We stumbled into the one in Merchant City in Glasgow and then went to this one a few nights later. Both are excellent. Beat Italian I've had since I was in Rome. Great options for smaller portions and lots to choose from. The pizzas are good, the pasta was great and the Burrata was amazing. Cocktails are good, service was good, not super polished, but attentive. Great family place. read more

This place was recommended to us by a local. We were so impressed! We got a sampler option. Oh my gosh! Everything was so delicious!!! The crust on the pizza was spot on. The spaghetti bolognase was spectacular and thr arincini...my Italian husband said it was like his grandmother used to make. (I can't recall the exact name of it but it was the one with the meat in it. They have the rice only one and one with meat.) We sat out on the patio and enjoyed the views and the weather while enjoying the amazing food. Definitely eat here! read more

La Vita Spuntini - Italian Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

See all

Trip advisor reviews are more accurate with this place. My favourite restaurant, ever. Man, when I was at Glasgow uni I legit used to hit this restaurant daily. To the point where the manager(Portuguese guy) knew what I wanted to get every time I walked in. They would legit start preparing it and he'd bring me my drink. Amazing atmosphere and amazing food. Those lunch special pastas are freaking amazing too, 6 quid for a carbonara(they've now gone up to 6.95), all the varieties of pizzas and tapas. If you're in the west end, you need to try this restaurant. It remains my favourite Italian place and my favourite restaurant. Ever. read more

La Vita Spuntini - carbonara. - Italian Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

Not the best service here, so if you're in a hurry forget it. I arrived mid afternoon and it's very noisy, so loud, you're unable to carry on a conversation.There is no candlelit tables but they do have small yellow lights above. I had ordered a coffee royal and it took me several times before he understood what I was saying. I had to remind my waiter about my coffee, another ten minutes I got it. And between the dessert and the coffee OMG I will be back.. read more

See all

Struggling to make a choice on where to eat tonight l left the choice to some one else and ended up here. The restaurant is very nice and looks the part with a mixture of background music playing sadly it was drowned out with a rowdy table of 10 sat right next to us. The main doors are wide open and all you hear is the traffic and siren's of the fire engines passing by, if that was bad enough banging from the bar and chefs working at the pizza oven. For starters I had the calamari with the only tasty item on the plate was the lemon wedge and garlic mayo, my friend had something that you only describe as frozen slices of garlic bread with cheese on top, I'm sure a Kraft cheese slice had a more mature flavour as it just tasted like cheese on toast. The mains l had the sausage and pepperoni pizza that looked as if it came deep within the therma frost freezer, I've never seen a pizza so tight for cheese or even toppings, The only taste l got was salt and lots of it. My friend had the spaghetti bolognaise after l had a taste l could see that this dish had never seen a tomato or even an onion, one word to describe is bland Tesco saver brand would have been more authentic tasting. I feel real sorry for the chef that cooks here to be putting out this sort of food for the price that they charge a little shameful. Hopefully the recession will be over and they can return to the building trade. No staff member came to check on out table to see if the food was ok. I would recommend other places before this one. I doubt that l would ever return. read more

See all

Service 2/5 Food 4.5/5 Atmosphere 3/5 Restaurant 1/5 Bar flies everywhere and never really done anything when we told them. They offered limoncellos for the table. Great idea to bring the sweetest shots to the table when we are having a problem with flies. Will not be back! read more

I mean.....for what it is, it's ok. I would never suggest we go here, but my parents were in town and we were looking for a cheap meal while out and about in the west end. Not the best selection, but again, like I said, for what it is, it was ok. The place was pretty empty aside from a few tables being taken, but they sat us in the far corner right near the waiters booth, where if we had sat there the whole time, would have gotten bumped in to many times. We asked to be sat somewhere else, so we sat in the middle of the restaurant. The restaurant itself has some weird decor. It's a strange mixture of dark and mysterious and a bit like valentines day threw up in there. There were loads of stuffed teddy bears with red hearts and flowers decorated along the upper part of the restaurant. I think I even mentioned it to the boyfriend and my parents that I could do with a lot less of the valentines day vibe. They quite agreed. The menus have seen better days and were quite dirty and ratty. I kept trying to send the manager messages telepathically to invest in some new menus. So, they have a few menus to choose from, the normal menu and then they have a few tapas style menus where you pick however many items for a set price. We all went for the tapas style menu and were able to choose three items for £6.99. We honestly weren't sure of the quality of food we were going to get at that price. I ordered Arancini Di Manzo which were risotto balls mixed with pork and beef, the lasagna and the side salad. The risotto balls were pretty gross, so I only ate one. They lacked taste and tasted a bit stale if that makes sense. Maybe more like old and pre frozen? The lasagna didn't look very appetising, but it was pretty good. I'm still trying to get used to lasagna with a bechmel sauce. Not something I'm used to having or making on my own. The salad was a salad and it was ok. The boyfriend and my dad both ordered the Spezzatino Con Olive E Peperoni which were vegetables in a tomato sauce. Both said it was pretty tasty, but I didn't try any. My dad ordered a pizza, which he said tasted like a school lunch pizza and he also ordered a salad. The boyfriend ate the Spaghettini Bolognese and the Frittata Con Pepperoni E Pattate, both he really loved. My mom also ordered the lasagne and salad as well as a pizza. She said she enjoyed all her food. On top of all that, we ordered polenta fries which were ok, and calamari which were also just ok. The service was good and our food came out pretty quickly. Aside from the quirky atmosphere, the food was ok and we left more full than we thought we would. Not a place I would usually go, but I wouldn't say no if I was invited back by someone. The prices make it worth it. read more

