Lovely food highly recommended going again for my birthday great value great atmosphereread more

Amazing atmosphere, food, service, and location. Definitely will be back when in Manchester.read more

From Starters to Pudding, the food was very well prepared with wonderful service. Some very…read moreimaginative presentation of traditional Italian dishes. The location in downtown Chester makes it convenient to numerous hotels and parking.

I visited Piccolino Restaurant in Chester city centre, on a busy Saturday, from the outside the…read morerestaurant looked rather nice, and I knew from previous experience with Individual Restaurants (parent company of the restaurant), that they offered gluten-free pasta, so I had high hopes, but the hopes were shattered. WARNING: DO NOT EAT HERE IF YOU HAVE ALLERGIES. Read on for more... Everything started so well, and I was really excited, despite visiting on a busy Saturday and not having a reservation, I sat down straight away, and managed to get a seat at the chef's table, a rather cool and unique experience, that is rare in the UK, especially in city centre restaurants. I couldn't see much of the kitchen, and mainly the desserts window, but still noteworthy. The staff member who sat me down at the table, seemed friendly, she seemed knowledgeable about allergies and told me about some gluten-free options, including the pasta, but when she went away, everything went wrong. I ordered a gluten-free carbonara with a new waitress, specifying I had a gluten allergy, the food came out rather quickly and was handed to me by yet another waitress (How many staff members does it take to serve a table of ONE!), I noticed the pasta was spaghetti, and not the usual penne, I asked her to confirm it was gluten-free and she seemed confused, she originally though I asked for more cheese, my waitress (who took my order), noticed the trouble and she came over, I explained the situation to her, her only reply was "You never told me gluten-free", as she stormed off holding the bowl. My first instance was "What? I did tell you.", but I was also confused, she didn't confirm that the first dish was or was not gluten-free, she didn't confirm they would remake it, she just walked off, without an apology. I can totally understand she may have just not heard me, the restaurant was very busy with loud music blasting (not really a fan of loud music especially in a high-end restaurant charging the prices they do...) but the fact she ignored an allergy, is a serious matter, and then she argued back was just disgraceful. I was eventually given a new plate of food, and the waitress (who brought my original dish out), mentioned gluten-free, and this time I noticed it was penne. I was impressed with the dish, it looked and tasted great, the poached egg on top of the pasta was such a great concept, and I enjoyed it. After eating my food, I paid, waiting for a different server again, as I didn't want to have to deal with the rude server who took my order, I had to ask to remove the service charge (Come on... they try to poison me and then charge a service - WHAT?), and left. A couple of hours after leaving the restaurant, I began feeling rather sick with symptoms that could only be described as a condition of my coeliac, I knew I had, had gluten. My guess is the kitchen had high chances of cross-contamination and may have re-used the egg from my first (gluten) pasta dish, I did contact the management who did phone me back after my email contact, and took the information, but he never contacted me back after taking this information (despite promising to, and me chasing it up). Another thing from the phone call that shocked me was the manager admitted that someone just heads to the supermarket across the road and "gets whatever is there" for gluten-free orders, so the food isn't even fresh. If I'm paying good money for pasta (£15.50), why should I expect something they've just gone across the road to get? 1* - I really wanted to like this place as the food was great, but due to the allergy handling process and cross-contamination as well as other factors discussed throughout this review, I just don't feel it is a safe place to deal with allergies, and the handling from giving me gluten pasta, arguing back with me, and then how sick I became after my meal here, was frankly shocking.

The food was all very good. We had Bruschetta and Prawn appetizers and goat cheese salads. Our…read moretable also ordered two pasta dishes which were good.

