I am so lucky to live within walking distance of this restaurant. It is a small neighbourhood…read moreItalian that punches well above its weight both for food and service. I have tried most things on the menu and have never made a bad choice. Their pizzas are spectacular - dough which is tasty, springy and light with a crispy bottom, absolutely perfect for dipping in your friend's spag bol! They make their own secret recipe tomato sauce, which is AMAZING. (Actually it's not a secret recipe at all - Raff will happily share how he makes it, but it sounds more intriguing as a secret!) They have a daily specials board that includes local seasonal produce in really imaginative dishes. I have gone into the kitchen to watch the chefs making a crab ravioli, moments before I ate it! (It was sublime!) Their desserts are too good. They have their regular items such as the tiramisu which melts in the mouth and the Italian ice cream that has real bits of strawberry, pistachio, vanilla seeds and chocolate in it. They also have special desserts that often are just too tempting - sticky toffee pudding, Eton mess with mango, interesting cheesecakes etc. The coffee is delicious and just perfect after a scrumptious meal there! The service is lovely and the atmosphere is down to earth, fun and friendly. I would urge you to go - if you go on a Thursday/Friday/Saturday you might want to book as it is extremely popular with locals.

I really have to rescind for 1 star review for not being able to book the day the restaurant…read moreclosed. I found the restaurant on Facebook. And booked a table that way. The welcome was excellent. The food just what you'd want excellent. I had slow roasted pork belly. Really Italian. Will I I be here during my next visit? Definitely

Food was great! Small restaurant with limited seating; stormy day so no outdoor seating created a…read morelonger wait, but worth it.

I lived in Wimbledon for almost three years and it took me at least 18 months before i even…read morerealised this lovely Italian side street restaurant existed, but i'm so glad i discovered it eventually! It's a rustic style Italian with the essential brick pizza oven. The menu is very affordable and the food is great. They have a fantastic range of pizzas, pastas, fish dishes , grills and veggie options. Being a bit of a cheese freak the Quattro Fromagi was delicious for me and for 14 pounds i got a 'medium' pizza but for me this was more like a large. The large pizzas are massive! The staff are great, really friendly and easy to have a laugh with, the atmosphere on a busy evening is great and for all of these reasons i highly recommend a visit to Al Fornos.

Just returned from England & the culinary highlight of the trip was this Italian restaurant in…read moreBalham. The food, service, and environment were top notch. As good as or better than any Italian food I've had in the US of A. We were a party of 8 and had a large assortment of appetizers & mains all of which were delicious. Also the Pinot Grigio I had was very tasty &, by report, the cocktails were also excellent. Finally, they comp'd us each a jigger of limoncello which was the perfect way to end a super meal. I recommend this place highly to anyone in the area of Balham or is willing to challenge the narrow streets & fulsome traffic of London.

Ok, so this is my type of Italian. Walk in and you are greated with Bouna sera, the smell of pizza…read moreand the sound of an espresso machine. Went on Sunday for their £14.50 Sunday lunch - fantastic value. The antipasti was simple but delicious. Real highlight was the rolled anchovies in breadcrumbs. Each say on a bay leaf which had heavily flavoured the oily little fish - yum! Mains were classic Italian tratoria fare, lovely baked pasta dishes like veal and tomatoes or cannelloni. I had the later and wished I had served myself more. Desserts were simple, although I was a bit bummed at the lack of tiramisu. I have been working my way around the tiramisus of the world since my first encounter in Italy so am a very boring guest at an Italian dinner if I don't get it. I had canoli, which were perfect. Overall, love the atmosphere (think kids covered in tomato sauce) nonnas chowing down on risotto, and lots of normal 30s folk enjoying good comfort food and comfort prices. Service was wonderfully friendly and attentive. I will be back!

It's been open quite a few months. Part of a small chain. They specialise in customisable pizza…read more They have lots and lots of choices for toppings and for 9gbp you can add as many as you like. That and high temperature fire Owen is their marketing strategy. No wood burning owen, just gas one so I didn't have much faith in the place. On the other hand the area does not have much in terms of great casual restaurants as far as I know so in a desperate move I gave it a chance. I was pleasantly surprised. I ordered one of their mixes - burner (slightly cheaper and I always assume that the chef has recommended things that go very well together). It was not hot despite the name. On the other hand it did come out very quickly and was piping hot. Great crisp on the sides and super thin in the middle. Spread of ingredients wasn't much to write home about and dough quality wasn't impressive either, they didn't even offer any extra shavings of parmesan or olive oil. On the other hand there was something good in it. I quite enjoyed the pizza, given on a wooden tray. Not a super soft and sophisticated, nor was it Italian (too many ingredients and too big choice of them) but I really liked it. The crust had just the right consistency and it was very enjoyable experience. Easily better than any of the big delivery chains. The place is quite spacious but it has only 4 tables. It got full while I got there, though it seemed to be because of people ordering takeaway. Might be a good place to take your kids as they offer dessert pizzas including Nutella pizza. I'm too conservative for this one. Not sure if they have toilet to be honest, on the other hand Mon - sat there is a Tesco with free toilet a stone throw away. Overall, if you are in Thornton heath and are happy with a slightly loud and somewhat rustic locale, go for it. Pizza won't be best you've ever had but it will be a very good version of your normal pizza.

first visit to the restaurant which is very clean and beautifully presented…read more the pizza was made to order , it was very tasty as good if not better than the better known brands , certainly cheaper. the chef was on his own , so handling money and making food a bit off a no no overall , loved it . Didn't realise that it had an alcohol license , which will make going in the evening even better , and parking won't be an issue A nice touch to Thornton Heath

Well I like this place. Sure it's a little intimidating and a few of the staff seem somewhat…read more"aloof" but the decor is very stylish and the quality of the wines, even the house wines, is excellent. It's hard to believe you're in Croydon. (Not exactly the culinary epicenter of England) Had the Quattro Stagioni pizza (yeah I know pizzas aren't exactly Italian fine food) but it was great - thin crust and plenty of the good stuff - pepperoni, mushrooms, etc. There's a separate desert menu with daily specials. I opted for the profiteroles (obviously), my wife went for the (daily special ) cassata. Both were great. We'll be back for sure.