See all

We dined here on a Saturday night. Upon arrival, I asked about gluten free options and was told they could do pasta. Nothing on the menu was labeled, so I picked a couple options to ask about but ended up with the fusilli il latino. It was greasy and not very tasty, and I didn't eat much of it. My vegetarian companion had the arancini, which were mediocre, and the veggie pizza, which was good. Upon discovering I hadn't eaten my dish, the waitress asked how it was and I told her I didn't care for it. I wasn't expecting a comp, but at least an offer to make it right would have been appreciated. No luck. Probably won't be back to this one. read more

La Vita Spuntini - Pizza verdure (veg) - Italian Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

See all

I've often walked past La Vita Spuntini and wondered what it was like before heading next door to my default West End Italian choice, Little Italy. In the name of trying new things my friend and I headed in a couple of weeks ago for lunch. I have to say the decision was largely motivated by their lunchtime 'tasting menu', essentially Italian tapas. One of my greatest struggles in life is always finding the answer to that age old question: pizza or pasta? But here I could have both! I ordered a pizzette pepperoni (5" pepperoni pizza), fussili crema e funghi (cream and mushroom pasta) and arancini di manzo (deep fried risotto and pork ragu balls). The pizza was pretty average and the risotto balls a little dry but the pasta was very good. My friend also had the bruschetta which looked very tasty (but there's not point trying to wrestle away any of her food to try!) There was plenty in each portion and while I wasn't able to finish everything I didn't leave so much that it felt like a terrible waste. Staff were polite, helpful and just the right level of attentive. The food was served promptly and drink refills offered at the appropriate opportunities. The price, £6.99 for the tasting menu, was also very reasonable for the amount of food provided. Overall I was quite happy with my visit to La Vita Spuntini. I expect I'll be back again, I'll probably just make different choices from the menu. read more

La Vita Spuntini - Day time tasting menu: risotto balls, pepperoni pizzette and fusilli crema e funghi - Italian Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

I've never set foot in La Vita Spuntini. Bear with me. This is, right now, my favourite delivery pizza place in Glasgow. So here I'm reviewing the take away food. We order from Spuntini over and over and over again. These days it's almost always the same thing because we've figured out exactly what we want. One 16 inch Bolognese pizza (hold the jalepenos). It's not super fast to get it delivered but it's worth the wait and it never fails to impress. It's a big pizza to share between two and, when we're smart we usually leave a slice or two for the next day. When we're not smart we eat the whole thing in one sitting. Ooops. We have occasionally ordered a few other things. I can vouch for the calamari and the minestrone soup both being pretty good and the Al Monte pizza (pesto, goats cheese and courgette) isn't the kind of thing I'd normally order but I did once order it on a whim and it was actually really good. The San Daniele (parma ham and rocket) is also great. However, a good bolognese pizza is hard to beat, so that remains the firm favourite. Oh, and you can totally order a bottle of wine to be delivered along with your food. What's not to love? read more

La Vita Spuntini - Delivery pizza! (Bolognese sans jalepenos.) - Italian Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

A group of friend and i decided upon La Vita Spuntini because we were strapped for cash and looking for somewhere central. Having a tapas menu is great because it allows everyone to pick and pass and so sharing food which can be fun. From what i can remember we ordered: Risotto balls Focaccia Chilli Risotto Calamari Spaghetti Vegetarian Pizza Bruschetta Minestrone Soup and Buffalo Wings All the food was lovely and we were all pretty full up afterwards. However not only were we sitting up the stairs which has no air conditioning and very few fans making it a little uncomfortable to sit in for a long period of time. Hot Hot Hot. Only two people ordered drinks and the rest of us stayed with water because drink prices were expensive and the water is thankfully free. Trying to split a bill with 11 people is not the easiest especially with an additional service charge. Not too bad but would not return if i had to. read more

La Vita Spuntini - Risotto balls mmmmm - Italian Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

See all

My friends and I had lunch today. My friend took my there and told me that she want to bring me to an Italian restaurant. I love Italian food and there are so many different kinds of pasta on the menu. Both of us ordered the seafood spaghetti. My friend chose tomato sauce and I chose white sauce. The waitress there was very patient and explain everything for us. I was so happy because our meal didn't take so long. And definitely the food was so delicious! I finally found a good Italian restaurant in Glasgow. Lol. And it is near my school. I will definitely come back! read more

