna--if their lasagna is no good, chances are the rest won't be that good either. Kudos to the wait staff... though I ordered a Coca Cola, the couple sitting near me ordered red wine. The waitress asked them if they'd like to taste the wine before they bought the bottle... classy and consumer oriented. Kudos, Bella Italia, kudos. So, the dishes came really fast. It was almost too fast, but since I was in a party of 1, that was fine. They were excellent--by far the best Italian food that I've had in the United Kingdom. The lasagna was at probably 6 layers: two noodle layers, two sauce layers, a creamy ricotta/soft cheese layer, and a mozzarella layer dressed with fresh herbs. It was really good lasagna, and the portion was large. The garlic bread was surprisingly similar to traditional American style breadsticks... topped with a garlic pesto that was quite amazing. The dishes were quite salty, but I don't mind. The price tag was a little high, but it was a fancy eat-in joint in a premiere location. Not bad after all.

Absolutely delicious food, and the service is incredible!!! The atmosphere and ambiance is amazing,…read morewould definitely recommend.

You know when you've been sightseeing and touring all day and you're really down for dinner and all…read morethe places you had bookmarked to eat at didn't impress your friends so you end up walking up and down the streets and find a restaurant that you all love? That was La Spaghettata :) The four of us went for dinner and were seated right away with menus. We all decided on pastas (Pasta cooked with vodka, fettuccine with flakes of smoked salmon, and gnocchi with peas) and one of us got baked salmon (which also came with pasta....carb party!). A calamari appetizer was ordered and although I didn't have any, it heard it was nice and light despite being fried. A number of waiters kept coming to our section and looking at us and we couldn't really figure out why until one of us asked us if we were ready for our main course (who would've thought! I thought it was cute). The food then came right away. For the prices paid for the pastas (7.50 pounds which is around 14 dollars), the portions were very very good; i was stuffed and couldn't finish mine! Also they're very generous with their own.....ask them for a glass of red wine and you'll get a full glass.....a bit odd lol. Also, all pastas and pizzas come with a salad but we didn't know until we finished out food (there's a self serve salad bar on the other side of the restaurant) This is probably a personal opinion, but there is nothing I love more than going to a restaurant that radiates with culture. Minus the mainstream music, the decorations and Italian waiters and cooks really did it for me. Everyone was so sweet and kind. Come and eat, you won't be disappointed. **Just for all my fellow carbaholics out there.........they have spaghetti pizza. YUP, you read that correctly. Pizza with spaghetti on top. Carbs galore!**

I went here with a large group the other night, and the staff were gracious about letting us add…read moretwo extra people to our booking, even though it meant moving nearly every table in the place. The food was very nice, particularly the seafood dishes. However, we were all a little confused when the lights went out halfway through our meal. A fuse had apparently blown, but the waiters said it happened all the time, and left us to eat the rest of our meal by the light of a single candle. I like a bit of atmosphere as much as the next person, but I do like to be able to at least see my plate, if not exactly what's on it. Bottom line, however, is that this is good food at reasonable prices and I would definitely go back.

I had avoided Bistro Italiano like the plague because of the mass of bad Italian in Durham. I…read morefigured it was just like the rest of them. Had the opportunity to go the other night with a large party and I have to say that it exceeded my expectations. I ordered gnocchi which can sometimes not go too well. They did it perfectly, really very good. Everyone else seemed very happy with their meals and it all looked very good and at a reasonable price for the quality. Service was a bit spotty, but it was a very large group so its understandable. Will return!

We went to Maximos for a Sunday dinner today as this was recommended by a family member. The food…read morewas lovely however we found that the staff members were extremely rude and lacked customer service. No smiles or pleasant attitude. We will not be returning

Looks amazing from the outside, on Easter Ben stokes was sitting behind me which was crazy! all the…read morefood was good cant wait to go there again because of how amazing it was!