Italian at it finest : South London prices BUT West End Stylish!…read more My husband and I decided to have date night in our local, over going up Central London . I'm happy to review we were not disappointed by the, tucked under the bridge , Italian in Croydon. The bar is stylish and a pleasant waiting area ,or even a retreat for a quick drink , and the deco in the main area is tastefully stylish! The service was on point , and the food was fresh tasty and wholesome Italian . I've eating calamari at several restaurants, but this was definitely one of the best. The atmosphere was surprisingly buzzing for a Monday night...highly recommended!

I'm happy I get to add this place to Yelp because I had such a great experience here last night. I…read morejust moved to London this week and my husband told me this area of Croydon was loaded with restaurants. So I took myself to dinner here and was greeted by a darling elderly gentleman who I presume was the owner. He, and much of the staff, have fairly thick Italian accents so right away, I knew I was in good hands. The staff work collaboratively here so while you may order with one person, another refills your wine glass and and another checks on you to make sure you're happy. Service is amazing here. And everyone is genuinely warm and welcoming. I started off with a 150ml glass of Sangiovese. House wine is ridiculously cheap here - very much like it is in Italy. Nowhere in London have ever been able to get a glass of wine for under £5. For my starter, I had the spinach and ricotta stuffed mushrooms which came on a toasted wedge of sourdough bread. Soo good! I also had the lasagna which I couldn't even finish. It was cheesy and gooey and delicious. 5 stars for service 5 stars for prices 3.5 stars for food It was all delicious except for a teensy bit of cheese overload. I could tell that the food was amazing beneath all these cheese anyhow, so they really don't need it! Grazie, Tre Fratelli, for being my dates on a Friday night.

If you miss the amazing portuguese cuisine, come here please and you won't regret it…read more Great service, as we should have as a costumer and give as a great professional staff. Thanks very much, we will be coming back to celebrate our victory from all this xxx

I tried this eatery for the first time recently and was pleasantly surprised. The staff must have…read morethought it a little strange when I ordered carbonara, but on chips instead of spaghetti, but they obliged and the meal was delicious and plentiful. The side salad was crisp and fresh and the bread soft and palatable, washed down with a very presentable coffee. What was particularly pleasing was that when I asked for a doggy bag, they offered a plastic sealed container... you can't get much better service than that. Recommended for being reasonably priced and tasty with ample portions.

Lovely small restaurant serving quick italian meals. Good service and great value. Not the type of…read moreplace to linger over a brandy and a coffee but perfect place to eat after work or before moving on.

I order takeout every few months from this restaurant. I've tried the Lasagne which is delicious…read moreand filling and flavoursome, and the Ravioli al Granchio. I would heartily recommend.

Myself, boyfriend and my friend who was visiting decided to come here on a Saturday evening. I…read morebooked a table as I have heard its quite a busy restaurant. We were seated straight away and offered the menu and drinks list. The only thing I didn't like about this place was the service. I found the staff to be quite moody, unfriendly and not very attentive, there seemed to be a group of adults with their children for a birthday who they seemed to be focusing more on than the other customers. Being italian myself I always find italian restaurants have the most friendly staff who always try their hardest to ensure your dining experience is the best it can be...this place had the opposite effect on me. This is a shame as the food is really good and I really enjoyed our meal and variety of cocktails. Some of the younger staff members need to put a smile on their face and be more attentive. Our starters came and we had no knifes, it took too long to get a staff members attention that we gave up and just ended up cutting our starters with the fork. My boyfriend ordered another beer and it was just slammed on the table and the waiter walked off without asking if the rest of us were happy or needed anymore drinks, we then had to try and get another waiters attention again to order more drinks. Its such a shame as I would be happy to go again for the food as it was very tasty, was at good prices and the fact the restaurant itself is really lovely. Its a shame some of the staff aren't as pleasant as the food, not even a thanks for coming when we left.

Fantastic food, 10/10 service and a warm welcome - we visited for a group family dinner and had…read morefantastic food and service. Will be back and highly recommend

This is a nice, cosy little Italian restaurant on the wrong side of the common. That is, it's on…read morethe Balham side of Clapham South where the hoards don't hang as much. I particularly like this place in the summer as they put loads of seats outside and serve up delicious salads and crisp wines. Inside, the decor is very traditional, with pictures on the wall and rustic tablecloths. The Italian staff are masters of making you feel very at home. Their homemade ravioli with spinach and ricotta is sensational - the best I've tasted, and they do amazing baked aubergine for starters. If you find yourself in Balham needing a bite to eat, I'd recommend you pop in here. The prices are reasonable, staff make certain that you're happy and full, and the food is decent.