La Vita Spuntini - Delicious seafood spaghetti - Italian Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

What a cozy restaurant. I've a walked by so many times, but never stopped. We planned to go to Little Italy after church today, but found out it was closed for renovations. We popped in next door and found this delightful little restaurant. The first thing I noticed was the wait staff's uniforms. They were wearing kilt aprons, which gave a very Scottish twist to this Italian restaurant. The wait staff was very attentive - many of them offering to get us drinks right after we were seated. The menu was very reasonably priced. I ordered a pizza for £5.95 and it was more than I could eat. I took half of it home. My daughter ordered from the kid's menu (£4.95) and the chicken looked great - not your typical children's fare. The fries were big, chunky pieces potatoes, which were really good. She ate the chicken before I could try it, but saved me some fries! This place is a gem for the quality, service, atmosphere and price! I'm so glad we accidentally found it! We'll definitely be back! read more

La Vita Spuntini - Daytime Tasting Menu - Italian Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

See all

You've heard of Spanish tapas And Chinese Dim Sum? Well this place is the same... but Italian! I normally have trouble choosing between pasta or pizza, generally, at Italian restaurants, but this place solved all my problems - I can have a little bit of everything! I'm surprised no one has thought about it before... The food is priced fairly, from about £3.50 for dishes. I had the Amore Pizzette (mini pizza!), bruschetta and the lasagne. This is where I had a slight problem with the place.... The food just seemed a bit bland... it tasted like everything had been made in bulk and then kept warm in a large container - like school dinners or something. Not the nicest of feelings. Maybe on a busy Friday night this is how they make their food, I might try checking it out on a week night to see how it shapes up... read more

La Vita Spuntini - Spuntini - Italian Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

I just loving having a selection of things. I will steal from your plate. And I don't have that big an appetite. So Italian tapas-style food is perfect for me. I think this kind of place would do well in the city centre too - probably a popular choice with shoppers. I got a mini Al Monto pizza, pollo cardianl and a Caesar salad. The prices were, I think, a little on the steep side. I wouldn't mind the prices if the food was just a little better - it all seems a little half-assed - as mentioned previously. The atmosphere is nice though, with swift waiting staff and a good mix of diners. read more

La Vita Spuntini - Taken by Liz - Italian Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

La Vita Spuntini is based on the idea that there is a historic and little known concept of Italian tapas. Although this does feel quite contrived - I have to say that it works! Inside Spuntini you will find some very impressive decor - including carved wooden ceilings and a mezzanine seating area. (Yup, they've managed to squeeze a LOT into a little building). The menu is filled with small tapas style dishes including cute mini pizzas and meat dishes that are all very tasty. They also have large bowls of pasta suitable for a group of two to four people. The large pasta bowls especially are really good value for money - they're about £10 each and one on its own would be more than enough for two people sharing dinner. Don't worry those of you who don't want to share (let's imagine Joey Tribbiani was making a trip to the West End) there are normal sized dishes on offer. Drinks include a great wine list, filled with hearty Italian wines. Every time I've been to Spuntini I've been met with great service, a warm atmosphere (literally, it's boiling in there) and tasty food. I recommend it highly! PS, here's a very helpful hint. All Spuntini food is available to takeaway, and at lunchtime you can get a full sized pizza for under £5. Come on, it would be bad economics NOT to take advantage of this deal. read more

La Vita Spuntini - Take from the website - Italian Near Me - Glasgow, GLG

Nice Italian aperitivo place. A wee terrace outside, but very nice and themed interior. Friendly service, nice drinks and very good appetizers. Will have to be back to try the pizza. read more

Very good service in a very busy restaurant. The food was excellent and reasonably priced too. All seats were taken which is usually a good sign. Nothing was a hassle for our waiter and waitress. I would highly recommend a visit here. A good choice read more

Italian tapas???? Genius!! I took my first trip to Sputini last Saturday with two of my very best lady friends and we were greeted by an orgy of Italian charm the second we walked through the door (my friends inappropriately low cut top may have had something to do with that thought.) We were seated in the upstairs half of the restaurant which was very cramped and uncomfortably warm but who cares? Cramped is just another word for cosy and uncomfortable warmth makes you feel like your on holiday! We ordered a full main meal sized spaghetti with meatballs to share and they were the best meatballs I have ever tasted...& I have tasted A LOT of meatballs!! ;-) We also ordered a selection of tapas sized dishes to share including a tiny pizza, mozzarella sticks and a sort of deep fried risotto rice balls concoction which was the boom diggy! After that carb fest we couldn't stomach dessert, boooo! We had a seemingly endless flow of Italian waiters speaking a delightful mixture of English and Italian and tending to our every need all evening. If anything they were over attentive, but can there really be such a thing when it comes to Italian waiters? At Sputini the general rule of thumb is that you get two drumstick lollies each with your bill. Our waiter said we could have three each if my friend winked at the guy behind in the kitchen on our way out. She did it, but then she would wink anyone for some confectionary....slag. read more

