A reasonably priced Italian restaurant in the heart of the Lanes, serving mainly pasta, pizza and…read moresalads. We went to Piccolo's for a weekend lunch with friends. They had a £6.80 for two courses offer, with a range of starters and a choice of any pasta, salad or pizza for the main course. The exterior is a bit bland - it's easily missed (which is why presumably I've walked past it for 10 years without knowing it was here), and the interior is simply done, too - whitewashed walls, marble tables and a bit of artwork. Overall, the experience was a bit mixed. We ordered different starters, and the consensus was that those choosing a side salad had the best result - they were interesting, fresh and good value. Fiorentina potatoes were a bit dull in contrast. Pasta mains were fine but nothing special: smallish portions (though fine for me for lunch) and average quality. But for the price, in the centre of Brighton, it was good value. A plus was that they brought us tap water happily, although the 'Italian Beer' turned out to be San Miguel - which is Spanish! Two courses plus coffee or beer plus tip came to £10 each. More mixed was the service: an astonishingly surly male waiter contrasted sharply with two charming and very efficient waitresses. The kitchen staff waved us an ostentatious goodbye when we left, which was so over the top (especially as we only clapped eyes on them as we were walking out) I wasn't sure if it was meant sarcastically or genuinely. I doubt I'll rush back - there are other choices in the centre of Brighton higher on my list, but if you seeking a quick cheap lunch, then it would fit the bill.

Piccolo's is a cheap and cheerful Italian restaurant in the South Lanes. Well, I say cheerful, the…read moremanager/owner can sometimes be a bit grumpy, but the waiting staff are always friendly and efficient, though rarely Italian! You can eat in or takeaway, and the restaurant is quite large, spread over two floors. The inexpensive menu is a major draw, and often the restaurant can become quite busy and loud, despite its large size. Entrees include classic Italian pasta dishes, such as spaghetti bolognese, lasagne, tagliatelle gambaretti (prawns) and penne al tonno (which is a personal favourite of mine!). There is also a specials board, which often has seafood options listed. During the week, Piccolos do a set menu, which is a bargain at around £6.50 and entitles you to a starter (garlic bread, tricolour salad or prawn cocktail), followed by pasta or a pizza. The takeaway menu is extremely cheap, with pizzas for as little as £2.50. In the summer, I often pick up some pizzas, buy some beers and head down to the beach: a cheap and effortless summer picnic! Although Piccolo's is not the trendiest restaurant in the South Lanes and does not serve the most innovative food, it does what it does quite well- in short, you get exactly what you pay for: tasty, filling, no-frills food.

Good food the spaghetti Pomodoro and the calzone bombe are the best thing ever for a restaurant and…read moreI love Pinocchio we go every time we go to Brighton it should have more gluten free food

I've been here before and don't remember having a bad experience but this was on a Saturday…read moreafternoon late lunch so maybe everybody was simply exhausted. We were sat quickly but then waited and waited for anybody to come and take our order (about 20 minutes or more). We'd also been seated in an incredibly cramped spot that made me think of the medieval "little ease" cells where one can barely find comfort. Finally a waitress mistakenly tried to give us somebody else's order which I used as an opportunity to make our own. I ordered a glass or wine and my daughter ordered plain water. The wine made it, the water never did. The food was fine - pretty tasty overall, in fact. I ordered the bolognese and my daughter ordered the pomodoro. Both satisfied on that account. Getting the final bill also proved to be a chore and we kept getting different people serving us at each stage. I think the problem here is managerial and may also be because Saturday in Brighton is just complete chaos. My recommendation might be to try this restaurant on a non-Saturday day.

The cutlery/serving plates and bowls in which soup was served is chipped, service staff very…read morerigid and inhospitable. Over All experience not good. Ambiance nothing great. I got put off when I saw that dishes were served in a very ordinary, chipped. Food was good. If I have an option I would not come back to Donatello.

One of the worst restaurant experiences I have had in a long time…read more Poor service. Found 3 hairs in our food. Starter was unappetising.

So I'm going to try something a little different today…read more.. A live blog! Let's see how this place shapes up! Entrance and welcome: perfectly acceptable, polite and friendly. Drinks order taken swiftly. I wish I had known my only option was a giant bottle of sparkling water, would have been nice to have been told initially. Menu: expansive, typical of Italian cuisine. A little on the expensive side. The fish specials looked delicious but unfortunately the waiter could not confirm where the fish came from; I am currently on a sustainability kick and have decided only to eat fish if I can verify how and where it was caught, so I opted instead for a chicken dish. Main: oh how my hopes were raised upon the first mouthful of my dinner, but sadly the delightful flavour of the creamy mushroom and dolcelatte sauce was not to be continued throughout the rest of my meal. I'm saddened to report dry chicken and floppy veg, I can almost forgive the slightly overdone chicken (as it seems to be the done thing in restaurants at the moment) but I most certainly cannot forgive limp broccoli. The inventors of the concept of al dente should know better! Points for utterly impeccable potatoes however, dauphinois I believe. Feeling a bit disappointed after the main, I decided to go whole hog and get a dessert... Menu: very disappointing. I was hoping this meal would at least finish with bang, but judging by the menu I won't hold my breath. Dessert: opted for a pannacotta with butterscotch sauce, currently sitting waiting with bated breath. Despite the lack of atmosphere tonight (forgiven due to tonight being a Monday evening) I'm excited due to the anticipation! Sadly... I shouldn't have. I got a thick and grainy pannacotta with what tasted like shop bought butterscotch sauce. I'm devastated. Pannacotta should be light and silky, it should melt in the mouth and be a joy to eat. Unfortunately, although the flavour was pleasant enough I could never recommend this dessert at the price the restaurant is asking. Which leads me to my conclusion: I could easily have given one or two extra stars on my review tonight if the menu had not been as expensive as it was. For a few pounds less on everything, this would have easily got 3 or 4 stars. Value for money this ain't, but if you're looking for a restaurant that isn't a chain in the marina, you could do worse than coming here. Oh and one final point, the waiter hacking away in the distance is slightly disconcerting. I know illness can't be helped, but take those coughs into the bathroom or something!