This is one of the places in borough that's been going for seemingly years…read more The staff are always nice, and it's really reasonably priced, which I guess it has to be practically sat in the uni campus. Real range of age customers though. I'm always a bit miffed when I order restaurant lasagne instead of the stuff we make at home, but that's personal preference and it did still taste great.

Nestling in the University Campus is this great Italian restaurant. Very busy, so book a table for…read moreweekends. We arrived in Middlesborough and booked a couple of hours beforehand. They were full but managed to reserve us a table at 8.30. Arriving a little early, the weather was slightly inclement (OK it was peeing down), we were guided to the bar for a pre-dinner drink. I now realise why Northerners complain about London prices. A double Grey Goose vodka for £4.50, a no brainer. At 8.30 exactly, our table was ready. Fantastic menu, delicious food and impeccable service. To start I ordered antipasto for one. This plateful arrived. The waitress explained that this was for one, with a smile. Obviously, the kitchen had made a mistake and plated up for two. One the final bill, antipasto for one. I cannot recommend this restaurant any more, almost a five star in my opinion. Only drawback was the final coffee was very bitter. However, a minor drawback. Great Italian atmosphere, noisy but welcoming.

The price has certainly gone down, but so has the quality comparing to the 4 and 5 star reviews…read morethis restaurant received from few years ago. I ordered a Spaghetti al Tonno (spaghetti with olive oil, garlic, tuna and olives). The tuna was too flaky and other tastes overwhelmed the tuna taste. I asked for regular water and they served me with bottle water. It was too disappointing because I read good reviews from other Yelpers only to realize that the reviews very dated and things have changed since then.

Durham has too many Italian restaurants, to be sure, but if the rest were to close and this one…read morestayed open, that would be perfectly alright with me. Home to the hardest working man in Durham (he was maitre d', waiter, bus boy, bartender and DJ whilst we were there), this place serves really delicious Italian classics, using delicious fresh ingredients. They go a step above all of the other Italian restaurants in Durham in both quality and service. What's the catch? It's also pricier than the rest of the Italian places in town. But worth it, totally worth it.

Recently celebrated their 35th anniversary on Yarm High Street, this classic Italian restaurant is…read morevery firmly set in the past. Traditional menu, quite steeply priced, but good quality. The table will never be ready when you arrive prompting a 20 minute wait in the bar for an aperitif or two. Santoro's is not afraid to continue to plough its own furrow, so it's not necessarily for everyone. They do have a very loyal and regular following, so they must be getting something right.

Good Italian restaurant in Yarm. Recommended by local co-worker and did not disappoint…read more Proprietor insists on "happy hour" drinks before your meal. In fact, you order from the bar before being seated at your table. This seems to be a trend in Yarm. So relax, have a drink, and discuss the meal options with the staff. The appetizers are then presented soon after you are seated, and the main course soon follows. I had the duck, which was delicious, my companion had the pork roast, which was somewhat dry. The souffle appetizer was excellent, as was the recommended Brandy. A very intimate dining experience.

Not a gourmet place BUT family friendly, enormous portions of good food, generous drinks. We each…read moreordered a starter-- mmi rdered bread and olives which consisted of a few pieces of ordinary toasted white bread, huge container of olives, and an olive pate. Partner had a "caesar salad", which also was quite large, consisted of chicken ham, whole anchovies, over greens with a mayonnaise dressing on the side (which didn't add much). For mains we had eggplant over spaghetti, and pasta arrabiata-- both of which were quite large and quite flavorful. We then shared toffee cake and ice cream which resulted in an uncomfortable waddle home. Oh yes-- my prosecco and raspberry liqueur drink was large as well. Worth the money--especially if you don't over order like we did.

La Piazza is a nice restaurant in a nice location, with reasonably good service…read more Having dined here several times since it first opened, I would say that broadly the food is somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. In short, perfectly fine, but not spectacular. I have personally had pizza here twice, and both times have found it dry and considerably lacking in both tomato and cheese - and therefore taste. The best item on the menu used to be a vegetarian goulash, though sadly this was taken off at some point last year.