Yesterday was my first time in this west end branch of the La Vita family tree since having a dreadful experience in the George Square restaurant, and despite coming with a totally open mind, it just sort of fell into the same pile. Don't get me wrong, the service I received in here yesterday, and the food, were a hell of a lot better than what I got from their sister restaurant, but I just didn't particularly enjoy my experience. I think Italian tapas is a wonderful idea, and it worked, but there was a lot of faults. Our waiting staff were far too eager to please, and kept taking plates away, asking if we wanted more water, pouring us more water when we said no etc. I also don't get why they're all wearing kilts if they're Italian. Maria and I decided we'd order 3 tapas each that we both liked, and then share all 6, but they didn't really seem to like that idea, and kept drawing us odd looks whenever I took a bite of something she ordered and vice versa. There was also a sufficient lack of food. In other tapas places, such as La Tasca, you get a good helping of food despite the smallness of the course. In here we got 3 tiny pieces of garlic bread as a dish. This might sound like I absolutely hated the place, and I didn't. The food was of a decent standard and I thought the meatball sauce was absolutely beautiful. I think a good 3 stars is fair. read more

Spuntini is an Italian style tapas restaurant sitting on the bustling Byres Road. It has an impressive frontage with huge floor to ceiling windows. The table settings boast clay plates and chalices from which you get to drink your red wine if you order a bottle and the space as a whole looks very impressive. However, I think that is where the praise ends unfortunately. I have visited Spuntini a number of times and on my last visit we were constantly pestered by the over-friendly manager. Now I understand when employees interact with customers and I wholly welcome it but this guy was seriously annoying and inappropriate; he even thought it acceptable to tell us that his family disowned him and how he left his wife after a failed IVF procedure. Far too much information for me and it left us sitting there in bemusement before we kindly asked for some privacy. The food was actually reasonably priced for tapas (taking into account the fact it is on Byres Road), but I was slightly disappointed with some of the dishes. For example my Stornoway Black Pudding wrapped in Duck was extremely dry and coated the palate immediately, not allowing me to enjoy the wine or anything else I ordered! Didn't like the small pizzas on the menu either and felt that emphasis should be given to the tapas dishes as if I wanted a pizza I could go next door to Little Italy and get a good one for half the price! We had strawberries and melted chocolate for dessert which were nice, but the manager came over again and insisted we try it with cracked black pepper corns in the chocolate and proceeded to add them when a few of us declined his offer. Not impressed with this kind of service read more

Phwaw! Beware if you're seated upstairs. It's boiling! A couple of fans in each corner does little to help and the heat can make it quite uncomfortable. Try layering! Apart from that I have nothing else to complain about. Like Donald M, I shared some tapas style dishes with a friend but we had a very different experience- we really enjoyed them! The mini pizza was delicious and the meatballs and risotto balls were star dishes too. Avoid the chicken wings if you're looking for value for money. These must have been specially reared dwarf chickens going by the size of their wings. We went for a deal of £12.95 for 3 tapas and a prosecco each, which I don't think is that great deal-wise but we also ended up getting a sweet thrown in which made it easier to swallow. And the pudding was great, by the way- strips of deep fried pizza dough dusted with icing sugar and served with hot chocolate sauce. Simple and more-ish! The prosecco was lovely and the house wine was absolutely fine. read more

Quality Italian food, with a few original extras. The rice balls, filled with cheese and deep fried in breadcrumbs were delicious, especially with the tangy tomato dip. My wife and I opted for the special deal of three small dishes for £6.99, of which there are numerous options, even for vegetarians like us. The décor was quite inviting and certainly more original than some of the chain restaurants, with their identity looks, and sutroundings definitely matter in my opinion. It's my third visit, and although it's been 5 years since the previous time, the quality was much the same - Quite good! read more

A second visit for the festive season, basically as we were all happy with the food and ambience last year. If it ain't broke, etc. This time round I was sadly at the tail end of a bout of man 'flu, but still managed a starter and a main. Pea and ham soup with very nice bread followed by the "Italian Stew". I'm not one to stick to the turkey tradition just for the time of year! The stew was *fantastic*. Many, many thin slivers of beef mixed with a lovely selection of vegetables and a mildly spicy sauce was enough to start sweating out the virus that had been afflicting me recently. As ever, service was bright and cheerful. The restaurant was also a little busier than last year and, as a result, a shade warmer which was pleasant :) You never know - next year could be a hat trick for Spuntini's as we honestly don't see a reason to bother shopping around elsewhere. read more

Another excellent decision day to visit Spuntini - excellent food and service as usual - wasn't our original destination, but due to a bizarre approach to customer service elsewhere we opted for somewhere that wouldn't disappoint. From a previous visit would highlight that this is one of the most child friendly restaurants in Glasgow so a definite if you're looking for somewhere for a Saturday lunch location with little ones in tow! read more