Carluccio's have struggled of late as a brand, recently entering administration and being taken…read moreover by Boparan, this was my first experience here since the new owners came in, after having so much trouble at their Manchester Spinningfields branch where I was given gluten "by mistake" more than once, I hoped this branch would be better. Firstly, the way they deal with allergies now is much more solid, I was given a gluten-free menu, it was back-to-back, meaning you don't have to ask for a separate menu for breakfast/lunch and dinner, which I liked. I also liked how a manager came over to take my order, it gave me confidence they weren't going to give me gluten and make me ill. I do like the decor and look of this place, they have some nice art on the walls and an open kitchen. The menu had a nice choice, I struggled between a pesto and chicken risotto and a carbonara, while the prices are a little high for a chain Italian compared to rivals, especially given the lack of promotional offers which their main rivals do, they were still OK and was nothing too extreme. My food was just OK, I did enjoy the meat as it was cooked well, but there wasn't much of it for a carbonara, I also found some of the pasta at the bottom of the dish to have turned to mush so that wasn't too enjoyable, it was a little bland so I also had to add a little black pepper. It was basic, boring, uninspired chain food. The staff did seem friendly and it was pretty easy to pay by scanning a QR code and then using Apple Pay. For some reason, despite it being in the middle of the afternoon and the restaurant being quiet, they turned most of the lights off and switched to candle-light, I understand doing this later on in the evening to make it more romantic for couples, but during the middle of the afternoon I want to be able to see my food, I had to use a torch to eat, my iPhone 12 Pro Max's camera was too good to pick up on how dark it was, but it really was unpleasant. 2* - Boring chain food at higher than average prices. Probably wouldn't return.

The foods here were good, service was a little slow, we waited for about an hour that day, maybe…read moreit's due to too much people there that day. However, we were chatting so that didn't feel like too long. Just don't try the pizza, it's just too large and too hard to chew, if you don't mind that then maybe it will be good for you, you can try it. The pasta had too much cheese, if you like cheese then it will be also good. The environment was good, and the light makes me calm down.

This is my favourite Italian of all time, I have been coming here for at least 7 years…read more. Tucked away in a corner .. near the cathedral this place is easily missed..I really believe they should advertise this place a lot more on the main street ..just so people are aware of its existence,,and not settle for crappy Bella Italia on the corner.. This place has great ambiance. warmly decorated with Italian colours and plants, and genuine staff...they have really great pasta dishes, pizzas but I come here for the fish selection. I have eaten everything in the fish section...and there is a lot to choose from :)...not to mention the diversity of wine to wash it down with... Every person I have brought here has always chosen the steak for their main...and nothing has ever beaten it....and. they have always compared their future steaks to this .. I usually go for the bruchetta to start off with, with anchovies, but last night I thought I would try the minestrone soup...this was tasty but I have to say it was forgettable.. For the main I chose the tuna steak...and it was shame ,,,as for the first time in 7 years I had to complain :( When the manager had first asked me if the food was okay I had said yes...but that's because I had only tried the vegetables by this point ,,,which were tasty..when I tried the tuna it was very very dry....I got to about half way and had to give up...The staff were very understanding about it and even the manager had tried it and agreed...The way the situation was handled was great..and he offered me free dessert which i took...I do forgive them in this instance because its been faultless every time and it was really busy last night,, The manager informed me to ask for the tuna steak to be cooked pink in the middle next time,,,but to be honest I have never specified or been asked on how I want my tuna cooked. Overall if you want good Italian food come here, they do a fantastic Valentine set menu...I would book in advance for this ...and if you want to dine here on a Friday or Saturday night

It is a good restaurant however, the service is slow and the pizza was quite overcooked. Good staff…read moreand got seated quite quickly. 72/100

Zizzi is the kind of place I really want to like - it's got nice simple decor and a straight…read moreforward Italian menu. The problem is that both the food and the service tend to be a little too simple for my liking. Sadly this means that many of the dishes I've tried here have lacked any real flavour. The service also tends to be quite slow, despite the fact that I have never seen the place more than half full. One plus note of this is the wine list - it's fairly standard, but they have clearly taken the time to select some wines which are both reasonably inexpensive, but deliver on flavour and clarity. That said, I can't recommend this place overall as really the key driver of a good restaurant is the food - and for me, Zizzi's simply does not deliver when compared against many of Chester's other establishments in a similar price bracket.