Bella Napoli is one of the few places in the Marina that isn't a chain restaurant, which…read moreimmediately makes it stand out in my book. I agree with the other reviewers in the sense that the food isn't going to blow you away, but you will leave having enjoyed a tasty, filling meal in nice surroundings. On my most recent visit I went for the veal Milanese - veal in breadcrumbs served with spaghetti Neapolitana and salad. A tasty dish and massive portions that will certainly leave you full. My friend went for a steak with pepper sauce that also looked tasty. Being quite full, but unable to resist the dessert menu entirely, we decided to share a banoffee pie which was yummy, as banoffee pie always is! On previous occasions I have had a number of their pasta, risotto and salad dishes, all of which I have been happy with. The Italian waiters are typically Italian, in that they can flirt like no other nation! Its so cliched but I fall for it every time and turn into a giggling school girl! What is it about the Italian accent that makes men instantly more attractive??

I love Italian and I was very interested to see how Italian food was presented at a restaurant…read morestill a great many miles away from Italy but thousands of miles closer than from my home. La Capannina was a solid choice. I had a rosemary chicken dish and a a carpaccio that were both very good. I also very much enjoyed the ambiance, though it was slightly darker than I like my restaurants, though I was with my date, so there's that! I'd come back again, and probably have the cannaloni that Linda enjoyed. I had a bite and it was damn-near heavenly.

La Capannina is a great Italian 'Ristorante'. It's quite a cosy place and decked out with a lot of…read morenatural wood. The focal point is the impressive stone bake oven and this place is all about the pizza. They have your expected selection of salads and pasta dishes, but i would really recommend their pizzas. This is probably the best pizza i have eaten outside of Italy. They are also reasonably priced and you will pay under £10 for a decent size pizza. The staff are friendly and the waiters manage the perfect level of Italian 'flirtiness' without being offensive or OTT. Drinks are what you would expect, with some decent Italian wines and bottle of Peroni. The prices make this a good place to come to for lunch or dinner, but you will likely need to reserve a table for evening weekend dining as the tables can fill up fast. Recommended.

Wonderful experience! Came here for a birthday dinner, left full and happy. Staff went above and…read morebeyond to accommodate us, can't say enough good about them. Would highly recommend going here for an authentic Italian meal.

This is a great Italian restaurant to head to for a really reasonable late lunch/early dinner. They…read morehave a fantastic menu offer on between 3pm til 6.30pm which includes two courses for only £8.99 which I think is great value. The food is cooked really well indeed and the whole place does have that chaotic Italian feel about it which I love. The staff seem to really enjoy being there and it does affect the atmosphere in a positive way. Try the Insalata Caprese to start follwed by the amazing Panzerotti al Casa Ciro (pancakes rolled with ricotta cheese, spinach and mushrooms) and you won't be disappointed. The house white is fine to wash it all down with and, agaiin, not over priced.

Kalamari served as pure elastic bands, great jaw exercise and im sure it'll make you run laps in…read moreyour stomach. Tortilini Aurora,like most pasta filling yet doesnt quite hit the palate of flavour. Drinks were standard and the service was moderate. The location is hidden but it was a spontaneous venture for food. Cant say I'll go there again but at least I tried it, right? see, now this can be one of those monkey see monkey doesnt do, type situations. shame I had to be the first monkey.

This was the first restaurant I ever went to in Brighton when visiting friends as a poor student…read more Its really popular because its dirt cheap and poverty stricken student lay abouts can still have the experience of dining in a restaurant. They offer pizzas for £3-5 and pastas for around £6, be careful though as they make their money by charging over the odds for really bad wine so avoid ordering alcohol if possible. They do student discount and set menu which reduced the price even more. The price and the Lanes location means its a great stop off for a quite while heading out for a shop or to the beach.

This place is OK but they just haven't hit the atmosphere button on the head properly. The lighting…read moredoesn't work for me, awful colours and not very Italian in my opinion. On the bright side, the food is pretty good. I only had a pizza capricosa but it was fantastic and my wife had a swordfish steak that was cooked to perfection. It is a little more pricey than a lot of other Italian restaurants as I think it is trying to attract a bit more of a younger yuppie type of clientele.

Comfort Italian food. Next to Shoreham-by-Sea train station. Lively manager, not shy to sing aloud…read moresome Italian tunes as he walks around. Great food, simple but nice plating. And quick. Tried the penne allArabiatta, just the right amount of spice and chilies.