Pretty rude staff (the men at least). We go for the pizza but even just ordering a takeaway won't protect you from sarcastic waiters who somehow think they're being funny only nobody's laughing. read more

I must have past by this place tens of times but I never really took notice of it. I thought it was interesting how La Vita Spuntini was next to another Italian food joint. My friends and I were standing between the two places, deciding which would be the best place to eat. We decided La Vita Spuntini because it was something new to try. Here I thought it was because the decor looked prettier? La Vita Spuntini had a cozy but sort of classy feel. The candle-lit ambiance and the warm color palette definitely made my friends and I feel underdressed in our jeans and t-shirts. You know how it's really important for the hostess to ensure that the customers feel welcome? I don't think the hostess here got the memo. While someone was trying to get us to a table, another man - I am not sure if he's the hostess or owner - told us right off the bat that we only had 1 hour and a half to eat. No pressure, right? I noticed how everything was a bit expensive, but I figured it would be about the same price at other "good" Italian restaurants. I definitely felt rushed during my whole experience. We barely sat down when our male waiter asked if we were ready to order. We asked for a few more minutes. He came back again soon and we still weren't ready. When we were ready, the male waiter told us he'd get us our waiter, who is now a female waiter. I couldn't help but think the service was a bit disorganized. We decided on the Ravioli Rafael - meat ravioli with creamy sauce instead of pesto - and two personal Margherita pizzas. The ravioli dish was very mediocre. It was meant for two people to share, and the portions were just enough for all three of us to share. However, I don't know why I expected something amazing. Maybe it was because I was eating Italian food in Europe? I don't know. The ravioli barely had any meat inside. All I tasted was pasta. The pizzas were not that great either. The thin crusted pizza and was quite small, maybe less than 6inches wide in diameter. During the time we ate, I could see the tables next to us being assembled for a large group, which was probably why we only had a specific amount of time to eat. I glanced at the host and he kept looking at us and pointing at our direction. My friends noticed too and assumed that they are waiting for our tables. We felt so awkward, but we ordered desserts anyway. I ordered the Torta di Chocolate with our female waiter. My other friend hadn't decided yet so she asked if the waiter would come back later. When she was ready, her order was taken from a different waiter. In the end, I was the one who ended up with no dessert and my friend got her Cheesecake. For some reason, the waiter didn't put my order in. I was really sad. In the waiter's defense, he quickly realized that I didn't get my order and asked if I wanted to re-order it, which was nice of him. But like I said, we all felt crunched for time, so I didn't want them to wait on our tables to be available. We finished quickly and asked for the check. So all in all, we felt rushed and the service was bad. The food wasn't fantastic either. It could have been a bad day for the restaurant and we were unlucky to have this bad service. It's all circumstantial, but based on what I experienced that day, I give this place a 2/5. read more

Im not a great lover of italian food myself but my daughter took me here for Father Day. It was ideal as the little dishes that came out were just enough for me (as I say Italian not my favourite) Unusually there was a lot of taste in the food and they were well presented. The wine went down a treat too! Very fashionable inside and the staff were very friendly and helpful read more

Decor is amazing, location is great, bar service was fabulous but table service was average.

Having never eaten inside the restaurant I cannot comment on the food/service/surroundings however having recently ordered a take-away pizza from here I can comment on that! I love big pizzas and I cannot lie, ha ha! It's true, one of our family (moi, the boy & the cat boy) favourites was the 16" take-away pizza (and chips!) from Cafe Zecchino in Haghill/Dennistoun. I REALLY miss that place *sob* so it has been our mission to find somewhere local to us now that does a pizza equally as tasty as Z's. So far a few places have come close but still not quite as good...looking for somewhere new to try I came across La Vita Spuntini on ye olde faithful Just Eat website. It had good reviews & it was close by (minimise the risk of cold pizzaness) so upon perusing the menu we decided on the 16" Pizza San Pietro which was described as a 'oven flamed thin crust pizza made with San Marzano tomato sauce & Burrata imported mozzarella cheese with chicken breast & field mushrooms' ~ sounded pretty good. Glad it was field mushrooms too as those damn pavement or garden mushrooms are just rubbish! Price for this was £12.95 which wasn't cheap but still it is much cheaper than Dominos/Pizza Hut and the other big pizza guys. We also ordered chips because it is mandatory in our household to have chips with pizza, oh yes. They were very pleasant on the phone & within no time the door went and it had arrived! Wow. I thought it was so funny (and sweet) when the delivery guy apologised for 'the wait' err? What wait? That was actually quite speedy for a pizza delivery! He was a cool dude & I JUST managed to get the HUGE pizza box in the door without having to tip it sideways (which is pizza disaster!) The chips were within a insulated bag & we didn't get a huge portion but what there was were very nice indeed - they weren't seasoned though but I like to add my own amounts anyway so that was no bother. The pizza looked okay; not amazing (not enough cheese!) but I was proved wrong when I took a bite - it was a really good pizza. It was maybe a tad salty but I am a salt FIEND so it didn't bother me & the (human) boy liked the saltiness also. Big bits of chicken breast (which the cat boy VERY much approved of...later I caught him - head in pizza box sniffing out for more chicken!) and really succulent mushrooms (so glad they were from a field! Ha ha!) With the toppings being so good & the actual pizza base being really nice too I actually didn't miss the lack of cheese and it made the pizza a lot less greasy I noticed. Some pizzas look amazing but upon picking up to eat you realise just how much grease there is on them - this one wasn't like that at all. It almost felt, dare I say it, healthy! Sheesh...that'll be the day - when someone invents a really tasty & really healthy pizza! What a rich person they will be too! I want to say we have found a new favourite take-away pizza but I think I will wait until we order again...still really like Grillicious and still a few more local places to try. This was a really nice pizza but it still wasn't as good a Cafe Zecchino I'm afraid...I really do think we're going to struggle to find somewhere around here that does a take-away (16") pizza as good as they do. My quest will continue though...it's a hard job but someone's got to do it *sigh* ;-) read more