The food in Bella Italia is good although if you go too frequently and have the same options, it…read morebecomes apparent how uniform, regular and slightly bland the food is. This is obviously because of the chain nature of the restaurant. The food is nice enough however to make us go back, although this is mainly because the chain is part of Tesco's voucher scheme, meaning that £10 worth of Tesco vouchers can be converted into £40 of meal vouchers, which is easily enough for a meal out for two (drinks aren't included in the offer). Even if the food isn't the greatest, it's hard to beat for free! The Chester branch is quite a long thin shape which makes it quite difficult to fit everybody in. If you have the option it is much better to sit towards the back, near the kitchens. If you sit in the front half then you get blasts of cold air everytime someone enters or exits which can get very annoying and uncomfortable. The décor is nice and the staff seem friendly enough although perhaps a little over worked. Service was reasonable, perhaps a little slow, but then maybe they recognise us as those freeloading food voucher people!

Went for lunch and loved it. It's a small place that packs the food full of flavor. The ambiance is…read morelovely as you feel like you are dining in Italy. The food is gorgeous and the staff is friendly and courteous.

Hidden away in a grungy looking building. The main restaurant looks a little tired. Cutlery and and…read moreglassware are well worn. The chef could do with a little more training the food was under seasoned and not always the best cooked. Service was quite slow and the atmosphere was very dull. I found their early diners menu didn't represent great value. 1st course I had was pigeon breast on brioche with a red current sauce; the side salad wasn't dressed, pigeon overcooked and the sauce had destroyed the brioch Main I had chorizo & prawn with penne with a side of garlic bread and cheese. Pasta was overcooked, on the whole the dish was good but nothing to shout about. Portion size was excellent. There are far better Italian restaurants in Chester but you can get an OK meal here,

Staff is extremely friendly. Restaurant has amazing atmosphere. Really really good food and sweets…read more Super affordable for what you're getting. I definitely would recommend to everyone I know and who is in the area.

Exceeded expectations - rabbit pappardelle, cooked from the heart served in a small intimate space…read morewith real atmosphere. We were visiting Chester for two nights and knew in these Covid times we should book a place for supper. We Googled and consulted YELP and the Atina kitchen had as we now know excellent reviews and sounded interesting and personal. From the moment we walked in and Hannah came to our table our expectations were exceeded. The pappardelle rabbit pasta was a delight and the sauce we guess had been cooked for hours. We followed our simple but brilliant pasta with afogato a dish I have not seen on a menu for decades which had fantastic espresso and a scoop of raspberry ripple again not seen this on a menu for decades and vanilla ice cream. The staff were all very personable and the chef/owner we deduce not only still enjoys cooking but also runs a brilliant individual restaurant in a city of many choices. Go and visit and we think you will not be disappointed.

After only living in Chester for a few months, I´ve somehow walked past this place several times…read morewith much curiosity. It´s one of those places that you just can´t quite put your finger on. The decor is an eclectic mix of italian bits and bobs and their posters outside offer ¨theme nights¨ which is normally something that I steer clear from... But Atina is a place that came up time and time again on several internet searchs for a decent brunch in Chester. So with the reviews of many, and my love of breakfast in the afternoon, I gave Atina a go. This has been one of the best decisions I could have made as a new resident of Chester, because I now, have a new favourite restaurant. I opted for the French toast with maple syrup and bacon, my other half went for the full english with an extra portion of haggis and black pudding. They were both amazing, and I have to give a special shout out to the french toast in particular, which was so delicious that we went back the following week to eat it again. I also have to thank them for serving the french toast with back back bacon as it seems much more fashionable (and my personal opinion, much less delicious) to serve the crispy streaky bacon. My only possibly gripe is that there isn´t enough maple syrup given, and when I asked for extra there was an extra charge on the bill. The staff were great and very attentive but not overbearing, and even though the decor is not my personal taste, the outside courtroom at the back of the restaurant is a hidden gem of it´s own. Even if you´re just after a cuppa and a rest after a day of shopping, this courtyard offers a zen-like haven.