Max Italia is on Lee Lane in Horwich. It's the source of some confusion at times as it was once an…read moreItalian restaurant called Max Max. Since Max Max closed, it reopened as the short lived Siam Balcony, before closing and reopening as the current Italian restaurant with the familiarly named Max Italia, seemingly wanting to hark back to the days of Max Max, and informing the locals of what they're about. It took me a while to get to Max Italia, as I live very nearby it, but assumed it was the same people behind Max Max, so never really gave it much thought. However on one night we fancied giving it a try, and so called the number to make a booking. Oddly the phone was simply answered with "hello?", leading me to ask "uh... is that Max Italia?" "yes" ... awkward. But still, we got a table booked, and went along. When we arrived we realised how busy it was! We were greeted, and seated in a waiting area by the bar with a menu to look at whilst our table was prepared. It only took a couple of minutes before we were seated. The decor is modern but simple, with clever tricks like stone effect printed wallpaper for texture (I thought it was real stone at first) and large mirrors on one wall to give the space a feeling of more room. Dishes are written across the top of the wall, a la Frankie & Benny's. The tables are simple white linen with red square accent cloths. Classic Italian restaurant with a slight modernisation. No Chianti bottles with melted candles here.. The only thing I thought spoilt the look a bit was plastic fake vines occasionally strewn around lampshades and around windows. It really doesn't need them. The bar area is white tiles, glass blocks, and blue lighting, giving a slight feeling of a swimming baths, but still functional and modern. The menu has some great classic offerings without going too over the top. It also has several special offers to tempt people into giving them a try. On the night we were visiting, there were two long lines of tables celebrating a retirement, so it was loud but not terrible. We were worried about the time for food to arrive, but they were seemingly finishing their main course as we settled in, so that wouldn't be too much of an issue. To start we ordered plain garlic bread topped with oregano and Fungo Al Pepe, which is a large mushroom topped with black pudding and blue cheese in a creamy pepper sauce. The garlic bread, although a nice texture, was quite subtle in terms of garlic. It was however still pleasant, and worked very well dunked in the sauce that came with the Fungo Al Pepe, which in itself seems a little bit Italy-via-Lancashire. I'm not sure if it's a classic dish you'd find in bistros in Firenze, but despite the appearance, it was bubbling when it arrived, and was in itself very tasty and enjoyable. For our mains we decided on Penne Gratinate, which is penne pasta with onions, mushrooms and peas, in a creamy sauce, topped with cheese and cooked in the oven, and a classic spaghetti carbonara. These too arrived in pretty good time from the open-fronted kitchen at one end of the restaurant. Suffice to say, both of these dishes were superb. Fresh, creamy and tasty, they were satisfying right down to the last forkful, and then to the last spoonful as we finished every last bit! The penne gratinate was satisfying and creamy, with wonderful flavours, and the carbonara was fresh and nicely presented. At this point we could see that the large tables with the retirement party were eyeing up the dessert menus, so we got our order in quickly. We chose a simple vanilla ice cream, and the chocolate profiteroles. Again, both arrived in good time. The ice cream was good, topped in a chocolate sauce, which although nice, I didn't ask for (I'm not usually a fan of chocolate sauce), and the profiteroles were delicious and very chocolatey! Service was friendly but very busy (presumably due to that retirement party), servers were hard to get hold of at times, especially when we were trying to get the bill, but those who we did speak to and were served by were friendly and polite. As we had trouble getting the bill, we weren't sure whether we would be paying at the table with a card machine, or if it best to head up to the bar. We did the latter to be safe. We really enjoyed our meals, and although busy, the experience itself was very pleasant. We were flabbergasted that for our entire meal of starters, main courses, desserts and drinks, the bill came to only just over £31! We at first thought perhaps we hadn't been charged for our desserts, but we were told by the friendly barman that it was part of a mid-week offer. Well that's just dandy! We had a great meal at a local independent restaurant within walking distance, and it didn't even disturb the bank, let alone break it. We recommend it if you're in the Horwich area, and definitely to any locals unsure of whether to give it a try.