I had walked past Spuntini a few times and decided to take the plunge and go in yesterday when the massive French doors at the front of the restaurant were wide open. It reminded me a bit of being on holiday, so we went in and were seated right at one of the open doors. It wasn't a really warm day but I quite enjoyed the breeze as we browsed the Italian tapas menu, 3 dishes for £6.99, which I thought was really good. I have never tried or even heard of Italian tapas so I was excited to try some, and myself and my partner ordered different dishes between us so we could try a bit of everything. Waiting on our food gave us time to take in this beautiful restaurant, the décor really is very impressive. The wrought iron mural on the wall of what looked like gods and goddesses was beautiful and the mezannine made the place look really spectacular. The massive pizza oven, which looks like an open mouthed lion, is stunning and the ceilings are intricate wooden paintings which really make the whole place seem simply spectacular. It's one of the nicest places I have ever eaten, for sure. Our dishes arrived at the table, first the waiter brought us the wrong order but changed it no problem and could not have been more apologetic. The 6 dishes only just managed to fit on our teeny table for two, and we got stuck in straight away. My personal favourites included the mini pizza, or the Pizzette Pepperoni go give it its proper name. I also really enjoyed the Arancini Formaggio, risotto and mozzarella balls with a gorgeous tomato dipping sauce. All of the dishes were awesome though and we even left some of the pastas, we were stuffed. I left a wee bit of room for desert though, and ordered the Torta Di Chocolate, an Italian truffle cake served with Amaretto ice cream and cream. It came, beautifully presented, and from the first bite I was in heaven! The only problem was, it was soooo rich and sweet that half of it would have been more than enough, but I tried my best to eat most of it. The ice cream was delicious, Amaretto is my favourite drink so that was amazing. The bill came (complete with two drumstick lollies) and it was a pretty reasonable £29.00, not too bad for what we had to eat. It was all lovely, set in a stunning restaurant, with incredibly friendly staff. I can't wait to go back! read more

We spent 30 minutes trying to find parking yesterday and happened upon a sneaky wee space right outside the QMU so JP was for eating on Byres Road. "Nae bother" says I and off we trot, happy that (for once) it's not raining! Little Italy was the first port of call, but they only do GF pizza, not pasta, as we quickly discovered so we decided to try next door instead. Glad we did. From the smiley Steve Buscemi-alike who was more than happy to talk my pal through her GF options to the extra drumstick lollies from the waitress after the bill was paid (confession, I had my spare for breakfast on the bus to work this morning!) the whole dinner was fantastic. I pipped for my all time fave pasta, lobster ravioli and JP decided to give that a go as well, though we discovered pretty quickly that the ravioli is pre-made, so not a GF option unfortunately! The waitress couldnt have been more apologetic about this and was at pains to point out all the other options available. J went for the carbonara with chicken which went down a storm so no harm done! Our drinks order was quick and efficient and there wasn't much of a wait for food at all, despite the place being reasonably busy with a few big tables in when we arrived. It's not often there's silence around the two of us (the boss has been known to separate us in the office like naughty schoolkids) but when the food arrived there was indeed golden silence. For a whole five minutes. Then I got a bit of sauce down my jumper and she dropped pasta on her jeans :P The menu in here is great, with all pasta (sans ravioli) being available as a GF option and the notreallystevebuscemi did say that most other items cans be made gluten free if required. Very smiley helpful staff, beautiful surroundings, fab food and the bill wasn't that steep either! Win! Only fly in the ointment being that true to form for glasgow, it was raining when we left! ;) read more

I went here with some old friends for tapas.. The restaurant itself looks well decorated and fancy! even though we booked a table and where a little late we had to wait at the bar.. Where we stood we were pushed passed and constantly had to move for staff and other customers, not the best.. We got our table which was beside the bar and kitchen.. We had a constant flow of people and staff walking past, I would much rather have been in a wee corner out the way.. At one point my friend had a man's bum literally in her face as he stood at the bar waiting for a table, I would put this down to the guy not having any spacial awareness but all the same not much fun for my friend.. The staff were friendly and helpful.. Our food arrived I enjoyed everything we picked apart from the duck and black pudding which was just greasy and tasteless.. After our plates were cleared nobody asked us if we wanted more drinks or desserts and eventually had to catch a staff member to ask them.. Food was alright, but I won't be in a rush to go back.. read more

Had a lovely meal there, the service was second to none I would go back, it was pretty busy for a Sunday. I only had a main and dessert which I enjoyed very much, read more

One of the newest additions to the Byres Road restaurant scene, Spuntini grabbed the prime spot across from Hillhead subway when it was deserted by a pawn shop at the beginning of 2008. Such a popular location had to appeal to the masses and what culinary dishes appeal to the masses more than Italian; everyone likes pizza and pasta after all. Add the ubiquitous presence of tapas on Glasgow's menus at the moment (tapas curry, tapas Scottish.... I wouldn't be surprised if I found out Weegie's have started making themselves wee portions of cornflakes, porridge, rice crispies and coco pops in the morning) and the concept of Italian tapas is a no brainer. So it would be easy to dismiss Spuntini's as a canny marketing ploy, designed to draw the crowds. However, those who do are missing good food served in generous portions for reasonable prices. My friends and I decided to book Spuntini's for a special occasion as one of our group was moving to Spain. It is the ideal choice for a crowd as its large airy space and colourful surroundings provided a festive atmosphere, enhanced by the waiters whose cheeky grins and sly patter made a group of twenty something year old girls giggle. The restaurant was fairly quiet as it was a Wednesday night but this was not a reflection of its popularity as the space is huge with a mezzanine overhead. When it comes to tapas my attitude is very much "more is more" and I would consider my personality to be incompatible with anyone who claims "two is enough". So I ordered three from the mammoth menu; tapas sized pizza bianca, vegetable stew and mozzarella and risotto balls. The latter arrived first and was a treat, creamy and covered in breadcrumbs with a tomato sauce for dipping. Kind of like upmarket mozzarella sticks. The stew was made up of tomato sauce, mixed peppers and tons and tons of olives, which was okay with me as I love olives. The pizza was not mindblowing but tasty and a very decent size for only £3.99. I had my eye on the chocolate fondue for dessert but as it was for two I needed at least one person to share my gluttony, which my friend duly volunteered to do. However, as soon as the waiter brought out the chocolate pot surrounded by strawberries, pineapple, banana and marshmallows, all eight of our mouths immediately began to water. Thankfully the consistently large portions did not slip at dessert and there was enough to satisfy us all. It also worth noting the brilliant take away deals Spuntini offers. A family meal deal includes any three tapas, a 16 inch pizza and family size pasta for £19.99; a meal deal for one includes any two tapas, a 12 inch pizza or regular pasta for £8.99 and the lunch time special offers any pasta or 12 inch pizza for £3.99 read more

I love Italian Tapas and missed going to Pesto in Manchester after I moved so I was pretty chuffed to find a place near me. It was pretty busy but we got seated no problem, in possibly in the darkest corner of the darkest place ever known. I swear theres more light in underground caves then there is in the back of this place! The decor is pretty oppressive and the loos are a little torture chamberish. So we ordered a carafe of the house white, which was okay, but not sure why we got it in a jug and not a bottle with a cooler, didnt help to keep the wine cool. Went for the house as the Pinot was £20 and however much I enjoy a bottle of Pinot, I cant justify spending £20 on it. They also do litre jugs of speciality beers but are £15 a pop..... for less than 2 pints. Ordered a selection between us, the highlights being the squid & monkfish, the arancini and the mussels, all of which were well cooked and the fish was good quality. The lowlight being the pork belly, for slow cooked meat it was pretty tough and I know its pork belly but is it really necessary to serve me more pork fat than pork meat? surely you can trim some of the fat off - I left more than I ate. The main reason why Ive given this place a 2 star was the service, whilst pleasant was achingly slow. The kind of slow that even though we were not in a rush we were still conscious of waiting an age to have plates collected, dessert menu given, which we declined to partake because of how slow it had been - we simply couldnt be bothered to be in there any longer! Getting the food didnt take too long, and they were busy when we got the but not at the end so the speed wasnt due to how busy they were or the kitchen - just being slow! It took us 2 hours to have a 1 course meal... like I said we were not in a rush but come on! We had eaten easily an hour & half in and waitied 30 mins to be shown a desert menu & then pay! £45 for 3 dishes each, bread to share and a bottle of wine. Not the most we have ever paid but I did find myself going for the cheaper options as some things were very overpriced £7 for a 5" Parma Ham Pizza? No ta!! read more