Very excited to celebrate at Leo's. Unfortunatley it all went down hill from the moment i walked in…read morethe door!!! 1) the waitress spilt a bottle of beer on my sister and her boyfriend She then did not apologise and walked away 2) the senior waiter offered to pay for dry cleaning which was appropriate 3) the Starter of bruchetta and tomatoes with mozerella was apauling i would not feed it not a dog! it was so over cooked and the tomatoes was awful 4) the starter of calamari was sent out wrong 5) the waiter put parmasean cheese on my friends food after he had said no thanks Honestly cannot believe how terrible the night was!!!! i would like to thank LEOS for ruining my night

The best italian in Horwich. Lovely food. Great portions. Friendly staff. Great location. Plenty…read moreparking (on the crown pub car park).

Horwich has always been blessed with fantastic eating places for a town of its size. Il Toro is a…read moreperfect addition . The interior is modern, with some comfortable round 'booth' style tables. The service cannot be faulted with staff with staff being very attentive. The menu offers a good choice of pastas, risottos, pizzas and other Italian main dishes. There is also a fish and seafood special. They have responded well to the credit crunch and have two fantastic midweek offers (both of which I have tried!). Monday to Thursday you can have any pizza from the menu with a drink (beer, wine or soft drink) for £6.95 making it the perfect place for a quick bite to eat with the family or friends after work. There is also a three course meal on offer for £15.95 with a superb range of choice, with the usual traditional dishes, and some modern dishes with a twist. On my last visit I opted for the Penne al Pistacchio which was the perfect combination of ingredients. This place can get busy at weekends so you will need to book in advance.

The menu is good and can't fault the quality of the food. The service though leaves alot to be…read moredesired. My main gripe is it always seems they are trying to get you in and out in the shortest possible time. On a couple of occasions whilst still eating our entres, they've brought our mains to the table, tried to serve them and then seemed put out when we ask for more time to enjoy our starters. Then obviously same re-heated main brought back out. Again same issue at the end of the meal, whilst enjoying our bottle of wine, pestered for desert and then bill brought to our table un-requested. Try not to sit in the back of the restaurant, it can get uncomfortably warm. All that said food is good and we keep going back every know and then.

Very nice restaurant serving fantastic Italian food. I had Fileto Al Pepe which was very nice…read moreindeed, very tasty and a big portion. The veg on a platter is also a unique touch so you can help yourself on how much you want. The young waitresses are very good and ensure you have a good meal. One aspect I didn't like was that it appeared the manager or owner was very bullish with one young waitress in front of the customers which wasn't very professional on his side. She didn't really appear to do much wrong in the first place. Overall the food is good and reasonably priced, large portions and good hospitality. Would recommend to others.

Fantastic Italian restaurant in the area. Super nice hosts. Great menu full of pastas, pizza and…read moreother traditional Italian dishes. They even have a fiat 500 in the middle of the restaurant. The food was of amazing quality and taste. You could taste the extra virgin olive oil and the salad. Great place!! Highly recommended by a tourist from USA that has had plenty of Italian food at various joints around the globe.

We went to celebrate a friends birthday.We were greeted as we arrived.The starters very nice main…read morecourse t bone steak lovely and desert nice .would recommend it.go and try it

Omg im so glad I came here, I go past it on my way home from work and eventually decided to set…read moreaside a day to come here. We were greeted at the door by a friendly waiter who showed us to our seats and after a few mins took our order. The food came at a fairly quick time, we weren't waiting too long and the food was piping hot. Everything was delicious and I cannot fault it. It's just a shame the place was fairly empty as it's a wonderful establishment and should be bustling with customers! Go visit this place!

This family run restaurant used to be The Half Way House pub. It has been beautifully transformed…read moreinside but keeps its original appearance from the outside. There is a small car park and room to park on the road outside. The owners (one of them is a Premiership Referee so look out for the odd famous face) live in the Bolton area and can often be seen working in the resaurant. It is my favourite place to eat. From the moment you walk in, you are made to feel welcome. There are 2 Italian waiters who speak excellent English and are more than happy to help you pronounce the items and even teach you some Italian. The menu is extensive with daily specials. There is a good choice of wine. There is a small bar area that you can retire to after your meal. The food is reasonably priced and freshly prepared to your specifications.