Having had some really good meals at the Italian Caffe in Merchant City I've become very open to the idea of 'italian tapas', or spuntini as my Italian friends tell me it's called. So I was actually looking forward to eating at La Vita Spuntini on Byres Road. What I got was a car-crash of a meal. Briefly; the restaurant was extremely hot, the food was disastrous and the staff obtrusive. I've since heard similar complaints from everyone else I know who has visited. The place looks pleasant enough. It's made to look rustic Italian hall - lots of wood, coats of arms, wrought iron effect - but has an over-polished feel. We were seated at a small table upstairs rather quickly and got menus from a pleasant waiter. In the next two minutes four separate waiters came to talk our drink orders then no one for almost 10 minutes. The food menu is huge - from large bowls of pasta and risotto for sharing to stuffed pigs trotters. We eventually settled on 6 dishes, including (english names here) sardines, pink tuna, pork belly, courgette flowers, italian sausage stew and a fritatta. Of these the last was okay and the rest awful. The sardines were clearly not fresh and had none of the sheen of this fish when properly cooked. The tuna was the worst of the lot - completely over cooked and completely horrid. The pork belly was basically boiled and had lost all the delicious fat, meat and crispness of this dish that should be impossible to screw up. Courgette flowers are meant to be in a very light batter and fried quickly - these were stodgy with extra stodge. And the stew could have come from a can. And all the way through the meal the restaurant was a few degrees above uncomfortably hot. With our plates cleared we still had a glass of wine each to finish. At least half the tables upstairs were empty but one of the 5 waiters that served us hovered at our shoulder before eventually coming back with a damp piece of blue kitchen paper to wipe the table into his hands. A table that wasn't dirty and while we were in mid conversation. The bill was £50 for 2, including wine. I can honestly say this was one of the worst meals I've had in Glasgow. Overpriced, tasteless and uncomfortable. read more

Great idea if it is done properly. Here it isn't. Portions are small, prices are high,quality leaves a lot to be desired,service worst than poor. No thanks. read more

great Italian food with fantastic flavor and a good dessert menu. the bread pudding is great.

I first visited Spuntini for lunch and chose from their Daytime Tasting menu, at a cost of £6.99 for three small Tapas dishes. This was good value and the menu featured several dishes which appealed to me. Being a very fussy vegetarian with a few food allergies, I often find it difficult to find suitable meals when eating out. I therefore suggested that my husband and I celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary at Spuntini a few weeks later. We booked to eat at Spuntini on a Saturday evening. Like the previous review, we found the restaurant unbearably hot - which made us want to eat up and get out as soon as possible! From the Taster menu, I had particularly enjoyed Pennette Formaggio E Basilico. However, this was only available as a dish for 2 to share. As this dish did not appeal to my husband, I asked the staff if I could order it as a Tapas sized dish....and was refused! Surely the customer should get what the customer wants?! I have been to several Italian restaurants who have no problem with serving starter dishes as main courses and vice versa, so was surprised at the attitude displayed by the staff at Spuntini. Many of the dishes which had appealed to me from the taster menu only appeared on the 'Sharing' section of the menu, and obviously would be too much to eat for one person, not to mention too costly (for a dish that would only be half eaten). I therefore struggled to find 3 Tapas dishes from the rest of the menu. I eventually settled for a Margarita pizzette, Pattate Arrosto (deep fried potato cubes with spicy tomato sauce) and Arancini Formaggio (deep fried risotto balls with mozzarella and napoli, with tomato dip). The first thing that was very apparent was that the 'dip' for the risotto balls, the spicy sauce on the potatoes, the tomato sauce on the pizza....was all exactly the same! Even though my husband ordered 3 very different dishes, they too all featured the same bland tomato sauce. Being a big pizza fan, I thought I couldn't go wrong with a Margarita....but the cheese smelt weird, like it was off, so I couldn't eat it. The deep fried risotto balls were not cooked in the centre and therefore were luke warm, the 2nd time I have received this dish served this way. Oh, and the salad accompaniment was a solitary lettuce leave! The deep fried potatoes were OK, but you can purchase much better 'patatas bravas' from any Spanish Tapas restaurant. The service was good, but perhaps a bit OTT, with several waiters and waitresses approaching us throughout our meal to ask if everything was OK. We did look at the dessert menu, but the choice was very limited and disappointing, as well as being overpriced. Upon receiving our bill, we completed their restaurant review card. When the waitress took the bill away, she took ages to come back with our change.....presumably the staff had been reading the negative comments written in my review! (as the card had been removed upon return of the bill). There was no comment made and we didn't even get a 'good-bye' on the way out! Our experience at Spuntini has ensured that we will never return and I am disappointed that my 1st wedding anniversary was ruined by a poor meal - there are many far more superior Italian eateries to be had around the Glasgow area. read more