Chianti used to be a pub, and it's hard for them to escape that when you see the outside of it,…read morelooking very much like other traditional boozers in the area. However, when you decide to give it a try and walk inside, you realise it's a genuine nice quality Italian restaurant. It doesn't feel like a pub inside. It's warm, pleasantly decorated with wall murals and Italian themed artwork, and welcoming and friendly staff. Even the music that plays is a mix of both traditional Italian trattoria style music as you might expect, but also modern Italian music, which is a nice touch. We're seated by one of the mural walls, and given some menus. The offerings are classic Italian, but at a reasonable price. When I notice that there's the option to have any of the pasta dishes as a starter option, I ask for a carbonara. The waitress tells me that it's actually the same price to go for a full normal sized carbonara, and I could simply take some home with me... I like her thinking! We order a garlic bread to nibble on, and a starter of carbonara, and the home made chicken liver pate. Both arrive in good time. The carbonara tastes fresh and creamy, and is perfectly seasoned. The chicken liver pate is light and creamy, full of flavour, and served with light toasted rounds, and a fruit chutney. Really pleasant. I had to force myself to stop eating the carbonara so I would have enough room for my main course! The staff were happy to box up the remainder for me to take home. For our mains we decide to order the penne pasticciata, and the pizza agrodolce respectively. As we wait for our mains, our drinks are kept refreshed, and we chat with some of the members of staff, who are friendly and warm, and happy to tell us about the decor and details of the venue. The pasticciata was perfectly cooked, deliciously creamy, with plenty of meaty filling, and covered in a wonderful melted mozzarella. Very tasty, and a huge portion... very filling indeed. The pizza was definitely a hand-made base, which was perfectly crisp and had a semolina crunch to it. The ingredients were fresh and delicious, and managed to stay light, rather than many pizzas suffering from heavy and gloopy toppings. It was delicious, and also predictably, I also had to take some of this home too! As I was now stuffed and content, I sadly had no room for one of the delicious looking desserts (I'd stood at the desserts chiller counter earlier, staring through the glass like a child at the window of a sweet shop). However my partner refused to throw in the towel just yet, and ordered some chocolate profiteroles. The profiteroles were light and creamy and well complimented by the caramel sauce. The citrus zest grated on top of the cream was wonderfully fragrant, and gave the dish a fantastic little zing. All all, the food was excellent and generously portioned considering how reasonable the prices were. The atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant, and the staff were attentive and warm without being intrusive. We will most definitely return. Don't judge this book by its cover, it's not just an old pub, and it's not pubby inside, it's lovely, and a real Italian treat.

I almost feel bad giving a 3 star review considering the price, however the quality of the food…read morejust wasn't 4 star worthy. Midweek (mon-thurs) they do any pizza or pasta for £3.95 - so on a Tuesday evening when we couldn't be bothered cooking, we thought we'd give it a go! I started with a glass of Pinot Grigio which was nice, the girlfriend had a glass of the house red (Merlot I think) and we shared a cheesy garlic bread which was nice also! The main course (the £4 deal) is where I was let down, I opted for cannelloni and I love cannelloni so I was really excited! The sauces where great and it was piping hot (probably too hot) but the meat underneath was really dry and tasteless which gave me the impression it was a microwave job! However, my girlfriend had Lasagne and said that was fantastic - so maybe I got a one off bad dish! For the price, you can't really argue either way can you!

Another Italian gem in Westhoughton. I can only reiterate the previous comments and add that it is…read moreclosed on a Monday. Those that dine here tend to make an evening of it, so turning up on spec may not be a wise choice. Best to book a table and enjoy your evening.

Andiamo is situated on lower leigh road in Westhoughton, it has parking available for free to the…read morerear of the restaraunt. The building from the outside is recently updated and looks charming and attractive. On the inside it is equally impressive and is very modern and new. There is a warm and friendly welcome on your arrival and pre booking is advisable as this is a popular restaraunt and fills up pretty quickly, especially midweek when there are often special priced courses. The menu offers good choice at reasonable prices and there is a specials board too. The food arrives efficiently, is well presented and of a high standard, delicious. The atmosphere is nice and everyone seems to have a good time in Andiano's. Andiano's is one of my favourite Italian restaraunts and I have enjoyed it there so I would highly recommend it to others. You may be pleasantly surprised.